Tom Mathews has built an amazing team of over 20,000 people. After getting to know him, I realized…He’s a leader who “gets it.” He truly understands the power of recognition, kindness, and setting personal goals. Also, in all of our conversations it was never “me,” but always “we” when discussing any success he had enjoyed in his business.
Today I’d like to share a great story from Tom’s book: Aim for the Heart…Leading to Build Great Teams. Enjoy!
Who Packed Your Parachute?
An excerpt from Aim for the Heart
By Tom Mathews
As a leader, do you honor and appreciate the power of WE? Do you stop to thank and recognize the members of your team? Do you consistently show an attitude of gratitude?
I recently read a great story about Captain Charles Plumb, a graduate from the Naval Academy, whose plane, after 74 successful combat missions over North Vietnam, was shot down. He parachuted to safety, but was captured, tortured and spent 2,103 days in a small box-like cell.
After surviving the ordeal, Captain Plumb received the Silver Star, Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit and two Purple Hearts, and returned to America and spoke to many groups about his experience and how it compared to the challenges of every day life.
Shortly after coming home, Charlie and his wife were sitting in a restaurant. A man rose from a nearby table, walked over and said, “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!”
Surprised that he was recognized, Charlie responded, “How in the world did you know that?” The man replied, “I packed your parachute.” Charlie looked up with surprise. The man pumped his hand, gave a thumbs-up, and said, “I guess it worked!”
Charlie stood to shake the man’s hand, and assured him, “It most certainly did work. If it had not worked, I would not be here today.”
Charlie could not sleep that night, thinking about the man. He wondered if he might have seen him and not even said, “Good morning, how are you?” He thought of the many hours the sailor had spent bending over a long wooden table in the bottom of the ship, carefully folding the silks and weaving the shrouds of each chute, each time holding in his hands the fate of someone he didn’t know.
Plumb then began to realize that along with the physical parachute, he needed mental, emotional and spiritual parachutes. He had called on all these supports during his long and painful ordeal.
As a leader, how many times a day, a week, a month, do we pass up the opportunity to thank those people in our organization who are “packing our parachutes?”
I love great stories. They can speak to our souls. This is one of 28 great stores shared by Tom Mathews in his book: Aim for the Heart…Leading to Build Great Teams.
Today we’re pleased to offer the book for $15.95. Our regular price is $15.95. To watch our 3 minute movie or to look inside the book, just click here
To Life,
Mac Anderson
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Are you real?
From the time he knew what it meant to be a ‘real life boy’,
Pinocchio wanted to be one.
I watched the animation this weekend; it made for
good, clean fun — much-needed, nowadays, but that’s a story for
another day.
Pinocchio may be a fictional character, but he learnt an important
principle that a lot of people may have yet to grasp — the power
of being the one “pulling the strings”, so to speak.
But wanting to become a ‘real boy’ doesn’t come by itself.
Pinocchio had to prove himself first. It required his time and
investment. And, all the lessons he learnt proved worthwhile in the
long run.
Pinocchio definitely got it right. Would you rather be a puppet? Or
would you rather be ‘real’?
Twitter is like that. People would rather meet other ‘real people’
online. Depending on your behavior, you can easily be
misinterpreted and labeled a spammer or a robot, while you are
actually doing as best you know how to bring your marketing online.
On Twitter, as on any other form of social media, people want to
meet the puppeteers, the “Puppet Masters” –the people behind the
scenes, the people who are making waves in the industry, the people
who are making things happen, the people in control.
Pinocchio didn’t just want to want to be sort of real, he wanted
the benefits that come with the real thing.
I know I’m stating the obvious, but that’s what a ‘real’ Puppet
Master does –they are the true operators of puppets. They make
things happen.
According to Kenneth Yu, THE Puppet Master, your prospects are,
in many ways, like puppets –like marionettes moved by invisible
strings that even they are sometimes unaware of.
Sometimes, these strings are hidden from the view of the audience.
And sometimes, they’re obvious — but only if you recognize them in
their different forms.
Trends. News. Current events.
You may have heard it said before. It’s the conversation in their
head that you need to learn to tap into. And Twitter is one giant
conversation. But how do figure out that conversation? And how, in
a sea of voices, do you make yourself heard?
The answer is simple. Master Twitter. By learning from the Puppet
Master himself.
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1044014
You can learn the power of compelling tweets on Twitter, and tap
into your power as a puppet master, too.
Picture yourself…
* …getting highly-qualified leads — FREE. Yet they are as
warm as toast to you and your products –from the get-go.
*…not spending a red cent on a costly sales force, because your
rabid buyers readily evangelize your products and services.
* …being the go-to-person in your niche that everyone turns to.
And all it took you was just under a month to get their undying loyalty.
* …receiving WAY too many Joint Venture proposals, and the
strategic alliances you’re already in are pumping in boatloads of
cash.
* …becoming technically retired; you’re working for fun, because
every single need and desire of you and your family is taken care of.
* …and best of all, you’re experiencing all this astonishing
things during this difficult time!
This is where Kenneth’s Twitter Salvation System, as he calls it,
comes in.
He’s just opened the doors to these powerful Twitter persuasion
secrets, and given that they’re only limited to a small number of people,
you may want to get your hands on it ASAP.
He comes personally recommended by me, so do check him out.
Did I mention that Kenneth and I became fast friends –through
Twitter?
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1044014
“To Pulling Heartstrings and Pursestrings,”
In the words of the Puppet Master himself.
Hosdgepodge Team
P.S. Ever tried to play around with a puppet? When you don’t know
the tricks to use to navigate all the strings, the movements you
create can be a right darn mess! Let Kenneth walk you through the
psychological triggers at play on Twitter for maximal results.
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1044014
Don’t be a Puppet anymore.
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