HARDHEADED SOFTHEARTED

Lessons from the Boardroom to the Break Room

By Rick Belluzzo & Krish Dhanam

I. WHERE IQ MEETS EQ

“To be a successful leader, you need to be hardheaded and softhearted”. – Dave Packard

Hardeaded principles are:

a. Start from the Start – always begin grounded in a realistic perspective of the facts.
b. Before we can solve a problem, we must see it for what it is.
c. “We need to wallow in the problem for a while”. – Microsoft
d. Must not create our own, more acceptable reality. But should err on the side of
overstating the problem.

II. BEGINNING WELL: SAY “THANK YOU”

Start everything by saying “thank you”.

Never stop growing!

Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions.

III. APPLAUSE THAT MATTERS

Recognition fuels motivation.

Reward propels achievement.
Applause has to be genuine and usually reserved for those who performed by the rules.

IV. THRIVING ON DISRUPTION

Rapid changes not only disrupt companies but also the lives of people and their families.

Embrace the changes and define the challenge as it really is.

Become a person who looks at the world in a new way.

Be out in front, enthusiastically look for change. Embrace them and look for opportunity.

Avoid complaining and feeling like a victim.

Look for the “upside” of every situation.

 V. LOVE BEING THE UNDERDOG

Underdog – is always learning to add to a personal arsenal of beliefs in order to move ahead in
the race.

When you build reputation with your vendors and clients, do it with genuine pride for the
relationship instead of false praise for the benefit.

VI. A GOOD CRISIS IS A TERRIBLE OPPORTUNITY TO WASTE

Disruption is the “mother of opportunity”.

Look for the disruptions that threaten us and those that create opportunity.

Look for opportunities not only when times are tough but especially when things seem fine.

VII. COMPETE AND COMPLETE

Not everything has to be a contest, but finishing what which challenges us should be
paramount in any environment.

You will not win at everything but the goal of the game is to compete and complete.

Failure is an event and that it will never be a person.

Foster an environment where the art of participation and playing is encouraged so that
“winning” and not “whining” become commonplace.

“If a man tries to get by in life without errors, he is akin to the outfielder who does not try for
the hard ones and simply lets them go”. – Fred Smith Jr.

Be grateful for the opportunities you have, for many do not have them.

Be thankful that you were chosen to do a task that is considered difficult.

Changing the behaviour and habits that caused the problem might be the best solution for the
problem at hand.

VIII. YOU ARE THE ENTERPRISE

No company survives by standing still.

Transitions are to be taken with purpose and joy.

IX. TEXTBOOKS FOR FATHER AND SON

Never too young to start learning and never too old to relearn.

Be focused.
Have a vision.
 Be grateful for the nightmares caused by mistakes because they teach you how to
dream better.
o Problems produce patience.
o Patience produces perseverance.
o Use the storm as a lesson during the calm.
 Know the difference between a gamble and a risk between status quo and progress.
 Always use your strengths in negotiation.

Pursue the steps required to fulfil the vision diligently.

“When my obligation is this life finished, I still had an obligation to my dreams”. – father of
author Krish Dhanam

See everything through the lens of experience.

X. THE 80/20 RULE

Right commitment. Under promise. Over deliver.

Pursue with energy. Time is always a scarce commodity.

Stay focused on what matters. Make a list of essential tasks that will make the greatest impact
on achieving your goals.

Be proud of your work. Have pride in your work – accept task that you are willing to provide the
focus and effort to meet your personal standard. Look for opportunities to do something
special.

Accept any shortfall. When you fall short, own it and don’t defend your shortfall. Prefer to be
hard on yourself rather than have your boss be hard on you.

XI. ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL MENTORS

Mentoring is a privilege.
Do not pick one person to be your mentor in everything.
Find people who can provide expertise.

“Every great teacher is looking for a great student. Become a great student to a great teacher.”
– Fred Smith Sr.

XII. DID YOU CAUSE THE MUTINY?

Be keenly aware of feedback – good and bad.

Make it easy for people to tell you what you might not want to hear.

Take responsibility for your personal development plan.

Avoid being defensive.

Criticism is a good thing – even if wrong.

“Being open” is one of the best compliments you can receive.

XIII. DID THE CHILD GIVE ALL HER CANDY?

People who are fully committed are not troubled of the sleepless nights and restless moments.

Give more than you have.

Don’t participate only when you have something to spare.
Wilfully pledge your all and make sacrifice a priority.

Happiness depends on happenings but that the unadultered joy of living comes from giving
your all.

XIV. MAKE A DIFFERENCE…EVERY MINUTE, EVERY DAY

Look for opportunities to make a difference.

“Never pass a problem unattended.”

“Your values determine your behaviour.

Your behaviour determines your reputation.
Your reputation determines your advantages.”
 XV. CHOICES DETERMINE REPUTATION

To succeed, you have to integrate;

To integrate, you have to abandon some of the scepticism that is brought on by tradition.

John Maxwell, “if you have been in the organization for six months, all the problems are now
yours”.

To succeed in the choices of today and tomorrow, we have to become well read in the
worldviews that are defining tomorrow.

Choose wisely and you will win. Be WIRED:

 Choose Wisdom over Knowledge
 Choose Innovation over Status Quo
 Choose Responsibility over Rights
 Choose Empathy over Sympathy
 Choose Dependability over Everything

XVI. ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER

“Wars may be fought with weapons;

But they are won by men.
It is the spirit of the men who follow;
And of the man who leads;
That gains the victory.”
--- General George S. Patton

Real confidence comes from:

- moving forward
- making progress
- avoiding distractions

XVII. DON’T RUSH THE WAITER FOR THE CHECK

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write but those who
cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
--- Alvin Toffler

Zig Ziglar, a person of impact!

Character is defined when you practice for what will bring future rewards.
Respond to constructive criticism:
- Comes out of love

Recognize destructive criticism:

- Criticism should come with a proactive solution; people want you to change but offer no
solution

Relax and enjoy the sunrise:

- Recapture the wonder that comes with innocence

Don’t rush the waiter for your check:

- A meal shared with the ones we love has to be savoured; because you never know
when you would have no more time for them,

Learn new lessons that will allow you to be proactive so you can respond instead of react.

Success is personal and greed is relative.

XVIII. SHORTCUTS AND BURNED BRIDGES

Do The Right Thing!

Long-term success comes only through pursuing a career based on a set of values that
embraces integrity in the broadest sense:
- Treating people, customers, and partners with respect;
- Not taking shortcuts;
- Neither burning bridges nor destroying relationships;
- Considering all aspects when making a decision;
- Being responsible to your community;
- Doing what you say --- meeting commitments

XIX. AMATEURS REACT, PROFESSIONALS RESPOND

Amateur – worrying about opinions

Professional – recognizing whether the opinion had merit and warranted some correction

Be consistent in all you do, and do not be swayed by the next seductive opinion and jazzy
rendition.

“You cannot consistently perform in a manner that is inconsistent with the way you see
yourself.” --- Dr. Joyce Brothers
 XX. FINISHING WELL: QUALITY OF LIFE, STANDARD OF LIVING

“Quality is what the customer gets out and is willing to pay for.
It is what is of use to our customers and gives them value. “
--- Peter Drucker

“Any fool can run the race but it takes a person of considerable genius to finish well.”
--- Old Adage

Behaviors to ensure finishing well:

1. Make your praise sincere
2. Make your actions consistent
3. Make your directive ongoing
4. Inspect your expectations
5. Live by the clock and lead with a vision

“With self discipline almost anything is possible” --- Theodore Roosevelt

PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS:
Lessons from the Boardroom to the Break Room
Where IQ Meets EQ

1. Beginning well

Beginning well warrants that you believe you have made a conscious effort not to let your
past beat you but to let it teach you.

2. Encouragement

Encouragement is the fuel upon which hope runs, and making encouragement a culture-
constant fosters proactivity in an environment that needs to change and adapt.

3. Forces of Change

We all know that change is constant, but we must prepare for the change with the
understanding that no longer will status quo be accepted and tolerated. Unless we have a
“results rule” mentality, then IQ and EQ will not combine to produce momentum.
4. Honesty

With integrity you have nothing to fear because you have nothing to hide. A lack of fear
rising from ethical processes is liberating. A transparent leader is one who knows he is in
charge and can act with the belief that he deserves to be in charge.

5. Times of Disruption

Used disruption as a signal to innovate; Prepare for the opportunity that will usually reveal
itself on the other side of a disruption.

6. Addictions

Individuals and institutions need to look at the addictive behaviours that are stifling growth
and change them.

7. You are the Enterprise

Profit, Loss, and You – are the factors that characterize open and prosperous cultures.

8. Foundations

Evaluate your culture; Eliminate the lackluster performance that comes from too many
people participating in nonessential roles and behaviours.

9. Delivering Results

Total engagement remains the BEST model of coaching at all times:

Belief in each as a person;
Expectations from each as a worker;
Sincerity in expected outcomes demanded as a partnership;
Tests of validity periodically to combat change.

10. Consistency

PRIDE
Personal
Responsibility
Instills in them a
Desire for
Excellence
11. Be self aware and open to feedback

Build a culture where constructive criticism is encouraged and destructive criticism is

removed.

12. Generosity

Making generosity a cultural attribute will change the face of your organization in the
community.

13. Make a difference

Culture is constantly focused on setting new standards every year.

14. Choices

Free up to the moment of choice; Choice controls the chooser.

15. It’s a journey

“…before you begin, you have to prime the pump. Then the greater that quality of water,
the deeper the well will be – and the more difficult the initial effort.” – Zig Ziglar

Any journey warrants a beginning and an ending, but in the neutral zone of travel, decisions
of destiny are made.

16. Learning

Bench planning and talent management are necessary for grooming new leaders.

17. Integrity

Integrity is the measurement that honest and ethical approaches are being followed.

18. Opinions

Equating the output of one series of work processes to the input of another’s effectiveness,
you create continuity.
19. Service

Both external and internal customers are vital and that service excellence should be
recognized and rewarded at all levels in the service chain.

20. Expansion

True expansion for a culture requires the ability to create short-term goals, medium-range
ambitions, and long-term visions.

21. Finishing Well

The organization that makes its cause bigger than its ego allows itself to work for progress
and not perfection.

FRANCIS KONG’S AFTERWORD:

Good leaders are big enough to admit their mistakes, rectify them, and earn the respect of
their people.

Good leaders need to have firmness. Solid to the core as far as character is concerned.
Standing unmoved when it comes to values and principles, but they have to maintain a
heart of tenderness (Hard Headed and Soft Hearted).

Great leaders are firm but fair and strong enough to be tender.

Abraham Lincoln:
– both steel and velvet;
- hard as rock and soft as drifting fog;
- who holds in his heart and mind the paradox of terrible storm and peace unspeakable
and perfect;
- a person with will of iron and a heart of tenderness;
- a person not deterred during the American Civil War from his noble cause;
- a person who endured more criticism and detractors

The weak ones are those who bully the small and the poor.

The weak ones are those who strut around with an armed group of mean thugs designed to
instill fear to those who dare oppose them.
The weak are those who are so small they will never dare admit their mistakes and
apologize because they do not have the character in them to do so.

The weak are those who think that humility is a virtue accredited to wimps, and that the
strong should be those with a giant ego, always trying to impress people and win their
admiration.

WIN-WIN, REALLY?

1. You don’t need to play dirty in order to win in business. But you must stay decent and
treat others with respect. “It is not happiness that leads to a sense of gratitude. It is
gratitude that leads to a sense of happiness”.

2. Personal re-invention. Change may be scary but it is scarier not to change. Every person
changes but you and I have to make sure that we change for the better and not for the
worst. Any organization that does not change will be changed, and it will almost
certainly be a painful process.

3. “It is so hard to be humble when you’re great like me”. This is confidence not
arrogance. Pride is the mother of all disasters and failures.

4. Life is never what happens; it’s how we take it. An optimist searches for opportunities
but a pessimist drowns in scepticism.

5. “Personal Culture” is the destructive habit of losers. Winning companies have a winning
culture wherein their people have winning habits.

6. “They always give more than what they are paid for”. Successful people count the
delights their customers’ exhibit and build their businesses around them.

7. Constant hunger and thirst for knowledge and learning; the willingness to spend and
invest on it in order to acquire it are the fuel for personal reinvention.

8. Personal growth is every person’s business. Activities are different from results (people
are not working hard, they are working long).

9. Do not seek to be mentored by skills alone but someone who displays godly character.

10. Learn to handle feedback. Seek ways for improvement of negative feedback.

11. Skill and will need to co-exist for long term success.
12. “Rather than curse the darkness, why not light a candle?”. Rather than complain, make
this world different.

13. Determine what is “non-negotiable”. If we have our personal values in place, then it is
not difficult to make a decision.

14. Perseverance is “I have been knocked down but I have not been knocked out”, Apostle
Paul. Successful business people have high AQ (Adversity Quotient), they always bounce
back.

15. Say the truth and do what is truthful and right all the time.

16. Successful people do not get their worth from what other people say. They are
determined to do what is right.

17. Life is a marathon race and we need to pace it, conserve energy, focus on the finish line
so we do not go astray, and then finish the race. Finishing strong is not just the
objective of the race but more important, the kind of person that is formed as he or she
goes through the race, that is of infinite importance.