Monday, May 6, 2013

Putting the Circle of Influence into Action

When I first heard of the Circle of Influence I was working for Frito Lay. I'd just taken a position that moved us from Dallas to northeast PA where I would be in charge of several logistics locations. One of our locations was based in south eastern New York State. It was a problem child for the company.

Before leaving Dallas for my new assignment my bosses bosses boss called me in for an early morning meeting to discuss the problem. He told me that the particular site in New York had been having union elections for the Teamsters every year for the past four years. It was costing the company over a $100k a year to fend them off. His message was simple. "Kugler, I don't care what it costs me, never have another union election again". That was pretty straight forward.

My Dallas boss gave me some parting advice. He said, "Call Stephen Covey, he'll advise you on how to do that". At the time I hadn't heard of Stephen so I checked him out. At the time Stephen was getting $10k a day to come and advise so I opted for his number 2, the late Blaine Lee. He flew up to meet me the next week.

Over breakfast I explained my 'problem' and Blaine listened intently. At the end of breakfast he said, "Do you know what your problem is?" I said, "No, thats why you're here". He took out a new napkin from the table and looked at me, as if to say, 'hope you can take this?. He drew two circles. A large one and a smaller one inside the large one. Then a painful, life changing lesson began.

He looked me in the eye and asked, "tell me once again why you have union elections every year". So I began my littany of what were excuses. I said our rotten HR (Human Resources) department always rides in on their white horses and saves the day creating Pavlov's Dog for next year. I told him of HR's lack of support for logistics and their lack of interest in logistics until something happens. I went on and on and on as I had all during breakfast.

Each time I told him one of my many excuses he would put an X in the outside ring. After some time of my ranting he stopped and said, "You see these X's?" I said I did. He said all those problem you describe are interesting but not relevent. He taught me that while each of those things may be true, which he doubted, they weren't relevent because I had no control over them. I was not working within my circle of influence.

Then he forced me to answer for what I could do. What was in my circle of influence? I would answer and for some time there was another X in the outside cirlce. Finally at his urging as to what I could do to have a better relationship with our HR folks I said, "Eventhough they do not come to our driver meetings on Saturdays I could have minutes of the meeting and take them over, sit down and review them". I finally got an X in the inside box. I began that day to learn. It was a painful lesson.

Blaine said to me, "You're the problem". He meant just not me but prior logistics management at that location because we always saw the problem as being 'out there' and not in our control. That single lesson I took to heart. Over the next four years we did not have an election and my relationship with HR locally and in headquarters was changed completely. Where there was no trust there was high trust. And you know what, the only thing that changed was me!

Each of us needs to apply this lesson to our present circumstances. Each of us needs to look in the mirror and be honest about what we have been doing about America's problem. What role did we have to play in America's current demise. For instance, the fact that we have a Congress full of elitist who think they are above us ... is interesting, but not relevent. What is relevent is what we can do about it. What is in your circle of influence?

For starters did you vote in the last election for Congress? Did you support the opponent of the elitist in your area? Do you pray every day, morning noon and night for this great nation? Those are all things that are in your circle of influence where we can make a difference and not an excuse. If we want to be ready for the new America ... we must learn to operate every day within our circle of influence and become part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Remember, one person can make a difference. If it is to be ... it's up to me!

For a better tomorrow ...

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