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“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  Maya Angelou, author and poet (1928-2014)
This week we had the privilege of hearing Dr. Elizabeth Fried speak to us about Executive Presence and how much of an effect it has on our ability to be influential, powerful and respected leaders.  She quoted Maya Angelou, and I think the message resounded with the amazing leaders who were in the room. What I also took away is the validation it gave to these leaders of industry that they are able to accomplish great things by utilizing  positive leadership skills vs. leading through the old command and control methods of leadership.
You can learn more about Dr. Elizabeth Fried at http://nefried.com/nefaboutfried.html
Weekly Wisdom by Jerry Rollins, CEO and Chairman of Sage Executive Group

“What can I do for you?” Tony Gwynn
Several years ago I got a call from the Tony and Alicia Gwynn Foundation, and we agreed to provide some much needed equipment. I went along with our technical people to the Gwynn’s home. Before doing so, I instructed our people to not bother the Gwynns as Tony was recovering from his first surgery. We met Tony and his son,Tony Jr., who was spending the off-season near his Dad. As we were getting ready to leave, Tony asked what he could do for us because he appreciated our donation to the foundation. I said that I didn’t want anything, but that my people were big fans. Tony turned off the movie he was watching and signed hats and balls for my employees’ kids.
Being a former athlete myself, I am in awe of what Tony accomplished in sports. More than that, I will remember him because of how generous he was, even during his darkest hours.
I have lived in San Diego since 1979 and can attest that I have never seen such an outpouring of emotion towards any local celebrity from any walk of life.  In my view this is because of how he lived his life with such joy, passion and generosity. Oh yeah, he was an amazing athlete as well.
We lost a great man, but his legacy will live on through his Foundation. You can find out more about TAG at http://tagwynn2.org/tag/
Rest in peace Tony!
Weekly Wisdom by Jerry Rollins, CEO and Chairman of Sage Executive Group
 
 

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” Marcus Garvey
I was invited to participate in a meeting last week to discuss the following question: “How do I maintain and improve the culture of my company as I grow rapidly, add new team members, and am not able to teach my fundamental culture beliefs to every new employee?”
So I gathered three companies together that I feel have positive business cultures and discussed the matter.  Here are some of the takeaways:
1.) Sit down and commit to writing your values, vision and mission. Having it in your head does not make it happen. Writing it down makes it a commitment.
2) Create an internal University for all employees. If you learn something new from a book or other source, become the subject matter and teach the other members of the team. Surprisingly, two of the three companies participating in the discussion have formal Universities. One went to far as to have a Dean and an Athletic Director. The best way to learn is to teach.
3) If your people embrace this culture of learning, they will protect the values of the company and ask those that do not espouse them to “get off the bus.”
What was common amongst these three CEO’s was their passion to learn, grow, share and invest in their people. They also run companies in which giving back to our communities and society is one of their core values. Maybe there is a good message here that creating a great culture can lead to improved profits.
Weekly Wisdom by Jerry Rollins, Chairman and CEO of Sage Executive Group

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” Maya Angelou
This has been my favorite saying when it comes to refining and improving business cultures.  I am constantly in debate with amazing leaders who live the values that they espouse. However, the blind spot many of them have is that they always think they can “fix” people who don’t fit the culture, or display the values of the organization. These people are often productive and have talent, but they just don’t fit.
On the other hand, the people who are the heart and soul of these organizations, and the real leaders, are not given the attention they deserve because we are trying to fix the C players.
Returning to Maya’s saying, when someone shows you who they are, believe them. My belief is, it’s probably not going to change.
A great lady passed this week, but I will not forget her messages or legacy.
Weekly Wisdom by Jerry Rollins, CEO and Chairman of Sage Executive Group

The Urban Corps of San Diego has named Jerry Rollins, CEO and Chairman of Sage Executive Group, to the Honorary Committee for its 25th anniversary celebration.

In thinking about my weekly message, I of course had to say something about Memorial Day. I did not know when it was established, so I went to Wiki. Here is the short form description.
Memorial Day: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. “Memorial Day is a U.S. federal holiday wherein the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces are remembered. The holiday, which is celebrated every year on the final Monday or May, was formerly known as Decoration Day and originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union  and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. By the 20th century, Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died while in the military service. It typically marks the start of the summer vacation season, while Labor Day marks its end.”
I want us all to remember the people who served our country and sacrificed everything. What I would also ask you to consider is, what are you doing in your companies to hire the amazing and talented vets who are lucky enough to return?
Weekly Wisdom by Jerry Rollins, CEO and Chairman of Sage Executive Group
 
 

“Unity is strength….When there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” Mattie Stepanek
Sometimes it takes a challenging situation to let us know what is really important in life. Last week’s fires caused tremendous chaos in our San Diego communities and also allowed us to see some positive examples of people working together. As many of us were being evacuated, there seemed to be a common theme about what we took with us. After people and pets, the other things seemed to pale in comparison. What I was impressed with was the amazing teamwork displayed by our police, fire agencies, and the military. They worked in unison under very trying conditions and although homes were lost, more amazing was the number of homes and lives they saved. As we get back to normal this week, I want to make sure we all take some time to recognize these fearless and tireless heroes.
Weekly Wisdom by Jerry Rollins, Chairman and CEO of Sage Executive Group

Read what Tom York, Business Insider columnist for the San Diego Business Journal, had to say about the expansion of the CEO peer advisory organization on Monday, May 12:
Encinitas-based Sage Executive Group’s Brian Yui expects his startup to more than double in size in this year, especially now that it is expanding its membership to include chief financial officers and other C-level executives. Members of the for-profit firm, all chief executives in the region, said they find the peer advisory meetings so valuable that Sage decided to broaden the program to include other key executives in the collaborative process of problem solving. The 2-year-old organization has signed on some pretty impressive CEOs, including Steve Wagner, who is co-founder of Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido.

You are getting this update with Mother’s Day still fresh in our minds. Unless you live in a cave,  you probably heard Kevin Durant’s acceptance speech last week when named the NBA’s MVP. He gave an impassioned testimony to his Mother for her support and the lessons she taught him and his family. Kevin is a humble man and great example for young men everywhere.
It caused me to reflect on my accomplishments in life and what positive attributes I learned from my Mother. First, I learned about dealing with what seemed like insurmountable challenges and coming back strong. After going through a divorce in her middle-age years, my Mom got an entry level job, went to school at night and had a successful 25-year career with one company, retiring in a senior leadership role. She did this while providing for my brother and myself, and although we were not wealthy, we never wanted for anything that we needed.  Secondly, I also learned about hard work. She got up at the crack of dawn and made breakfast, got us ready for school, drove 45 minutes to work and followed that up with classes three nights per week. Each evening she would prepare the next evening’s dinner and show me how to prepare it for my brother and myself. She never missed a day of work and was a loyal and hard-working employee. My final lesson was learning to deal with challenges and failures while remaining calm and maintaining a positive attitude.
While I am not as famous or successful as Kevin Durant, nor on a national stage, this is my public thank you to a great Mom!
What did you learn from yours?
Weekly Wisdom by Jerry Rollins, CEO/Chairman of Sage Executive Group

I read an article in Inc. Magazine yesterday that addressed the cognitive overload being imposed on the lives of C Level executives by communication technologies. It referred to e-mail as the greatest culprit, so overwhelming that it has taken away from the time that used to be dedicated to thinking and creating in an uninterrupted environment.
Thinking back to when life was simpler, prior to my first cell phone, the only way people could communicate in business was via hard-wired phone, written letter or fax. You could actually get in your car or go home and use that time to be creative. Those three technologies seem to have lived their useful lives, only to be replaced by even more insidious inventions.
To see how I spend my time, I started checking at 7 a.m. to chronicle what interrupts my well-planned days. E-mails were stacked in my inbox from the night before. I had thee LinkedIn requests, three Facebook requests, two more people following on Twitter and had to update my blog and return 11 phone calls and 13 text messages to round out the morning.
My question for you today is, when do shut down and think? And which communication tools will be gone in this decade?
By the way, I am sending this message, parked in my car thinking, via the WiFi that is installed in my car. What will they think of next?
Weekly Wisdom by Jerry Rollins, CEO of Sage Executive Group, San Diego-based coaching and peer advisory organization for high-level business executives.