Costco Connection - October 2006

ical analysis.” It also came from sitting in the public restroom during the breaks in my program listening to what people really think about my speeches!

CC Were there any stories that really struck a chord with you?

SC Yes. One was from a prisoner who was writing from his jail cell. The number-one problem in jails is that people don’t take responsibility. They’re always in a blaming mode: I am a victim of society, it’s my parents’ fault, the system is unjust, I’m innocent, and so forth. Well, he goes through this internal struggle and accepts responsibility. Then he begins the process of rebuilding his life. Until a person says, “I am what I am because I really chose to be like this,” the person can’t say, “I choose to be different.”

That is a tough one because emotionally you are really at risk—you are really exposed. Think of all of the rationalization, the years, you’ve put into the other mind frame. But then you realize, “Look at the freedom and the liberty I have.” So, even though he was in jail, he became free.

CC Many of the stories in the book seem to involve something you call an “inside-out struggle.” Can you tell us more about this? SC That is almost the universal element of these stories: an inside-out struggle. Can I do this? Do I really want to do this? Will it succeed? Will it work? How can I do it? It’s a competency issue, it’s a character issue, it’s a scripting issue. And people have to go deep inside and get reflective, which is contrary to the Western mind, to ask the deeper questions.

CC Any other stories from the book that moved you?

SC Colin Hall, for me, is the most powerful story in the book. Here is a guy who heads up one of the largest retail organizations in South Africa, with several million dollars in revenue. He’s an attorney, highly competent, skilled, power-hungry, money-grabbing—the whole thing. One day he is playing Monopoly with his son. He doesn’t only beat his son, but he proceeds to really pile it on. His son looks at him and says, “Father, it’s only a game.”

He asks himself: “What has become of me?” Then he goes deep inside himself and he begins to explore every rationalization—which means those lies that you tell yourself, rational

lies—and explores them in depth, tears them apart, and finally concludes apartheid is wrong. I guess that is the main thing I gained from the book: a tremendous reverence for the power inside people.

CC A lot of entrepreneurs read The Connection. Any specific advice for them? SC I find the major issue for entrepreneurs is life balance. They don’t think “ interdependently.” Their primary language is independence and making “it” happen. They can be so immersed in the thick of their business that they neglect their teenage son or mess up their marriage. They need to have balance in their lives. They need to be empowered to create a team at work that can compensate for their weaknesses and optimize their strengths. For example, I’m a visionary guy. That’s why I need lots of practical people around me.

CC You’ve also written a book on time management, First Things First (Simon & Shuster, 1994). What did you learn while writing this book? SC I learned to not get hung up on the minutiae. Don’t get schedule-oriented; instead, be princi-ple-oriented. Have schedules, but keep them soft so you have plenty of time for spontaneity, your children, your family, and one-on-one time with the key people in your business. Those are the key elements that have high leverage.

CC In addition to The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Living the 7 Habits, The Nature of Leadership (Franklin Covey, 1998), you are also a very sought-after speaker and consultant. How do you keep on top of all the things you are involved with? SC I take a weekly view. Some people like the daily basis better, but I like the context of a week. This allows you to look at each of your roles and how you are going to attend to each one of them. I just did it this morning for this coming week. I thought it through: What is my family role, what is my role as a community servant, what is my role in the church work, what is my role as the co-chairman of this company? Remember: The planning process is invaluable, but plans are worthless.

CC We’re only a few months away from the millennium. What are your thoughts on the year 2000? SC I think that it’s a unique psychological win-

dow for people to both reflect and to think ahead—to visualize and to envision the future. It’s a perfect time to reinvent yourself. And what an opportunity as we move into the new millennium to write a new script for yourself. It shouldn’t be rushed; you have months to prepare. That’s why most New Year’s resolutions never work, because they’re rushed, then they are forgotten within a few days.

You have to get all systems to say “go” inside yourself. It’s also important to think interdependently. Otherwise, it’s like playing tennis with a golf club. You can do it, but imagine what your serve will look like.

CC You are a person who loves to learn. But what would you say to a person who doesn’t have the opportunity to keep learning at work?

SC Tremendous question. A lot of people with a work ethic don’t have a learning ethic. And they just reduplicate their one-year experience every year. Make leaving your comfort zone comfortable. Read Scientific American if you hate science because it is written for the layman and it will throw your mind out of its comfort zone. If you love science, read a novel because that will drive you crazy.

Discipline yourself. Don’t just read the psyche-up tapes in your car—get the great books. Force yourself to sharpen the saw at least an hour a day. If you don’t schedule it, it won’t happen. I’m not against some renewal, relaxation and a little TV, but you also have to create time to get out of your comfort zone. C

Bob Rosner is the author of Working Wounded: Advice That Adds Insight to Injury, a speaker, a nationally syndicated columnist and a Costco Connection columnist. Contact him at www.working wounded.com or at bob@workingwounded.com.