Tough Love Tough Decisions

On effort: “You don’t get anything. You must earn it.”  Nobody owes you anything – go figure it out. Plus, its much more rewarding and you will be better off in many ways, both tangible and intangible.

On leadership: “Your job as the CEO of the business is to be the coach. Rather than running people under the bus, you’ve got to get them on the bus with you.” With that said, if they don’t fit on the bus, get them off as fast as you can. We need A players – if you are an A, thank you. We appreciate it and keep going. If you are a B, start demonstrating a willingness and desire to become an A player or we are leaving you behind. If you are a C, you need to find another career – there is no fit for you here. You need a position that best suits your wants, needs, and ambitions.

On change: “If you don’t evolve, you will die.”  It’s like riding a bike – either you are pedaling and moving forward, or you tip over…and tipping over is no fun. Business and work life is no different – the world moves on, with or without you. Get with it.

On complacency: “In any business, you can’t be complacent. If you are, you’re going to go backwards.” Don’t ever think that you have made it – there is always someone ready and willing to eat your lunch. Diddle and you’re dead. If you don’t wake up a little paranoid each morning, something is wrong.

On partnerships: “I’m not a big fan of prenups in relationships, but I am a big fan of prenups in partnerships.” Choose you partner(s) carefully – they are not always who you think they are and it’s an expensive and painful process to find out otherwise. Not everything is as it seems, trust me.

On management: “The customer and the employee are both number one.” I realize that if everything is a priority, then nothing is. But remember, if you don’t take care of the employees, there will be no customers. Motivate others and management becomes easier.

On delegation: “The first rule of management is delegation. Don’t try and do everything yourself because you can’t.” You become your own worst enemy and limit the potential and growth of the business (and others around you). Delegate….properly.

On honesty: “People respect you more if they get the truth as opposed to a bunch of fluff.” It always easy to provide good news – it’s the ability to be quick, clear, and concise in delivering bad news. Don’t wait, there is no upside.

On goodwill: “If you have trust with somebody, it can survive any downturn, any mistake, any problem. And if you don’t have trust, it won’t matter how good the business is. It will fall apart eventually.” Develop and build relationships – they are worth their weight in gold, and you never know when you will need them.

On personality: “It is OK in business, no matter what anybody tells you, to be yourself.”  Life’s too short, life can be too complicated – just be you. We should all want to learn, grow, and improve. Have a burning desire to grow your knowledge base – become a more interesting person…your personality will thank you, and so will others.

On failure: “The definition of an entrepreneur to me is the willingness to fail, and it takes a lot of guts and a lot of heart to take that chance.” The secret of life is to fail five times and to get up six times – failure is a fact of life, it is inevitable. It’s how you respond that matters. Embracing failure and using it as an opportunity to learn and grow is one of the most effective ways to develop as an individual.

On passion: “If you don’t love what you do, then you shouldn’t do it.” If you can’t [or don’t want to] be passionate about what you are doing, then move on.  If you don’t have enthusiasm – the burning desire to be the best at whatever you are currently doing, you are cheating yourself, and everyone else.