Fantastic CNLive event – thank you!!!

I’m thankful for Ken D’Silva, too.

Another great post, Larry. It’s been my experience that every business has internal and external customers. The rapport and relationships that result in satisfied customers, rave reviews, and repeat business – as well as being their ‘go to source’ in your area of endeavor – often comes down to empathy and active listening, backed up by an effective product and a business model that allows you to deliver on your commitments…

Someone who comes to you with a problem that needs to be solved, a project that needs to be planned, an idea that needs to be developed, etc. may not be able to exactly articulate the end result they’re looking for – if they could, they’d probably do it themselves – but they’d probably recognize what they’re seeking when they see it, or hear it, or both.

The art of active listening, along with the embodiment of empathy – when employed sincerely – helps you understand the solution they’re seeking and helps them believe you can provide it. If you can honor that belief by delivering on your proposal in a way that’s really about the end result that they’re looking for, and not the sale of what you decided they needed, you probably have a customer – and maybe a friend – for life. This comes from both of you believing that their business, and their need, is important to you – you believing this in the beginning, them believing it in the end…

If you keep your customer interactions – internal or external – about solving problems first and closing deals second, you’ll probably get to solve a lot of problems, have a lot of contacts, and be able to network your way to great success and influence in whatever role you’re in. And, as John Maxwell would say, ‘Leadership is influence’ – the more influence (legitimized by competency) that you have in your chosen field of endeavor, whatever it is, the more opportunities to lead will be presented.

This all goes back to a pretty old and reliable admonition – if you want to lead, learn to serve. A simple key to start with is to listen for understanding.

Discipline is just as important as intentionalism. When we discipline ourselves by not being reactive, do our due diligence, and being a leader by making your team truly believe that they are the reason the company is flourishing and not all you. By being disciplined and intentional it makes for a winning combination. The universe will tell us when we are not being disciplined and intentional all we need to do is be able to recognize that and make adjustments. Disciple yourselves and endless opportunities will be revealed.

very well articulated and very, very true.

Wow, Larry… I was shocked AND humbled to see my writing shared in your blog yesterday!  For reasons too involved to get into, my phone was basically dead Friday morning and I forgot it on the charger when I left the house for the day, so I finally got back to checking the blog just before bed –  I was FLOORED to see that you considered my thoughts worth sharing with your readership!  THANK YOU!!

Being 55 years old and an AVID motorcyclist (2021 Husky FE350s & 2022 Kawasaki VERSYS X 300), I found you through ‘Into the Dust’ – I’ve watched each one at least twice, and I’ve watched ‘4’ at least four times…  AMAZING stories of shared vision, goals, lives, and hope, as well as perseverance, determination, courage, and focus (without being ‘single minded’).  You are a true champion!

For background, I’m currently a Level 4 Quality Analyst and Program Subject Matter Expert in the Submarine Quality Assurance Program Office at Newport News Shipbuilding in VA but, as a retired Nuclear Trained Senior Enlisted Navy Submariner (22 years), I HAD TO learn and exercise everything I could about Leadership for my entire career (which included 4-1/2 years in Groton, CT btw) and, as such, have read about and studied Leadership from myriad influences from Navy training to John Maxwell to Tony Dungey to TED talks to YouTube for YEARS (including YouTube interviews with and dissertations by you).  I find it the most fascinating, valuable, and rewarding topic to be engaged in and considered at any given time in any given endeavor.

I have written and meditated on SO MANY things like ‘Intentional’ over the years just to get centered, collect my own thoughts, and find meaning in whatever I was working on at the time that to see you share it in your blog was mind blowing!!  Thank You Again for sharing my thoughts with your readers!

I hope that whatever you glean from those short paragraphs BLESSES YOU and ADDS VALUE to any endeavor to which you apply them.  Knowledge is a useful collection, and connection, of facts and data; wisdom is knowledge applied – a big part of that application is sharing it for others’ benefit.

Today I am grateful for David, Sean, Mike, and Dave for your responses, and for Larry for finding value in what was shared  🙂

I completely agree with Dan on Intentionalism! This is a principle I have been teaching my children from their earliest ages. When you have children “accidents” will happen. I feel it my duty to teach them to prevent accidents (waste). I fully believe that preventing “accidents” (work done incorrectly, resources squandered, injuries, etc) is the quickest way to supercharge your life and business. I have observed that many people struggle because they make so many mistakes and those mistakes cost them. Then they have to recover before they can go to the next mistake. When my children say “I didn’t mean to” I tell them they to to “mean NOT to”! My goal is to teach them to intentionally prevent accidents and mistakes that would simply push them backwards. This is usually done by simply thinking a few steps ahead of where you are currently to what might happen in the near future given your current course. We have to INTENTIONALLY avoid mistakes all the while INTENTIONALLY pursuing success.

Thanks Willis! Being a father of two grown offspring (daughter 31 & son 27), I fully understand your quest AND your struggle LOL!!  Thank you for your kind words and for your efforts as a father in today’s world!

Happy Birthday to Gary Pelletier!

Wonderful advice for entrepreneurs. Its one of foundational ideas for visionary leaders. “Without vision we perish”

I used to work for someone in this industry who once told me they do not drink the Basement Systems (before Contractor Nation was a thing) tea.. That shocked me because I was watching Basement Systems grow and become what everyone else wanted to be. These days we all want to be like Basement Systems (Contractor Nation). It’s simple, follow the path that’s laid out, the hard work has already been done for us. We need to learn from that hard work and push hard to become what we know can become!

My goal is to create a profitable business that serves its employees, network and community with integrity.

GoodMorning!! Great motivation for today, Thanks for sharing Larry!

Thank you for sharing. I have learned so much in a short time. Thank you.

I am also grateful for Lisa..
Recently Devon Rogers said to me, “in the beginning your were the only one that could see where we were going, and it’s nice to see that we are getting there”. That’s confirmation that things are working our as planned.

When I started my business I had no financial means to survive. I asked many friends to partner up with me, to share the burden. I depicted my vision and the reward that will eventually come. I was very enthusiastic, but no one believed… they found many reasons why it won’t work. Finally I had to do it on my own.
After a couple of years, the ideas started to materialize. Then everything one, now, wants to be part of it… it was too late I’ve made it on my own… the discussion of sharing my journey happens now at different terms!