Jeff Clark the Risk-taker, Challenger, Motivator

By Klydi Heywood

As I listened intently to a remarkable man who grew his companies into the billions, I inferred three facts: this man believes in himself, his wife and the people around him.

One of the themes Jeff Clark centered around at the Entrepreneurial Lecture Series on Wednesday night was the principle that we all come to a “changing of the guards” moment in our lives that can alter everything.

Eventually, “you’re able look back and start to realize everything you have done to this point is preparing you for that next period,” Mr. Clark said.

Another valuable theme Mr. Clark taught was the importance of treating your employees well.

“If your greatest asset rides an elevator, invest in it heavily,” Mr. Clark said. He wanted to build a positive culture within his company where he could grow his business purely by having his satisfied clients refer their partners and competitors to his firm.

“We won because as we looked around, we had really happy employees,” Mr. Clark said. “Competitors were trying to figure out how we could get so much done, by so few people.”

He invested in his employees concerns and interests and “made them feel like business owners.”

The final lesson Mr. Clark taught was that of confidence. He attributed much of his young confidence to working hard and doing what he knew was right, always.

“One thing I learned while I was not getting what I wanted was that I was still getting experience and I figured out a way to do it better,” he said. “I think that entrepreneurs are actually, more often than not, born out of some degree or some job where they go and have great focus on what they are trying to do and accomplish for their employer, but at the same time have this panoramic vision where they look around and say, ‘Wait a minute. If we do this, that or the other, we could do it better.’”

Jeff Clark presenting in the 2014 ELS

 For more information on upcoming Entrepreneurial Lecture Series speakers visit http://huntsman.usu.edu/ecenter/files/uploads/Spring2014/speakerFlyer.pdf.

By Klydi Heywood

Respect For Coworkers is Smart Business, Even if You Don’t Need Them

By Steve Eaton

I used to load food on airplanes at Sea-Tac International Airport. In theory, loading each flight on time was easy; the only factors that could make the job difficult were delayed flights, broken-down trucks or weather problems.

If things went smoothly, we had three hours to load three planes, but often flight delays would place all three on the ground at the same time, at which point we had to figure out quickly how to be in three places at once. If an airplane ever had to wait for loading to be finished, our company would be charged $100 a minute, which, in those days, was a lot of money. This very bad situation was also called a delay, but we were good at adjusting on our feet, so delays on our end were rare.

At one point on this job I had a boss who came straight from college with a master's in business administration, which was supposed to mean he knew how to manage us properly. He had good hair and looked like a game-show host. He was the kind of guy who might clean his garage with a sweater tied around his waist while wearing unscuffed boat-deck shoes. He never helped.

When something went wrong, this boss would call out to a team of loaders preparing for a flight and order them to run a meal or something else out to a waiting airplane. He was clueless. We knew if we did what he said it would start a chain reaction leading to multiple delays. So we often ignored what he told us and orchestrated the rescue with other loaders ourselves so that each flight went out on time. He didn’t care, as long as he looked good at the end of the day.

In contrast, we had another weathered supervisor who had worked his way up in the organization and could step in and do our jobs if needed. Sometimes he did. When he had to recruit emergency help, he would call out to us and simply ask, “What are you doing now?” That question allowed him to figure out who could best be pulled off his current assignment to go fight a fire. He respected us because he knew we were the only ones who understood exactly where all the moving pieces were.

Only a few leaders understand that respect should flow both ways, up and down the ladder. Does your boss panic like you do when you realize you are going to be late for a meeting with her? Does she call you from the airport to explain she’s going to need to reschedule?

Once, when a supervisor from the top floor missed a meeting with me, he sought me out at my office in the basement to apologize and take care of business. He did not summon me up to his office with no explanation for why he’d failed to show up. Another boss stopped what he was doing in the middle of a busy day to drive me to his home so he could loan me a book. He knew I was dealing with a family crisis and wanted to help in whatever way he could.

Novelist Paul Eldridge wrote, “A man’s character is most evident by how he treats those who are not in a position either to retaliate or reciprocate.”

This is not to disparage rank; there are reasons for it. It's helpful to have someone in charge who can take responsibility for decisions. I would not do well in an organization where everyone held hands and sang "Kumbaya." But I do not believe rank exists so supervisors can easily identify inferiors whom they can quickly replace if they disagree with them.

I once asked Stephen R. Covey if he ever worked with leaders who sought out his help for their companies but were blind to their own shortcomings. He said, “All the time.”

So if you have an office big enough to host an aerobics class, ask yourself this: Do you treat all the people who work for you with respect, even when you don’t have to? If someone treated you the way you treat others, how would it make you feel? How about the rest of us? Do you know the names of the people who come to your office to pick up the recycling? Are you courteous to the people who serve you at a restaurant or at McDonald's? Do you ever give the boss a sincere compliment? I have it on good authority that a lot of the top dogs have feelings, too.

Don't worry. I don't want us all to start singing. I’m just saying we can find simple and even fun ways to treat each other with respect. I once complained I didn’t get to travel as much as my co-workers, because I liked the cool shower caps at the fancy hotels and the notion of watching TV from bed.

I didn’t get to travel more, but now I have a very impressive collection of shower caps. The travelers started saving them for me. Now I know that next time there is a lice outbreak I’ll be the go-to guy. I will hold the power.

Sometimes that’s all you can hope for, respect in the face of a lice outbreak.

It’s a start.


Steve Eaton, is the director of communications, for the Jon M. Huntsman School or Business. He writes a column for the Deseret News that can be seen here. The above content is a column that originally ran in the Deseret News. It was used with permission from the organization. 
     

Seven Tips for Summer Job Success

Though the summer season brings a celebration of school's end, the hard work has only just begun for many students who work throughout the summer in challenging and career-building jobs and internships.

This change of scenery is an exciting time, but it can also be a crucial learning and networking period in the lives of young professionals who hope for success. So, in order to make the first few days of the new job a successful foundation for the remainder of the summer, and the rest of your career, Vice President of Human Resources at Careerbuilder.com, Rosemary Haefner, suggested a few tips on forbes.com.

1. Dress for success — Although it is usually a good idea to overdress on your first few days, Haefner suggests to be aware of the environment that you will be working in and ask your supervisor what people usually wear. "If you dress to impress," said Haefner, "you probably will."

2. Relax — Try to control nervous habbits, said Haefner. The fear of messing up can inhibit your performance and lessen your credibility, which brings us to the next tip.

3. Be confident — If you believe in yourself, others probably will too. As the old adage goes, fake it til you make it.

4. Communicate — Don't be afraid to ask questions or to share your opinions, Haefner said. If you don't know something or you are unsure, ask. It is better to ask in the beginning and do the rest of the job right, than to not ask and do it incorrectly.

5. Separate your personal and professional lives — Haefner suggested that as a new employee, you show your employer that you want to be there by focusing on your work and limiting the amount of personal calls, emails and breaks that you take.

6. Be innovative and creative — Try to bring something new to the table and don't be afraid to go out on a limb, Haefner said. Remember that sometimes the ideas that may seem crazy are sometimes a stroke of genius.

7. Challenge yourself — Set goals and show those that you work with that you're serious about what you do and want to succeed. People that you work with are willing to help you in achieving those goals and helping bring excellence to the company.

— Allie Jeppson
     Communication Specialist
     Jon M. Huntsman School of Business

An Extra Penny in the Piggy Bank

As college students, we have a notorious reputation for being poor and therefore, cheap. The main reason for this stigma is because the incredibly high costs of attending school easily empties our pockets of just about everything that we own. While this cost is something that we are willing to pay in exchange for a stable and well-paying job in the future, there are a number of things that we can do now to be wise with the money that we do have and live a financially stable life. 

1. Be aware of your money. 

The biggest financial struggle that I have maintained since I was a freshman two and a half years ago, is not being lazy with my money. At this point in time we only have ourselves to support and this makes it so easy to carelessly spend our money. If you're anything like me, you'll spend on useless and unnecessary items until before you know it, you're money is gone and you can't even recall where it all went. This terrible habit of being lazy with money will come back and bite me in the rear one day, which is why I suggest that the first step to being a financially responsible adult is to be aware of your money and be cautious with it. This leads to step number 2. 

2. Create a Budget

This is another thing that I have tried and failed to do many times. I understand the importance of a budget but as mentioned above, I get lazy and fail to track my income and expenses. Sticking to a personalized budget, however, will help to create an awareness of money and will help you to be cautious of it. Strategically budgeting and saving your money, will also help you to maximize the money that you have and be wise with it. 

It's obvious that i'm not the budgeting queen, but the advice given in this article on financialnut.com really helped me with creating an effective budget. 

3. Understand the difference between needs and wants

Yet another thing that I have a hard time with, but this tip is vital to being money smart. Because I only provide for myself right now, I have been able to pay for both my needs and most of my wants. But as I get older and progress in society, there are more things that I am financially responsible for. These things come before the cute shirt that I would like to reward myself with or going out to the movies on the weekend. Unfortunately spending our money on our needs isn't quite as much fun as spending on our wants, but it will create a stability that will allow for "fun spending" in the future. 

While college is a fun, exciting time of life, it is also a transitory state and managing money wisely is one of the best ways to become successful in life. As Jack Hurley once said, "Every young man (or woman) should have a hobby. Learning how to handle money is the best one."

For more tips on becoming financially responsible, click here. 

— Allie Jeppson

Cultivating Creativity

Business leaders often tell us to “think big,” “think outside the box,” “be different,” and so on. From my experience, I think that is easier said than done. When I try so hard to be creative, I ended up being frustrated and disappointed in myself because everything that comes to mind doesn’t seem to “make sense.” I realized, however, that not everything should necessarily make sense at first. Many creative ideas start off by not making sense. The distinguishing factor for a creative idea lies in people themselves. 

People who have the courage to step out of their comfort zones to take “the road less traveled” and think of something that may sound ridiculous to other people. They don’t get discouraged when others scoff at their ideas. Instead, they persist through challenging times.

In business, creativity is part of the organization, regardless of whether we like it or not. We need to come up with ideas for business strategies, start-up companies, branding, marketing and the list goes on and on. That is why creativity is such an important asset and skill for businessmen and women.

Here are some things that I found helpful in cultivating creativity:

Brainstorming — When in a large room full of people, we have the opportunity to interact and share ideas with each other. With many working minds, those ideas can lead to something great. Granted, some people are extroverts, while others are introverts and the introverts probably work better when they have some alone time. What they can do is list ideas that they have and bring them to the table during brainstorming sessions. There should not be any judgment during this time and everyone should be allowed to speak freely without any restrictions.

Sleep on it — My “A-HA” moment sometimes comes when I am well rested. When we are too tired, sleepy, hungry, or worse, all of the above, our brains sometimes don’t work, nothing comes to mind and we lack enthusiasm to come up with ideas. It is important to sustain ourselves with adequate food and sleep.

Seek inspiration from your surroundings — There are many things that could spark creativity: the media, the people that we talk to, nature, and even our very own office. We just need to look at things from a different perspective and find things that can benefit others. This can be difficult, even for me, but practice makes perfect.

 An article from entrepreneur.com provides more exercises to boost creativity. 

— Nadiah Johari

Love in the Workplace? Absurd.

Many of us, while we have an appreciation for this day they call Valentine's Day, may not take it quite as seriously as other holidays like Christmas or New Years, because unlike those days, life doesn't stop for this lovey-dovey holiday. Stores don't close down, school is still in session, and work continues onward. Valentine's day is often celebrated outside of these endeavors because at an adult age, celebrating love with your classmates and co-workers just isn't deemed quite "appropriate." 

What many of us fail to understand is that love is actually a vital part of the workplace. Its presence is needed there, as much as anywhere else in our lives, so that we, the workers, can enjoy what we do and feel good about our time there. 

Now, I'm not saying that we all need to skip across the office hugging each and every co-worker while emphatically proclaiming our love, but I am suggesting that we hold a deeper appreciation for those that we work with. 

Dr. Paul J. Zak, a neuroeconomist at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, Calif. suggests in an article on Psychology Today that love should be a management policy. 

"The essence of love is putting another person before oneself," he states in the article. "Think about that for a minute. Do we need to love those we work with? Imagine the CEO of a distressed company who refuses his or her multimillion-dollar bonus so that one thousand employees would not be laid off. That would be love. How about an employee who agrees to work late so someone can go home early to care for a sick child? That would be love. Or, an employee who drops off a forgotten package to a customer's home after leaving work? That would be love."

When we are loved, we naturally love in return, Dr. Zak adds. 

Ok great, but why does this even matter? What does any of this have to do with the actual work that we're all doing? 

Dr. Zak states that "love is the foundation for trust," and companies that manage with love, build better trust, and better trust in the workplace results in higher employee productivity and morale, lower employee turnover, fewer sick days and more returning customers. An overall more profitable company. 

So this Valentine's Day, try implementing a little love into your work and who knows, maybe it will change your world. 

— Allie Jeppson