First let me thank all of my readers as well all of the wonderful people I have had the chance to work and associate with. I never would have believed my blog page would have almost 32,000 viewers from 18 different countries, and I so appreciate the comments and feedback you have provided. You inspire me to write and to learn.
"If you learn one new thing ever day, you become a better person every day!" A very influential person in my life said that to me when I was young, that being my father. With every workshop or seminar I provided with the intention of helping others learn something new or a new way of looking at their operation, I always found I was also a student. It never failed that questions I would get or discussions I would lead always provided new insight into how we do business or how we lead others. When the opportunity came after being selected to the Walt Disney Emerging Leader program and attend Disney University, I jumped at this chance to learn. Now I have always considered myself to be an effective leader, however, you have no idea how much it enhanced my leadership and management style by having this opportunity. Disney has been at the top of companies who have a reputation for developing employees for leadership, innovation, and customer service skills. It all began with a vision! One man, one mouse, and one mission. That mission as has been said by Disney executives was, "Not to build the larges entertainment company in the world...but the best!" Isn't it amazing that through that "best approach" was also built and maintained the largest and most respected organization. I was one of thirty two cast members (they don't call them employees), out of sixty-five thousand in the Orlando area to participate in Emerging Leaders. Quite an honor, but more importantly quite an experience to learn. I had to accept what I though I may have known, was only a portion of what I needed to know. Now in my in the list of things I can say I have as a leadership quality I can add, "I have pixie dust in my veins." Not a bad thing to have. In a nutshell, you can teach an old dog new tricks!
With all the opportunities I have had the most rewarding have been in teaching others, sharing information, and developing others to achieve greatness. With the last property management company I had tenure with, I had the opportunity to work with an amazing team and amazing leader. I looked up to this person, admired her, learned from her, and more importantly respected her. She recently contacted me and asked me to write her a letter of reference which I was honored to do. Everything I said about her was from my heart, and in respect for her and her position. What I received back from her brought a smile to my face as well as a tear in my eye because I learned we all learn from each other if we allow it to happen. She said, "I
am humbled and appreciative of your letter. It truly touches my heart. I do try
very hard to be a good leader and to hear from someone I respect, as I do you,
that I was really means a tremendous amount to me." This came from a person that had the hard task of telling me my position was being eliminated back in 2009. Even though it was a hard pill to swallow knowing I had one of the top performing regions in the organization, it also in some ways opened up the door I talked about previously with Disney. Life may give you lemons, but add a little vodka (or sugar for those that don't partake in adult beverages) to it and it's easier to swallow.
So many of us have had life changing situations, but the true character of someone is not how they dealt with that situation but what they did to learn and better themselves from it. Constantly learning, continually teaching, and always in pursuit of excellence in ourselves and others is critical to success. I recently heard someone explain character as what you do when no one is looking. The problem is there is always someone looking, including yourself every day you look in the mirror. What have you learned today and just as important what have you shared what you have learned? One of the hardest human traits to overcome is to open your mind and your heart to the idea there is always something to learn. I have had hundreds of people tell me I am a great leader and exceptional at creating a motivational environment. I have presented workshops and provided keynote addresses on leadership for many years and before thousands of people. Just as leadership is evolving as times change, we must as well. This means opening our minds, putting aside what we have done, and focusing on what we can do if we are always looking to learn and teach it to others. Returning to property management? Those that know me understand my passion for the industry and how I have thrived on staying active in the business. Writing, reading, teaching, and more importantly always keeping an open mind excite me and inspire me. Where the future will take me I cannot say, however, my goals and confidence in my abilities tell me there is so much more for me to do. And as you have heard me say so many times, "Now go lead!"
