Two Great Leaders I Never Knew

Thoughts on competition, whining, responsibility and adding value

James and John were two of the greatest leaders I never knew.

James was born in a small town in 1890. He had twelve brothers and sisters. He grew up to have seven children of his own and twenty-seven grandchildren. His last child was a boy named Eugene. James was not a highly educated man. He never went to college. He was a worker. He didn't complain about the hand he had been dealt. He found ways to raise a family and pay his bills even during the Great Depression. He worked on the 1904 World's Fair, he worked in construction, he worked as a janitor at a local grade school, and he even shoveled coal to earn a paycheck. He died in 1966 when I was three years old.

John was born in 1878. He was an orphan and was raised by relatives in Ireland. He moved to the United States at age eighteen, and found work with another relative. He had his first child, a daughter named Marie, at the age of forty. He had his sixth daughter, a girl named Laura, at the age of fifty. During the Great Depression he worked as a janitor at a different local grade school. He also focused on what he could do to add value and bring home a paycheck. He died in 1946.

Leaders Leave a Legacy

James and John raised their families within four blocks of each other in St. Louis.

Neither man was a financial success or an educational success. However, they were two extraordinary leaders. They left an extraordinary legacy and had a profound impact on my life.

James Coughlin and John Byrne were my grandfathers. Eugene and Laura are my parents. Within two generations their grandchildren became doctors, lawyers, engineers, executives, and even management consultants. They dedicated themselves to being great stewards, and to doing what they could do to add value in the situations they found themselves in. They reminded their children, who in turn reminded their children, of the importance of getting a good education and taking responsibility for your life.

Whiners Don't Win, and Winners Don't Whine

When I hear people whining about how they can never succeed because of foreign competition or because other people have better connections or are better educated, I am reminded of my grandfathers. They could have complained and given up, but they didn't. They stayed focused on adding value where they could add value. And slowly they paid their bills and kept their children focused. And slowly those children went to work, paid their bills, and kept their children focused.

I haven't always lived up to their legacy as well as I've wanted to, but I'm learning. You see, I'm a closet whiner. People think I'm so positive, but the truth is I whine, a lot. Recently I was driving in Chicago, which if you've been there you know is a continuous Tollway. I know it's a continuous Tollway, but I didn't bring very much change. Then when I came to an unmanned Tollway I whined because I didn't have any change left. There was a policeman standing there. I offered him a dollar and said I didn't have any change left. He said, "You're on a Tollway. How can you not have any change?" At first, I whined. I blamed the system. I blamed everyone I could think of. And then it hit me. I was whining. It was my fault, not his and not "the system's." Then another thought hit me, "STOP WHINING, BE RESPONSIBLE, AND BRING MORE CHANGE."

A few weeks ago my favorite performer on American Idol, Melinda Doolitte, was knocked off in the semi-finals. She never even winced. She congratulated Blake Lewis, maintained her composure, and went out with class. She's a winner.

That same week Amare Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns made a brief lapse of judgment and stepped onto the basketball court at the wrong moment during the NBA playoffs. When he was suspended for a game, everyone and their brother complained and whined, including me, but not Amare. He said he watched the tape and agreed with the assessment. No whining from him. He lost the series to the San Antonio Spurs, but he demonstrated that he will be a winner over the long term.

WHINE stands for Wasting Hugely Important Non-replaceable Energy

If James and John wrote a book on competing in a global, fast-changing economy, I think they would teach five steps:

1. Stop whining.
2. Identify where you can add value.
3. Identify how you can add value.
4. Add that value.
5. Repeat the process.

If You're Response-Able, You're Responsible

If you are physically and emotionally able to choose your response to a situation, you are responsible for the choices you make. That may sound harsh, but I actually find it to be empowering. It means we don't have to wait for a government intervention or an industry change or a new market trend. We can actually choose how we respond to the circumstances we're facing and do something about them. It means we can determine the value we can offer in our work and the way in which we can add that value. It means we're in charge of our lives and our decisions, not someone else.

Nine Questions to Ponder

1. Who are the greatest leaders you never knew?
2. What lessons can you learn from them?
3. How can you apply those lessons today?
4. What do you whine about?
5. How can you stop whining?
6. What value can you add today?
7. How can you add that value?
8. When are you going to add that value?
9. How can you take greater responsibility for your results and your career?

Book Recommendations

The 5 Catalysts for 7 Figure Growth by Andy Birol

Andy Birol is a guru for business owners who want to take their businesses to the next 8level in a practical manner. Andy has worked with hundreds of business owners to grow their businesses rapidly and in a sustainable fashion. This book is packed with practical insights on how to cut through the minutiae, develop an effective strategy, and deliver the kind of value that drives business growth.

The Invisible Elephant: Exploring Cultural Awareness by Tom Verghese

Tom Verghese is the premier expert that I know of on the topic of global diversity. Tom speaks from true experience. His work with global corporations has taken him around the world. From his home office in Australia to Asia, Europe, and America Tom has worked with executives in corporations in a wide variety of industries and in over 30 countries to better learn how to embrace and leverage cultural diversity. His book, The Invisible Elephant, provides powerful insights into the topic of cultural diversity and how to make it a driving force for business growth.

My new book, Accelerate: 20 Practical Lessons to Boost Business Momentum (Kaplan Publishing)

First, thank you to all of you who purchased a copy of my book, Accelerate. So many of you wrote to me to let me know you ordered the book, and I really, really appreciate that. I hope you get practical value from it.

We're off to an exciting start. Two weeks ago I went on a book signing tour and I visited 30 bookstores in Washington, D.C. and last week I visited 27 stores in New York City. Next week I'm off to Chicago and then my hometown of St. Louis. Later this summer I'll be visiting bookstores in San Francisco, Denver, Kansas City, and Indianapolis.

Order your copy of Accelerate at www.barnesandnoble.com.

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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