Thanks to my brother Todd, who bought the first X, then to my brother Mark for buying me Dan's book, "Riding the American Dream", I now know the icon and true American Hero, Dan Hanlon. And own one of his masterpieces.
Looking for the business message in this blog?
Buy the book. It is not just about motorcycles.
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
P.S. Maybe I will see you at the Super X Rally in LeCenter, MN on Saturday?
P.P.S. Here is the FLICKR slideshow from the event... --ski 07/10/2006
SKI on Leadership Development
Over at Throughput.us LLC, I wrote a piece on the value of team members.
How is development of the skills (or talents) of leadership best approached? But first, why is leadership even a concept worth exploring?
Recall that my life is extremely invested in business organizations. I tend to "eat, sleep, and dream" about successful business adventures. My perfect vacation is 80% work and 20% pleasure. I recall one such adventure a few years ago. I combined a wedding anniversary with a business conference in San Diego. Yes, the trips to the spa (for my wife) was adequate compensation for the time I had to spend "at work" during the retreat.
Truly a "win-win"
Before we can talk about developing one's leadership skills (or, any skill), we must frame the need for the skills and talents that are being sought.
Why leadership?
For me: freedom. Freedom to pursue most anything that strikes my fancy. Like my adventure into the world of Custom American Motorcycles in 2004/2005. Again, I was able to combine a love of the open road and motorcycles with a business need.
For you: Fill_in_the_blank.
Readers (of more than a few weeks) will recall that Sunday's are great for "dream building." Why is this exercise important? Without a goal (vision, or dream), most people will give up when the least little resistance appears.
You want a promotion?
Simple. I can help you with that dream. During my fifteen months as a Business Analyst at Lexis-Nexis (as a consultant, not an employee), I was promoted to "Billing Department Lead" of a neat multimillion dollar project. Kinda unusual for a hired gun. How did it happen?
Hard work? Sure. But I would suggest that it was more focused that laborious. I threw myself into the project. Attended every meeting that I was entitled to attend. Offer my vantage point when I felt it differed from the others. Networked like crazy. Sought to understand the demands of others on the team. How did my portion of the project impact the other pieces? Offered to take on tasks when others were hesitant to volunteer. Spent personal time getting up to speed on technology that might (or might not) affect the project.
In other words, I put myself into the project. I made it my project. Among my duties, I got to recruit other members to my team. How do I lead? By serving. By plugging into the adventure and finding ways to contribute. No matter how small. Or large.
If you share your dream, together, we can identify and explore the skills necessary to become a leader in your chosen endeavor. But, without a dream, I cannot help.
It is that simple.
-ski
----
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.throughput.us
P.S. Yes, I was once again prowling the car lots this morning. That Cadillac CTS still is calling to me! Plus, I was searching for another Excelsior-Henderson Super X as a possible bagger for a road trip to Daytona Beach Bike Week this spring...
tag: Leadership vs. Management
©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.
Merry Christmas to us
In 1976 (as I recall), we bought a Kawasaki 500 "triple" for two up riding. Do I need to mention that we were much younger then? But we had a blast. And no, we never went further than 100 miles from home.
Well, I get this call from a guy that bought this Black 2000 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Nomad new, and starts the conversation: "Remember when you said you wanted first chance at the Nomad if I ever wanted to sell?"
Yes. Very much so!
"Today is your lucky day. If you are still interested."
We had a bagger in 2006, but had to sell the Excelsior-Henderson Super X (against my better judgment). I refuse to ride "two up" on the vRod. It is not a bagger, IMNSHO, even though I see a fair amount of them with bags.
This ultimate bagger now helps to round out my collection. Where is Al Gore and his global warming when you need it? Regardless, this should be perfect for the run to Daytona Beach Bike Week this spring.
Now, I just need to find that perfect Buell.
-ski
You get what you pay for!
This wisdom comes from my book, Purple Curve Effect.
Zig Ziglar tells of the Schwinn bike that his son wanted. It was too expensive. So they bought a cheaper brand. As I recall, six weeks later, they had replaced so many parts that the money invested in the "cheaper" bike now exceeded the price of the Schwinn.
Zig says, "You can spend too little."
And loose big time... as he learned the hard way. They ended up buying the Schwinn and it lasted the rest of the kid's bike riding career.
As most of you know, I only work with privately held firms. The joy of helping a business owner change the world drives me like few other highs in life. Of course my Super X comes close!
I do not come cheap... but if you are a business owner seeking to change the world, and could use some help, drop me a note. I am always looking for the next great challenge!
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
consultSKI@yahoo.com
www.SKIconsulting.biz
