Hey friend!
Launch day is here. I know I’ve sent this section out before so I won’t count it as one of the two free chapters. But now there is the audio too. You can listen right here by clicking that button above. You can also listen to it on your favorite podcast app. I hope my narration doesn’t suck! And of course, you can just scroll down to read it. . You can also get it on Amazon in paperback and Kindle HERE.
Remember, the target audience for this book is a first time supervisor. Maybe your boss. Please let me know what you think. You can reply back to this email, or down in the comments. And don’t worry, I already know there are bad words. I meant to put them in. And you’ll likely find typos and grammar problems. Just focus on the message and how it makes you feel. That’s what I want to know.
About This Book
It’s early evening at a Chili’s restaurant near the Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans. It’s just down the road from the plant where you work—the same place you received amazing news from today. In fact, you and your work buddies stopped here after the shift to celebrate.
The Chili’s is in the parking lot of a Hampton Inn, which means it’s frequented by business travelers. They’re easy to spot. Mostly men, they sit at the bar, scrolling through their phones, mindlessly eating nachos, and drinking beer.
As your celebration winds down, you decide to have one more before heading home. There’s only one guy left sitting at the bar now—just an old man in a flat newsboy cap and a black golf shirt. But unlike the others earlier, he’s just staring at his drink: a double bourbon in a glass with a large ice rock. No phone in sight. He seems lost in thought.
“How ya doin’?” you ask, your extraversion a product of the past few beers.
The stranger looks back. He looks sixty-something, but it’s hard to tell. In this part of town, forty can look sixty, and sixty, well…
“I’m good,” he says. “You seem to be doing just fine.”
“I am,” you reply thickly, the beers making their presences felt. “Out here celebrating tonight.”
“Yeah? Well, that makes two of us.”
“For someone looking so alone and somber, I can’t imagine what you’re celebrating.”
“Well, how about you tell me what you’re celebrating, and then I’ll share. How does that sound?”
“Fine. Today I got promoted to team lead at the ACME Chemical Plant down the road. I’ve been there two years, and today I got the good news. I was just here celebrating with some of my buddies.”
“Ahh,” the stranger says, “So you’re The Boss now!
He laughs heartily, slamming his hand down on the bar.
“Why are you laughing?” you ask. “What’s so funny?”
“You’ve got the world by the balls now, don’t you? You have no idea what you just got yourself into, do you?”
Now you’re getting annoyed. This drunk old fool is giving you shit. You make the decision to leave.
“You know what? Forget it. I’ll leave you alone.”
“Wait a minute. Don’t you want to know why I’m celebrating?”
“Sure, whatever.” This guy is starting to creep you out.
“I’m retiring. Tomorrow morning I’m flying home to Nashville and moving on from this career.”
“What did you do?” you ask.
“For the past 25 years, I’ve been a management consultant—helping organizations develop better managers. Working with folks just like you! How about I buy us a round?”
And so, you let the stranger buy you a beer. He orders another Maker’s Mark.
When the drinks arrive, he asks you a question.
“Is your mind right?”
You have no idea what that means. So, you ask. And for the next two hours, he elaborates. He tells you stories. He offers you wisdom. This old guy truly has seen quite a bit.
When you leave, you ask the stranger for a card, but he doesn’t have any. Says he doesn’t need them anymore. You thank him for the drinks and his time and head home. As you walk inside your front door, you wish you’d written down everything he told you. It was a two-hour long firehose of wisdom.
It’s OK if you didn’t write anything down—I did. It’s in the book you’re reading now.
And, in case you’re wondering, I’m the old guy at the bar. And yes, at the time I wrote this, I was winding down that long career as a management consultant. I’ve seen and done a lot over the past 25 years, in just that career. I’ve seen even more in my Navy career before that. Lots of stories, lessons learned and acquired wisdom.
Please let me share it all with you. It’s my going-away, retirement gift to you.
I’ve taught so many workshops and written so many books demonstrating tools and techniques. None of them work quite as well without—you guessed it—the proper mindset.
So, remember me as you read through this. I’ve seen a lot over the years. Let me open what’s left of my brain to you.
And you need to get busy getting your mind right.
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