What Makes America GREAT!

What makes America great is its diversity.  If you’ll look around you (Go ahead. No one’s watching.) you’ll notice that what we call America is made up of people from all kinds of cultures and from different parts of the world. We’re all different yet we’re all the same. We share the same basic values that make us Americans. We’re invested in making our country and the world a better place for all of us to live. We believe in a democratic system of government where the people have a say in what and how we live. What makes America great is that although we have different and diverse needs and desires, even though we’re all different, we’ve been able to synergize all those differences to form one unified family that allows us to be ourselves and expects us to accept each other.

We used to talk about the American Melting Pot.  An honorable idea, but I’m not sure it’s attainable.  Why?  Because there is very little, if any, chance that we’ll all “melt”, that we’ll all assimilate, that we’ll all be the same.  And I’m not so sure we all want to be the same.  I think it was General George Patton who said, “If two of us are thinking the same thing, we don’t need one of us.”  There’s a marked difference between thinking the same thing and thinking with the same purpose in mind. Diversity means we can think differently while attaining the same goal.

 

The concept of the American Salad Bowl comes closer to describing the culture we live in.  The illustration of the salad bowl describes a dish that, as a whole, is its own entity, delicious and healthy.  What gives that dish its flavor and wholesomeness is all of the different ingredients that make it one.  Each ingredient adds its own contribution to the whole.  Any part of it that’s missing will affect the end result. 

Dr. Stephen Covey said that “unity is not sameness, it’s complimentariness.”  If we are to be united, we have to be willing to accept, appreciate, and celebrate each others’ differences. As my friend, Simon Sinek, says, "Together is Better!"  

Until next time, Be GREAT! You ARE!

¡HEIRPOWER!

bob vásquez!

Change Stinks. Progress Rocks!

 

You’ve heard it before…people don’t like change. That’s RIDICULOUS! How would you like to live your life exactly the same way every day, like the movie Groundhog Day? You’d never age. You’d have the same job forever. Same pay grade, no promotions, ever. You’d see the same people every day. Imagine going through that if you don’t like the people you live and work with! 

The only exception to this “dilemma” is if you have grandchildren. If you do, you know exactly what I mean. If you don’t, you will someday.

It’s not that people don’t like change. The truth is that people don’t like to BE changed. When you try to force something new on others there will be resistance. It’s natural. When they own it, it’s not change, it becomes progress. People will support what they create.

Change, in most cases, is arbitrary. Let’s change it, whatever “it” is, because….I want you to. That’s what most people don’t appreciate. Just because you’re the boss, you can’t change everything. Okay, maybe you can. But it won’t make the team better. In fact, it will create resentment among your team. And fast!

If you intend to be an effective leader, first, ask WHY before you make a change. Unless it affects the safety of your followers and teammates.  “Why should we (the Royal We) do that differently?” is the question you should ask. If the answer isn’t “Because it makes us/it better,” then, I suggest reconsidering the change. If it DOES make you/it better, that’s PROGRESS! People love progress! If you look up the word “progress" on dictionary.com you’ll find the definition to be “growth or development; continuous improvement.” People will buy into that! 

As I said before, people will support what they create. Ask your followers how you/they can make it better. If you’ve developed a climate of trust, they will be more than happy to give you their advice. Remember that their advice is based on their experience. If they’re inexperienced, you may be able to help them understand the bigger picture. If they’re experienced, remember where they’ve been…on the floor, in the trenches, where things really happen…they probably know a lot more than you do about what needs improving. Listen to them. Involve them in the decision on how to improve, on how to progress.

Until next time, Be GREAT! You ARE!

¡HEIRPOWER!

bob vásquez!

The Power of Ego!

In my book, HEIRPOWER! 2.0, I mention that: There’s a huge difference between a strong ego and a big ego. People who have a big ego go around telling others how great they are. People who have a strong ego don’t have to tell anyone anything, they just show how good they are and share their talents with the people they lead.

 

I’ve known a few “leaders” who obviously had a big ego. They flaunted their perceived power as often and as much as they could. The problem, which they didn’t notice so didn’t realize it was a problem, was that the only people who perceived them as leaders were themselves. They weren’t leaders. The only criterion for being a leader is that you have followers. At least one. Those people didn’t have followers. Their charges did only what they had to do. Given the opportunity, those followers would have let those “leaders” sink in their own perception. Interestingly, each of those people suffered from low self-esteem issues. They didn’t respect themselves, hence, neither did anyone else. And they certainly didn’t respect their followers. Their focus was on themselves, and it was obvious. That does not a leader make.

 

On the other hand, the real leaders, the PowerPact Leaders, with whom I served, who had a strong ego, were inspiring beyond their own realization. Their focus was on helping their followers empower themselves to be who they were capable of being and to apply their skills and knowledge toward the accomplishment of the mission. They were humble. They never told anyone how good they were, they just showed us how good WE could become. Their strength was not derived from themselves but from the compilation of the strengths of the entire team. It was an honor and a pleasure to work with them. Notice I said “with,” not “for.” The mission that that team was charged with accomplishing often required courage. That strong ego that those leaders exhibited was manifested in the courage that they exemplified and inspired in the rest of the team.

 

Effective Leaders don’t exhibit a big ego, they embody a strong ego. They’re confident in themselves and their followers, constantly inspiring their followers to do the same. And they encourage their followers by their example. It’s the only way to lead effectively. Be strong, not big!

 

Until next time,

 

Be GREAT!

 

You ARE!

 

¡HEIRPOWER!

 

bob vásquez!

You May Know Her....

 

You may know her. No? Well, let me remind you. She’s the one that, although she seemed genuinely willing to work hard to learn what your company does and how it does things, you wanted an “experienced” person. She just seemed too young and inexperienced. Yeah, she had the minimum credentials, and her demeanor was as professional as you’d seen in any of the other candidates, especially those who did have the experience you thought you were seeking. She just needed more exposure.

 

WAIT! Here she comes! You recognize her. She recognizes you! She smiles at you as she walks past your office. She’s heading directly to your boss’s office. What is she here for? You quickly get on the net to find out what’s going on. It could affect you since you’re up for a promotion.

 

You receive several replies from trusted colleagues. It seems that one of them took a chance on her. They hired her just after you rejected her. As a matter of fact, she went to that interview immediately after you told her that she wasn’t qualified. Experience, remember? That was six months ago. In six months, she’s learned pretty much everything the staff at your competitor’s business knows and more. She brought in new ideas on how to improve the business and asked questions that the other folks who’ve worked there for a very long time only had answers for. The one answer most often given being, “We’ve always done it that way.” 

 

“What’s she here for?” you wonder. It doesn’t take long after she leaves your boss’s office that you’re given a good idea. Your boss sends out an all-hands email asking everyone to meet in the conference room tomorrow morning to welcome the new hire for the position you were expecting to be promoted to.

 

After the meeting, you pull your boss aside and ask her why she hired the outsider when you were expecting to move up. She simply replied, “You haven’t got the experience….” Now, do you remember her?

bob vásquez!

Who Needs to Know?!

 

I walk into my home and see my lovely bride, Deb, smiling. “Hey, Baby,” she says. “Hey, Baby,” I reply, “How are you?” We go on, asking the usual questions about each other’s day, how it went, what we did, etc. Then we get to a critical part of the conversation.

“You know,” Deb says, “I was talking with Lori today.” Lori was married to one of my colleagues. “Oh?” I asked, “what about?” “Well, we were just chatting when she mentioned something about you guys being gone for Thanksgiving.”

I was on active duty when this occurred. I was assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe Band at the time, stationed in Germany. One of the coolest things we did in that band, and I take at least partial credit for creating the concept, was that we deployed a big show we called Seasons’ Greetings to locations where our troops were. We had great success with those shows because we brought in artists from the US and did a big production for our troops and their families, similar to a USO show. I’d had this great idea of playing for the troops (no families there) stationed in Bosnia for Thanksgiving Day! I’m sure you’re saying, “What a GREAT idea!” Everyone I’d talked with said the same thing, “What a GREAT idea!” With one exception….

“Lori told you we’d be gone for Thanksgiving?” I asked Deb, trying to sound as if…okay, the OC Factor kicked in. “Oh, Crap!” was all I could think of. In my zeal to get the show together and make it a great event for the troops, I’d forgotten, no kidding, I’d just forgotten, to tell the most important person in my life what I was up to and that it would affect her and the girls since I wouldn’t be there for Thanksgiving dinner.

Here’s the point. Remember that old saying, “information is power?” That’s stupid! Information is just information. It won’t get up and do anything powerful! It’ll just sit there, sometimes in your brain, and do absolutely nothing! Imagine being the smartest person in the world and no one knowing it? What good would that be? SHARED information, APPLIED information is power. 

Sometimes people who call themselves leaders think that keeping information from followers is power. That’s REALLY stupid! When we empower others with the information we have it makes us ALL more powerful and it builds trust. 

If you’re looking to be effective, whether it’s at work or at home, ask a critical question often, “Who needs to know?” Don’t you make decisions based on the information you have at hand? Well, imagine having all the information you need! Where would THAT come from? If you have people keeping you informed, then you’re liable to make better decisions. And the law of reciprocity says that when you inform others, they, in turn, inform you. You get what you give.

If you’re wondering what ever happened that Thanksgiving, we did do the tour. In fact, there’s another story I’ll consider sharing with you about a very cool thing that happened on that tour. But not here. Deb and the girls understood my purpose and they supported me being gone that Thanksgiving. And I’m almost done paying for that BMW I had to buy Deb to make up for it. It’s a very nice car, I must say. SHARED information, APPLIED information is power. 

Until next time, Be GREAT! You ARE!

                        ¡HEIRPOWER!

                                    bob vásquez!

The Best Things in Life Are NOT Quite Free!

I recently saw a post on FaceBook that read, “The best things in life are free.” I understand the intent, that we shouldn’t take things for granted and that we should stop to smell the roses more often. We just don’t appreciate the blessings we have. I agree. But the truth is that we have to do the work to get whatever it is we want to enjoy in our lives. It may not take manual labor or we may not to have to expend a lot of energy, but when we do the work to achieve or enjoy something, there’s a deeper gratitude than if it’s just given to us.

I used to buy lottery tickets, and I prayed to win. I got to thinking about what I’d do with the winnings. I decided that I would set up a foundation to help people empower themselves to earn their own living. I’d create a teach-a-person-to-fish organization instead of giving-them-a-fish type organization. Now, what would really make me happy is if I, somehow, managed to build a company based on my writing and teaching and speaking where I could do that without winning the lottery. I know I’d have a better sense of accomplishment having earned the money and opportunity. I’d still accept all of the money that the lottery gives away, but I’d use it to be able to do more effective work. 

One of the blessings I hope you enjoy, but may not enough, is your family. Often, getting to the point of truly enjoying and appreciating our family takes work. We have to do what it takes to keep them together, heck, even getting them together sometimes. I’m convinced that the only way to be loved is by being loving. How do you show your family you love them? That can take some work, depending on your family’s needs. That may take leaving work and going home!

Another is appreciating those you work with and lead. I’m glad I’m not THAT GUY, but he’s often a pain in the rear. Not always happy, okay, often UNhappy for no obvious reason. But, you know, he may have a lot of wisdom to share that would make the team a lot more productive, proud, and effective. But it takes work to value him and to show him you care. Once you do, though, you’ll have a follower for life!

The most powerful blessing you’ll ever have is good health. There will be a point in your life when waking up will be a blessing. And then GETTING up?! WOW! I did it! You’ll understand. Give it about fifty years. Trust me. But you have to work for it.  

Take some time today to appreciate the blessings the Creator has bestowed upon you, but also make a commitment to show others you care. The work you expend will be worth the blessings you receive. Then be free to enjoy the best life you’ve created!

Until next time, Be GREAT! You ARE!

¡HEIRPOWER!

bob vásquez!

MY Vision of Success!

 

We all have, or should have, a vision of what success looks like for us, especially as a leader. As I often say, If you can see it, you can be it. Or the reverse, if you CAN’T see yourself succeeding you probably won’t.

MY vision of success is depicted within a music video by a singer/musician by the name of Jonah Nilsson, who is the lead singer for the group, Dirty Loops. Dirty Loops is a band from Sweden, comprised of three musicians, Hendrick Linder, Aron Mellergard, and Jonah.
 

Jonah recorded a video a few years ago based on his song, Diamond Ring. It’s great. Google it, but ya gotta play if loud! It happens to be a solo project, so it doesn’t include Hendrick nor Aron. At the end of the video, during the credits, the musicians who perform on the video are identified by name and instrument that they play in the video. Except for one.

 

I’m not digressing, just explaining. The genius musician, Quincy Jones, passed a few days ago. He was a master of his trade, known by everyone in the music business and respected and admired by millions of people worldwide. At the end of the video, Q, as he was known, appears just as the other musicians do, except that all it states is his name. You see, Q was such a great artist that he didn’t need introduction. He was just himself, Quincy Jones.

 

Now, it’s doubtful that I’ll ever reach that stature. I hope that YOU do. But that’s my vision of success, when no introduction is required, when all that’s needed for others to know who I am is my name. I hope that I can one day have the effect on others, followers in particular, that all that’s needed to identify me as an Effective Leader is my name. I’ll keep trying. In the meantime, THANK YOU for blessings us with your music, Q, and Rest In Eternal Peace….

 

Until next time, 

 

Be GREAT! You ARE!

 

HEIRPOWER!

 

Chief bob vásquez!