Rotary Recap 6.11.2014

 
Our Rotary program today was a joint venture with the Louisburg Chamber of Commerce, featuring Jim McGraw, the former Chief Operating Officer of Marion Laboratories. The 82-year-old right hand man to Ewing Kauffman is passionate about sharing his mentor's legacy, and he does with aplomb. If you take nothing else from his presentation, you will take this - "Put more life in your life - be kind"
 
 
He stated at the beginning of his presentation that while most of what he had to say would seem like common sense, the basic fundamentals of kindness, integrity and empathy are often overlooked or neglected in our fast-paced society. For "Mr. K," it was simple. For Jim, it's simple. For us, it should be simple.
  1. Treat others how you want to be treated
  2. Share the results with those who produce the results
  3. Share success with everyone
In the 1980's and 90's Marion Laboratories was one of the top 100 companies to work for, "it was considered the Apple Computer of the day," Jim said. All of that success was tied directly to Mr. K's leadership and ingenuity. He knew how to develop and achieve success and he did it with honor and integrity with faith in his team. "He wanted to be a MACRO leader, not a MICRO manager." In doing so, he provided clarity:
  1. Clarity of Direction - focus on 5 or 6 objectives and make them clear and specific
  2. Clarity of Organization - hire the best and make sure their values reflect the values of the organization so that everyone wants the same thing
  3. Clarity of Measurement - always know where you are and where you are headed
Communication is essential for success. Jim said running a business is like running a marriage, you have to have excellence in both communication and teamwork and you have to be empathetic, "you need to always view everything through the other person's mind." Above all, the skill of persuasion is invaluable - we're all in sales, selling ideas and concepts every second of every day. It is rare that ideas are sold immediately - progress takes time and energy. Give people a motive to buy:
  • Gain
  • Security
  • Pride
  • Convenience
And then give them what you're promising. Image is everything and can be destroyed in 30 seconds with careless mishandling. Being kind - having sincere feelings toward others - will always be the best way to achieve a positive image, benefits, integrity, honor and success. Ewing Kauffman's competitive spirit is what drove him - his empathetic nature and his kindness secured his success.
 
In Other News:
  • Doc Hollywood won T-Bones Tickets
  • Bob Nauman won the autographed Chiefs photograph
  • Deacon George won a centerpiece to take home to his lovely bride