Step 1: Building Rapport The late Zig Ziglar, a man I deeply admired, once said, “Failure is an event, not a person.” I remind myself of that every day. Another quote that follows me around is “The two hardest things to handle in life are success and failure.” Even though it hurts, I know I am not alone, and there are many people who achieved tremendous success only to lose it all, just like I did. And now, I’m having coffee on the porch of a house similar to the one I started in twenty-eight years ago, trying to stay positive every day as I watch my next-door neighbors leave early and come home late, mother and daughter in one vehicle, dad in his pickup truck. I wave and smile whenever I see them, but several weeks go by before we finally talk to each other. “Hey there, Pops!” the young woman sang as she danced up the sidewalk to my porch. “Welcome to the hood.” She held out her arms and spun around, pointing to homes full of all kinds of people—every shade on the affirmative action color wheel. Her smile looked like she’d bought it at Neiman Marcus—a bright, shiny gem. Laughing at being called Pops, I stood up to shake her hand. “Why, thank you,” I replied. What Would the Boss Do?: Your company's culture will determine its success. You are the Culture Creator
The late Zig Ziglar, a man I deeply admired, once said, “Failure is an event, not a person.” I remind myself of that every day. Another quote that follows me around is “The two hardest things to handle in life are success and failure.” Even though it hurts, I know I am not alone, and there are many people who achieved tremendous success only to lose it all, just like I did.
And now, I’m having coffee on the porch of a house similar to the one I started in twenty-eight years ago, trying to stay positive every day as I watch my next-door neighbors leave early and come home late, mother and daughter in one vehicle, dad in his pickup truck. I wave and smile whenever I see them, but several weeks go by before we finally talk to each other.
“Hey there, Pops!” the young woman sang as she danced up the sidewalk to my porch. “Welcome to the hood.” She held out her arms and spun around, pointing to homes full of all kinds of people—every shade on the affirmative action color wheel. Her smile looked like she’d bought it at Neiman Marcus—a bright, shiny gem.
Laughing at being called Pops, I stood up to shake her hand. “Why, thank you,” I replied.
What Would the Boss Do?: Your company's culture will determine its success. You are the Culture Creator