Honoring An Amazing Men’s Room Attendant

I love hearing of stories about people in non-tradition jobs or situations that really put an  exclamation point on what it means to be a professional.  Lorenzo Robinson, a men’s room attendant at the posh 21 restaurant in Manhattan, is one such person.

To most, his work wasn’t glamorous.  In fact, some might consider his work demeaning. Not Lorenzo.  He glorified his work. Those he served loved him.

Lorenzo’s story reinforces that it isn’t what we do but how we do it that determines whether we are a professional or not. There should be no doubt, Lorenzo was a professional.

Lorenzo Robinson passed away prematurely in late October.  Even though we never met, I’m honored to share his inspiring story.  Here’s a nice article from the New York Times about him.

   

Is Your College Going Out of Business?

Today college students are asking themselves a lot of questions many of us once thought unimaginable. Mark Cuban asks ‘Is Your College Going Out of Business?‘. Check out his article, it’s really thought provoking.

I relate to Mark’s message. When my kids were in the process of choosing colleges, I drilled home to them the importance of coming out of school with as little debt as possible. (they each paid part of the freight)  Two of my three college kids came out of school with zero debt. The third had less than $10,000 in debt.

Being wise stewards of money (largely by being smart consumers of educational services) is one of the most important things my children learned as a result of attending college. I’m proud of each for having the discipline to make the tough choices that enabled them to come out of school with little or no debt.

I wish Mark hadn’t used some of the language he did towards the end of the article, but it is what it is.  Consider yourself forewarned.

Monday’s Pleasant Surprise

Trust Across America is an organization dedicated to improving the level of trust within the business sector.  Founder Barbara Kimmel has done a tremendous job growing the influence of the organization.

Earlier today Trust Across America published their top thought leaders for 2013. I’m pleased (and humbled) to have been included. The list has many notable (and impressive) people.

I can only hope this honor helps advance the important work we’re doing here at Wiersma and Associates.

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Even The Elite Aren’t Immune

Many in the United States feel that, in varying degrees, there’s an inherent bias in the media. It’s hard to argue with a straight-face that there isn’t.  Most of us expect the media to be neutral when it comes to political matters—that’s what most of us feel a professional journalist is supposed to do.  They’re supposed to be objectively reporting the news, not making it.

The media in Mexico makes bias in the US look pale–at least if you believe a recent article in Fortune.  In Televisa vs.The People Mexico’s broadcast monopoly is accused of helping a candidate win the presidency.  The article is an eye-opener…check it out. Unlike the US, there’s been outrage in Mexico.  In July nearly 100,000 people protested…yes, you read correctly—100,000 !  The specifics are outlined in the article.

Ironically, Televisa’s brand appears to have been tarnished—along with hurting its business interests.

How interesting…even when you’re part of the elite and ‘in the tank’ for your nation’s president and you violate professional ideals, you ultimately pay a price. That’s encouraging…and an important lesson each of us should remember.

100 and Counting

This is the 100th post on this blog.  I started the blog reluctantly.  Whatever concerns I initially had are now gone. Truth be told, I enjoy writing the blog.  I hope people enjoy reading it—although I’d rather know than just speculate what people’s impressions are.

It’s time for a reality-check, time for some feedback.  Tell me what you think.  Be honest.

What aspects of the blog do you like?  What’s the very best aspect of the blog? What types of posts do you learn the most from?   What types of posts interest you the most?

Anything about the blog you’d change?   Any complaints?  Anything you’d like to see more of?  Less of? Are there best practices from other blogs you’d suggest we add/modify?

Let’s make the next 100 posts even better than the first 100.  Thanks, in advance, for weighing in.

Doing Their Very Best Work…The Ultimate Example

Being non-judgmental, selfless, caring, responsible…you gotta love people who can get beyond themselves (think: mind-set two—being part of something bigger than yourself).  I’ve regularly observed that people did their best work (and were most fulfilled) when they were a part of ‘something bigger’.

Hey, that describes moms.  Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there.

Ain’t Maturity Grand?

Senior citizens may cringe when being referred to as mature, but hopefully the rest of us will take it as a compliment rather than a slight.  I don’t know about you, but I love dealing with people who are able to:

***receive constructive feedback without being defensive.

***be genuinely happy for someone who may not be their favorite.

***learn through others experience.

***say “I was wrong”.

***speak of accomplishments in ‘we’ terms, not ‘me’ terms.

These are signs of maturity—the good kind!  They’re also signs that you’re dealing with a professional.

 

A Glimpse Into Kathy Ireland–Business Mogul

Of all the world-class contributors to The Power of Professionalism, Kathy Ireland is the person I’m most frequently asked about.  This post is a glimpse into Kathy the business mogul.      

As the ‘presenter’ of Kathy Ireland at a prestigious awards ceremony in Nov 2011 (Kathy was the recipient of the John F Kennedy Laureate award) I stated that Kathy was as “intelligent as she was beautiful”.

The recent article on Kathy that appeared in the Feb 13, 2012 issue of Forbes reinforces that point.

Here’s the article that appeared in Forbes.

Here’s the video that compliments the article.

Enjoy.

The Honest Broker–Wisdom From Seth Godin

Seth Godin (a wise man indeed) posted a piece this past Saturday warrants sharing as it compliments The Power of Professionalism so nicely.

I’ve taken the liberty of re-printing it here.  Enjoy.

The Honest Broker

It really is a choice, one or the other.

Either you happily recommend the best option for your customer, or you give preference to your own items first.

Either you believe in what you sell, or you don’t.

Either you treat your best partners better, or you treat everyone the same.

Either you shade the truth when it’s painful to do otherwise, or you consistently share what’s important.

Either you always keep your promises or you don’t.

Either you give me the best price the first time, or you make me jump through hoops to get there.

Earning the position of the honest broker is time-consuming and expensive. Losing it takes just a moment.