November 2006

A Time to Give Thanks                                                     November 2006

At the beginning of last week, I got on a plane and headed out for a series of speeches on the east coast. When I left, it was fall. When I got back, it was Christmas. How did that happen? I leave town for five days and the whole world changes.

It’s not that I wasn’t aware Christmas is around the corner. It just seemed the moment I got back in town every retailer on the planet was doing their best to remind me that Christmas is coming. Christmas trees have gone up, shopping malls are adorned with decorations, and my favorite stores are already playing Christmas music. Perhaps my first glimpse into the holiday season was two weeks ago when I was drinking a Starbucks coffee in a red Christmas cup at a hotel in Washington DC.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Christmas. Beyond being a rather large fan of what Christmas is all about, I love the spirit of the holiday season. My wife and I love decorating. In fact, one of our favorite days of the year is the day after Thanksgiving. We spend the entire day decorating our home with every decoration we own so we can drain every ounce out of the Christmas holiday. The reason we wait until Friday is because we don’t want to lose the meaning of Thanksgiving.

Retailers don’t make money at Thanksgiving. They make money at Christmas. In an attempt to maximize profits, they want to start the shopping season as soon as possible. From a business perspective, I can appreciate their efforts. But from a personal perspective, I think we make it even more difficult for people to appreciate the real meaning of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving means different things to different people. For most people, it’s an opportunity to eat. The table is adorned with dressing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, rolls, and a turkey the size of a nine-year old child. Get all that food choked down, and it’s time to drift off to a tryptophan-induced nap watching afternoon football. That just made a few of you start anticipating this Thursday even more.

Whatever you consider to be the ideal way to spend Thanksgiving Day, I encourage you to take a moment to think about the real meaning of Thanksgiving. As I stop to give thanks for the many blessings I’ve enjoyed throughout the year, I can't help but think back on the many lessons I've learned over the years regarding Thanksgiving Day:

Make "giving thanks" a way of life

When I was a little boy, I would ask my mother why there wasn’t a Kid’s Day. If there was a day to recognize mothers and fathers, there should be a day to recognize kids. She always smiled and said, “Because every day is Kid’s Day!” I’ve always thought it was odd that we designate one day out of 365 to give thanks. While I appreciate the opportunity, I try to live my life by recognizing my blessings and giving thanks each and every day of the year. Don’t wait until Thursday. Starting today, make every day a day of giving thanks. Make it a constant attitude of the soul.

Don't just "observe" it

The United States Congress established the observation of Thanksgiving Day in Section 6103 of Title 5 of the United States Code. By establishing the day as a legal public holiday, these nice folks made it convenient to eat all that food without having to call in sick. The government made it easy to observe it. But our real challenge is not observing it. Our real challenge is taking action. Don’t let the day pass without telling people how much you appreciate them. Send some emails. Send some letters. Look someone in the eye. However you choose, give thanks.

See the real blessings

Sometimes we get so accustomed to our standard of living that we take things for granted. If we have food in the pantry, clothes in the closet and a roof over our head, we sometimes assume we are supposed to have these things. Don’t ever forget that these are gifts, and that whatever prosperity we have should never be taken for granted. And don’t ever allow your expectation of these gifts to dull your sense of gratitude for what you have.

Enthusiastically, 

Clint Swindall - President & CEO

*Book Review

Today Matters: 12 Daily Practices to Guarantee Tomorrow's Success, by John C. Maxwell

Here's what I've been reading lately ...

Along the lines of being thankful, I want to suggest a book that addresses what really matters. The book is entitled Today Matters: 12 Daily Practices to Guarantee Tomorrow's Success.

The content in this book grabbed my attention because it truly deals with the hardest leadership of all ... personal leadership. While we live in the past and worry about the future, author John Maxwell encourages us to focus on today. To some people, that may sound oversimplified. But without a specific plan, our focus stays on the challenges of the day instead of the opportunities of the day.

In nearly every speech I give, I talk about how our success in this world is determined more by what we do than what we know. Many of the concepts the author shares are things we all know to do. Success can't be achieved until we learn and master a set of skills to make it happen. Of the 12 daily practices in this book, it is my hope you can master at least a handful to enhance the way you lead yourself.

*Welcome New Subscribers

Nearly 300 subscribers added in November

We'd like to extend a special welcome to the new subscribers to Everday Leadership. Specifically, we'd like to welcome those who have joined us as a result of the 2006 SHRM Leadership Conference. Also, welcome to the participants from DaimlerChrysler, the National Association of Electrical Distributors, the Delaware SHRM Chapter, and the United States Army.

*Quotes

Inspirational thoughts

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures."
- Thornton Wilder

"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving."
- W.T. Purkiser“Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude."
- E.P. Powell

*Question to Ponder

Some time to think

As we take time this month to give thanks, I believe it's important to look at the personal and professional "thanks" we have an opportunity to offer. From a personal standpoint, I believe the Thanksgiving celebration gives us the chance to do what the Pilgrims did. They recognized that everything they had was a gift from God, and they established the Thanksgiving tradition to thank Him for His blessings and grace.

From a professional standpoint, I believe it also gives us the opportunity to simply thank those who have contributed to our success. Much of your success is a result of the contributions of others, and can be sustained by a regular tradition of thanking those around you.