From: "Daily Motivations"
The great man is he who does not lose his child's heart. -- Mencius
Welcome to a special edition of Leadership Lessons - straight from the desk of Santa Claus.
Dear Santa:
Awhile back, I heard a colleague say, “The quality of a workplace is directly related to the quality of its leadership.” That blinding flash of the obvious had a real impact on me. To help build a positive work environment, I need to be the best leader I can be. What can I do to make that happen? - Wondering in Wisconsin
Dear Wondering:
Well done … you’ve broken the code! While all team members must help build great workplaces, leaders certainly are the primary architects. To be the best “architect” you can be, you need to Enter the Learning Zone. That’s a concept I learned from Monday Morning Leadership – one of the most powerful books in my personal library. Here are a few short passages that should help:
“For you to be the very best, you cannot allow yourself to become complacent in your comfort zone. You need to be reaching for improvement. To fulfill your potential, you need to move out of your comfort zone and into ‘the learning zone’ …”
“There are three rooms in the learning zone. The first room is the reading room. Look around this library – there are more than a thousand books in here. More than half of those books are about management and leadership … Suppose you decided to read one book a month on management or leadership. During the next year, you’d have read 12 books. Do you think you’d know more about management and leadership if you read that many books a year? …”
“The second room in the learning zone is the listening room. Did you know that the principal reasons executives fail are arrogance, out-of-control egos, and insensitivity? They forget to take the time to listen to their people. Soon they become insensitive to the needs and desires of the individuals on the team. Don’t allow yourself to fall into that trap – listen to your people! …”
“The third room in the learning zone is the giving room. You cannot succeed without giving back. Your legacy will be what you give [and teach] to others.”
Modify the above strategies a little, and you’ll have some great guidelines for being a more effective leader in your personal life as well.
From: "The Patriot Post"
"A good government implies two things; first, fidelity to the objects of the government; secondly, a knowledge of the means, by which those objects can be best attained." -- Joseph Story
"The republican is the only form of government which is not eternally at open or secret war with the rights of mankind." -- Thomas Jefferson
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it." -- Thomas Paine
From: "The Web"
"You may be the boss, but you're only as good as the people who work for you." -- Rear Admiral William Leahy
"Leadership is the creation of an environment in which others are able to self-actualize in the process of completing the job." -- John Mellecker
From: "Liberty Counsel" - Please allow all Ministers who support Judeo-Christian values that "Liberty Counsel" www.LC.org and "Alliance Defense Fund" www.allianceAlert.org are available "free of charge" in the Judiciary vs. the ACLU or the likes.
Liberty Counsel
November 11, 2008
Liberty Counsel Launches Sixth Annual “Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign” / Upcoming Media Appearances
Liberty Counsel is launching its sixth annual "Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign," pledging to be a "Friend" to those entities that recognize Christmas and a "Foe" to the Christmas censors.
Every year we handle numerous situations involving Christmas. We also offer a Help Save Christmas™ action pack, which includes educational legal memoranda to educate government officials, teachers, parents, students, private businesses, employees and others that it is legal to celebrate Christmas.
We publish a "Naughty and Nice" list on our web site to report retailers that seek to profit from Christmas shoppers, but exclude references to Christmas from their stores and advertisements. We will be updating this list when we have new information. If you find a retailer that censors Christmas, please report them as a "grinch" by sending an email to liberty@LC.org.
Read our News Release for more details.
CNN and Court TV to Highlight California Marriage Case
Mat Staver is scheduled to appear on the following programs to discuss the recent controversy in California regarding the marriage amendment passed by 52% of voters, which protects marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
CNN Headline News, tonight at 7:10 p.m. ET, with host Jane Velez-Mitchell, for a debate with Evan Wolfson, Executive Director of Freedom to Marry.
Court TV, Wed., Nov 12, at 10:45 a.m. ET, with host Lisa Blum, daughter of feminist lawyer Gloria Allred, who will appear on the program for the opposing view.
Please help inform as many people as possible by forwarding this Liberty Alert to your entire e-mail list of family and friends, and encourage them to subscribe.
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From: "Find Law"
U.S. Purchases $40 Billion in Troubled AIG Assets
TERM SHEET OF U.S. TREASURY’S $40 BILLION PURCHASE OF AIG STOCKS AND WARRANTS UNDER THE EMERGENCY ECONOMIC STABILIZATION ACT
http://news.lp.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/2008-financial-crisis/20081110-aig-termsheet.pdf
(Nov. 10, 2008) - The Treasury Department purchased $40 billion in preferred AIG stock though the Troubles Asset Purchase Program within the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act. This is part of an AIG aid package coordinated with the Federal Reserve. The package now totals roughly $150 billion, and is to replace the previous aid package which totaled $85 billion in loans to the troubled insurer, in what may be the largest bailout ever of a single private sector company. Read more...
From: "The email Bag"
Please read, heed, and pass it along. This is just another thing that will happen under an Obama administration!!
This is a real letter sent to his employees. Read through to end it makes a lot of sense!
To All My Valued Employees,
There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of This company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the Good news is this: The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job.
What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in This country. Of course, as your employer, I am forbidden to tell you whom to vote for - it is against the law to discriminate based on political affiliation, Race, creed, religion, etc.
Please vote who you think will serve your Interests the best. However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help You decide what is in your best interest. First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is A back story.
This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by What you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside.
You've Seen my big home at last years Christmas party. I'm sure all these Flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life. However, what you don't see is the back story.
I started this company 12 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 Square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living space was Converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building A company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.
My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spent Went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn't have time to date.
Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and Partying. In fact, I was married to my business -- hard work, Discipline, and sacrifice.
Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a Modest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy Cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes.
Instead of hitting the Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, I Was trolling through the Goodwill store extracting any clothing item That didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's.
My friends refinanced Their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put My time, my money, and my life into a business with a vision that Eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford these luxuries my Friends supposedly had.
So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9am, mentally check in At about noon, and then leave at 5pm, I don't. There is no "off" button For me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend All to yourself.
I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, ****, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is Attached to my hip like a 1 year old special-needs child.
You, of Course, only see the fruits of that garden -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations... You never realize the back story and the Sacrifices I've made. Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all the right Decisions and saved his money, have to bail-out all the people who Didn't.
The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled To the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life For.
Yes, business ownership has is benefits but the price I've paid is steep And without wounds. Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is Starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell You why:
I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what?
I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes.
You know what my "stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch. The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check?
Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country. The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts.
Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy. Here is what many of you don't understand ... to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what?
Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.
When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don't defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart?
Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the mud of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine.
Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of Change you can keep. So where am I going with all this? It's quite simple. If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I fire you. I fire your co-workers.
You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem any more. Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire.
You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.
While tax cuts to 95% of America sounds great on paper, don't forget the backstory: If there is no job, there is no income to tax. A tax cut on zero dollars is zero. So, when you make decision to vote, ask yourself, who understands the economics of business ownership and who doesn't?
Whose policies will endanger your job? Answer those questions and you should know who might be the one capable of saving your job. While the media wants to tell you "It's the economy Stupid" I'm telling you it isn't.
If you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me in the South Caribbean sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about.
Signed, Your boss,
Michael A. Crowley, PE
Crowley, Crisp & Associates, Inc.
Professional Engineers
1906 South Main Street, Suite 122
Wake Forest, NC 27587
Phone: 919.562.8860 x22
Fax: 919.562.8872
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