More For Less, Faster, Easier, Better: Chapter 1

 We’d like to thank you for visiting Team 2 LEarn by giving you chapter one of our original book, “More For Less, Faster, Easier, Better, it is our hope that you will provide us with    suggestions for improvements, feedback, etc. on what you’ve read. In this way, we would like to make this a book about teams and leadership with many contributors. Once you  submit your review to joe@team2learn.com we will respond to your suggestions even asking to incorporate them if you agree. At that time, we would recognize your contribution by  making you a contributing author.  This original book was written to illustrate the principles that make team-building and leadership such a financial and social success at the  businesses of our clients. In the meantime, read our latest book, Sales Team Leadership: Pure and Simple to understand how we are advancing our Team and Leadership principles  with companies in the 21st Century. Thank You for participating.

Maximizing Your Team Successes: More For Less, Faster, Easier, Better™

 Jack Marshall, Operations Vice President of Distributor Sales for G Y Bradley Associates sat in his office overwhelmed by the challenge ahead. He was the new leader in a corner  office with barely one working quarter under his belt. Yet, here he was volunteering to take on an additional assignment. He hadn’t settled in yet! He was putting in more hours then he  promised his family.

Thank God for his family, they made all the sacrifices worthwhile. Their acceptance of his long hours plus their sacrifices over the years was allowing them to enjoy a better lifestyle today and their future looked even brighter. However sometime, deep inside, Jack wondered if it was worth the sacrifices. He was away from home 3 and 4 nights a week and working most Saturdays just to keep up with his workload. If he had any mental fatigue it was overcome by the exhilaration that he was doing work he loved. Jack allowed himself to reflect back on the less hectic times in his life. It had been a great climb for a country boy from the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. It was there that he began his dream of becoming an executive for a global corporation. He had observed many successful businessmen enjoying the fruits of their labors on the golf courses, on the lakes and in their mountain retreats with family and friends. As a young man growing up, he often dreamed how great it would be to be one of them.

Vision without action is just a dream.

  Jack’s dad watched over him and they talked often during his developing years. Jack’s dad loved to nurture his Son with the thought that leaders are made not born. He was a consummate reader of the lives of successful leaders. As a result he could recall the quotes of leaders that made Jack think more while giving himself that extra boost to take actions to make something happen. There was a mutual pride, excitement and happiness that came with every one of Jack’s achievements. The more experienced Jack got, the more he recalled and valued the wisdom that came out of their Father–Son talks. Jack’s dad knew and encouraged him to keep an open mind and dream about his future leadership while working smart at what he loved to do right now. It all simply adds up. You learn and develop. You do and you succeed. But don’t stop dreaming. Dreams are visions of potential, of possibilities. Your leadership is your personal stake in the future. Your leadership grows when you support it with your passion for right actions.

Dream visions of what can be. Passion is the source of right actions. Passionate actions generate leadership successes.

Jack’s vision for leadership success and passion for doing the right thing caused him to set goals for himself. Goals were the call for action steps. There were times when a goal seemed unrealistic. Hmm, just a dream! But he managed to learn over time the goal setting secret. The secret to achieving a goal was to break it down into smaller more manageable and achievable action steps. He learned to celebrate the smaller goals which kept him motivated on achieving the bigger goal. He was bless’d with the ability to act and stay focused on his goals until they were achieved. Sometimes it was a curse, but he began to realize that each time he thought he had hit a wall, he could stop and take time to understand what was causing the set back. All through school, and the university, he was engaged in continuous learning networks that challenged, influenced and nurtured his growth. His successes kept him reaching out and setting new goals. It was no surprise that he was nicknamed, “Action Jackson.

“Leadership is an action not a position.” Anonymous

It was during this time that Jack added another important ingredient to his thoughts about achieving his dreams, other people. “No Man is an Island.” The associations he was involved in taught him that when he was connected with other people of similar passions, everything expanded. The right associations multiplied his intentions, his thoughts and his actions. There were times when growth seemed to leap exponentially because of the association of people he was involved with. The complexity became easier to understand. Once other people were involved, every challenge got easier to break down and achieve.

Right associations generate achievement faster and easier.

Through his dad’s influence, Jack got hooked on and loved reading the lives of famous business leaders. Andrew Carnegie was one of his early favorites. Jack knew that people were the main reason that the impossible became possible. He had his favorite Andrew Carnegie quote framed as a constant reminder that you can’t do it alone. More is accomplished with people.

“Take away all my money and factories, but leave me my people and I’ll have it all back in 5 years.” Andrew Carnegie

Jack’s first couple of jobs out of school were filled with promise but in short order dissolved into becoming a reactive follower, ‘be quiet and do what you’re told.’ He discovered that many companies lacked the ‘proactive leadership’ qualities of a shared vision that enabled and empowered the people to cooperate in their work together and take actions that were mutually beneficial for the good of the whole company of people. So, after 5 years of working for companies that made promises but didn’t follow through, Jack sought out and finally landed a job with G Y Bradley Associates. It was no surprise to him that all the leadership positions were filled with quality leaders who valued people. These leaders went beyond talk. They energized the business environment with visions that caused people to act with their best intentions, knowledge and experience. There was a sense of purpose that made the fulfillment of their work an enjoyment. It caused Jack to remember one of his father’s favorite sayings,

Find a job you love and you’ll never work another day in your life.

Jack advanced quickly through sales and into sales management. He was recognized for his ability to develop people into leaders not followers. Jack knew that when he succeeded in raising leaders not followers he was multiplying his impact on the business. After three years of successes with the sales team, Jack achieved the coveted “Sales Manager of the Year” award for the entire company. Jack immediately and as always attributed the award to the team. So, rather than keep the award on display in his office, he showcased it in the office entrance with a team quote from John Wooden.

“The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.” John Wooden

Each team member’s name was inscribed as a contributor to the achievement of the award. When Jack was promoted and moved to London, England to manage a new division a year later, he had a picture taken with the team in front of the award. He made sure everyone got a copy of the picture. Team members would tell him later that the picture of the team with the award was a source of pride but more importantly of the unity of their team and the mutual leadership spirit they shared in doing great work together.

Honor and praise to all the participants.

Once in Europe, true to his convictions and past successes, Jack always made time to meet with the people. There were a lot of problems with the start up and it challenged Jack’s beliefs but never his belief in people. He put aside time each month to meet one-on-one with the leaders of the people, knowing once again that his success would be multiplied if the leaders stayed focused on the vision and the team’s current goals.

Leadership is the ability to get others to do the things you want them to do because they want to do them.

Next he reached out to the local networks. He knew that associations were breeding grounds for success. People always grow by right association. The right associations generate formal and informal meetings where people develop confidence and a sense of the collective mind-share. Challenges, problems, opportunities and even threats were dealt with because of the strength of the people in association. Through Jack’s nurturing and influencing, people began to recognize the big payoffs as a result of their associations. The more they were involved, open, sharing, cooperatingcollaborating with each other: and

  1. The more work they could accomplish
  2. The less money and time was wasted
  3. The work was done faster
  4. The work became easier

Because of this multiplier effect the people were more productive. They got More done, with Less, Faster and Easier. But the biggest payoff of all was that their involvement in an open and sharing association

  1. They generated better and better quality and value for their customers and better and better pride for what was being accomplished.

The success caused their association to come up with a spirited motto,

More, For Less, Faster, Easier, Better

These were important times for Jack too. He was also growing in confidence through additional associations he was making with other business leaders.

The power of the collective mind keeps producing a knowing…

 

In association, we nurture and influence each other to more achievements.

Jack’s convictions and commitment to people caused him to coach and then mentor several managers into leadership positions of the European Division. It was no surprise to the team in Europe when Jack was tapped for new leadership and a promotion back at headquarters. Everyone applauded his selection and wished him well. Jack’s work also paid off as one of the people he had mentored and coached was chosen to succeed him. So, after 4 years in Europe, Jack and his family, moved to headquarters in Chicago, Illinois for what was initially called special projects. Jack worked on a staff team for 16 months. During this time, his family grew with the birth of his twin sons Bryce and Bailey. Life was great living in Chicago and Jack continued to be excited about his work with people at GY Bradley Associates. Jack was offered a choice of business opportunities for work in Southeast Asia. He chose the opportunity in Singapore and moved with his family in record time. It was a very busy time. Talk about culture shock, the family had hardly acclimated to Chicago when they found themselves uprooted again, learning and acclimating to the great Asian Culture. Once again, Jack enjoyed his work and not so surprising, the family enjoyed the lifestyle of Southeast Asia. Jack enjoyed working with the people very much and appreciated their attention and dedication to family. His affinity for the importance of being with the people showed in all his operations. Jack found himself once again in the enviable role of yet another business success for G Y Bradley Associates. True to his character, Jack always recognized and praised the people first for their outstanding contributions and then their willingness through association to accept new and more challenges of the day. Never without its problems and challenges the successes of the day were achieved through Jack’s strengths of nurturing and encouraging open, sharing and collaborative communications, while at the same time recognizing and nurturing individual talent and contributions. The team worked as a family. Their culture cared for each other with great honor and respect for family values and it carried over into the work environment. Team truly took on a new meaning as Jack thought more and more about the different members of a family and how they all contribute to the mutual benefit of being one.

A family can bear more and enjoy more together because of their mutual bond.

Jack’s efforts were rewarded with the viability of the team. These strengths in turn led to everyone meeting and embracing the business vision for changes that were inevitable and always happening. As Jack was getting ready to celebrate his 2nd year in Singapore, he was invited by headquarters to participate in a special school. The school would be held in India over a six-month period of time. There would be classroom learning sessions held during the first week of every month in India. This would be followed by collaborative work assignments over the following 3 weeks ultimately stretching out over 6 months. The team assignments would be worked on and coordinated during the normal day-to-day business operations back at their home stations. The program would end with a final weeklong review and reflection of the learning session and a grand celebration back in India with their global collaborators. Jack had not worked in India so he was pleased when he and his partner Kyle Watson from New Zealand were assigned to Satyagraha Ahimsa and his faithful companion, Gita. “Satya” as he was called, was born in Dandi, India in 1940. In his more formative years, he came to the US and earned a degree in Business at Boston University. Once out of school, Satya stayed in the US and worked for companies in Boston, then New York City, then Houston and finally Chicago. G Y Bradley Associates hired him while he was working in Chicago. During that time, Satya was in an automobile accident that claimed the life of his wife and left him with severe eyesight limitations. He was slow to accept rehabilitation, but through the urging of his friends and because of his children, he learned to work through his limitations. It was during rehabilitation and training that Satya was united with Gita. She was a magnificent, pure white Labrador Retriever. She was endowed with sacred blue eyes with deep red pupils. Initially she was trained to be a guide dog but never quite met those standards. However, she had acquired enough of the characteristics to serve as a companion to someone like Satya whose eyesight was improving ever so slightly. Finally when Satya’s eyesight reached a level that would not get any better, Satya and Gita became inseparable. Strangely, even though Satya was a well educated man, after his accident and then union with Gita, he grew with an almost supernatural wisdom which he often attributed to the combined spirits of Gita and himself. “Gita” he said, “helps me to observe what I do not see clearly.

“We are not human beings having a Spiritual experience.

We are Spiritual Beings having a human experience.” Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

After several more years at headquarters Satya was selected to take on a special executive assignment in India where his extensive knowledge of the Indian Culture would be of great benefit. Satya welcomed his selection since it meant his children could have the benefit of family back in India. It was a happy time. Satya’s observations, reports and relationships with other associates and customers, successfully helped grow the business in India.  Because of his remote location from headquarters and after some time had passed, most business associates working with Satya did not know he had limited eyesight. Satya had been working back in India for 5 years when he met Jack. What a God-send Satya was, being both Indian and a business associate too. It was natural for Satya to be highly regarded and integral to the company achievements. His knowledge of the People, their customs and cultures along with his knowledge of the history and geography of India put him in insightful leadership roles sometimes almost creating a spiritual bond with the people around him. Satya was proud of the good work he was doing while serving in several different support capacities for the company. He was held in high regard as a loyal and an inspiring Senior Executive for G Y Bradley Associates. As you might expect, during the training, Jack and Kyle became good friends. However, Jack began a special relationship with Satya. Getting to know him and Gita was a special bonus of the assignment. Just about the time Jack thought he was becoming a wise, empathetic and nurturing business leader, he began to reflect on his learning at a deeper level with the help of Satya. Jack’s perspectives about people began to reach new levels of awareness. He began to understand that People need to work with others on challenges that complete them with a purpose of fulfillment.

We are not here to compete with each other. We are here to complete each other.

Jack realized that he and Satya joined G Y Bradley Associates for the same reason, people associations with a desire to be connected for higher consciousness. Jack knew that Satya was at a higher, almost mystical level about people. Satya seemed unambitious about outcomes and more involved in the need for people to work together contributing and sharing their ‘authentic self’ talents for the good of the whole team. In this way, people matured with their own sense of self worth, appreciation, recognition and respect that all people crave. In the whole team we value each other to the extent that we achieve greatness because of our mutual involvement with each other. Satya would often use the example that he was one with Gita. One plus One is greater than 3. Together they were doing things that some people would consider impossible.

Collaboration – Synergy

 

1 + 1 > 3

 

Life on this planet is a struggle for Survival of the fittest in fierce competitive struggles.

 

Many biologists have questioned this premise in that they assert cooperation is more survival positive then competition.

 

Those species that learn how to cooperate are more likely to survive then those who struggle vigorously in fierce competition. Birth of a New World – Harlan Cleveland

After the special school, when Jack wasn’t traveling to India anymore, he often found himself communicating with Satya about a host of people challenges, problems and situations. These were always the most interesting discussions. Jack’s successes at work were always related to his work and belief in people. Satya’s highest interest like Jack’s was in complimenting, nurturing and elevating people too. Both Jack and Satya believed in the untapped potential of the people. People learning and teaching each other in association generated new environments for achieving the impossible. Complimenting Jack’s convictions, Satya often spoke knowingly about how ‘successful people working in collaboration always accomplished more with less effort and more quickly.’ Satya helped Jack understand more than ever that people successes came as a result of elevated and intuitive senses which were tuned in ‘with’ the people, with the collective mind as ONE. This elevated collective mind level is beyond empathy. Satya observed that Jack’s belief in people elevated not just individual trust but mutual trust. Mutual trust enabled the people to work less encumbered by fear of internal competition. Mutual trust freed them to be more confident with their internal collaborations.

“With the greatest leader above them, people barely know one exists.

 

Next comes the one whom they love and praise.

 

Next comes one whom they fear.

 

Next comes one whom they despise and defy.

When a leader trusts no one, no one trusts the leader.

 

The great leader speaks little.

 

The leader never speaks carelessly.

 

The leader works without self-interest and leaves no trace.

 

When all is finished, the people say, ‘We did it ourselves.’” Tao 17

This allows them to use more of their innate talents, openly and with passion – love for their work. Love is a power. It is ‘Spirit’ of expanding energy. The more you use it and embrace it, as in a passion for your work, the more it expands and you find yourself doing More with Less effort, Faster, Easier and Better because you are focused, tuned in, elevated with the collective mind… you’re in the zone. You’re in love with what you are doing. Love-Passion elevated to this level, generates an intuitive ‘knowing.’ This knowing elevates the passion. It is at this level that People accomplish the impossible.

When you are inspired, in-spirit by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all of your thoughts break their bonds, your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world.

 

Dormant forces, faculties and talents come alive and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be. Ptangeli

Jack learned so much from these discussions. Often Satya and him would play creative mind games back and forth trying to imagine, ‘what could happen, if…?’ Satya always seemed to know… while Jack would believe and then come to know. That was almost 2 years ago. Now Jack was back at headquarters in Chicago. He had been elected to work with a new Ventures Group for the company. There was plenty of challenging opportunities and many talented leaders for Jack to engage in mutual commitment for the company’s successes. In one of the very first meetings of the entire board, research and development unveiled 3 prototype products that they felt had great promise of success. While R&D was excited about the opportunities, they were cautioned that in today’s market there are no clear winners, no matter how good the product looks and timing is always critical. Nevertheless, Jack quickly recognized the potential for one of the products. Everyone else also recognized him as the person who had a vision and enthusiasm for the product. Jack was pleased and pleasantly surprised when the board unanimously selected him to take the lead in the product’s development. Initially, Jack had to complete a plan and strategy for its success. Since there were 3 products, three leaders were selected. The leaders for the other two products were equally enthusiastic about their products. Assignments were confirmed and Jack looked forward to developing the information. The stipulations for acceptance by the board were that the plan and strategy had to be presented at the next board meeting. Further, the plan had to be capable of being implemented, within 4 months of board acceptance. Finally, the first 6-month budget had to be confirmed with all the board members participating and approving it. Jack would draw from the best available talent. He was excited about the project and was confident that his Vision would be the inspiration for everyone he invited to work on the team. As word got out, many people began volunteering to be on the development team. When the day came, Jack and several members of the development team presented the work to the board. Jack made special mention of all the people who had worked with the team developing the product’s plan and strategy. The board was favorable to two of the three products. Jack’s product plan was one of two accepted. Jack now had 3 months to get product production ready. This would include piloting and testing for customer acceptance. The fourth month would be spent getting product into the delivery system. Jack leaned back in his chair and sighed. This is the biggest commitment and opportunity of my life. I know we can do it but I really need someone who understands people to help me. Someone who can keep the people focused and working together while I’m still involved with some of my other work. I need someone who can keep the momentum of the team on track for completion. I need to pick a people oriented person to make this happen. Then I need a team of great people who can do

More, For Less, Faster, Easier, Better™

 

More accomplishments

 

For Less time and money

 

Faster with mutual collaboration

 

Easier with the abundance of talents

 

Better, always achieving Better and Better

His mind quickly raced back to India and without hesitation, he called Satya. Would he consider…? Satya was receptive to the point of saying that he had been waiting for Jack’s call! Not totally understanding, Jack asked if Satya could catch the next plane to Chicago.

And then, would he consider being the team’s Leader?

Without hesitation Satya said, “I’ll be on the next plane Jack. We need to understand more about your challenge and your role as team leader!”

*************************************

Questions to raise your awareness about this first chapter

Jack’s dad influenced and nurtured his early years. Think back on your early years…who influenced and nurtured you during your early years?

Who are some of the influencing people in your life today?…Do you have a Coach or a Mentor?

 

There is genius in all of us. Einstein

Who nurtures your genius?

What do nurturing people do that influencing people may not do?

What are some of the benefits of working on a team?
Team Book #1, More For Less, Faster Easier, Better™revised
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