THE ACHIEVEMENT DIGEST "TAD" Issue No. 85
“Achievement is an act of the will.”
Gene Griessman,
Ph.D. Editor
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QUOTATIONS YOU CAN USE
Actions Speak Louder…”
“I
have always thought the actions of men the best
interpreters of their thoughts.”
--John Locke (English
philosopher and one of the leading figures of the
Enlightenment, 1632-1704)
Seize the Moment
“Every opportunity has a shelf life.”
--Sean,
in the movie “Burlesque” (2010; writer/director Steven
Antin)
Words Worth Dying By
"I
am in God and God is in me. He dwelleth in me and I
dwell in him."
–President Andrew Jackson, spoken just
before he died on June 8, 1845
Winners and Losers
“Most anyone can recognize a winner after the race is
run. It takes talent to see it beforehand.”–Gene
Griessman
Special Days
“Every day is worth celebrating because something good
can happen in it.”—Gene Griessman
Mistakes
“You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can't
possibly live long enough to make all of them
yourself."
-- Sam Levenson (TV host, “The Sam Levenson Show,”
1911-1980)
Intellectual Honesty
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something
when his salary depends upon his not understanding
it.”
--Upton Sinclair (American author of “The Jungle,”
which created such outrage that the Pure Food and Drug
Act and the Meat Inspection Act were passed just
months after its release;1878-1968)
Self-Confidence
"I
believe myself to be writing a book on economic theory
which will largely revolutionize--not, I suppose, at
once but in the course of the next 10 years--the way
the world thinks about economic problems. I can't
expect you or anyone else to believe this is at the
present stage. But for myself I don't merely hope what
I say--in my own mind I'm quite sure."
--John Maynard Keynes, influential English economist,
in a letter written to George Bernard Shaw after
writing “The General Theory of Employment, Interest,
and Money” in 1936
“So You Want To Be A Diplomat”
"He was an accomplished diplomatist...He had great
tact, and always knew whether he should address
himself to the patriotism, the magnanimity, the pride,
the vanity, the hopes, or the fears of the person on
whom he wished to operate."
--Roger Taney, at the time Secretary of the Treasury,
commenting on the social skills of Congressman Louis
McLane, a prominent politician of the 1830s )
Look Up
"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking
at the stars."
--Oscar Wilde (Inscription on his monument across from
Charing Cross Station, London; English writer
remembered for his plays and epigrams; 1854-1900)
Taking Chances
"Greatness happens only when you're prepared to do
anything, even something that might not work."
-- Cameron Crowe, (Director of "We Bought a Zoo;
interview 2012)
Politicians
"A
toleration for humiliation, even an appetite for it,
is a prerequisite for high office in a modern
democracy."
--Philip Gourevitch, longtime staff writer for The New
Yorker and former editor of The Paris Review)
Trust Your Talent
The game-winning pass that Denver Bronco quarterback
Tim Tebow threw to Demaryius Thomas has created quite
a stir. That 80-yard pass play upset the stunned
Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime, and went into the NFL
history book. The shortest overtime ever, in regular
season or playoffs. Just 11 seconds.
Great football! Great theater! Plus a great
opportunity to learn a lesson about what it takes to
achieve.
Tebow’s pass might have been just another fine pass
completion, had it not been for the electrifying run
by Demaryius Thomas, a young receiver who was not yet
a big name.
One of the Broncos—Willis McGahee, told a reporter
afterward: "I was just saying, 'Man, trust your speed.
Trust your speed. Don't cut back. Don't cut back.' And
he kept it straight. He outran the guy."
McGahee’s comment is precisely what I teach leaders
about effective communication. Trust your talent!
Trust your talent!
I
learned that lesson from an acting coach. He taught me
to trust my talent if an audience is not responding
the way I want it to. “Don’t try to reach too far.
Don’t strain. Don’t overact,” he would say. “Stay with
what you know you can do well. Trust your talent.”
And that is my routine now. Before every Lincoln
performance, I do self-talk, assisted by a small deck
of 3 x 5 cards. On one of the cards is written: “Trust
your talent.” And that is what Demaryius Thomas did.
He trusted his talent, which in his case is speed.
Lessons From History: Lincoln on Communication
A
journalist named Henry Villard was present at one of
the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates. Years later he
wrote this “recollection.”
"The Democratic spokesmen (Stephen A. Douglas)
commanded a strong, sonorous voice, rapid, vigorous
utterance, a telling play of countenance, impressive
gestures, and all the other parts of the practiced
speaker...There was on the other (i.e. Lincoln) a
thoroughly honest and truthful man inspired by sound
convictions...There
was nothing in all Douglas's powerful effort that
appealed to the higher instincts of human nature.”
The secret of Lincoln’s success as a communicator and
as a statesman was Lincoln’s appeal to “the higher
instincts of human nature.” In his first inaugural
address, Lincoln famously called these instincts “the
better angels of our nature.”
That is perhaps the telling difference between
politicians who do great harm, but who may be powerful
communicators, and those who are like Lincoln. The
former appeal to people’s fears and meanness, to their
prejudices and hatreds. The latter—those who are like
Lincoln--appeal to people’s hopes, to their liberal
impulses, to their sense of fairness, to compassion
and love.
In
the coming election contest, listen carefully to the
candidates, to the radio and TV commentators, and
decide for yourself what impulses they appeal to.
LESSONS FROM HISTORY: A Soft Answer…
Andrew Jackson is not remembered as a diplomat. He
was a man of violent passions, prickly, and always
ready for a fight. A man who dominated every
situation.
But on one occasion, Jackson used words so
diplomatically that they headed off a possible war
with France. What Jackson did could in fact serve as
a template for anyone who has been disappointed by a
friend's behavior.
Here’s the background. In 1834, the French Chamber of
Deputies began debate about paying the United States
25 million francs-- about $5 million--as an indemnity
for French damage to American shipping during the
Napoleonic wars.
After four days of deliberation, the French declined
to honor its obligation. That decision angered the
American public, and infuriated Andrew Jackson. But
Jackson controlled his legendary temper, and told the
French minister, "I have always loved France, and it
would only be with the deepest sorrow that I would
have to change my feelings." The issue was eventually
resolved peacefully.
Next time you are disappointed in someone, let your
response look like disappointment, not raw anger.
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ASK THE COACH
What
Do You Say If You Are Asked A Question That You Don’t
Wish To Answer?
Answer: If someone asks you a pointed question that's
intrusive or impertinent, turn the tables by asking:
"Does it matter?"
That's what King Philip of France did in the great
play (and movie) "The Lion in Winter." When the
English King Henry II asked the King of France if his
son has been to see him, the French King adroitly
responded, "Does it matter?"
That question is a marvelous response that you can
use.
Here’s how. If someone asks you, say, how much you got
paid, or how much your car cost, or where you were
last night, or if you attend church, or if you are a
Christian, Jew, Muslim, or agnostic, respond: “Does it
matter?”
The question need not be aggressive. It need not be
harsh, like "None of your business," which always is.
But it puts the questioner on the defensive.
If, when you ask “Does it matter?” the response is
either yes or no, you can ask a follow-up
question—“Would you mind telling me why?”
You do not have to be at the mercy of difficult people
who ask questions that they have no business asking.
Often the best way to cope with difficult questions
and difficult people is to ask a good question
yourself.
FEEDBACK
Hi Dr. Gene,
I
very much liked your quotation: “There never was a
great leader who always did exactly what he was told
to do,” in the last TAD.
I remember reading a similar quotation: “No one will
follow a leader who is unwilling to risk breaking the
rules at least sometimes, and with good reason.”
(Leaders are risk-takers)
Paraphrasing here....There was a WW2 story about Adm.
William "Bull" Halsey and his boss Adm. Chester Nimitz.
Halsey's task forces had been in continuous combat for
over 3 months and the ships badly needed upkeep and
repairs, and rest for the crews. He sent Nimitz a
message that he was sending some of the ships down to
Australia. Nimitz ordered Halsey to keep all the
ships on the line. Halsey sent the ships to Australia
anyway. When Nimitz found out, his message asked
Halsey why he did not obey his order. Halsey sent
back that his sailors
had not had any booze for several months.
Nimitz relented and said if Halsey had said he sent
the ships for repairs he would have fired him on the
spot. Halsey's taking care of the men was of far more
value than the ships being repaired. Halsey had risked
his career for his sailors, but this was a very
powerful example of real leadership.
Thanks, Dr. Gene. John C. Harrell
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