Gratitude – the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. Are you grateful for those you lead? If you are, good on you, and if you aren’t then odds are, you aren’t inspiring them to follow you and they’re working out of compliance, not commitment.

I’ve learned over the years that you can either lead and inspire others through compliance or commitment. The difference is in a quality called gratitude. When leading your company, team or department are you leading with a grateful heart? Are you receiving the best your people have to offer or do you ever feel like you’re pushing a rope up a hill? Appreciated people are committed people who work harder, smarter and take things on like it’s their own. Underappreciated people are compliant people just doing enough not to get fired. Have you experienced this?

During this Thanksgiving season, take a conscious accounting as to which folks you are grateful for as you lead your company, team or department. Who deserves hearing from you that you appreciate them and their efforts? What difference are they making to the overall success of what’s being done? This is a great opportunity to say, “Thanks, I appreciate your efforts.” You’ll find, the more people feel appreciated for their efforts, the more committed they’ll be. Now that’s something to be grateful for!

Oh, and by the way, I’m grateful that you take the time to read my blogs and I appreciate your comments and thoughts.

Have a terrific Thanksgiving!

Embrace Risk, Embrace Success in 2011! – Tom

I am always interested to hear your thoughts and insights concerning this blog. Please share your comments below. If this resonates with you, feel free to share it on Facebook or Twitter by clicking the SHARE button below. Also, if you’re looking to make things happen NOW, please go to www.tomhaupt.com and join my Leadership Mentoring Program. Look forward to supporting YOU in achieving your goals and dreams!

Actually, you’re no different then anyone else in this world. In fact, you and I are the same. I know what you’re thinking. This guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about, of course we’re different. We have different DNA, we look different, we speak differently, we dress different, we believe in different Gods and the list goes on. Of course we’re different!

No we’re not, we’re the same, get over it.

You and I may look different, speak differently, dress differently and believe in different Gods, however, we all want pretty much the same things that life has to offer.

• If you’re single, you want health, wealth and happiness.
• If you’re married or in relationship, you want a healthy, happy and loving relationship.
• If you have family, you want the very best for them in a safe, healthy and loving environment and odds are, you’ll do whatever it takes to provide that for them.
• If you’re in business, you want a financially thriving business that provides a product or service that people will buy and use hopefully in a positive manner.
• If you work for a company, you want to be respected and appreciated for your efforts.
• If you live in a democratic society, you want a government that will do right by it’s citizens and provide a blanket of freedom and security for you to be able to sleep at night.
• If you’re about touching peoples lives and making a difference, you probably want to live a life of significance.
• If you’re someone of faith, you want to honor your God without persecution.
• And if you’re like me, you want to leave this planet a better place, maybe even leave a legacy.

If any of this rings true to you, then admit it, you’re no different than the wonderful, amazing people I’ve met in Norway, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and America. These are the countries where I’ve met thousands of people just like you and I while facilitating leadership trainings. So the next time you look at, listen to, or read about someone in your family, in your company, in your country or in another part of the world with judgment, let go of your judgment for a moment and say to yourself, we’re no different, deep down we want the same thing.

Oh, and one last thing. Although we’re no different, never forget you are an individual, a child of God and YOU……………………… are UNIQUE!

Embrace Risk, Embrace Success in 2011! – Tom

I am always interested to hear your thoughts and insights concerning this blog. Please share your comments below. If this resonates with you, feel free to share it on Facebook or Twitter by clicking the SHARE button below. Thanks! Also, if you’re looking to make things happen NOW, please go to www.tomhaupt.com and join my Leadership Mentoring Program. Look forward to supporting YOU in achieving your goals and dreams!

Leadership, Courage and Commitment – I found all three of these qualities this week at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial on a cliff just above Omaha Beach in Colleville-sur-Mer, France. I found them in the names of 9,387 servicemen, 307 of which are Unknowns (those which could not be identified), 1,557 Missing in Action, 3 Congressional Medal of Honor recipients and 4 women. Also buried there, side by side are a father and son and 41 pairs of brothers.

Visiting Normandy, France had been on my Life List for the last 40 years of my life ever since my father, Fred C Haupt a veteran of WWII, shared with me the history of WWII and what took place on June 6, 1944. On that day, 150,000 men from the U.S., Canada, Poland and Great Britain assaulted a 50 mile stretch of the Normandy coastline. At the end of the first day alone, Allied casualties were around 10,000 and from that moment on, approximately 12,000 men and women were killed each month until the war ended in May 1945.

With those kind of statistics, there are no words to describe what I felt or experienced as I read just a few of the stories of those courageous and committed men and women. Here are just a few of those stories……..

• 1st Lt Jimmie Monteith – Rallied his men on Omaha Beach in the face of withering fire and led them in a daring assault across the open beach. He inspired them to capture critical high ground and unhinge the enemy defenses. He was killed in the fighting and received a posthumous Medal of Honor for his courage and leadership.

• Violette Szabo – Joined the British Special Operations Executive early in the war. She parachuted into France TWICE, the second time on June 7, 1944 to coordinate French Resistance activity after the invasion. Captured by a German patrol, Violette was interrogated, tortured and later executed at a concentration camp. She was awarded a posthumous St. George Cross, Britain’s highest civilian decoration.

• Pvt Bedford Hoback and Ssgt Raymond Hoback – Lucille Hoback was 15 years old when her family received devastating telegrams two days in a row – both of her older brothers had been killed at Omaha Beach. The town of Bedford, VA lost 22 young men during the Normandy campaign. Eleven from Bedford are buried in the Normandy American Cemetery or listed on the Tablets of the Missing.

• Lt Col William Turner and 1st Lt Dennis Turner Jr – While under heavy fire in the hedgerows, William, a former armor officer, climbed into a disabled Sherman tank. As he directed artillery and machine gun fire, he was killed by a sniper. A few weeks later in Normandy, his brother Dennis was also killed in Normandy.

• Sgt Robert Niland and 2nd Lt Preston Niland – Within a few days, Mrs. Niland received three heartbreaking telegrams. Robert had died in Normandy on D-Day. His brother Preston was killed on June 7 near Utah Beach. A third brother, Eddie, was reported missing in the Pacific, but returned home after being rescued from a POW camp. The Army sent Fritz, the fourth son, back to the US. The Niland story was the basis for the film Saving Private Ryan.

• Col Ollie Reed and 1st Lt Ollie Reed Jr. – Colonel Ollie Reed was mortally wounded by enemy artillery fire in France on July 30, 1944, after taking over command of the 175th Regiment in June. His son, Ollie Jr., had been killed in Italy on July 6, 1944. Father and son are buried side by side at the Normandy American Cemetery.

• Major Thomas Howie – A native of Abbeville, South Carolina was killed during the battle to capture Saint-Lo. His soldiers covered Howie’s body with an American flag and carried it with them as they fought their way into town, placing it on the rubble-strewn steps of Ste. Croix Church. Today, a monument to Major Howie stands in Saint-Lo.

A monument to Major Thomas Howie stands in Saint-Lo, France

The stories above share the Leadership, Courage and Commitment it took from people like you and I that risked everything so we could live in a society free to choose to go after our goals and dreams every day. So the question I ask you to ponder is this: Can you call forth the Leadership, Courage and Commitment it takes personally and professionally to achieve your goals and dreams today, tomorrow and the next day? I bet you can!

Embrace Risk, Embrace Success in 2011! – Tom

I am always interested to hear your thoughts and insights concerning this blog. Please share your comments below. If this resonates with you, feel free to share it on Facebook, Twitter or any of the other social media sites by clicking the SHARE button below. Thanks! Also, if you’re looking to make things happen NOW, please go to www.tomhaupt.com and join my new Leadership Mentoring Program beginning Oct 1st. Look forward to supporting YOU in achieving your goals and dreams!

Standing on Omaha Beach, Normandy France Sept 2011

Recently I facilitated a Leadership Training for a local company in business for over 20 years. It went very well and the managers all had positive comments. After talking with the participants, what I found was the lack of in house training for these great group of people. So it got me thinking, why isn’t there the same consistent invest by companies in their people as much as there is in their marketing, quality control or social media, etc?

The rank and file employees of a company are the backbone of that company. And within that rank and file, there are leaders that can certainly take companies to new heights. However, it takes training and polishing their current skills for them to step out and step up. It’s imperative to support and train these great folks so they can continue to push up the company’s bottom-line.

Here are my 5 Quintessential Keys of Leadership:

1. Be a Visionary: Inspire and empower your colleagues and peers to buy into the company’s vision as if it was their own.

“To keep a lamp burning we have to keep putting oil in it.” – Mother Teresa

2. Be a Great Communicator: Operate from open, honest and responsible communication to strengthen the bond of respect for teamwork to improve.

“To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.” – Anthony Robbins

3. Be Personally Responsible: Be personally responsible for the results in your position and department to increase productivity and effectiveness for the the whole company or organization to succeed.

“You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances……….but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.” – Jim Rohn

4. Be Solution Orientated: There are no problems, just unlimited possibilities when thinking outside your comfort zone to create equitable and progressive solutions.

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer

5. Be Committed: Being clear in your commitment is a state of mind. And persistence through intention will determine extraordinary achievement and results.

“Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.” – Napoleon Hill

Embrace Risk, Embrace Success in 2011! – Tom

I am interested to hear your thoughts and insights concerning this blog. Please share your comments below. And if it resonates with you, feel free to share it on Twitter by clicking the Tweet button. Thanks! Also, if you’re looking to hire a trainer for your next management meeting, please email me at tom@tomhaupt.com.  Or  you can go to www.tomhaupt.com and buy my new audio success program, How to Unlock Your Inner Game to Master Your Outer Game: Proven Keys to Transform Your Thinking and Your Results or a few copies of my best-seller Time-Out! Winning Strategies for Playing a Bigger Game in Life!

How to Unlock Your Inner Game to Master Your Outer Game: Proven Keys to Transform Your Thinking and Your Results

What is leadership? The dictionary defines leadership as: the position or function of a leader; the ability to lead; an act or instance of leading; guidance; direction; the leaders of a group.

I believe leadership is a learned skill. Great leaders inspire and empower the people they are leading. They think service and contribution and they operate from commitment not compliance. Here are a few action steps you can take today to start developing and polishing your leadership skills.

1. Attend a Leadership Training Seminar or bring in Leadership Training into your company. Contact me at tom@tomhaupt.com for additional information.
2. Take a risk, get outside your comfort zone and step up at the office to be the next project manager, bottom-line the next task, speak up first at the next department or manager’s meeting or simply be responsible for an important assignment.
3. Volunteer at your church, child’s school or a non-profit organization to be in charge of their next fundraiser or event.

It’s all about taking risks and stepping out of your comfort zone into the unknown. By practicing these new actions to develop your leadership skills, you will find that empowering and inspiring others will gain you the respect of others. If not, there’s always the alternative, get out of the way and follow.

Embrace Risk, Embrace Success in 2011 – Tom

Learn more about Tom’s transformational leadership trainings and personal development audio success products at http://www.TomHaupt.com or buy your copy of his best seller Time-Out! Winning Strategies for Playing a Bigger Game in Life! today.

This week my wife’s book, Apple Pie with Lucy, a Story of One Woman’s Search for Significance is being published and shipped out. It’s her first and it’s GREAT! I say that with prejudice and I make no apologies for my bias. It’s been an absolute joy watching her set a goal and achieve it in 6 months. What’s great about the book is the storyline. It’s the story of a beautiful grandmother who passes down seven principles of life to her middle-aged granddaughter.

Here’s the synopsis: Sophie should be happy and taking the world by storm. After all, she is living the American Dream – a husband with a successful career, a nice home, and 3 kids. But yet she finds herself drastically unhappy and in constant confusion about what she wants to ‘do’ with her life.

This book is the story of how Sophie finds herself on a journey, or a quest if you will, with her wise and grounded grandmother, Lucy, who teaches her 7 principles that supports her in finding her place in the world and her inspiring hope for living a life of significance.

Whether you are a woman or man, do yourself, your spouse or relationship a HUGE favor and buy this book, or a few copies for friends too. Why, because it’s a thought provoking and enjoyable read. I heard Jim Rohn or Zig once say, leaders are readers. Support others in their greatness, it’s what life is about and it will certainly support YOU in living a life of significance.

Congratulations Melissa, I am extraordinarily inspired and proud of you for living your dream!

I love you…….

Buy your copies at http://www.MelissaHaupt.com.

Embrace Risk, Embrace Success in 2011! – Tom

I am interested to hear your thoughts and insights concerning this blog. Please share your comments http://www.TomHaupt.com. If this resonates with you, feel free to share it on Facebook or Twitter by clicking the SHARE button below. Thanks! Also, if you’re looking to make things happen NOW, please go to www.tomhaupt.com and buy my new audio success program, Ten Power Principles to Master Your Mind: A Game Plan for Success or a few copies of Time-Out! Winning Strategies for Playing a Bigger Game in Life!

Back in mid-2006 I met a gentleman by the name of Brian Conlee at a Personal Mastery Seminar I was co-facilitating. Brian was, and still is, a husband, father, son and firefighter from California. He was also someone who did not want to spend his weekend in a personal development seminar. However, because he loved his wife and family, he agreed to attend, reluctantly. Needless to say, he wasn’t too fond or happy being there and by the end of the weekend, didn’t particularly care for me either!

About a year later, I was supporting and facilitating a second week long seminar in the series at Klemmer and Associates when I ran into Brian. However, this time, he was the volunteer chief of staff! Not only did we hit it off, we had an incredible week truly getting to know each other at a human level, a real level, an authentic level. And to this day, five years later, we are close friends. In fact, I’ve stayed at his home with his family, talk often on the phone with him AND whenever I travel around the world, I’m sure to take a photo with my Kern County Fire Dept hat as a reminder of the difference he’s made in my life.

Brian is the last guy who would ever brag on himself. However, he did share this Unit Citation with me via email because he was extremely proud of his men. And in regards to his medal of merit, he probably shared it because he was proud of how far he’s grown as a person, husband, father, son and leader. Brian, it’s OK to own your greatness. You are a man among men, an inspiration to many and the reason why, I do what I do! I am forever grateful to your wife Kala for dragging you to Personal Mastery. You are a true friend and gift in my life!

Nick Dunn – Fire Chief & Director of Emergency Services – Bakersfield, CA., is proud to acknowledge the following:

UNIT CITATION – Crew 66A – Capt. Brian Conlee, Engineer Monte Myers, Engineer Matthew Wiggins, Firefighter Zach Geissel, Firefighter Cary Wright

On December 23rd, 2010 at approximately 4:28 am, a call was received by the Kern County Fire Department for a fire in the 3500 block of Shell Street at the San Joaquin Refinery.  The first arriving crews were faced with a significant fire involving a tanker truck and flat bed truck.  The flames were directly impinging on a 42,000 gallon oil tank. There were 3 similar sized tanks in close proximity.  Firefighters set up 2 ground monitors and an aerial monitor to cool the tanks and prevent a catastrophic BLEVE.  During this time several explosions occurred and large pieces of debris fell around the firefighters as they fought the fire.  2 plant workers received minor injuries from flying debris.  The bravery of the crew in the face of such grave nature was noted by all the firefighters at the scene.

MEDAL OF MERIT – Captain Brian Conlee

During the above noted Refinery fire, Captain Conlee demonstrated extraordinary leadership in deploying his crew in a highly dangerous environment.   Captain Conlee led his crew with courage and calmness.  His experience and training allowed him to safely insert his crew and employ a plan of attack that brought a successful resolution to an event that was nearly a full-scale disaster.  Captain Conlee exemplifies “Quiet Competence”, a trait found in true leaders.

Embrace Risk, Embrace Success in 2011! – Tom

I am interested to hear your thoughts and insights on this blog. Please share your comments below and feel free to share it on Facebook or Twitter by clicking the SHARE button below. Thanks! Also, please go to www.tomhaupt.com and buy my audio success program, Ten Power Principles to Master Your Mind: A Game Plan for Success or a few copies of Time-Out! Winning Strategies for Playing a Bigger Game in Life now!

I love that line! Why, because I came up with it and because it’s so true! LOL! Seriously, one day while hiking with my wife Melissa, we were talking about how to create the results you desire and I came up with “A risk a day will keep the old results away,” meaning by taking risks in the context of personal development, you at least have the opportunity to create new and different results. And who doesn’t want to do that?

In my book, Time-Out! Winning Strategies for Playing a Bigger Game in Life, I redefine risk simply as an element of the unknown that establishes the possibility of achievement. In other words, your goals and dreams exist in the realm of possibility outside your comfort zone. And in order to achieve them, you must take risks by thinking, feeling and acting differently. It’s time to rethink what you’re currently doing like the hamster running round and round and round on that wheel expecting he’s going to actually get somewhere! Get off the wheel!

Take 5 minutes now and list the top three take a risk action steps you are going to move on in the next 5 days towards the goal you are currently behind on. These action steps are outside your comfort zone and are not something you’ve done previously. Once written out, let someone you admire and respect know about them and ask them to touch base with you every day until you’ve finished all three. If you want to play a bigger game, up your intention by having a consequence in the event you do not accomplish them. Best of success and go make it happen!

Embrace Risk, Embrace Success in 2011! – Tom
I’m always interested to hear your thoughts, insights or aha’s concerning this blog. Please share your comments below and feel free to share it on Facebook or Twitter by clicking the SHARE button below. Also, please go to www.tomhaupt.com and buy my new audio success program, Ten Power Principles to Master Your Mind: A Game Plan for Success or a few copies of Time-Out! Winning Strategies for Playing a Bigger Game in Life now!

The other night I had a conversation with a friend about the trials and tribulations of their job. They’ve been at their current position for about 1 year now and it’s a position they created as a result of their persistence and commitment to the company. This person is a dedicated, loyal and caring individual.

Being with and listening to their challenges, disappointments and resentments of colleagues and the company, I empathized with all the emotions they were expressing. In fact, you could say I was listening to their “story” based on the expectations they had when they started.

Many times we have expectations of a situation, job or person. When those expectations aren’t met, don’t “work out”, or that person doesn’t “show up” like the way we think, we have a let down. We think or feel “look what’s happened to me.” Any time we have expectations of a situation, job or others, more times than not, we will be disappointed. Why? Because they are OUR expectations of others and they will never be met. Unless of course you spell out to your company or to a particular person your specific set of expectations. The odds are, unless people can read your mind, you will most likely not have your expectations met.

With that said, I do believe it’s great to set a standard of excellence for yourself and others so you can produce results within that context of excellence. Just think if we all operated from a context of excellence, that whatever we do, it has our standard of excellence stamped on it. Hmmmmm……..how’s that for an expectation?

As the conversation wound down, I asked my friend, can you look in the mirror and honestly say to yourself that you’ve done everything you can to be successful at your position? Can you honestly say that you’ve implemented as many solutions as you think are available? Have you had open, honest and responsible communication? If so, and if you still feel challenged, disappointed and resentful to your boss, company or situation, then the only question left is ………….. Is it time to leave or not?

Embrace Risk, Embrace Success in 2011! – Tom

I’m always interested to hear your thoughts, insights or aha’s concerning this blog. Please share your comments below and feel free to share it on Facebook or Twitter by clicking the SHARE button below. Also, please go to www.TomHaupt.com and buy my new audio success program, Ten Power Principles to Master Your Mind: A Game Plan for Success or a few copies of Time-Out! Winning Strategies for Playing a Bigger Game in Life now!

According to the dictionary, Feedback is: to offer or suggest (information, ideas, etc) in reaction to an inquiry, experiment, etc. The key words in the definition are in reaction to an inquiry. Is feedback valuable? Of course it is, when it’s requested. How many times in your life has someone given you unsolicitated feedback about something you either said or did? You never asked for the feedback, however, the other person couldn’t wait to give it to you without asking permission.

Feedback when asked for can be invaluable. Absolutely and without a doubt. Why? Because when asking for feedback from someone you admire and respect because of their know how, experience and results, the odds are pretty high you’ll listen and appreciate it. On the other hand, when you receive unsolicited feedback, how often do you have resistance to it and thus, aren’t listening?

I get for the most part unsolicited feedback from friends, family and colleagues is in the spirit of helping you, however the truth is, unsolicited feedback is simply someone else’s judgment. It’s someone else’s opinion, perspective and viewpoint of what they think. And that in itself is neither good nor bad. Of course solicited feedback is the same judgment, the difference though, you’re interested in hearing it. It’s a different context. The problem with unsolicited feedback is, you’re probably not going to listen to it.

If it’s so important that you have to give someone feedback, simply ask the person, “Are you up for some feedback?” If they say “sure,” then have at it! If they say, “not today,” then I guess, it’s not your day.

So with that said, what else would you like to see in my blogs or read about in my blogs? Thanks for the feedback!

Embrace Risk, Embrace Success in 2011! – Tom

Please share your comments below and please SHARE this blog on Facebook or Twitter by clicking on the SHARE button below. Thanks! Also, please go to www.tomhaupt.com to buy my audio success program, Ten Power Principles to Master Your Mind: A Game Plan for Success or a few copies of Time-Out! Winning Strategies for Playing a Bigger Game in Life now!