Behind The Mic

Commentary - Behind The Mic

The late, great baseball pitcher Dizzy Dean once said, “When you done done it, it ain't braggin.”

My Uncle George Renard puts it differently. He says simply, “You have to have the paperwork.”

All the guys who went off to the second World War over a half century ago lived by a set of unwritten rules. If you did not have the paperwork, you could not talk about your war experiences.

There are at least two ways to get the paperwork. You can acquire it the hard way like my father did, taking four bullets on four separate occasions, including one in the head and one in the “buttocks” (as Forest Gump would say).

“Michael A” as he was known to my Uncle George, “got his paperwork the hard way.” He earned four Purple Hearts and a Silver Star.

Read more: You Have To Have The Paperwork

Commentary - Behind The Mic

The biggest challenge for most speakers is finding their own material. I am convinced that everyone has original material within them; they do not have to beg, borrow or steal from others. My favorite suggestion: quote yourself more and others less. Too many speakers are giving book reports. They haven't done the things about which they speak.

Where do you find original stories and ideas? The first step in the Crafting Your Keynote process is to take an honest inventory.

Literally make a list of everything you have ever done in your life, professionally, personally, spiritually and otherwise. The key to this process is to not value-judge. Make the list of your life journey; do it fast and do not judge it. Do not overlook anything.

Read more: Crafting A Keynote Speech

Commentary - Behind The Mic

BEHIND THE MIKE
Failure Is the Process by Which Great Leaders Succeed
By Michael A. Aun
Las Vegas Tribune
(This is the second of a three part series on leadership).
Great leaders love to fail.
They understand that failure is the process by which we succeed. They know 
that a certain number of failures must accompany every success.
The baseball hitter that's hitting .333 is failing two out of every three 
times he travels to the plate. He earns over a million bucks a year. Yet the 
guy who's hitting .250 only earns a fraction of that.
The difference between them is only one more hit in every twenty times at 
bat! As management guru Tom Peters puts it, people have got to learn to fail 
faster in order to keep up in the changing business world.
Great leaders aren't 
concerned about what 
others think about them.
If leadership boiled down to someone taking a poll and deciding on what the 
majority thought at that very instant in time, then Mr. Gallup would be our 
president.
Successful leaders don't make decisions based on what's going to make them 
popular. They analyze the situation and decide what's in the best interest 
of the majority concerned. Many times, that decision is very lonely.
Great leaders subscribe to a set of standards, values and disciplines on 
which they 
will not veer.
One of the truly great hallmarks of Ronald Reagan's Presidency is the fact 
that, like him or not, you never have to question where he stood on an 
issue. He never once vacillated on the issue of abortion. You know right where he 
stood on taxation.
The lone wrinkle in the armor was his indiscretion in trying to bargain 
with the Iranians. Even that “high risk” venture could have landed on its 
feet, as did the bombing of Libya, had all the pieces of the puzzle come 
together.
He was within an inch of being a hero. This kind of hero/zero relationship 
is constructed on foundation that is based solidly on a set of standards, 
values and disciplines.
Conversely values and discipline are not the only factors in success in 
life. If they were, only the football teams with the highest ethical standards 
and conduct would succeed. When asked whether discipline and character were 
keys to winning football games, the great coach and philosopher Bobby Bowden 
once said, “If they were, Army and Navy would be playing for the National 
Championship every year.”
Values and discipline aren't the only things, but they are a major piece in 
the puzzle.
Great leaders are honest.
There used to be a time when the word “honest” was considered sort of 
corny. Fairness and justice were never the issue - only profit. Today's great 
leaders have found it profitable to be honest.
When some “crazy” sabotaged Tylenol, Johnson & Johnson didn't say, “It's 
not our fault.” Instead, they faced the issue head up, and this stands today 
as one of the great corporate leadership decisions of our time.
Because they respected the rights of their customers so much that they were 
willing to take a short-term $100 million-plus loss for the benefit of 
staying atop the world's corporate leadership. It was, in fact, the right thing 
to do for all the right reasons, and Johnson & Johnson has rebounded nicely, 
proving again why it's in fact one of the great corporations in the world 
today.
Great leaders expect a lot from their people.
If you expect a lot you'll get a lot. Expect little, and you may get even 
less. And then, you must “inspect” what you “expect.”
Coach Vince Lombardi had a tremendous capacity to get more out of his 
players than any coach in his time. Ditto for the late John Wooden, legendary 
Wizard of Westwood, who led UCLA to so many NCAA championships. Both these men 
knew how to get their people to be team players - a critical part of the 
formula or expecting more.
Conversely, coaches like former Maryland mentor Lefty Driesell have been 
criticized for not getting enough, for never being able to win “the big one.” 
One ACC coach remarked about Lefty's Maryland teams, “Never has so little 
been done with so much!”
Great leaders show what to do and how to get it done.
They never expect their people to do something that they themselves would 
not do. If one's philosophy is sound, then there's never a question about the 
decision. That is best reflected in the attitude and actions of the leader.
Great leaders listen.
When your people are crying out to be heard, they do so with huge 
billboards and almost literally flash certain signals to you. Both directly and 
indirectly they cry out “love me.”
Show them some affection. They scream out “notice me.” Learn to pay 
attention. They say, “Please, recognize me.” Reward them for a job well done. 
Admonish them when their behavior warrants correction. Great leaders understand 
and accommodate the needs of their people.
(Next week: Part III- Great Leadership is about Commitment)
Michael A. Aun can be reached online at http://www.auline.com

Commentary - Behind The Mic

I first met John Wooden when we shared a platform in southern California while speaking to an auto club conference. If there was a more humble and honorable man on this earth, I have not yet met him. Those were the two words that jumped out at me when we chatted.

“Talent is God-given,” Wooden would say. “Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”

John Wooden epitomized the word “Coach.” He was known to say that “A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.” It was so remarkable how much he was able to get out of his athletes. He defined ability as “Poor man's wealth.”

Read more: John Wooden...Humbke and Honorable