Author: Luke Montgomery

Some of my favorite blog posts are quotes.  Sometimes just the right quote can help a person get the start of their day off right.  Since I normally have to read close to a hundred quotes to pick out the few I post it normally helps me to have a better day for sure.  Hope everyone has a great Tuesday! — Luke

The winners in life think constantly in terms of I can, I will, and I am. Losers, on the other hand, concentrate their waking thoughts on what they should have or would have done, or what they can’t do. – Dennis Waitley

Success is often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable. – Coco Chanel

Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness. – James Thurber

It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. – Charles Darwin

To win without risk is to triumph without glory. – Pierre Corneille

If there is such a thing as good leadership, it is to give a good example. – Ingvar Kamprad

Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly and get on with improving your other innovations. – Steve Jobs

Storms make oats take root. — Proverb

Work spares us from three evils:  boredom, vice and need. — Voltaire

Last weekend, Louis and I attended the national convention of the Financial Service Centers of America which took place in Chicago.  While there we were able to browse the gallery of vendors with scores of various products pertaining to the consumer finance industry, particularly the cash advance business.  We ran into a few of our current vendors and it was good to see them face to face and have a chance to catch up on business.  We also came across a couple of other products that we think may be beneficial to our businesses.  We are planning to follow up with them and make a decision after becoming more familiar with their products.

Many of you have been asking about when we will be rolling out our prepaid debit cards.  We spoke with the debit card provider while in Chicago and they assured us that we should be ready to begin rolling out the cards within a couple of weeks.  This has taken much longer than we had anticipated and we apologize for the delay.  The debit card provider we plan to use comes highly recommended and has a great track record in business so we hope to be able to do business with them.  We should know something in a couple of weeks.

Have a terrific Thursday! — Luke

“Our life always expresses the results of our dominant thoughts.”  Soren Kierkergaard

Living in Northeast Mississippi I have always considered myself fortunate to be so conveniently located to the hub of the North Mississippi Medical Center and the fine facilities it provides in Tupelo.  With such grand accomodations and great medical service at NMMC, located a twenty minute ride from Fulton, I have always wondered why some folks drove an extra ten minutes or so to patronize the much smaller Gilmore Medical Center in Amory.  After escorting my wife, Ashley, to have some routine tests ran last week I now totally understand people’s willingness and desire to go to Amory.  From the moment Ashley and I walked in the door at Gilmore we felt like family. 

Immediately upon walking through the sliding glass doors we were warmly greeted by two grey haired gentleman sitting at a desk within the lobby.  After asking our last name they quickly pulled Ashley’s file as if they had been waiting all morning in anticipation of her arrival.  With a smle, the gentleman handed Ashley her file and motioned us over to a medical clerk just across the lobby.  As the friendly medical clerk was finishing up Ashley’s paperwork one of the men who had just greeted us showed up to escort us to our next stop. 

As we made our way to the lab area we passed by several Gilmore employees from lab techs and nurses to janitorial and maintenance staff.  We were thoroughly impressed in that all the staff seemed to be in good cheer and interacted pleasantly with us throughout our entire visit.  As we were waiting on the doctor after the labs were completed, Ashley and I both commented about how EVERY Gilmore employee seemed to be in a good mood. . . a sincere good mood as nothing came across fake or forced.  The staff members’ personalities and attitudes were so uplifting you almost forgot you were inside a hospital. 

To top it all off the doctor came in with the test results and had the absolute best bedside manner I have ever witnessed.   

Books have been written and classes have been taught about the level of customer service offered at Disney World.  Well, having visited Disney World and Gilmore Medical, I think the folks at Disney could even learn a thing or two from the fine folks in Amory.

Have a great Thursday! — Luke

“Do what you do so well that they will want to come again and bring their friends.”  Walt Disney

One of the topics we have often focused on during our company wide management meetings is the importance of maintaining a “to do list”.  It registered with me last week that it has been awhile since we have pushed the importance of keeping such a list.  In my years in business I have found that the best employees seem to keep the best “to do lists”.

I can recall meetings in which I have spoken to a handful of employees at once.  The employees in those meetings who took thorough notes and made an organized list of the objectives set out in those meetings were hands down FAR more productive than those who sat merely as passive listeners.

Each day it is important to maintain and update a personal “to do list” of things you need to accomplish.  No matter how small the task, add it to your “to do list” and the odds of completing that task  go up exponentially.  Upon completion of the given task go back and mark it off your “to do list” which in turn will give you a sense of accomplishment and will motivate you to knock out more of your tasks at hand. 

One suggestion regarding your to do list is to keep it within sight.  Having a list tucked away inside your desk or buried under a stack of papers does little good.  Keep your list within reading distance from your work area and you will be reminded throughout the day of what all you have already accomplished and what else remains to be done.  

If you are currently attempting to work without the assistance of a “to do list” then start using one today.  By the end of the week you should notice a great increase in your productivity.

Have a great week!   Luke

“The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.”  Tom Krause 

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  Hopefully these quotes will help get your Monday started with the right frame of mind. — Luke

“Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all time thing.  You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time.  Winning is a habit.  Unfortunately, so is losing.”  Vince Lombardi

“The first one gets the oyster, the second gets the shell.”  Andrew Carnegie

“People are definitely a company’s greatest asset.  It doesn’t make any difference whether the product is cars or cosmetics.  A company is only as good as the people it keeps.”  Mary Kay Ash

“If you work just for money, you’ll never make it, but if you love what you are doing and you always put the customer first, success will be yours.”  Ray Kroc

“The trick is in what one emphasizes.  We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong.  The amount of work is the same.”  Carlos Castaneda

“If you did not look after today’s business then you might as well forget about tomorrow.”  Isaac Mophatlane

I hope everyone enjoyed their extended Labor Day weekend.  I had a great one but am glad to be back within the labor force today.

The other night I watched one of the few reality TV shows that I enjoy, Bar Rescue.  Bar Rescue consist of an industry professional, Jon Taffer, who goes around visiting failing bars and pubs across the country.  He works with the owners and employees to diagnose and fix their problems and give them advice on how to get their given businesses moving in the right direction. 

As I was watching the latest episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer had just completed his initial walk through of the latest pub he was assigned to help turn around.  Even to the untrained eye it was obvious that this bar had problems.  Filthy grease buildup in the kitchen, holes in the wall and unkempt and rude waitstaff seemed to be the norm in this particular pub.  However, each time Jon Taffer pointed out any of the aforementioned problems the owner was quick with an excuse for both his and his staffs’ performance.  Kitchen not cleaned? Well, we clean as often as time will allow. The waitresses lack of grooming and adequate dress? We have a very casual dress code. Why is your staff so rude? We haven’t had much professional training. And on and on and on. 

After about three rapid fire excuses Taffer told the owner that there was no helping him and appeared ready to move on to his next show.  Startled, the owner pleaded with him to stay and wanted to know what had offended Taffer.  Taffer quickly pointed out to the owner that he had “excused himself to fail”. 

I really liked the way Jon Taffer put it.  In what years we have been in business I have noticed that the very best employees never make excuses.  Sure they make mistakes but they never make excuses.  Actually, most of the great employees we have been fortunate to employ have gone out of their way to accept blame for problems within their particular area of the company.  When I hear someone make an excuse I immediately think to myself that they will probably repeat that same mistake in short order because they see no fault of their own.  However, when I hear an employee say something such as “I really have no excuse for not getting that done” or “I really messed that up and I am sorry”, well. . . I think that sounds like a good employee who is getting even better.  It is obvious they are learning from their mistakes which is an integral part of being a star employee. 

Let’s all work to “bite our tongue” as we catch ourselves making excuses for our mistakes.  It takes practice but, with effort, can become a way of life.

Have a great rest of the week! — Luke

“He that is good for making excuses is rarely good for anything else.”  Benjamin Franklin

We recently began phase one of our name change by changing out the signs at the Fulton and and Macon offices.  We have about three offices to go to complete the first phase and the rest of the offices will be completed after three to four more phases.  We have already had many compliments on the new logo from friends and customers here in Fulton.  Once we get all the offices under the new name and logo it should help with marketing and branding tremendously.

“A business with no sign is a sign of no business.”  Sign Salesman

One of the figures that we are tracking closely this year is the “write off to income” by each individual office.  We have even developed quarterly competitions to help keep each office focused on this important figure.  This morning I just wanted to remind everyone that not only do we have the quarterly write off competitions going but each time your office hits its quarterly goal then your name goes into the pot for the grand prize drawing which will be awarded at the Christmas party this year.  I think we had mentioned something about “cruising to victory” maybe?  Anyway, I just wanted to remind everybody about the importance of working to maintain acceptable write off figures. 

The “write off to income” figure is VERY important.  Often, when we see offices struggling financially it is  most commonly due to lack of proper collections.   Good luck with your collections and hopefully we will see you on stage at the Christmas party.

I hope everyone has a great week! — Luke

“The surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed.”  Richard Sheridan

The beginning of each new month means my mailbox becomes packed with various newsletters I subscribe to.  I got my booklet of “Bits and Pieces on Leadership” in yesterday.  Thought I would share some quotes. — Luke

“Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they’re yours.”  Richard Bach

“Two important things are to have a genuine interest in people and to be kind to them.  Kindness I’ve discovered, is everything in life.”  Isaac Singer

“Arguing with a fool proves there are two.”  Doris Smith

“If you lead through fear, you will have little to respect, but if you lead through respect you will have little to fear.”  Unknown

“Most misfortunes are the result of misused time.”  J. Willard Marriott

“When an archer misses a mark, he turns and looks for fault within himself.  Failure to hit the bull’s-eye is never the fault of the target.  To improve your aim, improve yourself.”  Gilbert Arland

“Anger is a thief who steals away the nice moments.”  Joan Lunden

Changing one’s mind is not a sin.  It is a way of saying that I’m wiser today than I was yesterday.”  George McGovern