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Real leaders are ordinary people with extraordinary determinations.

-John Seaman Garns

He who stops being better stops being good.

-Oliver Cromwell

There is no excellency without difficulty.

-Ovid

Character is a diamond that scratches every other stone.

-Cyrus A. Bartol

Anger is never without an argument, but seldom with a good one.

-Lord Halifax

Hope everyone has a good Friday and a great weekend.

Louis

The folks at the Fulton office gave Dad a “surprise” birthday lunch today.  Happy Birthday Dad!

I was out of the office yesterday attending a couple of meetings.  I returned this morning and had 3 messages on my phone.  All 3 were from salespeople wanting me to call them back and discuss various products/services they would like to offer us.  The first messages was from a lady who sounded very professional.  She clearly stated her name, why she was calling, and a phone number on which she wanted me to return her call.  The second and third calls were the direct opposite.  On the second call I had to listen to the message 3 times before I could finally understand the name which I now believe to be Mike.  It took me two more times to get the number and at no point did he mention what company he was with.  The third caller could not have sounded any less enthusiast.  This caller acted like he was hoping I wouldn’t return the call.

It ended up that we didn’t need any of the 3 services that they had called about, but I had almost certainly ruled out the services of the last two callers before I even spoke to them.  I think we should keep these examples in mind as we are making our daily calls to customers.  I know many of our calls end up going to a voicemail and the type of message we leave can have a large impact on getting  a returned phone call.

Common sense is genius dressed in its working clothes

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Louis

Not many things bother me greatly but one of my biggest pet peeves is tardiness.  Specifically, waiting on people for an appointment.  I came across an article the other day that I thought drove home the importance of being punctual so I thought I would share some of the key points.  I hope you enjoy.– Luke

Being punctual strengthens and reveals your integrity.  If you tell someone you will meet them at a certain time, you have essentially made a promise.  If you show up late, even just five minutes, you have essentially broken that promise.  Being on time shows you are a man of your word.

Being punctual shows you are dependable.

Being punctual builds your self confidence.  Showing up on time not only tells other people you are dependable, it teaches you that you can depend on yourself.  The more you keep the promises you make, the more your self confidence will grow.

Being punctual assures you’re at your best.  After riding someone’s bumper, speeding like a maniac, scanning for cops and cursing at red lights, its hard to then turn your focus to making a presentation at a meeting.  But when you show up on time, better yet a little early, you have a few minutes to collect your thoughts.

Being punctual builds and reveals your discipline.  The punctual person shows that he can organize his time, that he pays attention to details, he can set aside a pleasure to take care of business.

Being punctual shows your humility.  That bumper sticker maxim “Always late but worth the wait” shows that tardiness and an overestimation of one’s worth sometimes go hand in hand.  People will be glad to see you when you arrive, but they would have been gladder still had you come on time.

Being punctual shows respect for others.  Being late is a selfish act, for it puts your needs above another’s.

Being late is a form of stealing.  That’s a tough truth but a truth nonetheless.  When you make others wait for you, you rob minutes from them they will never get back.

Being late hurts your professional career.  Whether you are an employee or in business for yourself, being late can hinder your professional success.

“Better never than late.”  George Bernard Shaw

On our company blog we often mention company goals or office goals and often post various quotes pertaining to the benefits of setting goals.  With that in mind I found some tips for setting goals in an article by Jean Donahue.  I hope they help. . .  Luke

1. Make sure the goal you are working for is something you really want, not just something that sounds good.
2. A goal can not contradict any of your other goals.  
3. Develop goals in the six areas of life:  Family and Home, Financial and Career, Spiritual and Ethical, Physical and Health, Social and Cultural, and Educational
4. Write your goals in the positive instead of the negative.  
5. Write your goal in complete detail.  For instance, don’t plan to “Get in better financial shape”.  Instead, plan to “Pay off credit card A, start a 401k, save an extra $100 per month, etc.”
6. Make sure your goal is high enough.  
7. The most important step. . . write your goals down.

“Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product.”  Eleanor Roosevelt 

We have been getting ready for the company wide Managers’ Meeting to take place next Tuesday in Tupelo.  I’m looking forward to seeing everyone there.

One item on the agenda that I am most excited about is in regards to our debit card program.  Representatives from the debit card provider will be on hand to explain the new product and also to do some sales training.  We should be able to get this program kicked off at all the offices very soon after the meeting next week.  The debit cards we will be selling have some attributes our customers are sure to be interested in so I am looking for this to be a successful addition to our product line.

Again, I’m looking forward to seeing everyone next week. — Luke

 “There are no secrets to success.  It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.”  Colin Powell

I received my July booklet of  Bits and Pieces on Leadership.  I picked out a few of my favorite quotes. . .

“By changing nothing, nothing changes.”  Celestine Chua

“You are responsible for you.”  English Proverb

“Be honorable yourself if you wish to associate with honorable people.”  Wendell Wilkie

“An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.”  Jack Welch

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

Have a great day! — Luke

>I want to remind everyone that next Friday will be the last day to qualify for your 3rd quarter goals. It’s hard to believe that we are already moving into the last quarter of the year. Time seems to be flying by.

As of last Friday’s report we had 12 offices that were above their goals for the quarter. Several others were in striking distance as well. I encourage everyone to work hard today and next week and make a good push to come in over your office goals. Good luck with this!

Don’t forget, if you want to enter the contest for the $20 you have until 5:30 today to leave your guess on the blog. We will announce the winner Monday.

Have a great weekend!

“I had a friend who was a clown. When he died, all his friends went to the funeral in one car.” Stephen Wright