The Hebrew term for gratitude is hikarat hatov, which means, literally, “recognizing the good.” Practicing gratitude means recognizing the good that is already yours.

If you’ve lost your job, but you still have your family and health, you have something to be grateful for.

If you can’t move around except in a wheelchair but your mind is as sharp as ever, you have something to be grateful for.

If you’ve broken a string on your violin, and you still have three more, you have something to be grateful for.

When you open up to the trait of gratitude, you see clearly and accurately how much good there is in your life.

When you open up to the trait of gratitude, you see clearly and accurately how much good there is in your life. Gratitude affirms. Those things you are lacking are still there, and in reaching for gratitude no one is saying you ought to put on rose-colored glasses to obscure those shortcomings. But most of us tend to focus so heavily on the deficiencies in our lives that we barely perceive the good that counterbalances them.

There is no limit to what we don’t have and if that is where we put our focus, then our lives will inevitably be filled with endless dissatisfaction. This is the ethos that lies behind the great biblical proverb, “Who is rich? Those who rejoice in their own lot” (Pirkei Avot 4:1).

When you live charged with gratitude, you will give thanks for anything or anyone who has benefited you, whether they meant to or not. Imagine a prayer of thanks springing to your lips when the driver in the car next to you lets you merge without protest, or when the water flows from the tap, or the food is adequate?

When gratitude is this well established, it is a sign of a heart that has been made right and whole. Gratitude can’t coexist with arrogance, resentment, and selfishness. The Hasidic teacher Rebbe Nachman of Breslov writes, “Gratitude rejoices with her sister joy and is always ready to light a candle and have a party. Gratitude doesn’t much like the old cronies of boredom, despair and taking life for granted.”

To what and whom should we feel thankful? In the Torah, when Moses brought the plagues onto Egypt, he wasn’t the one who initiated turning the Nile River into blood and bringing frogs from the river. His brother Aaron invoked those plagues. The medieval commentator Rashi explains that since the river had protected Moses when he was an infant, he could not start a plague against it. God was teaching Moses a powerful lesson in gratitude: we can open in gratitude even to inanimate objects.

Whenever Rabbi Menachem Mendel, the Kotzker Rebbe, replaced a pair of worn out shoes, he would neatly wrap up the old ones in newspaper before placing them in the trash, and he would declare, “How can I simply toss away such a fine pair of shoes that have served me so well these past years!?” I felt the same way when I gave away my 1984 Honda that had ferried me so reliably for 18 years.

The Mussar teacher Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian (1872 - 1970) was once talking to a student after prayers, and at the same time was folding up his tallis [prayer shawl]. The tallis was large and he had to rest it on a bench to fold it. After he had finished the folding, Reb Elyah noticed that the bench was dusty, and so he headed out to fetch a towel to wipe it off. The student to whom he was speaking realized what Reb Elyah was doing and ran to get the towel for him. Reb Elyah held up his hand. “No! No! I must clean it myself, for I must show my gratitude to the bench upon which I folded my tallis¹.”

If we can be grateful to rivers, shoes, cars, and benches, which help us involuntarily, how much more so to human beings who have free will and who help us consciously out of the goodness of their hearts? Or to the mysterious source out of which our lives have come? When Leah, wife of the patriarch Jacob, had her fourth child, she named him “Yehudah,” which means, “I am grateful,” to reflect her gratitude to God for the gift of another son. The name Yehudah is the source of the Hebrew name of the Jewish people (Yehudim), revealing the very direct tie between Judaism and gratitude.

Gratitude opens the heart and that’s why it provides a fine orientation equally to the inanimate, human and divine dimensions of the world.

A simple and effective way to practice gratitude is by making giving thanks part of your everyday life. For example, it is an established Jewish practice to recite 100 such blessings a day. The term for “blessing” in Hebrew is bracha, which comes from the same root as the Hebrew word for “knee.” When you say a blessing, it is as if you have bent your knee in an act of gratitude. The habit of saying blessings can remind you to be thankful when you hit a green light, or the salad is fresh, or the garden is getting the rain it needs, or your child came home from school as usual.

Can you see how such a practice might slowly but insistently change your orientation to the world and your life?

By Dr. Alan Morinis 

There’s an English proverb that goes: “One father is worth more than a hundred schoolmasters.”

Fathers can teach their children many important lessons. Father’s Day is Sunday, June 15, and it brings to mind some of the valuable lessons I learned from my father, Jack Mackay. I’ve shared many of them with you in my books and columns, but here they are, in one nice package, for the 64.3 million fathers out there.

My dad headed the Associated Press in St. Paul, Minn., for many years. He lived by deadlines. When he told his 10-year-old fishing partner, “Be at the dock at 7:30 a.m.” and I arrived at 7:35, I would be holding my fishing pole in one hand and waving bon voyage with the other. Time management 101.

When I began my career selling envelopes, I asked my father how I could make twice as much money as my fellow sales reps.

He asked me how many sales calls my peers made every day. I told him that everyone made about five calls a day, and I could match them call for call.

“No good,” he said. “Do what they do and you’ll make what they make. Figure out how you can get to 10 calls a day and your income will double.”

We worked out a game plan, which became a life plan. I learned when the buyers were in the office and worked according to their schedules, which sometimes meant anytime from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. and Saturday mornings. I quit making cold calls, was among the first to get a cell phone and learned many other time management tips from my father.

TRUST is the most important five-letter word in business and in life. When I was only eight years old, he said: “Son, would you like to learn a lesson that might save your life some day?”

“Sure I would, Dad,” I answered.

“Just slide down the banister and I’ll catch you,” he urged.

I slid … and landed on the carpet. As I dusted myself off, he announced, “Never trust anyone completely. Keep your eyes open and your wits about you.”

Similarly, my father encouraged me at a young age to keep track of all the people I met on Rolodex cards, now on my computer. He was a master networker. He knew where to get stories, much like I learned where to get sales.

Maybe the most important lesson my father taught me was that your best network will develop from what you do best. In my case that was golf. When I joined the sales game after college, where I had been a varsity golfer at the University of Minnesota, my father suggested I join Oak Ridge Country Club, which I couldn’t afford. Because Oak Ridge was historically at the bottom of the city golf league, I offered to play for them and try to win them a championship. Six months and numerous meetings later, I was admitted to the club where I gained access to many of the major companies around town.

My father also taught me that the big name on the door doesn’t mean diddly. You have to know who the decision makers are.

In addition, he warned me against telling anyone how I vote. That’s why it’s a secret ballet. The Democrats think I’m a Republican, and the Republicans believe I’m a Democrat.

My father’s greatest professional attribute was his nose for a good story and his indefatigable zeal in getting it. He taught me the same desire, determination and persistence for sales.

After a skiing accident that landed me in the hospital for 35 days in neck traction, he told me, “You can take any amount of pain as long as you know it’s going to end.”

My father taught me many more life lessons, among them:

• They don’t pay off on effort . . . they pay off on results.
• No one ever choked to death swallowing his pride.
• He who burns his bridges better be a damn good swimmer.
• Education is like exercise. As soon as you quit you begin to lose the benefits.
• It’s hard to soar like an eagle when you’re dressed like a turkey.
• If you win say little. If you lose say less.
• We are judged by what we finish, not by what we start.

Mackay’s Moral: One person can make all the difference in the world—a father, for example.

Our Father’s  HANDY LITTLE CHART - GOD HAS A POSITIVE ANSWER:  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PASS THIS ON. YOU NEVER KNOW WHO MAY BE IN NEED
The first sentence is pretty powerful!

God determines who walks into your life….it’s up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.’

We all get nervous when it is our turn at the podeum. Those in the audience wait in anticipation about what they are about to hear. You have a presentation to do, let’s get started!

Here are a few easy steps for a quality presentation:

1) Identify the general and specific purposes of your presentation. 

2) Clarify your objectives by asking yourself and a few others questions   about the subject. 

• What do you want your audience to gain?
• What has been asked for by the organizers or by promised to the audience?
• What value can I, personally, add to this topic?
• What is the best way to present the subject matter?
• Will I create a fun interactive environment or is the subject matter more serious requiring more hand outs?
• How can I best make it worth the time and/or money the audience is investing in attending?

 3) Create a “brain dump” of all you know about the topic.

4) Identify additional potential sources of information.

5) Gather all the information to make it modular.

• Categorize the information to make it modular.
• Analyze it for relevance and value
• Sequence the information
• Prioritize
• Fine-Tune

6) Create an outline.

• Chronological
• Narrative
• Cause/effect
• Problem/solution
• Topical
• Journalistic

 Create an outline of your presentation by using Post It Notes. Then move them around as you develop your presentation. 

The three C’s of Powerful Presenting:

Clarity

Consciousness

Conviction/passion  

Money is great!  It makes the world go around. It motivates some to perform better for a while (in its pursuit), but that “superior” performance is usually short lived.  In the same respect, threats, barking orders and intimidation have never moved any team that I was on to surpassing goals and moving to new levels of productivity or creativity.  In 22 years of leading people, I have found that the essence of motivating team members comes from within.   That, if you really want to “reach in and touch” that inner part of a person (to find the piece that motivates, moves them past goals, and vests their loyalty), each person has to be treated as such - a person!  To motivate your team and catapult them to the next level, try these 4 “No Fail” strategies - all it costs is a little time and reflection.

These 4 “No Fail” strategies will help leaders inspire, motivate and build a covenant of trust with your team.  Trying them doesn’t cost a penny; they don’t need to be decided upon by a committee; and you should not be “faulted” for employing them (if you are, it’s time to find a new vocation).  All it takes is time, reflection and care.  Take the risk, step out, and connect with your people today.  The return on investing yourself in your people will provide a much greater reward than just the bottom line.

Many times an unknown person does something spectacular and suddenly becomes a “hero,” a public figure, an “overnight success,” the object of much envy.  Let’s explore this “overnight success” syndrome.

Most of us are not interested in doing anything of that nature, but it is safe to say that if we’re going to accomplish anything of significance, and particularly if we’re going to maintain that significance, long hours of planning and even more of hard work are required.  But it’s also safe to say it’s worth it because the effort is temporary but the satisfaction and rewards can be long-lasting.  Message: Give it your best shot and I will SEE YOU AT THE TOP! 

March is the best month to be a college basketball fan!  Tournaments, buzzer beats, following your favorite team, and championship games are all a part of this great time of year. At the end of it all, one team will be crowned National Champion.  That’s why they call it March Madness.

Salespeople can learn a great deal from this time of year.  Here are a few lessons that we can use to develop ourselves as sales champions.

1.     Learn to anticipate.  The great basketball center Bill Russell won two national championships with San Francisco State University.  He was a great defender and an even greater rebounder.  He claims that he got most of his rebounds before the shot was taken!  As salespeople, we need to anticipate what’s going to happen on the sales call before we actually conduct the sales interview.  This may mean that we analyze the prospect’s current position, what type products or services they may need, what the competition would do, and what would motivate the prospect to buy from us.  Anticipation is a great trait.

2.    Learn to deliver new information.  At the end of the half and at the end of the game, the officials who referee the game have an option to look at an instant replay of the last shot.  This allows the officials to make the right decision as to whether or not the shot was taken prior to the game clock running down. In other words, the officials sometimes need new information to make a decision.  Your prospects are the same way.  They will make new decisions only when presented with new information.  It is your job to supply them with the new information.  Perhaps it is a study that shows one of your clients receiving increased productivity or profits from implementing your solutions.  Maybe it is a change in price, shipping charges, or design features.  Whatever the case, it is your responsibility to deliver new information so that the prospect can make the right decision and purchase from you.

3.    There is no “I” in team… but there is in win!  Basketball is a great game for individual effort.  However, games are won and lost by the team that gets the most out of each individual.  When basketball teams design the team around each player contributing his or her best effort, their chances of winning championships are increased.  The same is true in the world of selling.  If you build good, solid, confident individuals, they will contribute to the betterment of the team.  Players score points, but teams win championships.

Of course by now we are all becoming aware of DNA. It is the source code that determines who we are. When we look at DNA we can see what a person will look like, what diseases they may come down with, etc. This has been a tremendous breakthrough for scientists and will continue to be so for some time, I believe.

This got me to thinking about what makes up those who are top achievers. Is there a “DNA” to them? Obviously, all top achievers wouldn’t have the same literal DNA but what about a figurative DNA? Is there a common “gene” that they all have? Are there common “genes” perhaps? I think so!

If we could get right down to it, I think these are the genes we would find in the DNA of top achievers:

1)  A predisposition to setting high, lofty goals. Top achievers are people who won’t and can’t settle for the status quo. They see average as a place they want to keep in the rear-view mirror. Instead, they continually look for ways to stretch themselves, to get better, to do better, to be better! They set their sights on goals that others have never even thought of. They want to shoot so high that even if they miss, they go higher than everyone else. This is what makes them top achievers.

2)  An ability to focus intently upon reaching their desired destination. Many people can set high goals, but just as many people get sidetracked by one thing or another on their way to those goals. High, lofty goals usually take a while to get there so there will always be plenty of time to be tempted to stray away from the road that is taking you to those goals. Often, those things that sidetrack people are good things, but not the best things. Top achievers do not get sidetracked. They stay focused. They know where they are going. They have an ability to say “no” to the good things in order to get to the best things.

3)  The willingness to personally sacrifice in order to get to their goal. When the going gets tough, many people quit. When the going gets tough personally, most people quit. When the going gets tough for top achievers, they remind themselves of the high, lofty goals they have set for themselves. They remind themselves of what an accomplishment it will be for them and that the reward is worth pushing through the momentary trials. They are willing to sacrifice personally in the short-term in order to get the reward and the prize long-term. Keeping their eyes on the big picture enables them to persevere through any personal pain they may experience.

4)  A predisposition to tenacity. Tenacity is the ability to “keep on going.” Tough times? Keep on going! Financial troubles? Keep on going! People are suspect? Keep on going! You look like a dreamer? Keep on going! Tired? Keep on going! Want to quit and take it easy? Keep on going! Just remember this: Keep on going! The prize is ahead! Many people quit just before they were to get the reward, so keep on going!

5)  The ability to see available resources and to use them accordingly. Those who are top achievers know that they cannot be lone-rangers on the way to the top. No one makes it by himself or herself. Top achievers recognize their weaknesses – the weaknesses that if they don’t cover will keep them from becoming a top achiever! They see their resources and they work to get them into a helping position so they can continue the route to becoming a top achiever. And they don’t use them, they utilize them. There is a big difference!  People, finances, etc., are all brought in to help by the top achiever.

6)  A desire to help others achieve more for themselves as well.  The top achiever knows that they can make a difference for others by becoming a top achiever. They know that the wealth they make can feed the hungry. They know that the position of influence they achieve can open a door for someone who may not normally get a chance. True top achievers look at how they can bring many with them, not how they can leave many in the dust. People are helped by the top achiever, not trampled upon!

I think if we could get to the DNA of top achievers, the things we talked about above would be at the core and fiber of their beings. What about you? Did you recognize yourself at all? I hope so! The good news about the DNA we are talking about today as opposed to real DNA is that you can go out and work on top achiever DNA whereas you are stuck with real DNA. So if you lack a little in the above-mentioned areas, take heart–you can get better and work on them so that you can become a top achiever!

Change your DNA to become a top achiever!

March is National Women’s History month. That seems particularly relevant this year when women are making history in remarkable ways.

For the first time, we have a viable female presidential candidate, a female Secretary of State, and a female Speaker of the House, all three formerly exclusive domains of their male counterparts. There are more than 200,000 women on active duty in the military. All of these would have been impossible less than a generation ago.

The wonderful world of business has also made progress, albeit slower than many would like to see. Women still earn, on average, 77 cents to each dollar that men make.

On the upside, revenue for businesses owned by women exceeds $950 billion, and there are about 117,000 women-owned businesses with sales of $1 million or more. Nearly one-third of women-owned businesses operate in health care and social assistance.

I’d like to introduce you to another woman who is also changing history. Marilyn Carlson Nelson and her husband, Dr. Glen Nelson, are close friends of the Mackay family. Marilyn is chairman and just stepped down as CEO of Carlson, a group of companies founded by her late father, Curt Carlson, 70 years ago in Minneapolis. For the record, Carlson is one of the largest privately held companies in the United States, and had the distinction of being the largest with a female CEO. System-wide sales in 2007 were nearly $40 billion, almost double what they were when Marilyn took over as CEO a decade earlier.

Lest you think this job just landed in Marilyn’s lap, you should know that Curt Carlson was a tough and demanding entrepreneur. With $55, Curt started the Gold Bond Stamp Company, and grew it into a global group of companies that provide travel, hotel, cruise, restaurant and marketing services, including Carlson Wagonlit Travel, the world’s leading business travel management company. Carlson brands and services system-wide employ about 190,000 people in more than 150 countries.

Marilyn had to work hard to prove herself. Her dad wasn’t sure she was up to the task, and she admits that she wasn’t sure she would succeed him as CEO until the day he announced it—after she had been courted to run for governor of the state of Minnesota.

She continued to work hard after her appointment. Change was clearly in the air when she made her grand entrance at a large Carlson divisional meeting on rollerblades! She promised to transform the corporate culture, and now 40 percent of Carlson’s executives are women. Part of the transformation included a company-wide initiative that provides much greater flexibility for employees: on-site daycare, adoption benefits for employees, and more opportunities for employees to work from home. She insists that her policies benefit all employees, not just women.

At Carlson’s 70th anniversary in Las Vegas in late February, with 4,000 people in attendance, Marilyn turned over the CEO reigns and retained the title of Chairman. She also released a book she had written, entitled “How We Lead Matters.” She describes it as “a collection of remembrances of people and times in my life from which I’ve learned lessons that may provide some insight or guidance to others.”

These little stories cover topics ranging from the summer her children brought home classroom gerbils to entertaining the KGB agents who accompanied Mikhail Gorbachev on a Minnesota visit. She writes about heading up the committee that brought the Super Bowl to Minnesota in 1992. I was on that committee with Marilyn. She was masterful. (Have you ever visited Minnesota in January? Would you bring the world press here to show off our “best” season? That had to be one of the most magnificent sales jobs of all time!)

Besides being humorous, which is trademark Marilyn, these stories inspire on many levels. Her creativity and ingenuity shine through, as does her ability to bring out the best in others.

Perhaps her philosophy is best summed up in a chapter about promoting women: “I am convinced that organizations and nations with the greatest advantage will be those which worry less about gender and more about talent. No one will be arbitrarily excluded from developing and contributing at Carlson—that includes husbands too.”

Marilyn lives by the credo she has tirelessly promoted at Carlson:

Whatever you do, do it with Integrity
Wherever you go, go as a Leader
Whomever you serve, serve with Caring
Whenever you dream, dream with your All
And never, ever give up.

When Sally Field accepted her Oscar, she yelled out “You like me!” She has been teased about it ever since but it was a natural sincere response to hard work to achieve success. The acclaim from her peers, industry, friends and the millions that watch the Oscar that night.

True, you do not have a party every time one of your employees cleans up their desk or when they remember to do their job well. Your company, your department and individual employees are are worth the star-studded recognition.

Very few of us get moments quite like that in our lives, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t internally long for and deserve public recognition

Here are a few ideas:

Personal development such as earning a degree

The opening of a new office

Meeting earning and profit goals

Promotions

Winning a public service award

Good idea

Caught in the act of doing something kind for one another

Take advantage of these milestones to create recognition. Make it a little holiday with balloons, candy and group participation. Cash is a usually poor choice because it often goes quick or is used to pay a bill. Trinkets are just stored away and forgotten. How many do you already have in your desk or at home from over the years?

A restaurant or gift vacation beginning as low as $25.00 with a high perceived value will not only have them performing it will have them sharing their experience with all they know. They choose the location, the date and often take the family with them for their own private celebration.

** Tell your employees how to win. Employees need to know ahead of time what type of things are important and what they have to do to earn it.

** Create and share a plan for achieving with easy to understand steps and monitoring along the way.

** What are the rules? Will probation discount employees from being recognized at this time.

** Will the recognition be once a month or annually?

Remember presentation counts. Employees should feel that the recognition is something special, not an afterthought. You can’t always bust the budget with a lobster dinner but do what you can to make the occasion memorable. Restaurant incentives can provide 10 dinners to recognized restaurants over 10 months for $25.00. This is a perceived value of $100!

As you plan, keep your efforts in scale. Don’t make an event to honor a single employee with a bigger bang than the ceremony recognizing the company’s own accomplishment.

Reflect the department and company’s culture. If you are a freewheeling start-up company, a black-tie may not be what gets employees most excited. On the other hand, swing night at the roller rink might not be the best choice for commercial bankers. Events should feel like a natural extension of what appeals to most people in your company’s culture.

Don’t attach strings. One boss complained that employees never thanked her when she recognized them. She likened the recognition to Christmas or birthday gifts and said that she expected comparable thank-yous. She decided to solved the problem when she recognized employees who worked on a new product launch then asked them to make comments at the presentation so that other department managers were aware of their gratitude.

Make it personal. When an employee has an accomplishment outside of the office they have shared with you send them a card or flowers to express your congratulations.

Saying thank you is powerful. Say it with sincerity and say it often.