Week 11

Some of the lessons covered in this week’s learning were impactful and inspired me the think deeply about the exchange between time and currency. Money and the responsibility of it and the trade-off necessary to earn it. Why do we put a value on time and how do we measure it?  These are some of the things I think about often and how it affects the way we live and the attitude towards our potential.

My attitude towards money and the responsibility to handle it comes from my grandfather who was raised during the great depression. We were reminded often to use every morsel of substance we had and wasting was not an option. He worked hard for his family and always had side jobs to bring in extra when he was not at the fire station. Even though he was gone many nights, he would always come home to see his family when needed.

How do we measure the value of money against time? This is a thought that has led me to a greater understanding of the importance of the family.  Often I ask my children what is one thig we are given that we can never be given back? The answer is time... When we acknowledge this we can see how time and money can be valued and the responsibility to handle it carefully. The balance between the two is crucial to have a successful life and endure many challenges.

Family is our most important asset that our Heavenly Father has given us. We must give care and love to those whom we have been given charge of.  As we do this, it will be manifested through generations of our descendants. When we establish a pattern of investing time as apposed to wasting we will impower our children and our children’s to practice the same value in their homes and families.

Week 10

       What I found to be most significant in this week’s learning was the necessity of planning and action. We all have dreams and in order to achieve them, we must have these two crucial steps to be part of the process. To dream big is a key motivator to accomplish the life long goals of an entrepreneur and see the success of our endeavors. With all great things in life and spiritually they both followed these two important footsteps.

 We often find ourselves in challenging positions and wonder why or how we got there. Also, we can greatly miss the point of contact with a potential lead or sale with a client. Planning should be at the forefront of everyday life and business opportunity. While in the process of planning it’s important to complete the activities in phases.  This will rule out missed opportunities and be a constant guide and keep you focused on what’s important.

The next part of the procedure is to implement action. Taking action can be a difficult motion of the operation. The word action is a verb and it requires movement in the proceedings.  If we lack this component or do so lacking any real intention then we will be failures before the business operates.  At times we can become hesitant in the action process by our fears and doubts; however, we can call upon the Lord and ask for strength and direction to help us complete the motions. When we exercise faith then we will be shown the way through the Spirit and personal revelation.

To dream big is not to accept the status quo and settle for second best, its to make you dream a reality. Also, a dream is just a dream if planning and action are not put into place and acted upon.

             

Week 9

  I find my self pondering the things that I’ve learned over this week in class. One of the things that stood out to me the most was what Guy Kawasaki said about trust.  He began to explain that you need to trust your clients and they will have trust in you.  Meaning, it’s imperative to give the customer a product and let them try it out with them knowing that it can be returned with no problems. It has been stated by large companies that the most successful businesses have the best return policies. This also builds a great report and a lifetime customer that will continue to buy your products or use your services.

This brings me to another point I want to make about success in a company.  The people we hire make all the difference in the atmosphere and the overall structure and building blocks of its foundation. Getting the right people in the right place and having a solid culture brings about a positive formation securing the fundamentals and principles of operating a business. Though this can be time-consuming, being tenacious will contribute to the reward of it all coming together.

Being a leader is a major responsibility that requires someone to have empathy as well as strength. It’s been stated that you can be taught how to be a leader; however, I strongly disagree with that statement due to my experience working with them.  Generally speaking, I call them the term “Manager” and regard them as not being a leader.  Managers don’t listen to employees, show favoritism to non-producers that kiss up. In addition, they like to operate the company with a stronghold micro-manage everything and chase all the good employees away.  A real leader listens and is compassionate and can make decisions while being neutral.  People don’t leave companies to chase a better option they leave because of poor cultures.  

Week 8

When cornered with obstacles (and we will be continually) what’s the best way to overcome them and still remain on top of situations.  Also, what are some of the ways we can combat the things In the future? While pursuing our careers and having an active life with family how does one prepare themselves with setbacks?

One of my greatest lessons came to me when I had equipment break down and I was not able to meet my obligation for one week. I was not prepared for this type of occurrence and injunction. At that time I had five-hundred and fifty customers and they all were demanding service. This lesson we covered this week has reminded me of the time I was not prepared. The lingering question was, could this happen again, will I be able to turn this situation positive and will I lose my customer base for this pending problem.

My solution to the occurrence was needing to be prepared and establish a system for quick repairs and analysis. The machines had many moving parts so I would look at schematics and breakdown everything. I’d take the time learning the names of the parts and their respective purpose and how to identify it failed. There was a lot of time reading and studying and searching and buying parts.

This allowed me to take control of the problem by being proactive and I was able to understand the workings of the engine, hydraulics and wheel motors. In addition, I brought tools with me so I could work on the equipment in the field and continue with production. Having parts on hand allowed for quick fixes and the complex ones gave me the opportunity to have the necessary parts on hand without the delay of days from ordering.  Also, this allowed me to have a balanced life with my family and being proactive with my time.

Week 7

This week was intriguing with the lessons learned In the seven habits an how we can form them and become better individuals. The habit that I choose to write on is being proactive and what it means; however, this does not mean to be pushy, aggressive and insensitive. Instead, it’s more about controlling the situation for a more positive outcome. Though we may be free to choose our response we are not entitled to choose the outcome from our actions. As we develop and improve upon our proactive skills it will help us be better prepared during times of disasters

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 Other great habits to form are, to begin with, the end in mind, put things first, think/win, seek first to understand, synergize and sharpen the saw. These helpful habits will help to fill your life with passion and purpose as you seek better understanding and enlightenment through the processes of personal growth. Once you master them, your ability to accomplish goals and purpose will become greater and the time allotted will give heed to further success.

When talking about passion and loving what we do Guy Kawasaki said, “ Whatever you building it's about passion because you love it. If you love it and change the world you will be rich.” Often, I find my self in deep thought about the things that I would like to accomplish. Some, but not all of them will and can change the way we operate businesses and thus are world-changing and can result in high monetary payoffs. However, like Guy stated, it’s not about the money it’s about passion and the wealth that comes from the emotions of the success. There within one can find the greatest form of payment that’s endless and fills more coffers then one form of monetary payment could ever.