During an airplane ride on a recent trip to New York City, author and consultant Richard Olsen shared his insights on overcoming the fear of failure and how to reach full human potential.
“We confront ourselves on something we aren’t sure how it’s going to turn out and it forces us to search for alternatives.”
What are areas in your life where a fear of failure is hindering you and those around you? What is one actionable step you can take today to confront it?
David Horsager, Trust in Business, Trust in Leadership, Fear of Failure
Learn “why” the Wright Brothers, Apple, and Martin Luther King, Jr. have had booming success, while Gateway, Dell & TiVo have underachieved. Simon Sinek’s “Golden Circle” reveals the answer.
“There are leaders and there are those who lead. Leaders hold a position of power or authority, but those who lead inspire us. Whether they are individuals or organizations, we follow those who lead, not becauase we have to, but because we want to.”
Why do you do what you do? Why does your organization do what it does? And, what role does this play in your marketing and leadership?
Apple, Golden Circle, David Horsager, Jr. MLK, Martin Luther King, Simon Sinek, Steve Jobs, Trust in Business, Trust in Leadership, Wright Brothers
While in India I was struck by the seeming chaos on the roads. My Indian friend said, “There is only one rule for the road in India…there are no rules.” Another favorite comment of his was, “You need only 3 things to be a good driver in India. Good brakes, good horn, and good luck.” Horns were constantly honking. At one moment a family on motorcycle (no helmets and baby in lap of the mother riding side-saddle) could be passing a bus with 100 people in it and 50 people riding on top, next to a camel cart pulling a ton of wheat, a cow wandering in to the mix and 2 Rick-shaws coming straight at oncoming traffic (see video for a glimpse). Why does it all work? Competency. The native drivers know the subtleties. There are very few accidents—unless a foreigner decides to try get in the driver’s seat. Drivers have become so skilled at understanding the unwritten rules of the road, the difference in how long a horn is held down, the size of vehicles and priorities each deserves, when it is okay to whip between oncoming traffic, and a host of other intricacies. Indian drivers are amazingly competent? How do you stay fresh, relevant and capable in your area of expertise? To build the 4th pillar of trust consider:
Reading a good book
Finding a mentor
Teaching a class
Attending a seminar
Going back to school
Asking more questions
To see more ideas see page 123 in The Trust Edge.
“If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” Ben Franklin
8 pillars, Chaos, David Horsager, Trust in Business, Trust in Leadership, Competency, India
Minnesota Vikings’ Leslie Frazier Making Order Out of Chaos | Trust in Sports
Whether you’re a fan of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings or not, you have to admit that Leslie Frazier was impressive in his ability to unify and focus his team amidst the chaos of the 2010 season.
“I think our players respect me. I think they trust me. And that’s how you get people unified toward one common goal.” Read this Pioneer Press article to get more leadership insight from Frazier and the shoulders that he stands upon.
Target has come a long way since the early 1990s, when it was seen merely as a competitor of Walmart and Kmart. In 2010Fortunemagazine ranked Target as 22nd on their list of the world’s “Most Admired Companies.” Interbrand Design Forum ranked Target as having the second most valuable global brand. Fast Companymagazine named Target to their list of “Innovation All Stars.” And Ethisphere ranked Target among the most ethical companies.
How did Target rebrand themselves? By crafting a branding strategy to become “the hip retailer”-more upscale merchandise, but still at a bargain, to attract younger, more affluent, and educated customers. Now more than 97 percent of Americans recognize their logo-the Target bull’s-eye.
Target redesigned their stores to be more attractive to their focused audience-with wider aisles, cleaner fixtures, related departments placed conveniently next to each other, and paintings of categories on easy-to-view signs from the front of the store. Unlike their previous competitors, they don’t promote items or services through a public address system, but employees receive incentives for making a product display look great. As a result, Target earned a perfect score of 100 percent on the “Corporate Quality Index and Best Places to Work” survey.
David Horsager, Kmart, Target, Target Corporation, Trust in Business, Trust in Leadership, Walmart, Competency
A Trust Story from a Top Indian Journalist | The Trust Edge
Watch Army Ranger Stanley McChrystal offer insight into leadership. He discusses listening, learning, the rapid shift of his teams demographics, and changes in technology.
My favorite quote is “A leader isn’t good because they are right. They are good because they are willing to learn and to trust.”
Trust, now more than ever, is foundational to effective leadership. Take a minute and think about the people that you lead. Do you really know what makes them tick? Do they trust you? Do they feel connected to a team that has a shared purpose?
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Opportunity International | Trusted Company of the Month
It can be safely assumed that loaning money to complete strangers involves a significant risk. After all, how do you know if they would pay it back? So lending money in the developing world, across language and cultural barriers, to the working poor, would be much too risky, right? Wrong. This is the business model behind Opportunity International, one of the first nonprofit organizations to recognize the benefits of providing small business loans as capital to those working their way out of poverty. A resounding success, Opportunity is a shining example of what happens when trust is extended.
Opportunity International has empowered the poor in Third World nations to lift themselves out of poverty. By thoughtfully extending trust to groups of women entrepreneurs who are dedicated to the welfare of their families, Opportunity has positively impacted individuals, families, and communities across the globe.
To learn more about Opportunity International, watch the video below or click on the logo to link to their website.
David Horsager, Trust, Trusted Company of the month, Business Abroad, Economic Development, International Business, Micro Finance, Opportunity International, Positive Impact, Trusted Company