DOTTIE WALTERS' SPEAK & GROW RICH
Monthly E-News

January 2005

Dottie Walters' Speak and Grow Rich - January 13, 2005
eNews for Professional Speakers, Authors, and Consultants
From the Publishers of Sharing Ideas Newsmagazine
http://speakandgrowrich.com
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In this issue...
1. Exclusive Interview with Celebrity Speaker and Author, Harvey Mackay
2. Upcoming events with Dottie Walters
3. More resources for Speakers, Authors, and Consultants
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"Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart." - Confucius
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Dottie Walters' Sharing Ideas Newsmagazine
Exclusive Interview With Celebrity Speaker and Author - Harvey Mackay

Over the years Harvey Mackay has earned the well-deserved title of "Most popular business speaker in America." His famous presentations on attaining success are highly entertaining, inspiring and effective. Understandably, Harvey is the most sought-after and quoted speaker by Fortune 500 companies. His books have sold over 8 million copies, including the groundbreaking Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive which stood atop the New York Times bestseller list for a whopping 54 weeks. His nationally syndicated business column appears in 52 publications. In addition, Toastmasters International honored Harvey as one of the top five speakers in the world. In his new book, We Got Fired…And It’s the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Us Harvey interviewed 29 of America’s best and brightest who tell us in their own words how they bounced back.
We Got Fired became the #1 New York Times bestseller on November 7, 2004.
http://www.mackay.com

Welcome Back to Sharing Ideas, Harvey!

Q: How did you come to write this book, Harvey? Can you tell us about your own experience of being fired?

A: For the past 35 years I have had an avocation of counseling people on what to do with their careers. I continue to counsel college graduates and
seasoned professionals, many of whom are victims of firings, layoffs, mergers and acquisitions, consolidations, downsizings and rightsizings. There is a national funeral going on in our country. And here are the stats … in a three-year period from 1999 to 2001, 4 million Americans lost their jobs, and these were jobs they held for at least three years. The average college graduate today will have 10-12 job changes and 3-5 career changes during their lifetime.

I was fired as a teenager from a clothing store in St. Paul, Minn. when I
asked for too much time off to play in golf tournaments. My father, who headed the Associated Press in St. Paul, used his connections to get me the job. I embarrassed him and myself and shamed the Mackay name. Being fired was invaluable tuition in the school of hard knocks.

Q: With whose story do you most identify? Is there any common theme to these stories?

A: Quite frankly I identify with virtually all of the 29 interview chapters,
but if I had to pick one, I would pick Robert Redford. When I asked him if he
was ever fired, he told me "I’ve been fired from every job I’ve ever held."
And the reason he gave me was that he was always in the wrong job. In short, find something you love to do and you’ll never have to work a day in your life. To paraphrase Redford, he believes that if you want to triple your success rate, you have to triple your failure rate. In other words, sometimes it’s risky not to take a risk.

There are many common themes. The majority of people thought they fired the wrong person. Their initial reaction was to get even. They would immediately run to a lawyer and start a lawsuit. The quicker they got over their bitterness, the faster they landed on their feet.

Q: What is the best way to combat the negativity everyone feels after being fired?

A: Know that rejection is a part of life, and especially in very competitive
situations. You hopefully have a kitchen cabinet in place to rely on
constant, immediate, unfiltered feedback from trusted friends. It’s virtually
impossible to make sound decisions when you are emotionally distraught and under intense pressure. Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.

Q: What one thing should we do right after we get fired? How important is networking in finding a new job?

A:If you can afford several weeks off or more without a paycheck, take
inventory of yourself and your life. You are not out to connect the dots but think with all the vision you can muster as to what to do with your life. If you can’t afford to take the time off, the best philosophy is to react as if you were thrown from a horse. You want to get back up on the animal as quickly as possible.

Networking is virtually everything. If I had to name the single
characteristic shared by all the truly successful people I’ve met over a lifetime, I’d say it is the ability to create and nurture a network of contacts. The cold hard stats are that 70 percent of all jobs are found through networking.

Q: What lessons can we learn from being fired?

When you’re fired, you’re rejected. So if you want to beat rejection,
remember these tips:
 
-If you are fired, you are not a failure. You are only a failure if you fail to learn something from your firing.

-Don’t take it personally. It doesn’t say you’re bad. It says somebody
thinks you’re not good enough.

-Don’t waste time on bitterness. It will hurt you more than anyone else and hold you back from moving on with your life.

-Do not burn your bridges unless you’re a darn good swimmer. Lou Holtz’s ability to maintain a civil relationship with Frank Broyles, the Arkansas athletic director who fired him, enabled him to get the recommendation to land his dream job at Notre Dame.

-Don’t let go of your dreams.

-Don’t wallow in failure. You can’t saw sawdust. Don’t cry over spilled
milk. Get on with your life.

- Adopt a kitchen cabinet. It’s good to have a positive group of colleagues that you trust, some of whom are or have gone through the same thing you are. They also help with your decision-making in an emotional time.

Q: What advice can you offer to people who have bounced around from job to job without finding anything they are truly passionate about?

A:There are wonderful career managers to seek out in your own communities. As I mentioned earlier, create a kitchen cabinet, which should be comprised of trusted friends who will not tell you what you want to hear, but tell you the way it is.

Q: With so many jobs lost to downsizing and offshoring, should people change careers and retrain for growth industries outside their chosen fields?

A:That depends on your dreams. I advise people to seek their dreams.
However, the facts are that the average college graduate will have 10-12 job changes and 3-5 career changes in their lifetime. You should seek continuous education all of your life. The more things you can do, the more marketable and valuable you will be.

Q: Billie Jean King is someone who has always pushed the envelope. What lessons should we learn from her experiences?

A: Billie Jean was a tremendous interview for the book. She tells it like it
is. Before we get to her advice, I’d like to share a defining story about
Billie Jean. She was 12-years-old and playing in her first sanctioned tennis
tournament. She didn’t know all the rules – that liners (balls that land on
the line) are in and that you play the best of three sets. She also was
unfamiliar that girls had to wear a tennis skirt or dress. Billie Jean showed up clean as a whistle in a pair of lily-white tennis shorts made by her mother. She was allowed to play but couldn’t appear in the team photo. The upsetting experience made her determined to change tennis, women’s sports and society.

Billie Jean’s advice is:
 
-Adopt many role models.
 
-Have faith and believe in yourself. Don’t take things so personally. Make the hard decisions you need to make – even if some people disapprove – and move on.
 
-Champion others. Mentor someone.
 
-Don’t be afraid to ask for help. This was one of my weaknesses. I was
embarrassed to ask, but I’ve learned that people want to help.
 
-Develop skills and try your best. Girls often keep themselves poor. They think someone will take care of them. Make sure you understand how money works, and that you can earn a living for yourself if you need to.
 
-Understand delayed gratification. We live in a society of instant rewards. You must learn your craft and earn what you get. It takes a lot of work and sweat, but you have to be willing to pay the price.
 
-It’s ok to feel what you’re feeling. Don’t deny it or it will stay with
you. Nobody likes to feel hurt or terrified or embarrassed, but that’s part of taking a risk. Ask yourself: How will you feel if you don’t take a risk?

Q: What was it like to talk about firing to the master of firing, Donald
Trump? Do you have your own technique for firing someone?

A: First of all, my philosophy on firing is the same as Donald Trump’s:
"It’s not the people you fire who make your life miserable. It’s the people you don’t fire who make your life miserable.

As to my technique, I firmly believe when firing another human being, you
must be compassionate, sincere, understanding and helpful. This is exactly
contrary to how Trump feels about the people he fires. He says, "Whenever you fire someone, the result is always the same. They will hate you."

Q: What can people do to become more aware of their strengths and weaknesses?

A: I’m a firm believer in going to industrial psychologists to find your
strengths and weaknesses. They can help you find something you love to do and then you will never have to work a day in your life.

Q: What are the telltale signs that the curtain may be coming down on your career?

I call it: "The Chill is on." You always must have antennae up and be on
the lookout for signs, such as:
 
-You're no longer invited to meetings you were always invited to.
 
-One of your subordinates is now being invited to attend meetings that they were never invited to before . . . and you didn't do the inviting.
 
-Your boss is seen having lunch or dinner at a restaurant with a manager from a competitor who is about on your career level.
 
-You are relocated to a new office space, which is more distant from the power base of your department.
 
-Your operational duties are cut back and you are given assignments that are less urgent or "more strategic" in nature.
 
-Your reporting relationship is changed to a more junior manager or to a manager with a reputation for taking tough actions - especially difficult personnel decisions.
 
-Your boss reduces the frequency or length of regular meetings with you.

-Your regular performance review is postponed . . . or suddenly rescheduled and made urgent.
 
-A committee is formed to restructure the company or your department, and you are not a member of it.
 
- Your boss has a sudden, unexplained interest as to the names and numbers in your Rolodex or computer.
 
-You are no longer copied on important e-mails, memos, and reports - especially those that could be significant to competitors.
 
-Your boss suddenly wants to meet with you away from the office for a chance to have a leisurely discussion.

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Upcoming Events with Dottie Walters
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New TeleSemeninar by Dottie Walters!
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Upcoming Speak and Grow Rich Master Weekend Schedule:
January 29-30, 2005 Glendora, CA (626) 335-8069
March 12-13, 2005 Glendora, CA (626) 335-8069
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Best wishes for your success!
Dottie Walters, CSP
International Speaker, Author, Consultant
Author Highest Rated book In THE Speaking WORLD, SPEAK & GROW RICH
Publisher/Editor: SHARING IDEAS newsmagazine, 25th year of publication
President/CEO, Walters International Speakers Bureau
Publisher, International Directory of Speakers Bureaus
Founder, International Association of Speakers Bureau Owners, IASB
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