Influence – How to Exert it
I was in a old cluttered bookstore in Birmingham Alabama, killing a couple of hours before a wedding with my wife Marie and a couple friends. I'm typically not a bookstore rat with Amazon in my pocket, but the store fascinated me. As I rummaged through the piles of books…
Employees see what's really going on
Your employees see what is really going on inside your company. Do leaders care? Do their coworkers care? Who cares and who doesn't? What are the internal standards and can they be proud of them? Is it clean? Is the thinking short-term or long-term? How is the sausage (product) made?…
The perfect life.
"It is not ease, but effort - not facility but difficulty that makes men. There is perhaps no station in life in which difficulties have not to be encountered and overcome before any decided measure of success can be achieved." - Samuel Smiles I have lived a perfect life. It…
Determination
"There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul." - Ella Wheeler Wilcox Determination is one of the magic invisible ingredients you'll need to stay the course and accomplish the extraordinary. I'd rather have determination than a…
A Test
When you finally have enough money, the real man/woman is revealed. If you had enough money to retire, leave, and go do anything, what would you do? Would you keep doing what you have been doing and build on it? If so, then you have been doing the right thing…
Don't (always) play by the rules.
I have invented many things. I have 32 patents. In some of these cases in particular, I had to go against what everyone else was doing. I had to break the rules, part with conventional wisdom, and challenge "truths". In a couple cases I had to violate the building code…
What are you afraid of?
Everything you want is on the opposite side of fear. Fear holds people back more than any outside force. Fear of failure. Fear of losing what they already have even though it's not great. Fear of looking bad, silly, stupid, or like a beginner. If you want to do or…
Two kinds of freedoms
Freedom from, and freedom to. Having "freedom from" is great. Freedom from violence, oppression, and injustice. "Freedom to" is next level. Freedom to do whatever you want when you want. Now that is freedom. Of course, it comes only with discipline, learning, and creating value for others. Freedom from is…
Compass over map
Compass over map. Explain the goal to your team. Review your why. Explain the values they must hold on the journey. Then let them help figure out how to get there.
A new year – what will be different?
If I do the same thing this year as I did last year, I will get the same results; or maybe a little better or a little worse based on external circumstances. I want to do better. I am thinking about new and different marketing campaigns. I am thinking about…
Influence – How to Exert it
I was in a old cluttered bookstore in Birmingham Alabama, killing a couple of hours before a wedding with my wife Marie and a couple friends. I’m typically not a bookstore rat with Amazon in my pocket, but the store fascinated me. As I rummaged through the piles of books that were only generally more or less organized, I found this small hardcover book. It was old and yellowed. It smelled old. It was by Yoritomo Tashi, a Japanese Shogun who wrote the ideas in this book around 1186 A.D. His words were interpreted into this book in 1915.
The title? Influence – How to exert it.
I thought about the word. Influence. John Maxwell says Leadership IS influence. It’s true. If you can’t influence anyone, you can’t be a leader, and to the degree you can influence people is the same degree that you can lead.
I opened it. I wondered how long it had been here. How long had it been since anyone opened this book?
I looked at the table of contents on the yellowed paper that had a message to deliver and had been waiting a very, very long time to deliver it.
It spoke to me. I wanted to know what the Japanese Shogun named Yoritomo Tashi had to say to me from 838 years ago. It learned that Yoritomo was one of the three greatest statesmen that Japan ever produced. I bought the book for a few dollars and walked out, and something told me that the ideas in the book were far more valuable than that.
In the coming days, I will reveal many of the main ideas from the wise and powerful man. It will take some days; probably many. To start, I will leave you with some of the opening ideas on Influence. I will simplify, complete and embellish many of his words.
When one learns influence – “the art of succeeding will become familiar to him, for he will know how to attract to him many voluntary collaborators. His power will set him apart as being different than others…the radiating action of this expanding will acts on others…”
One thing I noticed right away is that the Shogun believed that only one with good intentions could influence others well and for long.
He says “Good influence buries vice…the source of unhappiness and restlessness, to install instead perfect calm, the joy of living, and the security which always preceded happiness, or at least allows us to maintain that state which most nearly approaches it.”
People that are trying to influence others to do bad things or deceive others are evil, and ultimately will not be able to influence once they are found out.
I can’t wait to tell you more…
Tomorrow…
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Employees see what's really going on
Your employees see what is really going on inside your company.
Do leaders care? Do their coworkers care? Who cares and who doesn’t?
What are the internal standards and can they be proud of them?
Is it clean? Is the thinking short-term or long-term?
How is the sausage (product) made?
The reason all this matters, even if customers don’t see it, is because that’s what drives employee behavior.
That’s what makes them stay or not. That’s what makes them care or not. That’s what makes them want to do their best or not. And that’s what is behind your sales staff’s conviction and belief or not.
Great companies are great at their core; inside. And that, like most everything else, has its source in leadership.
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The perfect life.
“It is not ease, but effort – not facility but difficulty that makes men. There is perhaps no station in life in which difficulties have not to be encountered and overcome before any decided measure of success can be achieved.” – Samuel Smiles
I have lived a perfect life. It was filled with challenges from the start. I learned to overcome some of them early and what that felt like. I got my butt kicked, and I started learning how to deal with different people. I was rejected and underestimated.
I wasn’t the biggest or the strongest or richest and I had to figure it out. I couldn’t afford to go to college, so I had to turn to better sources and habits of learning. I worked outside and learned to brave the weather or I couldn’t eat.
I had no money to make payroll the following week, had no leads, not enough customers, and people cheated me. Later, I lost my house and everything in it in a fire, lost my marriage, and a billion-dollar “investor” directly attacked me, trying to take all my customers and my life’s work away.
I have been half-dead in the middle of the desert, lost and hungry. I have endured pain, and learned how much of it was my own making. I learned that suffering was not outside me, but inside me as a response to the gap between my hopes or expectations, and what happened.
Yes, I have lived a perfect life.
I am strong, able, confident, resilient, proud, and no one can hurt me.
Amen 🙏
EST mea culpa
GM!
I have read your daily posts, your book and made significant changes in my business over the last 10 years. I often share your posts with those in my inner circle. I am a dirt biker, snowmobiler and 56 years young. On 12/14/24 our son (fellow dirt biker and snowmobiler) fell 53′ and suffered life threatening injuries, including a spinal cord injury rendering him paralyzed from the sternum down. It was a situation that was new and uncharted for me. The good news is he wiggled his toes Monday night and began to move his legs yesterday!
I was able to completely walk away from the business that our team has built, now 30 employees strong and growing at a rate of 35% year over year since 2020 on 12/14/25 and it keeps running strong, supporting the 30+ families that depend on it, along with all of the suppliers and other folks that support us. I could not have done this if we were not this size. I would have had to choose to work instead of supporting the ones I love. I am so thankful I grew this business and so thankful for the team I have in place.
I started to put the pieces together in 2015 for this growth, the infrastructure (vans/warehouse/office spaces) and of course the training. Your book, your blog posts, you taking the time to share your ups and downs in Baja and business and beyond…they all have impacted me in a positive way.
Circling back…without reading the highest calling I would have more than likely kept doing it all myself. In November of 2024 I passed the last two items on my plate to my business manager (filing monthly taxes in a neighboring state and 401K contributions) and as fate would have it not a month too soon. I can now sit anywhere in the world with internet service and with a few keystrokes look at data points that tell me where to spend my money on advertising, hiring, firing, infrastructure needs (yes we are opening our second location in 2026 now that we have hit $10M in gross sales!) and keep this going. Your recent post about wanting to sell a business after building it helped me quantify to my wife, who now more than ever wished I would sell the business to spend time with our son, why I will never sell it. It made sense to her, I’m not in this for the money, I’m in it because I love it and I love improving our lives, our teams lives and the people we service lives.
Our tiny little HVAC business in Southern NH pays all of our teams health insurance premiums…including their dependents, we allow them to participate in the company 401K just 30 days after they start, with no vesting so what they save is theirs forever, we have the newest (and cleanest) fleet, we have the best tools, we have virtually no turnover, we just hired our first mechanical engineer (cultivated over 6 years as we bring in local high school students each summer for paid internships), we donate 1% of our gross income to non-profit organization, and the list goes on. Yes, I could make a lot more money if I wanted to cut these perks, however that would promote turnover and it is just not me.
The proof of your thoughts and embracing growth is happening to me right now. I am currently practicing for the Iron Dog Race (snowmobile race in Alaska) instead of spending time in the office directing people. I am at the office one day a week when in NH and available remotely to my staff on any weekday. I will finally ride (two wheels) in Baja this year (MS Adventures so not nearly as grueling as your rides!). What you have said works. Simply put hire the best people to offer the best value of what you are selling and bingo the rest takes of itself.
Safety
Delivery
Quality
Price
These are our core values, these are my core values. It amazes me how many people put money over everything else. Money is the least important thing to me and this value has afforded me to be where I am. I teach this principle to all of my team members. We say the pledge of allegiance each day, we celebrate our 5 star Google reviews each Monday, we make mistakes, we fix our mistakes, we keep growing.
Thank You Larry!
❤️
I am also grateful for the difficulties, past, present and those to come.
A wonderful message, Blessed and grateful !
Your story is inspiring and it lets others see what is possible with determination. Your commitment to sharing your experiences daily allows others to learn from someone who has done it, and knows what it takes. Thank you!
Thank you for being open and honest. Very few people who have a achieved a high level of success are willing to be so vulnerable. I admire and respect you. It encourages me to start my own business late in life(I’m 65). Thank you again for authenticity.
As always – thank you for sharing your experiences and the inspiration 💫
Yes me too… Went through an awful lot. Had a very big company with offices nationwide. Lost it all after almost 30 years and took it all and rebuilt myself to a new me. Still working at almost 67 years old with no plan to retire but build new company bigger and better
My parents were both Marines. They always taught me that what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. My parents were tough on me. Tougher than most. I am eternally grateful to them. And thank you for sharing your experiences.
Proud of you, Larry. Like you always say, from the inner the outter. Btw, diamonds are made under pressure. You are living proof.
Thank you, Larry, I appreciate you and your transparent honest story that has made you resilient. The challenges presented in our lives build grit and I too wouldn’t trade it for anything! We love you and are grateful to continue to learn from you! Thank you for being you!
Great share. Thank you. Was just discussing this in our mens small group this morning of 4 years. It sort of like God allowing hard times that we then grow and learn from and can ultimately help others through it. That is a high calling.
Amen Larry, one of your best posts to date, thanks for this.
This was great. Thank you for sharing and it’s inspiring. It lifted me up this morning. I’m grateful you wrote this. I’m going through my own challenges.
I love this…
👍. Typical Tech pride. Challenges always made us stronger!
Very proud of you. You are a beacon of light.
I am proud to be your friend! You taught me a lot, and you changed my life! Thank you brother…
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Determination
“There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.” – Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Determination is one of the magic invisible ingredients you’ll need to stay the course and accomplish the extraordinary.
I’d rather have determination than a sharp mind or a lofty academic education. And I sure hope I’d have more determination than my competitor.
High achievement takes time. Most entrepreneurs give up or get distracted with something else.
In climbing a mountain, there will be obstacles and setbacks. Most stop right there.
How much real determination do you have?
“I will not give up chasing the ideal and discovering how much good I can do with and through my business, because I still breathe” – that kind of determination.
The cloud attempting to distort determination is always hovering above my head. I wake up every single day determined to make it a great day. It starts with looking at myself in the mirror and telling myself that I will make the day mine! Thank you for sharing, we’re thankful for you too!
There is no substitute for testosterone.
I am grateful for you, too, Larry!
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A Test
When you finally have enough money, the real man/woman is revealed.
If you had enough money to retire, leave, and go do anything, what would you do?
Would you keep doing what you have been doing and build on it?
If so, then you have been doing the right thing all along. You were doing what you were meant to do and were happy doing it.
If not, then you were here doing this for the money or out of fear.
No judgment, just a question that reveals something about a person and their work.
“Tell me”
👍
Tell me, tell me.
Good morning Larry!
Tell me, tell me
Tell me, tell me
Tell me, tell me! What does the 12th century shogun say about influence? I hope it’s not sex appeal… 🙂
Yes please. Tell us!
Tell Me, Tell me!
Tell me, tell me!
Tell me, tell me!
Tell me!
Go, Rick!
Tell me about the shogun, please.
Late to the party…California time..Tell the west coast also
I’d love to know more about the shogun
Also grateful for Rick C.
And please, Tell me. Tell me. Super curious!
Larry, Please Tell me, tell me!
I am grateful for Rick Cleri too! Also, please tell me what the shogun had to say.
Tell me, tell me…
Tell me ! Tell me !!!
“Tell me, tell me!”
Tell me, tell me!
Tell me, tell me!
Yes, I would like to know.
Tell Us!
Tell me, tell me too
Tell me, tell me!
Tell me! Tell me!
I would be very interested
Tell me
Tell me
Tell me, tell me!
TELL ME, TELL ME!
Please enlighten us
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Don't (always) play by the rules.
I have invented many things. I have 32 patents.
In some of these cases in particular, I had to go against what everyone else was doing. I had to break the rules, part with conventional wisdom, and challenge “truths”. In a couple cases I had to violate the building code to make things better. I risked lawsuits and my business, but I knew I was right.
In those cases, I changed my industry forever. I brought more value, security, comfort and health to millions of homeowners that just was not available before.
You don’t have to play by other people’s rules.
What conventions in your industry are you obeying because they were always there?
What if you started over and reinvented it all based on what you know now?
What would your customers love?
In our industry we see that the permit process is different from municipality to municipality. Each set of paperwork is different but asking for the same information. Each municipality is enforcing the same building code. The state should be creating a common application process, like the college common app. You want to help?
The majority is always wrong. Defy industry norms. I love it! Obviously your incessant doodling led to your 39 patents. Congratulations.
I challenge conventional “wisdom” every day. It’s part of what makes us different from our competition. We don’t do it the same way others do, and we don’t get the same results either. When someone balks at us and says “that’s not the way others do it” I say, and that’s the reason you hired us and not them! We build it to last and improve on everything we can, even if it goes against conventional techniques. I’m also slow to adopt new and “better” products until they are time tested and/or proven.
I did something yesterday that was against company policy but it yielded a $500 sale. I knew in my heart I was doing the right thing, did it right in front of the HR manager, and was not called on the carpet. Sometimes you have to challenge conventional wisdom and do the right thing for the customer, even if sometimes it goes against company policy. I had a manager in 1995 that told me “you aren’t doing your job if you aren’t breaking some glass once in a while.” Great advice.
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What are you afraid of?
Everything you want is on the opposite side of fear.
Fear holds people back more than any outside force.
Fear of failure.
Fear of losing what they already have even though it’s not great.
Fear of looking bad, silly, stupid, or like a beginner.
If you want to do or achieve anything significant, courage is necessary.
But what if you looked at things differently? What if you saw less risk? What if you learned more about it? What if you asked, “What’s the worst that could happen?” and determined that if it did happen, you would be ok with it? What if you built your desire much bigger than your fear? What if you saw the biggest risk as NOT doing it – not giving yourself the chance?
In most cases, it’s all in your head.
If you melt the risk away there, you need less courage.
Life is an inner game first.
You created that fear by how you processed it all – and you can change that.
GREAT message, Larry – but the dad joke was the topper 😄
Have a Great Day! Enjoying your Round Trip series! 👍🙂
Amen! Thank you!🙏
You had me at “Everything you want is on the opposite side of fear.”
Great message. This is something I have been working on a lot lately. Although there is much work to do, and it never ends, I have been making progress.
Wow did I ever need to read that today. Thank you, Larry! ❤
Thank you Larry!
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Two kinds of freedoms
Freedom from, and freedom to.
Having “freedom from” is great. Freedom from violence, oppression, and injustice.
“Freedom to” is next level. Freedom to do whatever you want when you want. Now that is freedom.
Of course, it comes only with discipline, learning, and creating value for others.
Freedom from is a blessing of liberty bestowed upon you in a free country.
Freedom to is earned in that same place.
Sometimes it’s the simplest message that hits you when and where you need it to. Thank you for this message today. Perfect timing.
Good morning from Asheville, NC!
Amen.
I too am grateful for the founders!
One freedom is almost always incompatible with some other freedom. The freedom to play loud music in one’s apartment conflicts with the neighbor’s freedom to have peace and quiet in their home. The freedom of individuals to smoke in public spaces versus others’ freedom to breathe clean air and avoid secondhand smoke exposure. The freedom of businesses to collect and use customer data for targeted advertising and telemarketing versus individuals’ freedom to maintain privacy in their digital lives and not be bothered by spam calls. Etc.
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Compass over map
Compass over map.
Explain the goal to your team. Review your why. Explain the values they must hold on the journey.
Then let them help figure out how to get there.
Tell me! Tell me! Please and thank you.
Tell me, tell me!
Come on, Larry – tell us!
Tell , Tell Me
I’m interested
Tell me. Tell me
Tell me
Tell me, tell me@
Tell me! Tell me!
Larry, please “Tell me, tell me!”
Tell Me, Tell Me.
Tell me
“Tell me, tell me!”
I’d like to hear what you read. The Eastern philosophies that evolved in different languages are a fantastic tool to expand our western minds that “work” only in English. One of my favorite TD posts is one you wrote years ago about “ikigai” and why we do what we do every day.
“Tell me, tell me!” I’d really like to know what the Shogun said!
Taking the time to understand your true north is critically important IMHO. Tell me Tell me
Tell me, tellme
Tell me, tell me!
Tell me Tell me
Tell me, Tell me!
Tell me
Tell me
Tell me,Tell me
Please Tell me, Tell me!
Yes, Please tell me!
tell me, tell me….please
Tell me, tell me!
tell me
Tell me
Tell me!
Tell me, tell me
Tell me
We met with our team this morning and went over 2024 numbers as a whole and as individual teams. The guys completed evaluations for themselves and their partner. This evaluation is an assessment of their skill levels and general preparedness. We will follow up next week regarding a review of these evaluations. Our team is expected to arrive at next week’s meeting with goals and a timeline/deadline for achieving their goals.
Looking forward to an excellent 2025!
Tell me, tell me.
“Tell me, tell me!”
Tell me, tell me!
Tell me tell me!
And Happy 2025!!
Tell me, tell me!
Tell me please, happy new year!
I’d love to hear it!
Tell me!
Tell me, tell me!!
“Tell me, tell me!”
Can’t wait to hear what he said 🙂
Hope you watched the show Shogun! A lot to learn on leadership and strategy in it!
Tell me, Tell me. Thank you Larry.
Tammyo,, wax on…wax off
Tell me, tell me!
Tell me, tell me!
Tell me tell me
Tell me!
Tell me tell me
Tell me, tell me.
Tell me, tell me!
Tell me! Tell me!
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A new year – what will be different?
If I do the same thing this year as I did last year, I will get the same results; or maybe a little better or a little worse based on external circumstances.
I want to do better. I am thinking about new and different marketing campaigns.
I am thinking about putting key people on key projects.
I am thinking about new training and ways to excite my team.
Then, I am prioritizing. I will delegate what I can, empower others with what I can, and get to work on the highest priority projects that will make tomorrow better right away.
What are you doing to make 2025 better than 2024?
For 15 years in this industry, I thought I knew exactly what I was doing. Turns out, I was working way too hard on the wrong things that made little to no difference. Basically, I was spinning my wheels. S.O.E- is life changing. I wish I would’ve been part of the school a long time ago. It’s definitely a business building, time saving machine!
This is good stuff! I can relate, comprehend, have experienced and am excited by what I will become with this new knowledge.
Thank you for sharing!
Bill Anderson
Thank you 🙏
So far – really good! Tell me more!
Love it! What a find!!!! Thank you for sharing. Looking forward to hearing more..
Excellent post. Thank you, Larry.
P.S. Bookstores beat Amazon every day of the week. Glad you discovered this gem.
Good stuff!!
Ordered the book. Will read ahead and anticipate your perspective.
I always find it amazing how God gives us opportunities to grow in the most unlikely circumstances. An old cluttered bookstore in Birmingham Alabama. Amazing and unexpected. Looking forward to hearing more wisdom from this sage.