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          CEO Success Report  -  June 2003
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Increasing the Effectiveness and Enhancing the Lives of CEOs and business owners.

Contents of this issue...
   .. Welcome - A few words from the publisher, Gary Lockwood
   .. Thought-Starter - "Don't Sell Me *Things*"
   .. Guest article - "How to Create a Healthy Company Culture"
   .. CEO Resources
   .. Quotes to use in your staff meeting this month
   .. Humor to lighten up the executive suite
   .. Contact the publisher
   .. Subscribe and unsubscribe instructions


See past issues of the CEO Success Report at:
     http://www.CEOSuccess.com/archives


===================================================
      WELCOME to this issue of the CEO Success Report! ===================================================


Hello again. I'm Gary Lockwood, President of CEO Success.

Welcome back once again to the CEO Success. I know you have
no shortage of material to read and I thank you for choosing to read our newsletter.

We work hard to provide practical ideas, thought-provoking concepts and useful information for you.

You (and over 1000 of your CEO peers), have honored me by
being a loyal subscriber. For that, I appreciate you.

Several years ago, I ran across an extraordinary message about buying and selling. I don't know who wrote it, but I tip my hat to the author. Many times, this has helped me to make a sale and satisfy my customer.

I hope my "thought-starter" in today's issue gets your brain working in the same way it did mine.

May I ask a small favor? Please forward this issue to other CEOs and company presidents who may be interested in receiving these messages. Thank you.

And now for our guest article this month.

Our guest author this month, Joe Phelps, writes about company culture.

What is company culture? Culture is defined as a belief or value system of a group or a person. Company cultures are constantly evolving and in successful businesses they heavily influence the direction of the company.

A culture of success consists of alignment, integrated core values, open feedback, and interdependence. Take some time to integrate some of the tips in Joe's article and your business will not just survive, it will thrive.

I hope you enjoy receiving these articles and ideas to
help you sharpen your thinking about being an effective CEO.

My wish is that you use the ideas in the CEO Success Report to get the results you really want. If you want some help in putting them into practice, or if you have questions, email or call.

As you know, our specialty is Increasing the Effectiveness
and Enhancing the Lives of CEOs and business owners.

Enjoy this issue with my compliments.

Sincerely,
Gary Lockwood
CEO Success



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       This month's THOUGHT-STARTER ===========================================


Several years ago, I ran across this extraordinary message. I don't know who wrote it, but I tip my hat to her/him. Many times, this has helped me to make a sale and satisfy my customer. I hope it gets your brain working in the same way it did mine.

        DON'T SELL ME "THINGS"


DON'T SELL ME CLOTHES.
   Sell me neat appearance...style...attractiveness.

DON'T SELL ME SHOES.
   Sell me foot comfort and the pleasure of walking in the open air.

DON'T SELL ME CANDY.
   Sell me happiness and the pleasure of the great taste.

DON'T SELL ME FURNITURE.
   Sell me a home that has comfort, cleanliness, contentment.

DON'T SELL ME BOOKS.
   Sell me pleasant hours and the profits of knowledge.

DON'T SELL ME TOYS.
   Sell me playthings to make my children happy.

DON'T SELL ME TOOLS.
   Sell me the pleasure and profit of making fine things.

DON'T SELL ME REFRIGERATORS.
   Sell me the health and better flavor of freshly-kept food.

DON'T SELL ME TIRES.
   Sell me freedom from worry and low cost per mile.

DON'T SELL ME PLOWS.
   Sell me green fields of waving wheat.

DON'T SELL ME THINGS.
Sell me ideas..feelings..self-respect..safety..confidence..security..
savings..home life..satisfaction..happiness.

PLEASE DON'T SELL ME *THINGS*!

Your Customer



==================================
          Guest Article
==================================


   How to Create a Healthy Company Culture
   by Joe Phelps

What is company culture? Culture is defined as a belief or value system of a group or a person. When we refer to a company culture we are looking at the ways people are motivated or are inspired to motivate themselves because they want to be part of the team. Company cultures are constantly evolving and in successful businesses they heavily influence the direction of the company.

To understand exactly where your company culture currently is; start by reviewing your mission, vision and values and asking yourself if they are working for you. Company cultures are healthiest when the individuals believe their contribution to the company, the customers and their personal missions are aligned.

One of the first steps in changing a company culture is to look closely at what will work best for the future. Changing a company culture can seem like a risk, but more often than not, staying in the same place is a much bigger risk. Look deeply at the possibilities and see where can you go from here.

Here are a few tips to help create a healthy company culture and attract the right people:

.       Publish the company's culture: vision, mission, values and
organizational model. Know that higher commitment arises when the entire company was involved in the formation or evolution of the company culture. Getting buy-in from your entire team is one of the most powerful tools a leader can utilize.

.       Ensure that associates understand and commit to the company
beliefs and standards. Invent ways to review them frequently. This prevents them from getting lost in the day-to-day shuffle of business. Posting them around the office, printing them on business cards and even using them as screen savers are a few of the ways to keep your company culture top-of-mind.

.       Hold people accountable to their own goals.  Job
descriptions are limiting. So, support team members by giving them the ability to not only define how to do their jobs, but how to do them extraordinarily well, to get results that make them and the company happy. Encourage individuals to develop an individual objectives action plan. Written goals are much more likely to be accomplished than those that are just thought about.

.       Measure individual progress toward these commitments. Each
month, hold one-to-one meetings where team members review their goals and commitments. Coaches help identify obstacles and remind the associate of their accountability. This reinforces desire and commitment to attain the goals.

.       Publicly recognize individual and team successes.  Create a
forum that celebrates associates' accomplishments.  Applause, certificates of recognition and other fun acknowledgements help team members feel supported and appreciated.

.       Terminate consistently underachieving associates -- or ones
who are not aligned with the company's culture. Hire slower and fire faster. If someone is not a match, it's best to take action sooner, rather than later.

.       Recruit people to exceed ever-increasing standards.  Finding
the right people is a leader's most important job. At The Phelps Group, we encourage our associates to bring prospects to our Brain Bangers' Ball so we can get to know each other in a low pressure, yet highly creative and social atmosphere. (To find out more about the Brain Bangers Ball, e-mail kristen@thephelpsgroup.com with "bbb" in the subject line.)

We're finding that people are increasingly attracted to us because of our culture. This is partly due to how highly we value a healthy working environment. This is supported by our belief that candid, kind and timely communications will solve most problems.

Our constant vigilance to uphold this tenet, combined with our thorough hiring processes, and less-hierarchical organizational model,  has helped create a group of loving and caring individuals. And because that has become such an important part of our company, when anyone exhibits behavior outside the norm, they feel peer pressure to examine their actions and align with the culture.

A culture of success consists of alignment, integrated core values, open feedback, and interdependence. We have proved that it works here at The Phelps Group. Take some time to integrate some of the tips above and your business will not just survive, it will thrive.

About the Author:
Joe Phelps is the founder of The Phelps Group, one of the nation's leading integrated marketing communications agencies located in Southern California. Phelps, who started his agency 20 years ago with one client, Fender Guitars, was named the "Entrepreneur Leader of the Year 2000" by the Los Angeles Advertising Association, is a Belding Award-winning writer and has been featured on the cover on Inc. magazine. At his agency, and prior to that at NW Ayer and Grey Advertising, Phelps managed multi-million dollar campaigns for many of America's and Japan's top companies. Phelps' revolutionary business model is used as a case study at numerous universities, including Northwestern, Colorado, Pepperdine and USC. He may be contacted at (310) 752-4400 or through the website at
   www.pyramidsaretombs.com



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             RESOURCES for CEOs =============================================



Joe Sails: A Story in Progress By Dick Olenych

This is a delightful, thought-provoking book.

Joe works in the Sales Dept, but the message of the book comes through no matter where in the company you work. The story is about how leaders and managers instill in their employees the passion and the desire to do what's right, essentially raising their core competencies. They will then carry the banner and cause to others.

As I read the story of Joe and his boss, Bobbi, and their coworkers, I laughed out loud several times and I couldn't help but to consider my own behaviors on the job.

The story form makes this book easy to read and it elicits the reader to evaluate his/her own core competencies.

Overall, this is a refreshing, effective way to train employees and managers in any type of company to be more productive.

Check it out at http://www.joesails.info


=====================================================
      QUOTES to use in your staff meeting this month =====================================================


"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart."
      Hellen Keller

"Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking."
      H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

"It's good to shut up sometimes."
      Marcel Marceau

"A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history - with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila."
      Mitch Ratliffe

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
      Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Two roads diverged in a wood and I -- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."
      Robert Frost


=====================================================
           HUMOR to lighten up the executive suite =====================================================


Trivia
 --------

  Q. What occurs more often in December than any other month?
  A. Conception.
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Q. What separates "60 Minutes," on CBS from every other TV show?
  A. No theme song
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
  A. Their birthplace.


 Remarks we get tired of hearing ...
 -----------------------------------
 You're doing well ... for your age.

 You're not getting any younger, you know.

 You're just remarkable!

 Well, at this point, it probably won't kill you.

 Are you really that old? You sure don't show it.

 You're pretty spry for your age.

 You'll probably outlive us all.

           ***excerpts from: http://www.joker.org/ ***


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       CONTACT CEO Success
=================================


Gary Lockwood is the publisher of the CEO Success Report.
   Email:  mailto:Gary@CEOSuccess.com
   Office: (800) 272-1575 (USA) *  (909) 739-7444
   Fax: (909) 494-4314


========================================
         Your Comments, please? ========================================


I appreciate feedback, corrections, and comments about the
CEO Success Report. Please send your thoughts to:
  Gary@CEOSuccess.com mailto:Gary@CEOSuccess.com

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