Interview on DISC, Entrepreneurship and Culture

Posted by & filed under Business Culture, Vision.

John Ruh was recently interviewed by Jim Waszak, co-host of Seize Your Business. In the pilot episode of this business focused video series, John explains how DISC supports successful entrepreneurship, culture and how to define your niche market. 

Throughout the interview, John offers practical advice on business, DISC and leadership styles.  Some of the key highlights of the interview are noted below.  We hope you enjoy this interview.

:57 – John’s 3 key elements for success in business

2:40  –  How culture can impact your success in business

4:28 – Avoiding the “details trap”

5:41 – The 3 things critical for business success

6:49 – Finding your natural leadership style

 

Read more about DISC and our DISC consulting services in Chicago.

Special Event – Learning How to Bench Your Ego

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.

Bench Your EgoWhat: Learning How to Bench Your Ego
When / Where: Date and place to be determined based on what works best for interested leaders
Cost: Be our guest!
Format: Interactive facilitated conversation
RSVP: Email us now if interested at john@johnruh.com

Support: Read the following links:

  • Are You Chasing Your Tail?
    This article talks about the professional development of yourself and how to best eliminate decisions based off your Ego and continuously improve yourself and your business.
  • Ignorance to Arrogance
    Understand how to increase your ability to master your craft but also reduce your stress dramatically.

Our Promise: An opportunity to start the process of understanding, accepting and supporting your ego right.

Need more Information or want a customized event for your team: Call John at his cell number 773-641-9631 or email him at john@johnruh.com.

Continuous Improvement and You

Posted by & filed under Continuous Improvement.

 

Where is the best place to start with continuous improvement?

With yourself! Most of us want to start with projects outside ourselves which may be very important. However, to ensure that continuous improvement becomes a habit, you need to start with yourself!

Why?

Change or die! Now that sounds dramatic, but the evidence is overwhelming that businesses and individuals that do not change end up becoming obsolete. Your company, department and individual game needs to be built on this concept. You must do what is needed to grow and prosper or you not only are killing your potential success but creating unnecessary stress in your life. All “good to great” companies and high performance individuals are in an on-going state of continuous improvement.

How to do it?

We suggest you start by answering these 3 questions to improve your business:

  1. What does continuous improvement mean to you?
  2. Why bother with continuous improvement when we have lots of real work to do?
  3. What are the next steps we need to take to make continuous improvement a habit?

OUR SUPPORT To Improve Your Business

  1. Go to johnruh.com and read the blogs under continuous improvement
  2. Call us and we will facilitate a discussion at your company around the above three questions (60-75 minutes at no charge)
  3. Meet with one of our Continuous Improvement leaders to discuss your culture and what it takes to make continuous improvement a core value.

Ignorance to Arrogance

Posted by & filed under Leadership, Professional Development.

Ignorance to ArroganceWe come into the world totally vulnerable, unable to walk, talk, read, or write and without the skills to support ourselves. We spend years in school to lose our ignorance (the word has an ugly connotation, but it is just not knowing), training to become capable, productive citizens. A select few become highly skilled at their craft and in many cases become quite successful.

For many of us, inordinate success leads one down a path of arrogance (another ugly word). In our society, many of us identify ourselves with our role in life and/or successes. We often become full of ourselves. Most of us are ego centric, which is not necessarily bad, providing we have some controls in place.

What is the Point?

If you relate to this, learning about the nature of your ego and how to bench it can help you be more successful and less stressed in your busy life. It will take some work on your part, for it requires learning to understand, accept and to support your operating ego, as Dr. Hal Stone so brilliantly calls it. When one learns how to do this he/she now has something very few unaware people feel they have…choices! For those who really get to know themselves, their level of stress is reduced dramatically as they see how their operating ego is creating the stress they complain about. For me, this benefit is beyond any monetary rewards.

Our Support Improve Your Business

One free session with you to discuss this and how to support you at learning how to bench your ego. This can not only increase your ability to master your craft but also reduce your stress dramatically.

Call 773-775-6636 or email today to learn how we can support your business!

Recruiting Like a Pro

Posted by & filed under Recruiting.

What is it?
Why bother?
How does it work?

Recruiting Like a Pro is a program where recruiting is made a priority and ongoing process. This is the way all sports teams and the best companies recruit. It is built on the premise that you can never stop growing your leadership team and adding the right role players. Even if you have a great culture, great programs and great processes you need exceptional employees to be successful.

Why bother?

  1. Your survival depends on it. You must have an inside/outside leadership team that looks ahead instead of just doing day to day tactical work.
  2. You need to recruit like the pro’s do to assemble the best leadership you can afford.
  3. When this is working you can eliminate your number 1 cost item…keeping people whose cost exceeds their value.
  4. Your managers will never replace or push your 4, 5, 6 performers until they know they can find a 8, 9 or 10 that fits your culture.

How does it work?
There is a 5 step process that, when followed, increases your likelihood of being successful. You must be open to finding only people that are both qualified but also align with your culture. It will teach you how to do culture based interviewing that increases the likelihood of finding an 8, 9 or 10 that fits into your way of doing business.

Free Offer:
A one-time, one-hour session with you and your team on the “Recruiting like a Pro Paradigm” and how to do culture based recruiting and interviewing. Call 773-775-6636 or send us an email.

What I Consider as the 3 Top Leadership Challenges

Posted by & filed under Leadership.

  1. Challenges AheadPeople either don’t have a vision or their self-image will not allow it to become a reality.
    Some notable examples of those with both vision and self-image include Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Steve Jobs and Henry Ford. Every one of these examples had a vision that they owned, and, equally importantly, carried the deep belief that they could and would achieve it. This way of thinking is available to all of us.
    johnruh.com/vision-context-commitment-responsibility/
  2. Learning How to Bench your Ego
    Why: An unchecked ego will eventually drive the car off the cliff since all egos are unconscious, greedy and the source of our suffering.
    johnruh.com/can-you-bench-your-ego/
  3. We really don’t understand ourselves therefore we can’t accept or support ourselves.
    johnruh.com/are-you-chasing-your-tail/

What do you think? Please call 773-641-9631 or email your thoughts.

P.S. One time offer. A mini session (75 minutes) with you and/or your leadership team on your top leadership challenges.

Bruce Lund on the Beginner’s Mind

Posted by & filed under Continuous Improvement, Leadership, Professional Development.

Bruce Lund is the owner/founder of Lund and Company Innovation, a toy design (Inventors of Tickle Me Elmo) and product invention company (www.lundandcompany.com) dedicated to the proposition that toys are profoundly important. Great toys teach, entertain, surprise, inspire and invite inquiry. He began the business on his back porch 25 years ago and now works out of a beautiful new building at 344 Lathrop Avenue in River Forest, IL.

Bruce wrote this blog that I thought you might find it useful. In today’s business climate, many people have become discouraged and this concept (really a model or paradigm) can be useful in helping to break out of the doldrums. I welcome your comments.

Posted March 26, 2009

On the Beginner’s Mind – (Thank you, Mr. John Ruh)

In our work, as John noted yesterday, we have to have the ‘Beginner’s Mind,’ that innocent state of mind – a way of thinking and believing that all things possible. He was right. I had forgotten that term. The Beginner’s Mind does not know what cannot be done, and thus all things become possible.

Typically, as we age and learn we develop this acute sense of what can’t be done, what is impossible. We become clever, logical, and incisive in our thinking and we begin to start demonstrating to others how smart we are at perceiving what won’t work. Most all of the designers I have worked with over these last 25 years have been keen to explain to me why ideas I suggest will not or cannot work. I am always entertained by their explanations and often frustrated, I will admit. But of course, they are on the threshold of discovering the processes of invention. These processes make the unlikely possible, and on occasion, the impossible possible. But only if you can approach the work with the Beginner’s Mind.

When we take on a project that we do not believe can work, we will always be right – and it won’t work. It is a tribute to the designers, inventors, and tinkerers who have been successful contributors to our team that they have been able set aside their inborn, natural critic to undertake projects without pre-judgment of the likely outcome. In doing so, they are often surprised at what they accomplish.

There is a special joy in making something that one didn’t think could be made, in doing something one didn’t believe could be done. We do that time and again because we are willing to believe all things possible with the innocence of thought, the absence of doubt, the suspension of disbelief . . . the Beginner’s Mind.

What is Continuous Improvement?

Posted by & filed under Continuous Improvement.

Continuous Improvement is a context, a belief system and a way of thinking that for some people is foreign. For advocates, it is a conviction or even a core value that always has them always looking for ways to do things more effectively and efficiently.

It is not a destination nor a one-time event. It is a deep awareness of the importance to change and adapt as fast as needed in order to support one’s company, department or individual vision, goals, mission and values.

It is that simple. However, like many simple things, it requires a program, a process and a discipline to make it work correctly and receive full benefits

Our Support

  1. Continuous Improvement CycleOther Blogs On Continuous Improvement
    1. Continuous improvement, continuous improvement, continuous improvement.(johnruh.com/continuous-improvement)
    2. Continuous improvement while staying on track (johnruh.com/continuous-improvement-staying-track/)
    3. What is your continuous improvement Budget (johnruh.com/what-is-your-2017-continuous-improvement-budget/)
    4. Brushing your teeth (johnruh.com/brushing-your-teeth/)
  2. Our proven Continuous Improvement Program that can be easily modified to fit into your way of doing business. Call for a free initial session.

Learning How To Bench Our Ego

Posted by & filed under Leadership, Professional Development.

Learning How To Bench Our EgoSpeaking leader to leader, we must:

  • Understand the nature of our ego
    This, to a great extent, determines our natural leadership style.
  • Accept the nature of our ego
    This means accepting both what you like and don’t like and recognizing what is real. Acceptance comes from the heart not the head.
  • Support our ego right
    This is complicated and a moving target, but great results are the by-product of having the proper support. This includes having the right Programs, Processes and/or People we need to support our work and personal life so our vision and goals are alive and well.

Our Support

  1. Read “Chasing Your Tail” a free blog at johnruh.com/are-you-chasing-your-tail/.
  2. Read Phil Jackson’s book, 11 Rings which is a great book on this subject and leadership/coaching in general (as well as a fun sports book) or ask us for our book summary.
  3. Be on the lookout for our upcoming Blog on How to Bench Your Ego. Can’t wait? Call/email John now at 773-641-9631.

PS: Think about it. How can you accept and support yourself if you don’t really understand yourself? We need to first to understand and accept yourself, and then to have a continuous improvement program in place to grow ourselves. It’s everyone’s job, like brushing one’s teeth (https://johnruh.com/brushing-your-teeth/).

PPS: Call Darlene at 773-775-6636 or email me (john@johnruh.com) and ask for a free management/leadership or sales profile (one per company) to start this continuous process on yourself.

 

Can You Bench Your Ego?

Posted by & filed under Leadership, Professional Development.

Bench Your EgoIf you don’t believe you have an ego you really don’t understand yourself. And, if you don’t understand yourself, you cannot accept yourself. And if you don’t accept yourself you will have trouble creating the support you need to keep your goals alive and well. If learning more about this intrigues you continue reading. If not, this is a good place to stop.

If you’re still reading, try this exercise. Just for a moment accept that how you answer the question, “I am__________” defines your ego or your internal self- image. I interviewed Randy Brown, who played on three championship teams with Phil Jackson’s Chicago Bulls and he told me that Phil told all the players they had to “bench their ego.” That all players on the team were leaders and needed to know their role.

I discuss the best way I know to do this in the following article. Stop Chasing Your Tail (johnruh.com/are-you-chasing-your-tail/).

Would you like to delve deeper into this topic? Call me at 773-641-9631 and we can discuss how you, as a leader, can start the process of supporting yourself right and learning how to use all aspects of your ego wisely and effectively.

P.S. Phil Jackson’s book 11 Rings is a superior book on this subject and also a fun sports read. If you want to learn more about it email at John@johnruh.com for our book summary.