Top Ten Lists to Celebrate Ten Years

On January 15th, 1998, I walked out of my classroom at St. Louis University High School for the last time as a high school math teacher, and I walked directly into the world of full-time entrepreneurship. If I knew how little I knew that day, I may never have left. But because I didn't know what I didn't know I embarked on what has become the greatest decade of learning, both personally and professionally, in my life. To celebrate these ten wonderful years, I want to share with you a variety of Top Ten Lists.

Ten Lessons on Being an Entrepreneur

1. Just let you be you.

   My college soccer coach, Dennis Grace, gave me the best advice ever. I was the third-string goalie all four years in college, which is hard to do. In my first job as a college soccer coach, he said, "Just let Dan be Dan." I've never forgotten it.

2. "Go to the ball."

   My son, Ben, is six years old. When I coach his soccer team, I say over and over to all of the players, "Go to the ball." To be an entrepreneur, you have to go to the ball, the opportunity, to add value to other people.

3. Stay very, very, very open-minded.

   The biggest break I ever received in business happened when I was a high school math teacher. Another teacher, Joe Schulte, asked me to put together a new program to be conducted in our school's new theater. So I created a full-day program called, "Honoring the Family Concept." I invited outside speakers, one of whom worked for McDonald's. We had such a small crowd (12 people) that I canceled many of the outside speakers, including Kevin from McDonald's. But I stayed in touch with Kevin. That was 12 years ago. Since then I've coached over 60 executives for McDonald's, facilitated countless meetings for them, and will be doing the closing session on leadership for the McDonald's National Leadership Council on January 31st.

4. Treat every opportunity as an "Oprah Moment."

   Every opportunity to add value is incredibly important. Imagine your business was going to be featured on Oprah next week. How hard would you work to get ready to let the world know how much value your business can deliver? Put that much effort into every opportunity, even the free ones, because you don't know who will open a door for you or how big the room will be.

5. Get better.

   Every day answer these questions, "What was my goal for today? What did I accomplish? What did I do to try to achieve my goal? What worked well, what did not work well, and what lessons did I learn? What will I do tomorrow to make tomorrow better than today?"

6. Constantly clarify the value you provide.

   At the end of the day, how are your customers better off for having bought from you? Keep writing down your answers until you get it.

7. Think long term; pay the bills in the short term.

   You have to have food, heat, clothes, and so on. And it's better to pay the bills as they come in. And throwing a little extra money in the bank certainly helps. Having said that, the key to growing your own business is to think long term. Ask yourself, "How can this small opportunity be combined with everything else I'm doing and lead to a bigger opportunity?"

8. Provide value-added, synergistic marketing.

   The world got along fine before your business existed and it will get along fine whether you succeed or fail as an entrepreneur. In other words, no one is sitting around saying, "How can I give that business money today?" You have to put value into the marketplace so people can experience what it would be like to work with you. My approach may not work for your business, but here is the free value I put out regularly: articles, e-newsletters, daily blogs, white papers, and an archive of all past articles on my website. You might want to add podcasts, webcasts, and so on. Don't just advertise. Actually deliver value into the marketplace.

9. Stop the train of constant activity.

   This is the mother of all advice. Stop doing all the time, and spend more time thinking. Business acceleration always starts with an idea, an insight that would add more value to other people. To get that idea, you have to think. To think, you have to stop being busy all of the time.

10. Try lots of new ideas.

    Whatever idea you're working on at the moment, stay focused. In any given month, try to really focus on just doing three things very well. But over the course of two to three years, try a lot of ideas. Keep refining and improving your work through the focused application of a few new ideas on a regular basis.

Ten Lessons on What Makes for a Successful Executive/Manager

My primary activity for the past decade has been to serve as an Executive Coach. I've personally coached more than 130 executives (business owners, presidents, division presidents, senior directors, directors) and spent 3,000 hours on site observing several hundred executives and managers in a wide variety of functions and scenarios. Here's what I've learned about what it takes to succeed as a manager or executive.

1. Operate at the intersection of greatness.

   This is the big one. Over the past ten years I've noticed that very successful executives and managers have almost nothing in common. Some are tall, some are short, some are men, some are women, some are extroverts, some are introverts. But the one thing they all have in common is they stayed true to themselves. Each of them applied their values, strengths, and passions in ways that helped their organization achieve its desired results and their customers achieve their desired results.

2. Listen, listen, respond, listen,...

   The worst executives, the ones I was completely unable to work with in any way and the ones who most frequently got fired, were the arrogant ones. They thought they had all the answers and that no employee, peer, or boss could add any value to their efforts. To be a great executive, listen to a variety of people to understand how your organization's story is unfolding, and then make quality decisions that fit with your values, the values and strengths and passions of the organization, and have a positive impact on desired outcomes.

3. Lead the way.

   Leadership is influencing how other people think in ways that generate better sustainable results both for the organization and the people in it. Every leadership act has four parts: pre-influence, influence, post-influence, and trust. Before you try to influence someone to do something, use wise judgment. Answer these questions: will this action help us to improve our most important desired outcomes, does it fit with my values, and does it fit with the values and strengths and passions of our organization? Influence others through questions, statements, listening, analogies, and so on. After you influence others, be an exemplar of what you are trying to influence them to do. And finally always work to build trust. Four parts and none of them are complicated.

4. Be personally organized.

   Don't be so dependent on your admin person that you can't get through the day without him or her. Have an understanding of your schedule and what you need to bring.

5. Get plenty of rest and exercise regularly.

   It takes energy to run an organization or a business unit. Take care of yours.

6. Care about results, people, processes and behaviors.

   Keeping your eye on those four items can go a long way toward improving sustainable, profitable growth.

7. Think long term.

   Ask yourself, "What impact will this decision have one week from now, six months from now, a year from now, and three years from now?" Buying short-term results at the expense of long-term ones is very, very expensive. You'll never get ahead that way.

8. Look outside the window for ideas.

   Be observant of organizations and people outside of your industry. Notice what makes them successful and what makes them fail.

9. Get better.

   Make it a point to improve something every day. Even if it means improving the way you reply to e-mails, find something that you do and make it better.

10. Schedule time to think.

    The only thing that will make tomorrow's results better than today is locating an idea that will make them better and then executing that idea extremely well. You won't get very many good ideas if you're in constant busy mode.

Ten Lessons on What Makes for a Successful Organization

Along the way, I've worked in well over thirty different industries. Here are the lessons I've learned on what makes for a successful organization.

1. Make sure customers "get it."

   I understand Apple. They make cool stuff with technology. I get Disney. They entertain the whole family. If I were to get your business, what would I be getting?

2. Collaborate to accelerate.

   I've never met an executive in any business that created and delivered value to customers all by himself or herself. All of the value is always created and delivered through groups of people. You can accelerate the value you create and deliver effectively by increasing collaboration.

3. Sacrifice to accelerate.

   Trying to do too many ideas is dangerous to the health of any organization. Be willing to let go in order to go forward.

4. Set common goals, not departmental goals.

   Customers don't care how the marketing team is doing or the operations team or the sales team or the finance team. They only care about the collective impact those departments have on them.

5. Get better.

   The best companies I've studied are better performers today than they were three years ago. In the details of their businesses, they have found ways to do better. Balance activity and self-analysis so that you create a continual cycle of improvement.

6. Learn from the past, but don't remain there.

   One of my favorite quotes that I learned from a client in the past ten years is, "The path to the future is lit by the knowledge of the past." Is there some insight you picked up either through a past success or failure that you can leverage for better results today?

7. Be the customer.

   Nothing beats stepping into the shoes of the customer to see what their world is really like. If you can't be the customer, stand by the customer and observe what happens. If you can't stand by the customer, then engage the person in a relaxed conversation about the experience he or she had while interacting with your organization. Understand his or her point of view.

8. Understand the greatness in the organization.

   Spend a lot of time looking for the values, strengths, and passions in your organization that you can build on for greater future success. In the past ten years, I did a lot of work with Marriott, McDonald's, and Toyota. The people in those great organizations are very, very down-to-earth. They have no fancy airs about them. But they have greatness within them that is put into the marketplace on a regular basis. That happens because their bosses look for the greatness within them and they put those great qualities into action.

9. Seek out synergies inside and outside of your organization.

   The real magic of generating enormous value for customers is to look for ways to combine the strengths and passions of people from different departments and from different suppliers.

10. Understand the apple.

Last summer as I worked with a huge not-for-profit organization I became focused on the analogy of an apple. I pointed out that the outside of the apple consists of the volunteers, donors, board members, and clients of the organization, and the apple's core consisted of the organization's full-time staff. The juicy part of the apple is on the outside, but you can't create the juicy part of the apple without a healthy core. A healthy core requires effective communication and caring and respect and support and encouragement. Without that highly functioning core, the apple never produces very good results.

Ten Lessons I've Learned About Myself

Going on your own creates a great environment for self-reflection and introspection. Here's what I've learned about me.

1. I need to be around kids.

   After college I taught high school math and/or coached college soccer for 14 years. Then at 35 I worked only with adults. After five years of that I learned I have to spend more of every month with young people. They energize me and teach me so much. So now I coach youth sports and teach the confirmation class at church for 8th graders.

2. I must read everyday.

   I eat food and read books everyday, sometimes not in that order. Reading is part of who I am.

3. I must get better or I get antsy.

   My craft consists of six activities: reading, listening, observing, collaborating, speaking, and writing. That's it, six skills. And my goal is to improve at least one of them every day.

4. I always have a lot to learn.

   Ten years ago I knew a little, but mainly I didn't know what I didn't know. Today I know what I don't know. Some days I wish I didn't know how much I don't know. But I know I have a lot to get to know.

5. Being in shape is better than being out of shape, in all areas.

   Health (physical, mental, social, financial, spiritual, professional, relationships) is the key to long-term success. The hard part is remembering that in the details of actually living and not just in a general sense.

6. I like independence and freedom.

   You don't become an entrepreneur for the money. You do it because you crave the creative freedom to make your own choices. In my soul, I'm an entrepreneur.

7. I like being in communities.

   Independent consulting is a lonely life. You might fly like an eagle or scamper like a mouse, but either way you're on your own. Therefore, I've learned to love on-going groups like church, Alan Weiss's Mentor Community, neighbors, high school friends, grade school friends, etc.

8. I like what I do for a living.

   At the end of every day, even the ones filled with rejections, I know I love what I do, and I wouldn't trade it for a king's ransom.

9. I like who I am.

   I'm not a millionaire, a world-class consultant, or a best-selling author. I have a limited vocabulary, get lost everywhere I go, and have the mechanical skills of a three-year-old. I'm a simple person. I play nickel, dime, quarter poker and I drink water, soda, and beer. I have no idea what makes for a good glass of wine or a fine brandy, and I have no desire to find out about either. I'm 100% comfortable in my own skin, which is pretty good considering 15 years ago I wasn't even 20% comfortable in my own skin. I have a natural enthusiasm for life, an ability to simplify the complicated, an enormous passion for learning what makes other people successful, and a relentless desire to work with people to improve results in whatever they want to achieve. I no longer worry about who I'm not, but rather I enjoy who I am.

10. I like having fun.

Play it SAFE. This is my mantra for a successful life. Allow me to explain those three words. PLAY. Have fun. Enjoy life. Find the funny in every circumstance. IT. My "it" is being a contributor, adding value, and enjoying the interaction with folks of all types. SAFE. That stands for "sustain a focused effort." All of the supersuccessful people I've studied failed, a lot. But they all hung in there.

Ten Lessons on Marriage

18 months before I became a full-time entrepreneur I married Barb Bizer. Barb has enhanced my life in approximately 7,392 ways. Here's what I've learned.

1. Say "I love you" at least once everyday.

   It's very hard to go to bed upset when the person next to you has just said, "I love you." When you say "I love you" on good days, bad days, and average days you start to really get the feeling that the love is always there and always will be there.

2. Don't ever yell.

   Saying "I'm upset with you," and screaming, "I'M UPSET WITH YOU!!!!" are two very different experiences. Just leave the screaming part out, and you'll be amazed by how fast the recovery process moves along.

3. Hugs are better than sarcasm and eye rolling.

   Just hugging two or three times a day is a whole lot healthier than making cutting, sarcastic comments and rolling your eyes at each other. Even in the tough financial times, a hug says, "Hey, I'm still here for you no matter what."

4. Think long term, invest short term.

   We try to invest once rather than trying to go cheap and than having to replace the item in six months. Some times it actually works out that way. We're hoping this house carries us until we're 80.

5. Be willing to change.

   Ok, our first date we went into Eddie Bauer, which I promised I would never do, and tried on a shirt for Barb. Boom. I love Eddie Bauer. I've also learned to love a variety of civilized activities like picking up my clothes and putting the toothpaste lid back on.

6. Vacations are very, very, very important.

   Getting away is very, very, very important. We've done some big trips (DisneyWorld, Mexico) and lots of small trips. They've all been wonderful.

7. Go on dates, double dates, triple dates, ...

   Getting out with adults is fun, lots of fun. We try to do it often. We have neighborhood friends, church friends, friends who are parents of our kids' friends, and lifetime friends. We enjoy all of them.

8. Handwritten notes are better than flowers.

   If I spend $40 on flowers, Barb knows we could have spent it on something for the family. But a handwritten note is even nicer and not as expensive.

9. Sacrifice to move forward.

   We don't do the same stuff as before we had kids. We don't go to Happy Hours or go to a movie very often. We watch DisneyChannel and know who Hannah Montana is as well as High School Musical. We watched Barney a few years ago. We go with the flow of the times with our kids.

10. Laugh a lot and play games.

Here's the best lesson. Play games together, a lot. Play is fun, work is exhausting. So we play a lot.

Ten Lessons on Parenting

Sarah was born April 21, 1999, fifteen months after I left my teaching job. Ben came along on May 30, 2001. Those two have taught me a LOT about life.

1. Parenting is difficult, complicated, and unpredictable.

   When Barb was pregnant with Sarah, we bought a book called, "What to Expect When You're Expecting." Then we bought the next two books in that series. Unfortunately, the books did not have answers to every single event that has occurred over the past almost nine years. Like, "Two children are peacefully watching tv. Suddenly one turns to the other and hits her in the head with a pillow. She calls him a nasty name and throws a book at him. You're watching. Now what do you do?"

2. Parenting is incredibly wonderful, fun, and magical.

   As everyone told me, being a father is a wonderful experience. Sometimes I just stare at my kids and realize how lucky I am.

3. Parenting is sitting at the kitchen table and doing homework.

   Parenting isn't the big stuff, it's the little stuff. It's doing spelling words and math problems at the kitchen table and reading books together in bed every night. It's listening to a six-year-old tell a story that doesn't appear to have any beginning or ending.

4. Have lunch once a month with each child at school.

   I learned this from my neighbor, and I love it. Once a month I go to the school and join Ben for recess and lunch and then I join Sarah for recess and lunch. That is by far the best investment of 90 minutes I make in any month.

5. Don't read books at dance class.

   As I mentioned, I'm a bookaholic. I love to read and learn. I do it almost everywhere, except not ever again at dance class. Sarah tapped hard on the window while I was reading a book and said, "Dad, watch me!!!!" I'll never make that mistake again.

6. Don't yell at soccer practice.

   Yelling at practice, even when you're the coach and especially when you're coaching your son, is not a good idea. Ben said, "Dad, you yell all the time. I hate it." Got that one down in my book of lessons: no more yelling. If the kids aren't in the mode to learn, it's ok.

7. Be a source of positive energy.

   Criticizing is a piece of cake. Complimenting requires a bit more effort. It's worth the effort.

8. Follow through on threats.

   When we say, "Ben, you are not going to get to play with your friends tomorrow if you don't stop being rude," we either follow through or we lose credibility.

9. Say, "I love you" every single day.

   I never, ever, ever want my kids to go to bed wondering if I love them. This is a given, every day.

10. Hugs are a great way to connect.

We hug early and often. On the way to the bus, getting home from the bus, and before going to bed. Hugs, kisses, love, support, positive energy, isn't that what this parenting thing is all about? Of course, if my daughter read this, she would say, "Daaaad, whatever!!!!!"

The Ten Most Powerful Books I've Read in the Past Decade

10 years, about 40 books a year, that's 400 books. Here's the ten I enjoyed the most.

1. Less is More by Jason Jennings

   This is Jason's masterpiece. I love the title, I love the research, I love the advice. It's about how companies achieve a lot more with a lot less. On top of all that, Jason has become a treasured friend of mine.

2. The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman

   This is Friedman's masterpiece. If you want to understand the world we live in, devour this book.

3. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.

   By far the greatest book I've ever read on leadership. MLK oozed leadership. He was the master and all the rest of us are apprentices.

4. Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler

   Walt Disney is my hero. He had a hundred weaknesses, but he was true to himself and he sustained his integrity to his vision.

5. The Age of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan

   This is Greenspan's, and his co-author Peter Petre's, masterpiece. You may not agree with his ideas, but the clarity with which they are presented and the breadth and depth that they cover are amazing.

6. Good to Great by Jim Collins

   This is Collins' masterpiece. In truth, it's not the research that dazzled me, but rather the simplicity and power and practicality of the ideas in it that resonated so powerfully with me.

7. Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin

   This one caught me by surprise. But I listened to the entire book-on-tape on one very long trip. Lincoln's genius was in using a collaborative approach to achieve a single, simple purpose: maintain one nation undivided that was free for all people.

8. Positioning by Jack Trout and Al Ries

   This is the masterpiece of two world-class marketing strategists. Ok, I'll sneak in one more book: The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. If you combine these two books together, you have everything you'll need to build a world-class brand.

9. The Other Side of Me by Sidney Sheldon

   Sheldon is my favorite fiction author, and this non-fiction, autobiography is my favorite book of all. His story inspires me everyday.

10. Million-Dollar Consulting by Alan Weiss

    This is Alan's masterpiece. He's been my mentor since 1999. I met him four days after I left teaching. I've read all of his books, asked him 3,432 questions, and leveraged his knowledge every single day for the past decade.

Republishing Articles

Each month my e-newsletter gets republished in approximately 20 blogs, on-line publications, and internal publications for businesses, universities, and not-for-profit organizations. If you would like to republish all or part of my monthly articles, please send me an e-mail at dan@thecoughlincompany.com with "Republishing Article" in the subject heading. I will send you the article in a word document. All I ask is that you include my name as the author of the article and a short paragraph at the end of the article about me with a link to my website.

Take care and have a great month!

Dan Coughlin

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