How Does Your Business & Brand Achieve Enduring Prosperity?
Besides having a lot of money, what is the # 1 commonality shared by those who create long-term wealth and sustainable success?
It’s not intelligence or education. You can always find plenty of highly-educated people with an MBA working dead end jobs.
It’s not luck, courage, instinct or timing. A lot of folks have rolled the dice in Vegas and lost. There are plenty of dead bodies scattered on the frozen slopes of Mt. Everest.
The single characteristic that prosperous people and organizations possess is an unusually lengthy time-span horizon. They see far into the future and make decisions accordingly.
The average person is thinking one or two paychecks ahead.
Top CEO’s are projecting 3-5 years ahead.
Off-the chart visionaries like Lincoln and Churchill saw much further down the road. Likewise, Einstein & Ford, FDR & JFK, Disney & Jobs were thinking generations ahead.
A Canadian social scientist named Elliott Jaques pioneered this research as far back as 1952. A clinical psychologist who coined the phrase “mid-life crisis”, Elliot predicted and demonstrated with stunning accuracy that truly successful people routinely plant seeds and grow trees they will never sit under. In other words, they build organizations, communities and brands that will outlast their involvement. Fortunately for one small town company that fell on hard times back in the 80's and 90's, they had a leader who recognized it’s never too late to start planting and nurturing those trees.
No matter what his many critics were thinking.
This month, we’re exploring the theme of business and brand Longevity; what creates long-term success, sustains it over time and makes it possible for people like you to believe again that long-term success can still materialize in our hyper-fast, short-term world.
Discover how you and your team can Play The Longer Game and win multiple times over on this edition of Leaders & Legends.
"The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have" VINCE LOMBARDI
p.s … Bob Harlan’s 18-year legacy as the Packers president represents much more than just bringing a winning spirit back to Green Bay and a Super Bowl title in 2007. He contributed much more than a robust annual revenue machine that ensures replacing historic Lambeau Field with a more modern facility will never happen. Harlan’s most significant and enduring contribution may be for millions of business owners anywhere - in any category - who can see the value of a shared vision that extends far beyond the actual product or service. In other words, Bob could see beyond a traditional business model that generated revenues with ticket sales and concessions for only ten events a year. His work inspires anyone from anywhere who believes they can achieve infinite immortality on a frozen field of dreams. If you want to skip ahead to the 4:30 mark, you can watch Bob explain the challenge any leader faces when trying to get people to buy into a bigger vision.
p.p.s … Elliot Jaques (pronounced ‘Jacks’) would have loved to visit Green Bay, take in a Packers game and compare management theory notes with Bob Harlan. Jaques was once asked by a group of front-line workers why the salary of low-level workers was estimated on an hourly, daily or weekly basis, while compensation for executives was described as an annual amount. That single question triggered no fewer than 23 books and a legacy that endures to this day thanks to the efforts of people like Tom Foster.
Based in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Foster now tours the world speaking to high-level CEO’s and organizations in an effort to combat “flavor-of-the-month” leadership thinking. It’s headsy stuff, but in many respects what Foster does is challenge leaders to question many of their own answers and assumptions against a highly validated and battle-tested management theory. You can discover Tom and his work here: https://timespan101.com/
NOW BOOKING FOR 2020 / 2021 ... BIG LITTLE LEGENDS!
The language of brand speaks to humans in a way that is metaphorical, meaningful, emotional and symbolic. The language of business communicates in a way that is logical, literal, mechanical and analytical. How then, does a business leader – in any industry – any product/service category become fluent in BOTH of these vitally important languages?
This unforgettable keynote/workshop (and preview of the forthcoming book) is designed to challenge accepted notions of how long-term brand-building really works these days. It forces leaders to re-think what's possible and the role they play in creating modern-day legacy. It's entitled BIG LITTLE LEGENDS - How Everyday Leaders Build Irresistible Brands.
Planning a Speaking Event?
The wheels of business turn faster each quarter and your company or industry association may be busy making plans to stay ahead of the lighting-fast relevance curve. In that spirit, we are knee-deep in booking events for 2020 and 2021 with organizations like Vistage International, Raptor Mining and next month with the National Truck Equipment Association in Indianapolis to dramatically rock their next conference with keynotes and workshops that inspire audiences to acquire “STADIUM-SIZED PERSPECTIVE”. For booking inquiries, feel free to reach out and contact us.
Other Resources for You to Explore:
If you are a CEO, Senior Executive or Business Owner who has attended one of our speaking events, consider this as an open invitation to schedule a 20-minute Discovery Session. It's a great, no-strings way to bounce ideas just to see where they land.
Purchase the critically-acclaimed, NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS. Available at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.
Get daily updates and continue the DISCUSSION on FACEBOOK or visit www.gairmaxwell.com
"Everything you can imagine is real" PABLO PICASSO
IT STARTS WITH TIMBER!!
4yAs always Gair, thank you for the inspirational content. Very much appreciated!!