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I spent the whole week reading the books, which Dan gave to me last week.

And I want to share some notes from "the Dream Manager" before reading that.

the most powerful ideas are almost always the simple ones.

Machinery and computers are categorized as assets and people as liabilities.
the right people are an organization's greatest asset.

A company's purpose is to become the-best-version-of-itself.

If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten.

People are unique in that they have the ability to imagine a more abundant future,
to hope for that future, and to take proactive steps to create that future. This is
the process of proactive dreaming.

In many ways, we are our dreams. But people stop dreaming because they get caught
up in the hustle and bustle of surviving. And once we stop dreaming, we start to lead
lives of quiet desperation, and little by little the passion and energy begin to disappear
from our lives.

I was reading a story the other day about Henry Ford giving some guests a tour of his
factory and offices. As they passed one door, there was a man with his feet up on his
desk and his eyes closed. The guests asked Mr.Ford why he didn't seem to mind that this
man was sleeping on the job. Ford replied that he wasn't sleeping, he was dreaming.
'Doesn't that bother you?'they asked Ford. He replied,'No, He is just doing his job. You
see, that man invented the six-cylinder motor and disc brakes. His job is to dream up
things that my competitiors think are impossible.'

One of the first principles Simon taught me was that as a Dream Manager you always
have to remember that every person has different dreams, and that you cannot force
your dreams on another person. Think about how much damage is caused when parents
try to force their dreams on their children, or when one spouse tries to force his
or her dreams on the other.

Dreams bring us to life. Dreams animate us, and what dreams do for individuals, they
also do for relationships……and companies. The pursuit of dreams creates passion, energy
enthusiasm, and vitality.

"What I'm realizing is that we are all Dream Managers,"Lauren announced to the team.
Lauren was Admiral's CFO and was one of those quiet and meticulous personalities. She
continued,"If we really want to help people, we have a responsibility to help them
identify and pursue their dreams. In that way, I'm a Dream manager for my husband, for
my children, for my friends, for my colleagues here, and for people who just pass
through my life.Not in the same way Sean is a Dream Manager, but every relationship
improves when we are mindful of each other's dreams."

I didn't know it myself at the beginning, but there's a psychology to being a Dream
Manager.You have to focus on encouraging people and giving people permission to pursue
their dreams. You have to avoid judgment, and provide tools and accountability, but
you can't take responsibility for them achieving their dreams.

The employee-employer money paradigm is a thing of the past. The modern employee is looking
for things much more abstract than a simple pay raise. Sure, they want to be well compensated
but they are conscious of lifestyle, work environment, and more than ever they want work
that is engaging. So when I explain the program to other managers and business owners, their
resistance is natural, because they are operating from the old paradigm that assumes
that people come to work just to make money. To some extent it may be true, but in most
cases, people don't come to work just to make money, and the more money they make, the less
it becomes about the money.

Money is certainly a factor, and, for many, the biggest factor. Another factor is meaningful
work,but most people don't have their sights set that high. Most employees aren't that
ambitious. Many have simply given up on the possibility. For hundreds of years, the battles
between employees and employers, between owners and workers, between unions and corporations
have created an 'us versus them' mentality that is detrimental to the collaborative spirit
of teamwork needed to succeed in business.

So what else,besides money and meaningful work?

Employees want to feel appreciated. Eighty-five percent of people who leave a job leave
because of their relationship with their direct supervisor. And when you ask them about
their relationship with their supervisor, they almost inevitably say that he or she didn't
appreciate them or their contribution. The predominant concern of employees isn't money
or benefits, and it's not hours. They want to feel appreciated.

You better believe it. The Dream Manager Program is living proof that Admiral cares about
their employees. It is proof that we care about who they are and that we appreciate the
contribution they make to our enterprise. Appreciation is the strongest currency in
the corporate culture.

Our people are ordinary people, from different backgrounds, no doubt, and they have their
struggles. But people need someone to help them articulate their dreams,someone to speak
with openly about their dreams. It's simple stuff, but it really is powerful. I lie awake
at night sometimes, thinking about my employees' dreams, and I get so excited for what's
happening in their lives.

So to finish, let me just say this. We all have dreams. The earlier we start dreaming
and the more mentors and friends we have who urge us on toward our dreams, the richer
our lives become. In time, we learn to help others achieve their dreams, and so the
cycle continues. Many of the people who work for Admiral come from a background of poverty.
What I have realized over the past three or four years is that poverty is not about money.
The real poverty is the poverty of opportunities. At Admiral, we believe in dreams, and
we give people the opportunity to live their dreams!We set out to solve a very specific
problem and instead we discovered the essence of life. What's your dream, and why aren't
you living it?

Most businesses fail because they have a few rainmakers and an army of administrative
support. In any successful business, everybody has to be part of the sales force. When
everybody sells, you're destined to succeed.

BusinessWeek reports that over the next ten years, 21 percent of top management and 24
percent of middle management positions across all functions, regions, and industries will
become vacant. In the areas of unskilled labor, we all know that the statistics are much
harsher and the shortages more drastic.

But make no mistake-dreams are the currency of the future.

the greatest problems we will face in corporate America in the next twenty years all
surround the area of human resources, in particular, talent and labor. Executives will
ignore these challenges as their peril. CEOs have to become as dedicated to scounting
nurturing, and acquiring talent as football coaches are. The future of any sporting
franchise depends on the talent that takes the field. What makes you think your business
is any different?

You can ignore people's dreams, but it will be at your peril. You are free to ignore
your children's dreams, your spouse's dreams, your employees' dreams, your customers'dreams
and your nation's dreams. But in each of these areas of life, you will pay an enormous price
if you do.

Dreams are invisible, but powerful. Think for a moment of electricity. You cannot see it,
but it keeps everything going. Invisible, but powerful!If, for a moment, you doubt the
power of electricity, consider what would happen if you stuck your finger into an
electrical outlet. You would quickly be reminded of its power. Should you doubt that
electricity keeps everything going, may I suggest that you turn off the electricity
at your office tomorrow!I think you will find that little if anything gets done
and that most of your employees will go home for the day.

So it is with dreams. They are invisible, but powerful. You cannot see them, but
they keep everything going.

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