Published: June 07, 2008 04:52 pm            

Winning in business and life

“It’s a town full of losers, we’re pulling out of here to win.”

— Bruce Springsteen



Political advisor and commentator Karl Rove is an avid student of American history and I am a semi-avid student of the same subject.

We both studied the presidential election of 1896. I think it is pivotal because the Democratic party nominee, William Jennings Bryan, changed the way presidential campaigns were run.

Rove spent his time studying William McKinley and how he defeated Bryan twice.

It occurred to me that Rove focused on the tactics of the winner while I focused on the tactics of the loser. That might be why Rove has supported more winning candidates than I have.

I have an affinity for the underdogs and “losers” of life. I am a believer in giving people second chances.

I also know that the best way to make a person a winner is to put them in an environment where other people have positive attitudes.

It is a commonplace in areas such as sports, business or overcoming addictions to see a person turn their lives around when they go from a negative environment to a positive environment.

It was a simple lesson in Jack Welch’s bestseller, “Winning.”

Welch, the former chairman of General Electric, focuses on a simple, but often overlooked point: A positive environment spawns successful people and a negative environment pushes people down.

It is up to the leader of a group to develop and maintain a positive environment.

My late father often said, “If you tell me who your friends are, I’ll tell you who you are.”

Dad was a professional gambler and often saw people brought down by the people they befriended.

One of my favorite movies is “Carlitos Way,” which is based on two excellent novels by Edwin Torres. Al Pacino stars as a man trying to break away from a “town full of losers,” who ultimately bring him down.

It is a struggle many people face in business and life. The winner inside them can be brought down by their friends, family and co-workers.

Welch focused his energies at General Electric at ridding the company of people with bad attitudes. I think he did a good job.

I do a great deal of business with a an affiliate of General Electric in the structured settlement business.

They will find ways to tell you yes, when others find ways to say no. Most of the employees have been successful in some other endeavor, such as sports, and all have a “can-do” attitude.

I’ve been around other businesses where it seemed like the employees were the enemy of the customers.

I worked with one insurance company where two of the customer “service” representatives had a sign on their desks.

It said: “Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.”

It did not say, “I’m here to help you” or “I am here to make life better for our customers” or “I’m here to make the company more money.” It said, “I have a lousy attitude, so don’t bother me.”

Because their jobs were supposed to be customer service, I am not exactly sure what they actually did.

Their negative attitudes brought down any good workers around them. I never understood why the manager kept them.

Jack Welch would had them out of the building the minute the signs went up.

I’ve never decided if I like Jack Welch, but I have read everything about him and he has made a huge mark in business. One thing I do like about “Winning” is that Jack understands how firing people is personally difficult and painful, where a guy such as Donald Trump acts like it is macho and fun.

Welch said firing a person is sometimes the by-product of helping a larger group succeed.

Some leaders understand it at all levels. It is why you see coaches throw problem athletes off teams and rehab programs kick out people who fall off the wagon.

I can’t think of four people with less in common than Karl Rove, Bruce Springsteen, Jack Welch and my dad, but they all understand one thing: If you want to be a winner, you have to study, act like and hang out with other winners.

Don McNay is Chairman of the Board for McNay Settlement Group in Richmond Kentucky. You can write to him at don@mcnay.com or read other things he has written www.donmcnay.com.

        

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