FROM GOOD OLE UNCLE VIC

June 2007

   Happy Independence Day everyone! July 4th. The unofficial half-way point of the summer. I hope you are all having a great one!

   The answer to last month's trivia question:
Who is the only president that returned to serve in Congress after his presidential terms were finished? Why, John Quincy Adams, of course. The sixth president of these United States. Those that got it right were: Pamela Phipps, Jason Phipps, Jeff Campognone, and John Krainer.

   This month's quiz: What year did the Revolutionary War end? Turn your answers in to Jami at Jami.Mignogna@BrickBodies.com. Yes, that is correct. Jami, not Lisa. Lisa Hemovich is now the general manager at Brick Bodies at Green Spring Station. Congratulations, Lisa. Jami is my new administrative assistant. Welcome aboard, Jami.

   As Lisa assumes her new position as General Manager of Brick Bodies at Green Spring Station, I would like to give her some insight as to what it takes to be an effective manager. Here are:

   Uncle Vic's Ten Tips to Becoming an Effective Leader:    

1. Pride depends on moral. Moral depends on discipline. As Wess Robertson says in his book Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun, "All good things come from the pride of being a Hun. Pride depends on moral. Moral depends on discipline." Establish clear policies and procedures and then enforce them.
   
   
2. People will not always remember what you said, but they will always remember how you said it. Anyone that has kids knows exactly what I mean. Actually, anyone that ever was a kid should know as well. It is just that sometimes we forget. What it was like to be a kid, that is. Because if we all remembered we often would not act the way we do towards others.
   
   
3. The secret of life is how you adjust to Plan B because Plan A never works. It is important to have a plan. It is more important to be flexible. Life happens.
   
   
4. If you lie down with dogs, you get fleas. You will be greatly influenced by who you hang out with. If you hang out with winners, you will think and act like a winner. If you hang out with losers, you will think and act like a loser.
   
   
5. "If you think you can or you think you can't, you're probably right." - Henry Ford. Success is a state of mind. You will gravitate towards your most dominant thought. If it is positive, your results will be positively influenced. If it is negative, they will be negatively influenced.
   
   
6. Stay close to your numbers. Know what the KPI's (Key Performance Indicators) of your club, store or business are and monitor them regularly, sometimes daily. Not only obvious things like number of sales, number of cancellations and daily revenue, but esoteric things like income per member, and the production of your sales team in setting up future business.
   
   
7. You gotta care, but not that much. You have to be committed to your work, but you also have to know how to leave it behind when necesaary. If you treat everything at work like it is life and death, you will be dead a lot of the time.
   
   
8. You gotta "git" that fire in your belly. This is the love for what you are doing. Some people call it passion. I call it love. Passion runs hot and cold. Love lasts eternal.
   
   
9. Most complex situations can be broken down into one or two critical issues. Solve these and you solve the problem. Focus on the one or two critical issues. Do not get too caught up in the details. You can work those out after you isolate the real issues.
   
   
10. Accept the mantle of leadership. Be willing to make the tough decisions. Discipline people when they need to be disciplined, terminate them when they need to be terminated. Lead by example. Encourage other people to discover their greatness and do not feel threatened by it. And above all, never let them see you blink. Never show fear, never show despair, never show panic. Never.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY