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| Volume 6, Issue 8 - August, 2007 • Building with People From my earliest days in Sunday school, I have remembered the words that a wise man builds his house upon the rock and the foolish man builds upon the sand. For 50 years, I thought this probably sound advice for someone about to build a house. It never dawned on me that it might have some other application until I heard the following quote from Peter Drucker. “The task of leadership is to create an alignment of strengths in ways that make weaknesses irrelevant.” That statement unlocked doors in my mind and with it came the realization that success really does come from building on strengths. All too often we focus on problems (weaknesses = sand) and struggle to overcome them when in fact, we would be much better off focusing on what is working (strengths = rock) and building on them. In fact, this was something that I learned during my six years of coaching soccer. By praising the desired actions of players, I was encouraging the other players to perform in a similar fashion. You get what you praise and reward (a lesson some organizations should learn). In reality, I was building on strengths (the rock). What about your organization? Are you still playing in the sand or are you building on rock? If you would like to learn more about how to build on rock, call me toll free at (866) 598-8450. The National Speakers Association is the leading educational and networking organization for professional speakers. For the last two years, I have been studying and learning as an apprentice with the Ohio Chapter of NSA. It has been a real education and I am nearing completion of the requirements for professional membership, but I still need to reach 20 paid speaking engagements. I would like to complete all of my requirements before the end of 2007. Research shows that half of all decisions fail. Poor decision-making negatively affects: revenue, profits, company reputation, long-term growth, customer service, employee morale and productivity. Downsizing and the pace of our world have made decision-making even more difficult. Even a small improvement in decision-making could be a huge competitive advantage for your organization. Bring Bob in to talk to your organization and discover how you can:
Here is where you come in. In working with the coaches and mentors at NSA, we have determined that the investment for my program should be $2500 plus expenses. While I have already booked a number of engagements towards my goal, I want to complete the requirements before year’s end. As a special offer to Taking Aim subscribers and to help me achieve my goal, I am offering this program for only $1500 plus expenses if booked before the end of 2007. Don’t wait. Call 866 598-8450 today to book Bob to present this program to your organization! • Gingrich gets “Taking Aim for Better Decision-Making”
If you are interested in a positive approach to the future, I encourage you to visit http://www.americansolutions.com/ and look at the topics under “Solutions Lab.”
If you have a subject that you would like to see covered in future issues of “Taking Aim,” please send me an email at aim@CannonAdvantage.com.
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Robert E. Cannon "Best Practice" Sales Force Development Change Management Customer Service Assessment for ISO Requirements Smart Thoughts from Smart People There are no great people in this world, only great challenges which ordinary people rise to meet. William Frederick Halsey Jr. If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on fire – then you got a problem. Everything else is inconvenience. Robert Fulghum Doubt begins only at the last frontiers of what is possible. Giovanni Giacomo Casanova "Often the difference between a successful person and a failure is not the one that has better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on one's ideas, to take a calculated risk - and to act." Dr. Maxwell Maltz
Taking Aim © 2007 Bob Cannon, The Cannon Advantage Newsletter. All Rights Reserved. The Cannon Advantage visual branding by Zarney Creative. For contact information, click “Resources.” |
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With the help of a variety of coaches and mentors, I have developed a program around my book, “Taking Aim for Better Decision-Making.” Mark LeBlanc, President of the National Speakers Association had this to say, “Bob Cannon has captured the essence of leadership in this special book. The best piece of advice I can give you is to devour this book. Buy one for each of your managers, and use it to spark ideas, and discussions. Better yet, bring Bob in and watch his process unfold and the strategies and ideas come to life.” 
It isn’t every day that I get to have breakfast with Newt Gingrich, but on June 30th I had that opportunity. You can check out all the photos at 
