Leaving a Legacy

I read some years ago that the happiest people say that they are working on leaving a legacy. Ever since I read that I have wanted ILS to have a foundation that would outlive me. I am happy to report that as of today we have a foundation. We gave a gift of $10,000 to the Columbus Foundation. We will have our own foundation within the Columbus Foundation that will be focused on giving to three areas:

1) To promote world peace
2) To protect the environment, and
3) To help the needy

I want to thank all of our clients who have allowed us to create this foundation by doing business with us. I want you to know that every year we plan to give 5% of our profits to this foundation. We will then dispense 1/2 of that amount. That way the amount in the foundation will continue to grow and help people long after we stop giving.

I can tell you that writing that check yesterday was one of the happiest moments I have ever had. Maybe that research on happiness was right; helping others feels good!

Being vs. Appearance by M.J. Clark

In the book The Shack by William Paul Young, there is a passage I find very instructive. It says: “It is quite simple really. Being always transcends appearance – that which only seems to be. Once you begin to know the being behind the very pretty or very ugly face, as determined by your bias, the surface appearances fade away until they simply no longer matter.”

How many times do we, as leaders, allow appearances to get in the way? Are we role models to each person on our team, or do we choose favorites? If we interviewed potential employees with a blindfold over our eyes, would we choose the same people? If you have a story to share of a time when you let appearances get in the way of your leadership, I encourage you to share it.

Don't Criticize by Steve Anderson

According to research by John Gottman, in the happiest marriages there are roughly four compliments to every criticism. I don’t think many of us can say that we treat our spouses that well. Also, my Uncle Dick used to tell me that it takes 100 engineers and 1000 skilled laborers to build a building and an idiot to tear it down.

It takes no courage to criticize someone else. It takes leadership to build other people up. I realize that sometimes it is necessary to criticize others, but we should be very cautious as to whether or not to do it and how to say it. For example, after the Battle of Gettysburg, General Meade had the opportunity to crush the Rebel army and end the war two years before it actually ended. Lincoln was very upset with Meade about his decision not to pursue the Army of Virginia, so he wrote a letter criticizing Meade. How do you think Meade reacted when he received this letter? We’ll never know, because that letter was found in Lincoln’s desk drawer two years later after he had been assassinated.

I would bet that Lincoln sat down and put himself in Meade’s shoes before he mailed the letter. Lincoln knew that there were 50,000 casualties at the three-day Battle of Gettysburg. Many of those men had died in hand to hand combat. He probably reasoned that it would have been inhumane for Meade to ask his men to pursue the Southern Army under such circumstances.

So the next time you are upset with someone else, stop and think before you act. Follow Lincoln’s example. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes before you criticize, and then act accordingly.

How old are you? by Steve Anderson

In tough times like these it helps to laugh. I can remember one time I was reading my daughter, Molly, a story in bed. She was a really cuddly kid. As we lay there on her bed, I got all choked up because I felt so lucky to be her father. After I gathered myself, I said, "Molly, one day when you grow up and move away I'm really going to miss these times."

She paused for a moment and said, "Oh, don't worry Dad." I thought that the next thing that she was going to say was that she would come home and visit me after she moved away, so I said, "Why?" And she said in the sweetest voice you can imagine, "You'll be dead!" I died laughing.

Balance by Steve Anderson

A lot of people say that their family is the most important thing to them, but then they spend all of their time at the office. When asked why, they often reply, "My job is to provide for them." But if you asked their family what they wanted them to provide, it would be more time and more love. Why do people so often act in ways inconsistent with their values that creates imbalance and unsustainability?

I would argue that most people who struggle with balance do so for two reasons:

1. They haven't taken the time to sit down and determine their priorities and compare their behavior with their values.
2. In the absence of a plan they react to the fear of losing their job.

We can never create the life we dream about unless we build it around a plan we can get excited about. I urge you to take the time to decide the things that really matter to you and regularly commit yourself to building your life around those values.

Are you Crazy? by Steve Anderson

Do you ever have ideas that you think are crazy? Is your next thought, "I can't do that, everyone will think I am...crazy!" I am writing this to urge you to start to do more crazy things. Ingrid Bergman said, "Be yourself, the world worships an original." The thing that is most special about you probably seems crazy by today's standards, but if no one ever tried anything crazy, we'd still be back in the dark ages. When Einstein developed his theory of relativity, he used to lie in bed and imagine himself riding on a rocket ship through the universe. A lot of his theories came from his imagination. In fact, he came up with the theory of relativity in 1908 and spent the next ten years proving it mathematically. Pretty crazy, right? On a personal note, when I left my family's business in 1994, many people told me I was crazy to leave such a secure business. I wasn't sure they were wrong. But I decided that I could help more people doing what I am doing now, so I set off on this journey. Thank goodness I did something crazy! Here are some thoughts about using crazy ideas to become more fulfilled and successful:

1. Make time in your day to be quiet to generate crazy ideas. We get new perspectives on present problems by being still.
2. Once you get an idea, write about it. You can do a lot of trouble shooting on new ideas by thinking critically about them.
3. If your idea has passed the writing test then get someone you trust to talk about the idea with you. Never do this with a cynic. They hate risk!
4. If you think the crazy idea might work, try out a small experiment first. If you are pretty sure you can fly off the Empire State Building by jumping off the edge and flapping your arms, I suggest you try it on a chair in your living room first!