One of our Partners is Benchmark Industries.  Their objective is to make affordable industrialized housing.  These are not trailers.  These are apartment or condominiums that can be as tall as three stories and are especially well suited for Seniors, migrant workers and lower income housing.  All these types of homes are needed and the need continues to grow in spite of or perhaps because of our current economy.  Although, the need for senior housing with memory care and onsite care management is expected to grow well past 2020.

The Chairman and CEO of Benchmark Industries is Dan Riedel an Alumni of Michigan State University (MSU).  Recently he was asked to speak to the subject of Leadership.  It occurred to us that many would benefit from Dan’s thoughts.  We’d love to have your input as well.  He has given us permission to share a small portion of the speech he recently gave at the MSU 2012 Leadership Awards.

Here are Dan’s thoughts on Leadership Qualities.

2012 Student Leadership Awards

Michigan State University

Remarks by: Dan Riedel

Leadership Qualities

This following list of leadership qualities is general, and in no particular order. However, each item is important, and lacking one or more of these can make the difference between a poor leader and a great one:

• Passion; love what you do, and never waver from its pursuit.
• Organization; no one will follow a disorganized leader
• Communication; communicate and sell your ideas to motivate
• Courage; willingness to try and fail
• Integrity; keep your word at all costs
• Ownership and Responsibility; freely admit when you are wrong
• Listen; listen, learn and always gain a consensus
• People Skills and Like-ability
• Be a Good Example
• Never, Never, Never, Never Give Up

]]> http://c4worldwide.com/text-blog/leadership-qualities/feed 0 http://c4worldwide.com/text-blog/self-fulfilling http://c4worldwide.com/text-blog/self-fulfilling#comments Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:50:27 +0000 DR Rawson http://c4worldwide.com/?p=1578

Wow!  How was 2011 for you?  On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the best, I’d give this past year a 4.  Very disappointing year.

Most of us have no idea how our thoughts and then our words impact us on so many levels.  Few of us really examine their motives, their decisions or even their comments.  Here’s some thoughts that might help us all stay focused on accomplishing what we want in 2012.

1.  Recognize that your thoughts do become things. – Have you ever heard someone say, “I can’t do that?” You should know that he was right, he can’t.  However, the person that said, “Oh, I can do that!” That person is also right.  Often times we and no one else predict what we’ll accomplish without giving it a lot of thought.

2. Have you ever wanted something so bad that you just pursued it like a dog looking for a bone? – Most of us fail to even display passion for any of our ideas.  Merely saying, “I hope . . . ” and then moving on is not the answer.  Can you ever remember a time when no matter what, you were going to find out, get, achieve, accomplish or reach something?  A goal, objective, milestone or best personal achievement?  Your passion took over.  You did it.

3. 2012 will be, for most of us, what ever it is that we want it to be. – Will it still be tough to find jobs, keep our homes, make ends meet or on a larger scale, find someone that can actually lead (globally), the answer is YES.  Those things will still be tough, difficult and very hard (in some cases).  A coach I had once said, “It doesn’t matter how many times you get knocked down, it only matters if you get back up.” A business friend once said, “When we lose everything, we find it all.” That one took me sometime to figure out until many, many years ago when our nation faced one of its many downturns in the oil business and I lost it all.

Make sure that you don’t fulfill your own negative attitude or opinion or goals.  Set your own limits if you will but make sure that you agree.  Don’t set unrealistic expectations.  Start small if you must but keep setting bigger and bigger goals for yourselves.  “Whatever the mind of man or woman can conceive, it can achieve!”

What do you think?

It’s easy to relate to the first number.  Most of us, if not all of us have had one dollar at some time in our life.  Many have had one hundred and even one thousand.

Few have ever had one hundred thousand or a million dollars.  With each increment, does what you do change?

In America and around the world, we need more jobs, affordable housing and the solution to many other pressing issues.  Will your contribution help?

One might say that to give even a penny or 1 percent of one’s fortune is not much, but to the person who only has a dollar, it’s a lot.  Its effect can be measured.  With just the one penny, you can get something more and in many cases much more than just having ninety-nine cents.

Again, we can apply this logic to any amount shown at the top of this blog.  However, most would agree that IF they had more, they could do so much more.  The real question is would you?

We talk with and know people that have much more.  We’ve spoken with individuals that have $5,000,000, $50,000,000 and so much more.  What we’re finding is that they are fearful of losing what they have worked so hard to achieve, the creation of their wealth.

In years past we’ve seen companies and individuals take great risks.  At each decision was the idea or notion that more could be made.  If the amount put forward was lost, completely, it could be replaced in a short period of time.

The great businessman at the turn of the century, Andrew Carnegie (1835 – 1919) once boasted that if his fortune were taken away today, in a year he’d have it back because he knew how to make money.

Can we say the same today?

What are you prepared to do with the money you have?  Will you help another?

We are the small businesses of America.  The dreamers are the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, the mechanic, the florist, the barber and more.  Each new business began with a dream, an idea and a thought that they could start their own business.  These are the 99.7% of all businesses in America.

ADP is the world’s largest processor of payroll checks for businesses.  According to a study that they did in 2006, they found that 82.9% of U.S. employment was in businesses with less than 500 employees (the classic definition of a small business).

I don’t agree with Occupy Wall Street or the Occupy SEC rally that’s on the 17^th in Washington, D.C.

I do believe in the power of journalism and it’s possible to inform anyone and everyone regarding social injustice.  The Occupy movement brought attention to the fact that 1% are haves and the 99% are the have-nots.  But, is this true?  I don’t think so.

First, the 99% consists of many more classifications than ONE.  How about the poverty line?  How about lower, middle and upper middle class?  These classifications have existed at least since the 1950’s and probably before.

Back in the ‘90’s we had the young upwardly mobile professional (Yuppie).  They weren’t rich . . . yet.  But they let the world know they were going to try hard to be exactly that, rich.

The 99.9% need help too.  People see their way out of poverty by starting their own business.  They see a way forward and up by starting their own business.  The problem has always been money.

Yesterday, the House passed HR 2930, The Entrepreneur Access to Capital Act.  This bill deserves your support.  This will help localize investment capital without running afoul of the SEC.  This is a chance for the community to help business get going.

Get involved.  Here’s how:

• Sign the Legalize Local Investment! petition
• ask your Senators to support The Entrepreneur Access to Capital Act

YOU can make a difference for U.S.  We are the 99.7%

Note: C4 WorldWide, Inc. is a qualified small business in the United States of America.

The year was 1981 – 1982 and our Team had a brilliant idea (we thought).  Let’s clone the Apple Computer (on the left above).  After all, IBM was allowing clones of its very successful machine, etc.  We ordered our first batch of computers (500).  When they arrived six weeks later, they all worked and the software we licensed ran perfectly.

We were off . . .

Well, not exactly.  After making contact with the first retailer we received a call from Apple’s law firm.  The notification (very politely) were that a Cease and Desist order was on its way to us.  After spending a lot of money, we shut the operation down immediately and closed the company.

My point for bringing this up is that Steve Jobs was famous for sticking to his guns.  In his head he had a plan.  It wasn’t always known to the rest of us but nevertheless he had a plan.  None of us understood why he wouldn’t allow, as IBM had done, the cloning of the Apple computer.

Over the years, the decision to be that independent has paid off for Apple and its share holders.

The world and indeed we as individuals will miss his vision and most of all his steadfast leadership.

Our condolences go out to the Jobs family and the 45,000 plus Apple employees around the world.

Footnote:

With the introduction of the iPhone 3 our family and my office has made the change to all apple products.  At my desk is an iPad with a keyboard, a 27″ iMac with a second 24″ wall mounted monitor and then a keyboard, magic trackpad and mouse for the iMac and an iPhone with its own keyboard. My MacPro laptop goes with me when I travel (my wife doesn’t like it when its missing).  I call all of this fabulous technology, the command center.

When he ran for his second term, he asked the American people one very simple question:  “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”

This next year we’re going to be faced with elections that will be at best, difficult.  There is such a lack of leadership in America.  However, this question remains as the gold standard: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”

Around the world, free people should be asking the same question of their leaders.

What do you think?  Why?

America is under siege because we’re living from quarterly report to quarterly report.  One wrong word and the stock market dips.  One right word and it soars.  Stock was always sold on the premise of buy and hold.  Now, we have day traders that are trying to squeeze every penny of profit out of every word said.

Leadership, true leadership is about the direction in which we’re headed.  Board of Directors are not there for a day-to-day or blow-by-blow report.  Their’s is the task of looking forward.  Their’s is also the task of charting the course.  Leadership.  Thus we can see where America is failing.  Many other countries as well.  We should be more like the student of history rather than Chicken Little.

There’s a great review and excerpt from this book that can be found by clicking here.  The link will take you to an article in Fast Company.  It’s a quick read and I would encourage you to review it.  More importantly, if you’re serious about leading a nation, a state, community or say a large or small company, then you should (must) read this book.  It will change you for the better.  I give it 5 stars.

What do you think?

August 4th – It’s like every other day or is it?  This depends on who you are and where you are in the world today.

Life affects us all differently.  We’ve all made choices we’re pleased with and some, not so much.

World business and the business of it’s everyday citizens is presently under attack from the government, the large financial entities, major corporations and the demands of so many special interest groups.

NO ONE can be knowledgeable about all the topics and issues in play today.  So, as a businessman, what do you do?  Do you only focus on your day-to-day world only?  Or, do you reach out to as many markets as possible and try to make what you do fit the needs of everyone?

You can try.  You can try to extend your reach.  You can try to know all about the world around you OR you can follow your heart.

Who are you?  You think you know but it’s often easy to be swayed from who you are and what you believe in.  You must stay the course of who you are, where your going and why you decided to go into business in the first place.  Has that changed?  Have you changed?

Now is the time to reflect and act upon your leadership skills.  Now is the time to rise above all the fray, the contention and the posturing of so many.

You lead a business and you have answers that the country, even the world needs to know.

You can do this.

Lead!

Some years ago we came upon this poem and felt lucky that we found it once again.  Perhaps it will have meaning to you (as well).

The Bridge Builder

by Will Allen Droomgoole