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“Productivity  =  Prosperity” is a simple quote of Luke’s but a powerful one.  It is printed at the top of your daily board to remind you to maximize every opprtunity and you WILL reap the benefits.  Below are the definitions of both words.

pro·duc·tiv·i·ty

The quality, state, or fact of being able to generate, create, enhance, or bring forth goods and services: The productivity of the group’s effort surprised everyone.

Yesterday we held our monthly P&L meeting at the Fulton office. As you can see from the smiling faces of the District Managers, April proved to be an outstanding month. Congratulations to ALL the District Managers for hitting their budgeted numbers and thanks to all team members who made April a huge success!  Let’s work hard the rest of this month to make May even better! — Luke

“If everyone is moving forward together then success takes care of itself.”  Henry Ford

Enthusiasm

“Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait, the grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas.”

– Henry Ford

Discipline

“People don’t understand that when I grew up, I was never the most talented. I was never the biggest. I was never the fastest. I certainly was never the strongest. The only thing I had was my work ethic, and that’s been what has gotten me this far.”

– Tiger Woods

Success

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have a great week!

Janna

Recently the management team read a book “Winning” by Jack Welch. Jack was the CEO of GE. During his tenure from 1981-2001 GE’s company value rose 4000%. To say he was an outstanding leader is an understatement.

One of Jack’s main philosophies is what he called the dirty little secret “Candor.” If candor is missing in the work place, people will not know where they stand, or what they need to do to improve. At times candor can be difficult, but had you rather have someone be honest about your performance or sugar coat it and you get blindsided? For each of us to become the best, we must be honest with ourselves.

Am I giving 110% everyday?

What can I do more to be more productive?

Do I go the extra mile?

Do I want to be the best at what I do, or just get by and collect a check?

Do I hold myself and my teammates accountable?

Candor can be difficult, but it will also set you on a path to success in everything you do.

Candor : The word candor means honest and frank expression.

• Cease what      you are doing. Count to 10. Take a break. Do what you have to do to cool      down.
• Ask      yourself, what is going on? How many people are involved? What exactly is happening?     
• Name the      problem as you see it. Describe it to the others without blaming anyone.      Adding fuel to the fire is an easy way to get burned.
• Discover a      problem-solving plan with those involved. Make a compromise. Ask another person not involved for an opinion.
• Operate      that plan. Put it into effect with the cooperation of the others involved.      Make sure everyone involved knows the problem-solving plan.
• Re-evaluate      the plan. Often people do not complete the process of putting a plan of      action in place because they feel better after talking things over or they      get distracted. When the problem arises again, they think their      problem-solving efforts have been wasted. Instead, resolve to use the      plan.

“Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it to be” Jack Welch

Tommy

The Accounting Department was thrilled again to receive their cash prize for April’s budget goals being met.  Thank you for your awesome teamwork to make April a BIG success!

“Unity is strength. . . when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” –Mattie Stepanek

Rachel and the Accounting Girls

I would like to thank everyone for the response you have had to our new training system.  This is an excellent way to learn and prove that our team at Montgomery Enterprises truly is the best!  Keep up the good work!

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much- Helen Keller

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent. ~John Donne

None of us is as smart as all of us. ~Ken Blanchard

Team means Together Everyone Achieves More! ~Author Unknown

Have a great Tuesday!  – LaTessa

Be Flexible and Open to Change

By: Melinda Howard Erickson

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the fortune.” – John F. Kennedy

When you get used to something, when it’s always been there and you count on it always being there, it’s often very uncomfortable when it changes. The longer something is a certain way, the more people expect, and want, it to remain the same. They become content and sometimes even complacent.

But things usually change for a reason. Maybe something wasn’t working properly and was out of date, or perhaps a better way of doing it came along. Or maybe something simply could be improved and was changed.

If something has already changed there is probably nothing you can do about it and it’s a waste of time to fight it or feel sorry or wonder why. Be flexible. And try to imagine all the good things that might happen as a result of change. The Feeling if uncertainty with a new situation is normal. Don’t be quick to judge a new position or set of circumstances. You could miss out on a great experience! Snap judgments may prevent you from having opportunities and experiences that are very positive and beneficial to your future.

Work environments are always changing. It’s difficult to imagine doing your job without computers, PDA’s cell phones, voicemail, email, fax machines, copy machines, and other devices. Yet at one time it was hard for many people to adjust to them, the same people who now can’t imagine life as it “use to be”!

Life is always changing. The more easily you can adapt, the more successful, happy, and appreciated you will be.

Have a great day!

Meredith

Having a sense of urgency means: taking action NOW on the task before you.

With the recent growth in our company having a sense of urgency in our store will be key to our success.

Having a plan each day in your store, making sure everyone is on the same page, holding everyone accountable, and executing that plan will set the correct tone in your stores.

Urgency:  Have a daily plan and know your daily and weekly goals.

Urgency:  Loan closings done correctly and customers held accountable.

Urgency:  Courtesy calls to customers to make sure they are in on time.

Urgency:  Past due calls to set our expectations

Urgency:  Growing your stores.  (Local marketing, referrals, mailers.)

Urgency:  Finding ways to do a loan instead of ways not too.

Urgency:  Making sure our customer service is the best in the industry.

Urgency:  Making sure your store is a shining example of the company.

What you do today will affect what happens tomorrow, so make each day count.

Make sure your store isn’t complacent, and the “sense of urgency” is present in your store.

Tommy

A good plan implemented today is better than a perfect plan implemented tomorrow.”

— George Patton

“Things may come to those who wait, but only things left by those who hustle.”

— attributed to Abraham Lincoln

Warrior of Enthusiasm

Here is an article I wanted to share-

How to be a Warrior of Enthusiasm in Your Business Culture

October 29, 2012 by kristakotrla

Business Culture Warrior of Enthusiasm. Call me crazy but I get the sense that companies (and people in general) today could benefit from having a few more Warriors of Enthusiasm around.

“Warrior of Enthusiasm” huh?… Sounds awesome.

Hopefully, you already have a few people in mind that serve as great examples in your life of being Warriors of Enthusiasm. Just in case you have no idea what I’m talking about, here’s a rough definition:

Warrior of Enthusiasm:

One whose brave optimism and relentless pursuit of a worthy goal inspires you.  Put simply, a warrior of enthusiasm inspires us both by their attitude and their actions.

They aren’t made of giggles, spirit sprinkles and ignorant bliss. They wreak of grit, positivity and focused action. They get stuff done because they are joyfully and relentlessly pursuing continual improvement. And we can’t help but want to join forces with them on their journey. We all become a little bit better just by being around them.

What Warriors of Enthusiasm Means to Your Business Culture:

Companies today are faced with numerous challenges and rapidly evolving conditions. Cut costs. Hire more. Create more processes. Streamline processes. Get lean. Increase market share. Innovate. Eliminate mistakes. Be more social. Automate. Evolve. Be consistent. Surprise us.

These conditions can be overwhelming but they don’t have to be. Not to a Warrior of Enthusiasm. To a Warrior of Enthusiasm, these are the best conditions to shine. Living in the tension and digging into the challenges are what make them feel alive. I want to be one of those people. Don’t you?

Here is a link to the rest of this article if you are interested.

http://www.kristakotrla.com/warrior-of-enthusiasm-business-culture/

-Will

This morning I want to congratulate the winners of our office growth competition that ended last week.  The competition was lots of fun and wildly successful!

Good luck to Lynn, April, Johnna, Keisha, Julie and Mattie in their Mall Dash!  I hope you have a blast spending your $500 within thirty minutes!

Prior to the start of the competition the district managers and I all estimated the growth we would see during the competition and, I am glad to say, we all underestimated our potential.  Our success during the competition just shows that when we put our mind to something and dedicate ourselves to a common cause we can do things beyond our imagination.  Thanks to all of you for making the competition such a huge success.  I look forward to our next exciting competition!  —  Luke

“Can you imagine what I would do if I could do all I can?”  Jeff Rich