Getting On Well With People You Work With The Most Fulfilling Part of a Job

"Positive working relationships and feeling good while at work are really important when looking at overall employee health and well being."

Good Morning Folks,

Just under half (42%) of workers felt positive relationships helped them to feel good at work, compared with a mere 14% for hitting their targets.

In the survey of more than 1,400 workers by HR Magazine in the UK, "having a good work/life balance was the second (40%) most common reason for feeling good at work, followed by receiving praise (26%) and earning the trust (16%) of their boss."

The survey also revealed only 4% of workers felt team activities including 'away-days' made them feel good at work.

Organizations with healthy, happy employees can find they see improvements in productivity and results. The survey results demonstrate how looking out for each other's well being and having a good work / life balance is essential."

Ar FSO, It’s to the credit of our fast-paced and results-oriented environment. Our team members are all energized by our growth, leadership position in the marketplace and the integral role they play in our success. At FSO, every team member matters. In fact, due to the very nature of our business, without our people and their unique skill sets and perspective, FSO would not be the leader that it is today.

The FSO culture celebrates the differences of our people and what we all collectively bring to the table. One of our most important characteristics is the diversity of our team members… our backgrounds… the way we think… the way we see the world. All of these different perspectives are critical to our success and speak directly to the culture here.

Clients also say that our company excels at attracting people with a great work ethic and an upbeat attitude. “They are very positive and incredibly helpful, considerate and kind,” said the COO of New York-based media giant, who uses FSO to staff the mailroom and front desk and fill administrative posts. “The first candidate they send me usually nails the criteria I’m looking for, so my time isn’t wasted meeting five people in order to hire the right one.”

This is what underlies the difference between the happiest jobs and the most hated jobs. One set of jobs feels worthwhile, while in the other jobs, people can’t see the point.

The problems in the most hated jobs can’t be solved by job redesign or clearer career paths. Instead the organizations must undertake fundamental change to manage themselves in a radically different way with a focus on delighting the customer through continuous innovation and all the consequent changes that are needed to accomplish that.

We believe in lavishing praise, giving sincere thanks, looking for the best in everyone, never criticizing and catch ‘em being good! We set the precedent, telling people what they are doing right, and specifically why they are of value— raising the bar to a higher level.

The result of this philosophy is happy customers, workers who can see meaning in their contributions and soaring profits for those clients who place their trust in us.

In the spirit of the season.... CHEERS!

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"Not happy with their job? Then let me have it. I just want to work."

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Saying Thanks Isn't An Operational Overhead. It’s Critical For Business Success.

Good Morning Folks,

As the holiday season rolls into town, one word comes to mind: Gratitude.

ERIC HOFFER once said: "The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings."

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.

We are thankful for our families, friends, clients and associates. We value our relationships with each of you.

To be part of a company where the employees LOVE what they do and the leaders CARE as much as they do, is such a blessing…we are VERY LUCKY to be a part of the FSO Family!

FSO is only a successful company because of each and every one of you. When I wake up every single day I am so inspired and so excited about what we do for YOU and our clients. I also think each and every day how I can help YOU achieve all of your personal and professional goals. 

We all have the power to make a difference today. We all have the power to touch someone today and change someone’s life. I try to do this every day. Show some love, give some hugs and tell someone how much you care for them.

• Try today to be a mentor, a teacher or just a friend.
• Take an interest in someone’s life.
• Ask them how they are doing, how is the family, how are the kids. 

You may sometimes need to pry it out of them but do it! Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

• FSO is the Fastest growing outsourcer in the Industry
• FSO is the displacing its competitors every day
• FSO is the best place to work in the industry
• FSO is providing thousands a chance to reach their goals
• FSO is the most sought out company in the industry to work

An employee recognition program is an important pillar that supports a motivated workforce; more importantly, the reward system and job design system must function together to ensure perceived equity. A simple "thank you" can serve as a catalyst and ripple to motivate productivity for a entire organization. 
  
Saying thank isn't an operational overhead. In an environment of increasing organizational change such as part time or remote workers, and teams working cross borders - organizational alignment is going to be even more critical for business success.

Thank you hope for taking the vision and mission and bringing it to life. Last night's holiday event was a wonderful experience and delivering what we can do as a family, team, and a common goal. Folks its our time. It’s our market to own. Its ours to MOVE FORWARD. POWER OF POSITIVE ENERGY and FOCUS.

Thank you for your continued confidence and support. We sincerely wish you and your families a festive and joyous Thanksgiving Holiday.

Here's to a wonderful and well-deserved break!

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

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"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”
~~ CICERO
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Inspire Me Friday: How Real Leaders Act

“Everyone has the right to have a career 

not just a job at my company” ~~ Mitch Weiner

Good Morning Folks,

I spotted this at ALA last week. Since a very key component of our strategy and success is our Future Leaders Program (FLP), I'm shaing with you in the spirit of sending you off to the weekend on a high note.

==> How real leaders act:
1. They develop a positive mental attitude and let it be seen and felt by others.
2. They always speak in a carefully disciplined, friendly tone.
3. They pay close attention to someone speaking to them.
4. They are able to maintain their composure in all circumstances.
5. They are patient.
6. They keep an open mind.
7. They smile when speaking with others.
8. They know that not all their thoughts need to be expressed.
9. They don't procrastinate.
10. They engage in at least one good deed a day.
11. They find a lesson in failure rather than brood over it.
12. They act as if the person they are speaking to is the most important person in the world.
13. They praise others in a genuine way without being excessive.
14. They have someone they trust point out their flaws

Your energy, enthusiasm and professionalism are always greatly appreciated. 

Have a fabulous, sunny weekend filled with love and inspiration.  

Be great and (re)IMAGINE!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

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"Only from the heart can you touch the sky."

~~ Rumi

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Learn more about what DIFFERENTIATES FSO here

Shout Out Wednesday (on Thursday): "Efficient, Prompt, and Courteous"

"The day of the move, Ezra came in with a smile and packed up the whole office as well as doing his other daily routine checks plus unloading some heavy boxes for us. He had everything appropriately marked and communicated everything to me for the movers. He also cleaned up the office after everything was moved out."

Good Morning Folks,

The Indian summer weather in New York has been fabulous. I hope all of you have had the chance to enjoy the Fall weekends with family and friends. The FSO Nation has been going full steam ahead, delivering the world-class experience that has made us famous from coast to coast.  

Today I wanted to share some compliments I have received about our staff working at the Madison Avenue location of a national client. They're one of the largest professional services firms and Big Four auditors in the world. And they are applauding the FSO folks supporting them through the last few months of corporate tax crunch:

A Partner Comments on Our Ezra ... (**2 Kudos in 1 Month**)

"I hope you are well today. I wanted to share some feedback with you that I received from one of our Partner's regarding Ezra. A few weeks ago, we had a partner move from one building to another. Over the course of the weeks before the move, Ezra was collecting boxes and gauging about how many hours and boxes it would take to complete this task. He was spot on with his guess! The day of the move, Ezra came in with a smile and packed up the whole office as well as doing his other daily routine checks plus unloading some heavy boxes for us. He had everything appropriately marked and communicated everything to me for the movers. He also cleaned up the office after everything was moved out. We called the movers, and they came to pick everything up. When the boxes were delivered and the partner started unpacking, he was very impressed with how well everything was wrapped and strategical placed in the boxes. He said it made it easy to unpack because it was like each box was a drawer."

And Another Kudo for Ezra ...

"I am writing this e-mail because I just wanted to let you know that having you on our team makes all the difference.

I know things have been crazy lately, but you are doing a great job. Hang in there; the busy season is almost done. I’ll bet you didn’t think anyone noticed all that you do. That’s why it’s important that I take this moment to say thank you so much.

Your hard work and all your extra effort that you have put during this difficult time in our department has not gone unnoticed. Your willingness to stay that extra hour each day until all the tasks for the day are completed is one specific example of you giving 110%. Please accept my sincere  appreciation for an excellent job."

Fariyal ...

"Fariyal has by far been the best team member I've worked with, She does everything she can to assist partners in reservations and is quick with email responses. She is always helpful to clients when there are meetings going on and even walks them to the coat closet. When it seems we are all booked on 23, she runs in circles on the floor to try and find any room possible to make people happy. She is a strong team member here at reception and I’m proud to work with her.

Michael, **2 Kudos in 1 Month** ...
"I wanted to reach out and relay to you the outstanding support our team received from Mike Dillard over the last few weeks. I am part of the Marketing and Sales team, and we have been working on a large $6m proposal that required about 10-12 of us to be in a war room situation to ensure collaboration. 

"As is the case often, the meeting room reservation database was showing no availability. I reached out to Mike several times over the last three weeks to see if he could secure conference rooms for us. Nearly all of the requests were last minute for the entire day, and each time he came through for us and provided the space we desperately needed. Mike was incredibly efficient, prompt, and courteous with our numerous requests."

Ian ...

"We just learned today that the client selected us to do the work! One of the factors in our success was the ability to spend several days (I believe it was over 10 days when you factor in the proposal prep, orals prep, and post orals follow-up) together in a conference room to refine our responses to the client. I am so glad Mike is part of the team!"

As you know, our culture is ALL about RECOGNITION. I always stress the importance of catching someone on your team doing something good and recognizing him/her. 

Thank you all for your care and commitment ensuring our standards are set. Will we get to see YOUR name in next Wednesday's column??

Be inspired. Remember the power of focus and positive energy. It's FSO that makes a difference and you lead the charge. 

Have a fabulous day filled with love and inspiration.  

Hugs all around,

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say" 

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

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At FSO, Perfection is the Expectation – No Excuses!

"One of the biggest errors we can make in the delivery of Hospitality services is to assume that what we are doing is meeting the expectations of our clients. We never assume because we know what's happened when our competitors have: We eat their lunch!"

Good Morning Folks,

One of our most urgent corporate goals is "Perfection is the Expectation – No Excuses!"

We know that we need to deliver Service Extraordinaire. But how do we know we are meeting that expectation?  

Living in New York City in the 1980’s when Ed Koch was the Mayor, he had a very simple formula to find out if he was meeting expectations.  He would simply ask the people, “How Am I Doing?”  It is the simplest question and easiest format to solicit feedback. 

==> As managers, we are asking our staff, “How Am I Doing?”

==> As service providers, we are asking our clients when we deliver services, “How Are We Doing?” 

One of the biggest errors we can make in the delivery of Hospitality services is to assume that what we are doing is meeting the expectations of our clients. We never assume because we know what's happened when our competitors have: We eat their lunch!

So… today I challenge each and every FSO employee in our morning meetings – ASK THE QUESTION, and more importantly, listen for the answer. If the response is “fine” or “ok”, take the opportunity to follow up with another question – “How can I make your answer be ‘Perfect’”? 

In order to improve as a team, we must improve as individuals and constantly strive for perfection in our daily activities. Only through the consistent quest for feedback can we ensure that we are improving every day and inspiring happy clients and happy employees.  

most important thing is taking the feedback we receive and turning it into positive actions. No matter what position we hold within FSO, we have the responsibility to ask the question “How Are We Doing?”

Take the answers that you receive today and share them with management, so we can ensure PERFECTION – NO EXCUSES. This allows us to make it PERSONAL and by making it PERSONAL, we fulfill my vision, and legacy.

The passion, the hard work, the skip step and fire, and the overall communications resulting from this never-ending pursuit of excellence have been well-received.

Prospects we take on site tours leave VERY impressed and I am super proud!! They are BLOWN AWAY actually.

It's such an honor to work with each member of our FSO team, and having these individuals representing us in the field.

The is what differentiates us from our competition and why our great clients made that change from their current service provider to FSO. It's what we do everyday that makes us special and the obvious choice.  

Needless to say I am so pumped up for all of you and the great company we are building. We have the greatest people on earth who love what they do across FSO. 

Our future is bright and we have only just begun. 

FSO = Hospitality = YOU

Join me as we inspire a nation and fulfill dreams!  Lets rock the world together. 

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

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"Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold."

~~ Maurice Setter
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Shout-Out Wednesday: Rain, Sleet, Snow... Obama...

"Rain, sleet, snow, Obama, The UN, The Pope... Nothing stops the Midtown NYC FSO team from delivering for you."

Good morning Folks,

It gives me great pleasure to recognize these outstanding employees this morning:

Warren from the Madison Avenue offices of the world's leading audit and assurance, tax and consulting service firm.
"Warren has been assisting me since April on various Partner Records filing projects for an hour and a half a day Monday through Wednesday given my injury and medical restrictions. Due to access restrictions on partner files, Warren has assisted me with the following:

• Day to day filing in active files, Warren pulls the file from shelf and I file contents
• Filed July 1 internal admission files over 200
• Filed Strategy& and direct admission files over 150
• Rotating retired/withdrawn files from file room to filing cabinets FY2010 through FY2013
• Prepared for offsite storage retired/withdrawn files prior to FY2010
• Prepared for offsite storage boxes received from Records Management in Tampa
• Prepared and returned to Records Department prior offsite storage file boxes
• Assisted in pulling files from offsite boxes for review
• Assisted in refiling requested file 

Sean, Brandon, and Ray from the same Madison Avenue offices

"There was a meeting scheduled today in room 22304 at 1:15 pm with a variety of last minute changes. As other Office Services staff were on lunch or accommodating other pressing set-ups, Sean, Brandon, and Ray rose to the occasion in order to meet the client’s expectations. A set-up that normally would take a half-hour to complete was remarkably completed in ten minutes.

Additionally, the client was not advised about office policy concerning table cloths and outside catering. Sean, however, was able to offer a solution that pleased the client and accommodated her need. I must commend these individuals for a job well done!

Marina at a Brazilian Banking Institution 
"I have to take time and send amazing kudos to Marina. Although she is a new hire, she has been a tremendous help, doing a fantastic job, continue to impress our clients (and me), and her communication has been on point. Her English skills have improved in just a month of employment and I can say that I see a really bright future for her at FSO."

Alan, Office Services Team, AMLAW 200 firm

I just wanted to pass on that Alan in NYC office services went above and beyond to help out this morning! Due to the Presidential visit our FedEx package didn’t arrive on time for our closing this morning. Alan and the other members of the office services team left the building to meet FedEx in order to get our documents to the closing. Thank you all once again for your attention to detail and the great service you provide!"

Don, Mandisha, & Thomas, AMLAW 200 Firm
Andrea, Katie and I would like to thank the Office Services Team (Don, Mandi & Thomas) for a job well done this week preparing for the Process Gas Consumers Group (PGC) Meetings in Chicago next week. From printing name badges, making copies, stuffing marketing bags, packing assistance with large FedEx shipments, spiral binding, assembling brochures…and the list goes on…. We met our deadline and we cannot thank you all enough! We are happy to work with such a great team that goes above and beyond to get the job done!"

Whether a salesperson, an experience associate, a records manager, an informationalist, or messenger, what makes our folks so special is their ability to hink beyond their daily tasks and think like our clients. 

"What would the client want? What do they need? How could I be more proactive in their eyes? How could i really impress them?"

A true partner who never stops looking out for you, who takes that extra second to ask and then ACTS! 

Never lose the passion, the smile and what makes you special but put yourself in our clients shoes and get to know what they might be thinking! 

All of you are out in the field and have the power to make an incredible impact and a difference in the wealth and success of others.

I look forward to hearing stories from our clients as to how our team has made an impact showing leadership.

IT IS YOU that makes FSO who we are. Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

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"You become what you believe" –Oprah Winfrey

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Color Us (re) Imaginative

“When I might feel like I'm drowning in my work all I have to do is take a few deep breaths and remember this support system of 1300 people who have my back.“

Good Morning Folks,

How lucky we are to have an extended burst of great weather here in NYC. Everyone is back from the beach and rested. You can feel the excitement, on the streets, in the air and certainly here at FSO where great ideas to better serve our clients are always in season.

I must say we are so entrenched in strategy it's amazingly exciting. When a company grows it's imperative to constantly evaluate its needs, ambitions and competition. 

That is exactly how we've accelerated growth at a galactic pace thus far. And, at our upcoming regional and national meetings, we'll be rolling out even more programs to ensure that we are the best oiled and most innovative machine this industry has ever seen. 

Hospitality is our DNA.

Operational best practices continue to be our greatest asset. 

We invest in our people.

We Fulfill Dreams.

We put Promise to Practice.

The new ideas flowing, and the programs they spur are an investment in our most precious commodity… OUR PEOPLE!  We are committed to providing our talent force with time-tested, proven and yet consistently (re)IMAGINED tools and focus like: 

• Amazing Training              
• Incredible Mentorship                   
• Creative Approaches                      
• Awesome Workshops                   
• Real-World Application                  
• Dynamic Development                  
• Endless Opportunities

In business, we always want to differentiate ourselves from our competitors, and we've done that by investing in a very strong and creative infrastructure that most our competitors simply can't duplicate. 

At FSO, I promise our employees a career, not just a job. An opportunity for anyone with >>SKIP >>Twinkle >>Fire and a willingness to work hard and learn and grow each and every day, the a chance to shatter glass ceilings and realize their full potential as has never been possible before. 

As a client we always have your back too. And we will never stop (re)IMAGINING new and better ways to make your workplace work better. So as the harvest season rolls around, you can expect a healthy crop of great ideas to power our sites into the most critical quarter of your year and beyond.

Kiss your loved ones and thank them for all their support as we continue to work hard to fulfill the biggest and brightest dreams and ambitions of clients and employees alike. 

Have a GREAT day as I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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“The future of sourcing isn’t finding people— 
it’s about engaging them.” 

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Shout-Out Wednesday: A Few Kind Words

"Pat is a true leader in every sense of the word leader. Pat has great relations with her clients, and is teaching, guiding and mentoring her team every day. She gives her team high praises for doing a great job and thanks them each and every day for the hard work that they do.  She is a true representation of FSO with the fire, skip, twinkle she has and so much more. Keep up the great work!"

Good Morning Folks,

Here a few of the words of praise coming across my desk this week from clients, in appreciation of the value our awesome employees are providing:

Orelbi at The World's Preeminent Newspaper For Which The Square Outside Our Offices Is Named

"I just wanted to send a quick note to say that Orelbi has been doing a great job as the mail guy for my department at the the paper. I had been working with James for quite a while and was sad to hear he was leaving. I was worried it would be a little rough during the transition period, but James took the time to really train Orelbi, and Orelbi picked everything up very quickly. It was a smooth transition and Orelbi is doing wonderful. He is nice, does his job well, and asks very good questions when necessary."

A Major Banking Institution Praises Our "Richie"

"We met with the team this morning, and I thanked them each for their participation in getting our daily run numbers to the magical “75”!!! I gave them each a certificate for free lunch in the café, and Richie I gave the $40.00 visa gift card that I typically give to the weekly winner. I also took the chance to stress how pleased I was that the numbers were achieved yesterday without a single customer complaint!!!! To me that is more important than the success of the 75 runs! The team seems very enthusiastic and I am confident that the success for this team will continue. I ask that your management team continue to foster this positive energy and growth. I am confident we can work any issue out to continue this success! Thank you David, Dean, and FSO team!!!"

Kudos to Our New Jersey Team of a Boston-Based AMLAW 200 Firm
"Didn’t get a chance sooner but last week your team worked with me to complete some filings (motions, certifications, etc.) and we all no how hectic and crazy this process can get.  Just wanted to give the team a big thanks from me for doing a great job!"

And to our "June" Working At The Same Site
"June has completed this project in an exemplary fashion. Thank you. Normally, it would take the group a lot longer to complete this task; however, with June’s assistance we are now able to efficiently move forward with the results of the project. Again, this is extremely helpful to all of the attorneys in our group. As always, thanks!"

To all of those applauded, CHEERS to you and THANK YOU for working tirelessly to deliver Service Extraordinaire with a smile. Keep up the great work!!

Have a great day and thanks for being a part of our amazing journey.

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

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"The most effective way to do it, is to do it." 
--Amelia Earhart

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Speaking of Changing Fall Colors, A Leader's True Colors Are Revealed in Tough Times

"Regardless of where you work, always continue to learn what makes leaders successful and what makes them fail" 

Good Morning Folks,

As I have often reminded our teams, anything is possible. Regardless of where you work, or what you do, always continue to learn what makes people successful and what makes them fail.

Because.. The most important resource in the entire universe is YOU. Products, services, innovation, ideas, breakthroughs – they all exist in your head, your heart and your hands. The output of your thinking, the engaging of your heart and the enlistment of your hands create profound results.

“Successful people do what unsuccessful people can’t do”. Find me anyone with skip, fire and twinkle who wants to learn and grow, and I will promise you a career in my company, never just a job. No one ever sets out to be average at FSO, we need to be the best at everything we do.

I am forever grateful to you all for being such a loyal audience and for the great feedback you've been sending my way. I really appreciate it!

Great leadership seems easy when things are good and everybody's happy. When times grow tough, however, a leader's true colors are revealed.

Ten years ago, a group of U.S. soldiers tasted combat for the first time in Sadr City, Iraq. Bill Murphy Jr. got to know one of the junior U.S. leaders in that battle when he wrote a book about West Point and wartime.  

Murphy chronicles the lives of representative 2002 graduates of the United States Military Academy. A former trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice and an army veteran, Murphy was protégé of celebrity journalist Bob Woodward and has military experience that may have helped him connect to his subjects and perhaps encouraged them to be open with him. He also reported from Iraq for the Post. Here's an excerpt from In Time of War that first appeared in INC:

Dave Swanson was a 26-year-old lieutenant then. He's out of the military now, and we talked recently about what he learned by leading 40 soldiers in 82 straight days of combat. Most of us probably won't be taking a platoon into a hail of gunfire anytime soon, but applying these principles can greatly improve your effectiveness as a leader, no matter what challenges you face. 

1. Control your fear.
As bullets whizzed by him for the first time, Swanson says he was very much afraid. However, he realized he had to subdue his fear because his soldiers were looking to him for clues as to how they should react. 

Courage doesn't mean the absence of fear, and of course being a leader certainly doesn't mean charging ahead blindly in the face of adversity. It does mean you can't allow your fear to become contagious. Your team needs to believe you're in control of yourself, if they're to have confidence that you can make smart decisions in tough times. 

2. Remember that the mission comes first.
You owe a lot to your team for giving you the privilege of placing their trust in you. First on the list, you owe them a goal worth dedicating their efforts to, and you need to demonstrate that you're willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it. 

"I say complete the mission at minimal expense to the people," Swanson says. "Every military leader will publicly say that the mission comes first, but we always accomplished the mission with the soldiers in mind."

3. Remember that the mission comes before you, too.
The only way that "mission-first" mantra can work is if your people truly believe that you will put the mission before yourself, too. In a life-imitates-art moment, Swanson says that in the heat of combat, he thought of a line from the 2001 HBO miniseries, Band of Brothers: "The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a soldier." 

In combat, this means being willing to risk your own safety for others in the unit and the mission. In other contexts, it means demonstrating that you'll sacrifice your personal short-term interests for the team's goal. Otherwise, how can you ask them to do so? 

4. Rely on your preparation.
Swanson spent years preparing for battle. He had been an enlisted solider, he spent four years at West Point, and he trained for nearly two years after graduation. While training alone will never quite prepare you to lead in real life, he says, it's as close as you can get to the real thing. 

The same principle applies in any leadership context. Think ahead of time about how you'll react to tough situations, so you can free your mind in crucial moments to react and adapt quickly. 

5. Be tough, but human.
"To those who have been in combat," Swanson explains, "you live by hardness, intuition, and compassion." 

As an example, he stayed awake and on duty for 60 straight hours at the start of the battle, pushing himself until he physically collapsed, but he also found moments of humanity and even humor in the heat of combat. Your team needs to know that you're tough, but also that you're reacting to the world around you like an engaged leader, not a machine. 

6. Encourage your people.
Business is rarely a matter of life and death, but war certainly is. One of Swanson's soldiers, Specialist Jacob Martir, was killed in action during the months of fighting, and several others were wounded and sent home to hospitals in the U.S. 

"It absolutely ate me alive to lose anyone in the platoon," Swanson says. However, he realized that it fell to him to encourage his soldiers and inspire them to keep going. "They were all special. The next day after any [casualty], I would remind them that each of them had already sacrificed themselves for each other on a daily basis--and how, if required, I would sacrifice myself for any of them." 

7. Communicate effectively.
In the heat of battle, it's easy--almost natural--to shut down everything else and focus exclusively on the job at hand. That's a dangerous inclination, however. It's important to make communicating what's going on a priority as well. Your team and all of your stakeholders need to know what's going on, or they can't contribute. 

"Early on in combat, radio communications weren't always the greatest, but that was no excuse," Swanson says. "When technology fails--and it always does at the worst possible moment--you need to have backup ways of getting and giving information." 

8. Use your resources wisely. But use them.
Especially in the first days of combat, Swanson's unit dealt with destroyed and unarmored vehicles, and insufficient supplies of almost every sort. More important, confusion, combat, and casualties left them critically short of soldiers. 

At the same time, they made full use of everything they had. At the end of the first week of fighting, for example, Swanson reflected that he had personally gone through ten 30-round magazines, meaning he had fired 300 bullets at the enemy. Just about everyone else in his platoon had, as well. 

9. Imitate the leaders who inspire you.
When Swanson had to act in the heat of battle, especially when his soldiers' eyes were on him, he thought back to the lessons he had learned at West Point, and some of the other leaders he had known and respected. He also found himself asking a question that has circulated for years among military leaders as a sort of joke: "What would John Wayne do?"

"Regardless of where you work, always continue to learn what makes leaders successful and what makes them fail," he says.

We have amazing employees, customers and leaders at FSO. Thanks to our employees for all you do for us, and to our clients for awarding us with the privilege of serving you.

Have a GREAT day as I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

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"Excellence is not an act, but a habit"

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