All posts by Keith Thompson

Past success does not guarantee future success

Career

The theme of this blog post applies to business and just about every other area in your life. Let me give you a few examples. Just because your car drove good yesterday, doesn’t mean it will drive good today; just because you were in health yesterday, doesn’t mean you will be so today; just because your job was going well yesterday, doesn’t mean it will go well today; just because you made a sale yesterday, doesn’t mean you will make another one; just because your family relationships were good yesterday etc. etc. You get the idea. The point is, life takes constant work.

I read a great business piece yesterday on Nordstrom department store and the family that started it. The business was started in 1901 by Elmer Nordstrom in Seattle. It started as a shoe store. Today, four generations later, the company is led by three co-presidents who are the great grandsons of Elmer Nordstrom.

One of the younger Nordstrom’s was being interviewed recently and he said something that really hit home for me. He said, “one hundred fourteen years of business success does not guarantee tomorrow.”

That is pretty profound if you take into consideration that this younger Nordstrom has only known success. He hasn’t seen a failure and to have that mindset is very mature and very spot on for a leader. When I think of this subject, I think of all manner of businesses from car dealers, retailers, airlines, hotels, manufacturers, restaurants, developers, etc., that are no longer even in business. There are of course mitigating circumstances with every situation but a general theme is that the business leader in charge, thought that past success would guarantee future success and therefore they didn’t need to stay with the times and stay relevant.

If a business is going to stay in business, it must evolve, grow, change and keep improving. I look at our business of selling hotels. It really doesn’t matter how many hotels we have sold in the past because if we don’t stay sharp, there is no guarantee we will sell any more. Business seems to be like that.

As I thought about this I realized that it also applies to family, spouses, health, finances, education, and even my car. I came away thinking that it really applies to most areas of all of our lives.

I heard a guy say one time that the person you will be in 5 years will be largely impacted by the books you read and the people you associate with. I’m not sure it is that simple, but it’s a good place to start. KT

Setting a goal too big

Life

One of the main criteria for a goal or objective is to make sure it is achievable. If it is not achievable, the goal is worthless.

Let’s say my physical goal was to be 175 lbs., wear a size 32 waist, be able to bench twice my body weight and do 50 pullups from the hanging position.

That would be a great goal to paste on my mirror but it would be meaningless to me because it is unachievable. Now if my goal was to weigh 190, be able to run a 10k under an hour and bike a century (100 miles.) Now that may actually be achievable at my age. Certainly does not describe the current state of conditioning (ha) but it would be achievable. Now if I was going to win a 67 Shelby Mustang upon accomplishment of those goals, I would probably be driving the Shelby within 3 months. Why, because that would really motivate me.

Goals or objectives apply to health, family, career, finances, education, relationships and many other areas of life. My point is, for a goal or objective to be worth striving for, the goal or objective must be definable and achievable. If you cannot define it, you will never achieve it, because you will never know if you reached it.

As we go into the end of the year when many people are thinking about changes in 2016, my philosophy is to keep it simple, be able to define it and make it achievable. Happy holidays. KT

My friend Joe and being thankful

Family, Life

Earlier this year I told you about my friend Joe who is 52 years old and was waiting for a heart transplant. The doctors had done all they could and his body was swelling so badly he couldn’t leave the house.

I want to tell you about Joe’s progress. Late spring he got the call from the hospital and was told to be there in two hours. He had heart and lung transplant. Two weeks ago I was thinking about him so I called him on his cell phone. When he answers, I hear road noise in the background and music playing. He and his wife were driving back from Vermont after spending time with their family. He was so happy on the phone.

I wanted to shed a tear for Joe because he was ok.

This Thanksgiving I would ask you to think about what are you thankful for and what is standing in your way of being thankful and full of joy. KT

Picking teams on the play ground

Life

You remember when you were in grade school and all the kids would line up for two teams. There would be two captains chosen who would then pick the teams. As the picking process would happen there were always the ones that were picked toward the end. The captains were the popular kids and they would pick their friends first and the ones picked toward the end were usually the little skinny kids that wore glasses and were a little shy. This would happen on baseball fields, play grounds and basketball courts all over America.

Well I was one of the last ones usually picked because I was little, skinny, shy and I wore glasses. Ha

So here I am the other day at the Cross-fit gym right back in grade school. I joined the Cross-fit gym a month ago and they have these endurance sessions that usually last 15 minutes and there is a series of lifting and exercise things you have to complete. Just like every gym, there are the “max flex” guys that live for the gym and like to walk around like strutting peacocks showing off their bods. Honestly,,,, if I had a bod like that, I might just be tempted to stud around also. Ha

So we have to team up for these exercises and wouldn’t you know, I got picked last. I am a good 20 years older in the class than all the max flex guys and girls in spandex shorts that are 2 sizes too small. I am the old guy, I was last to be picked. It was like school all over again. It’s hard to get energized if you get picked last. It’s like batting first in the baseball game when you were picked last. You aren’t batting first because you are good, rather you are batting first so they can get you out of the way early.

What does all this mean in life? I frankly have no idea. Ha. KT

Being thankful

Family, Life

I cannot tell you how thankful I am. Yesterday I was driving with the heated seat on, listening to Christmas music, looking at the remaining leaves and drinking Starbucks coffee. These things alone did not make me thankful but add in that my family is happy and healthy and yes, I had me a thankful, grateful, joyful and humbling moment.

Sunday at church the message was on the story of the prodigal son. At the end of the service the pastor ask anyone that is the prodigal or dealing with a prodigal, to come forward. Our church is large and the sanctuary sits a couple thousand people. When the pastor said this, it looked like half of the people in the sanctuary got up to come forward. I had another thankful moment right then because we were not standing up to walk down.

Our children are here and they are near. What an incredible blessing as a dad to know my baby girls are doing well and have married fine fine men and are handling life well.

So yes, I am a thankful man and a very blessed man. KT