April 2, 2024

Good morning!?

I suspect that many of our?The Huddle?readers are like me. Too often, I see the growth path (personal or business) as being more information, more learning, being better informed, and so on. We read a book, watch a video, or take a course, hoping that the additive information is going to be the thing that unlocks our potential.?

Let me tell you a story.?

Abe was receiving an award from the local Chamber of Commerce for being the top small business in his Pennsylvania community. Abe had built a commercial laundry business to amazing heights, and on top of that, everybody who knew Abe loved him. He was easy to be around, comfortable in his own skin, and an all-around good guy. In Sandler language, we'd say he knew he was an I-10.?

Years ago, Abe was on the building and grounds crew for Kutztown? State College (now Kutztown University). Beloved by faculty, staff, and students, when his supervisor quit, Abe was naturally the next in line. They offered him the job as the Director of Building and Grounds. Abe was ecstatic.?

In completing the paperwork for the position, it came time for Abe to sign the document. Since he was illiterate, he placed a large X on the signature line. "What is this?", they asked. Abe told them that due to family circumstances, he was never able to go to school much and quit altogether in elementary school. He never learned.?

This caused quite a stir. "We are an educational institution! It's not proper that we'd have an illiterate employee", the suits cried. Not only did Abe not get the Director's job, they fired him.

Abe needed to take care of his family. At a local industrial dump, he learned that the factories in town were discarding the small hand towels (usually red) that they used to clean their hands, and wipe up messes and spills. They were cheap and they'd throw them away after they got dirty.?

Abe decided to retrieve those towels from the dump, put them through a cleaning process, and sell them back to the manufacturers at a better price than they could buy them new. Thus, a business was started.?

From there, he moved to other cleaning services and built a remarkable business.?

At the Chamber Award ceremony, there was a document that Abe had to sign, giving them permission to share pictures with the local paper and use his story in promotional material. When he got to the signature line, he wrote "X". He still couldn't sign his name.?

When he told them the story, the Chamber leader was amazed. "You have built a multi-million dollar business and done amazing things. Where do you think you could be if you'd learned to read and write?"

Abe, the award-winning small business success story, said, "I'd be the Director of Building and Grounds at Kutztown State."?

There are lots of lessons in that story. Abe didn't know that he wasn't supposed to be successful. He didn't know that because of his lack of education, he couldn't be successful.?

Sometimes, we know too much. It might be that we need to spend more time unlearning some deeply held beliefs that hold us back.?

Examine your self-limiting beliefs. Have you built fences around your potential because of what you know—that might not be true??

Mark Twain said, "It's not what we don't know that holds us back. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so."?

We could use a little more Abe.??

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The Huddle?is a weekly newsletter that is designed for leaders. Leaders must be learners. There is never a?moment?when leaders arrive. It's a never-ending growth process. I hope this can be a resource that you can use to stay sharp and share with your team.

With that, here are some things I ran across this week.?

In the Spirit of Abe -?If you read the opening story, you may be thinking, "What are some deeply held beliefs that I have that may be holding me back?"?

I'm here for you.?

Here's an article on the topic . See if any of these are familiar. So many of these scripts are engrained so deeply, that we are unaware of how they are holding us back.?

Growing up, we hear things like, "Don't ask so many questions." and "Don't talk to strangers." yet, when we get into the business world, we have to ask a lot of questions and we sometimes have to talk to strangers.?

The Power of the Walk -?As 21st-century inhabitants, we tend to overcomplicate things. We have been led to believe that if we aren't working on some program or system, and tracking, counting, and accumulating, we are falling short.?

According to this article , if you want to have better ideas, think more clearly, and enjoy better health, there is a simple program.

Go for a walk.?

Join Me For a Free Workshop on AI in Sales -?There is no hotter topic these days than AI technology. Much of the AI chatter around sales is focused on writing better emails, doing research, and automating tasks to allow for more selling time. Those are clear and useful benefits.?

Yet, some of the advantages AI offers salespeople in their day-to-day quests to engage prospects have been ignored. AI is not going to replace your salespeople but salespeople who utilize AI will replace those who can't.?

In this 60-minute program, I'll share practical ideas that I've been using and sharing with clients. Learning a few simple tactics, I'll show you how salespeople can qualify more effectively, secure meetings, and even use AI as a sales coach.?

There is no charge for attending and the program is intended for Presidents, CEOs, and Sr. Leaders.?

We have only 1 or 2 seats left as the response has been overwhelming. You can claim your seat and learn more by clicking?here .?

Resumé vs. Eulogy -?Author David Brooks wrote about living the difference between a resumé life and a eulogy life. He says that if we focus less on our status, accomplishments, and prestige—and think more about what they will say about us when we are gone, we'll live a happier, more fulfilled life.

Watch this short video .?It delivers that message well.?

A quote to leave you with -?In honor of the Opening Week of Major League Baseball, let's remember these words from The Babe.?

Have a great week!