The personality traits of a leader can distinctly influence the culture of an organization. What happens if you are the leader and your new talents’ personalities differ from yours? On the surface it sends the organization onto a potential path for major culture clash.

This week, I’ve learned some things that are critical for both the leader and the new talent to succeed and avoid the looming battle.

• Leader: understand the new culture and if you believe in the new talent (you hired them, after all) be humble enough to move away from your culture and towards their culture.
• Leader: foster candor. Create an environment in which new talent can openly discuss the culture.
• New Talent: have key trusted advisors who will provide counsel in case you get frustrated.
• New Talent: be candid. Ask direct questions, provide concrete solutions, and express your goals.
• New Talent: smile, be kind, be gentle, be humble.
• New Talent: be humble enough to move away from your culture and toward the leader’s culture.

As I was wisely reminded today, the best place to be is in between my personality (culture) and yours. Neither one are necessarily bad, neither right or wrong, but the best for the company is when we take the strengths of all the team players and combine them in the middle of the road.

Today marked 5 years at the company.

At 9am, we had .

I ate lunch at with POTC.

5 years past to reflect on many improvements,
5 (and more) years ahead to continue the progress.

What’s the one thing I am most concerned with today? Developing the team. I hope to spend a lot of time and energy because we (not I) need to succeed through progress. This is going to be a great (but not always easy) journey together!

In a presentation that gave me a nuggest of wisdom regarding compromise, the speaker set the stage by describing those of us who are “addicted to forward motion.” I jotted down some of the speech here:

It’s the group of you who, somewhat like me, are addicted to progress, and addicted to forward motion and addicted to moving the ball down the playing field, addicted to waking up every day and looking back to see how much progress you’ve made and measuring how far you have to go. For those of you that are goal setters, for those of you who want to be trendsetters, for those of you who are never quite satisfied with things the way they are and can’t wait for things to be better, for those of you who tend to be perfectionistic, for those of you who tend to be driven…

You love to go forward and you love progress and your ambitious and it’s not out of whack, it’s just in you, you’ve always been that way…

You just love it, you’re wired that way…

At the same time, you love God, and maybe you’re a Christian, probably a Christian, and you love Jesus…

You’re just wired to multiply and conquer and divide…

If you have any of that in you… did you know that is the image of God in you? That once upon a time there was nothing and God said, “I’m tired of nothing. I want something.” And He created the whole universe. Talking about progress, how’s that for a day? … God is a creative God, God loves progress…

That thing in you in that big company where you want to do next something bigger and better, that thing in you that wants to build something and grow something, that’s the image of God in you.

I encourage you to watch it online (click here), listen to the entire piece, and see if you aren’t challenged like I am.

Heard some good wisdom tonight while thinking through the current situation. “What is it that you want so bad that you are set up to trade what’s important to get it?” No matter how good or bad the situation, no matter what it is that I am looking to accomplish or obtain, no matter how bad I want the company to advance, I can never compromise (morals, beliefs, core values) in order to achieve it.

I continue to struggle with the question of “When?” Tomorrow marks 5 years at the company. Through conversation with friends today, I was reminded of 2 critical pieces: (1) focus on what is best for the company and (2) be candid in the conversations around this focus.

During last week’s competion, I had three solid responses, all worthy of victory. Thank you all for your comments and feedback.

Garry said, “The thing that seperates the great businessmen from the good businessmen was the simple fact that the great ones actually did what they knew needed to be done.” He wins first prize.

Jeffrey-Michael and Rosa tie for second. Jeffrey-Michael said, “Quite simply, my life changed when I started praying differently…no longer talking to God about how big my problems are, but instead talking to my problems about how big my God is.” Rosa said, “listen carefully for the truth, because there are usually 3 sides to everything; your side, their side, and the better side between you.”

Please check out Jeffrey-Michael’s site, Guided Missal, and Rosa’s site, Managing with Aloha.

While researching a new possible business partner this week, we came across their perspective on a customer:

• A customer is the most important person in any business.
• A customer is not dependent on us. We are dependent on the customer.
• A customer is not an interruption of our work. He is the purpose for it.
• A customer does us a favor when he calls.
• A customer is a person who comes to us with needs and wants. It is our job to fill them.

Winter days in Georgia can be miserably cold (rare) or absolutely perfect. Yesterday was one of those perfect days with sun and a temperature that eventually hit 63 degrees. Here are a couple of photos of the older two boys while playing in the back yard yesterday.

Harry Walking on the Driveway

Jack Peering Out from the Deck

Meghan’s parents are planning to take Jack to Disney next week. They told him about it this week and he is very excited.

At breakfast this morning, we were talking about it. I mentioned that he might see the castle and go on some rides. In turn, he said, “and Jesus. … and God too,” all while nodding his head. How do you respond to that?

I had fixed a small bag of peanuts, raisins, and m&ms as a take-along snack — one for Jack and one for Harry — today as entertainment on a car ride.  On our way home, Jack was finishing up his little treat and said, “Mom, this green m&m is crying.”  I looked back to see a lone m&m in the corner of his ziploc bag.  I asked why he was crying.  “Because the red one and the yellow one left him….but he is going to catch them now,” he said, pointing to his mouth.  He continued, “And if i tee-tee a lot lot lot, they will come out ALL together again.”