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 isthe process of proactive dreaming.In many ways, we are our dreams. But people stop dreaming because they get caughtup in the hustle and bustle of surviving. And once we stop dreaming, we start to leadlives of quiet desperation, and little by little the passion and energy begin to disappearfrom our lives.I was reading a story the other day about Henry Ford giving some guests a tour of hisfactory and offices. As they passed one door, there was a man with his feet up on hisdesk and his eyes closed. The guests asked Mr.Ford why he didn't seem to mind that thisman 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. Yousee, that man invented the six-cylinder motor and disc brakes. His job is to dream upthings that my competitiors think are impossible.'One of the first principles Simon taught me was that as a Dream Manager you alwayshave to remember that every person has different dreams, and that you cannot forceyour dreams on another person. Think about how much damage is caused when parentstry to force their dreams on their children, or when one spouse tries to force hisor her dreams on the other.Dreams bring us to life. Dreams animate us, and what dreams do for individuals, theyalso do for relationships……and companies. The pursuit of dreams creates passion, energyenthusiasm, 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. Shecontinued,"If we really want to help people, we have a responsibility to help themidentify and pursue their dreams. In that way, I'm a Dream manager for my husband, formy children, for my friends, for my colleagues here, and for people who just passthrough my life.Not in the same way Sean is a Dream Manager, but every relationshipimproves 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 DreamManager.You have to focus on encouraging people and giving people permission to pursuetheir dreams. You have to avoid judgment, and provide tools and accountability, butyou can't take responsibility for them achieving their dreams.The employee-employer money paradigm is a thing of the past. The modern employee is lookingfor things much more abstract than a simple pay raise. Sure, they want to be well compensatedbut they are conscious of lifestyle, work environment, and more than ever they want workthat is engaging. So when I explain the program to other managers and business owners, theirresistance is natural, because they are operating from the old paradigm that assumesthat people come to work just to make money. To some extent it may be true, but in mostcases, people don't come to work just to make money, and the more money they make, the lessit becomes about the money.Money is certainly a factor, and, for many, the biggest factor. Another factor is meaningfulwork,but most people don't have their sights set that high. Most employees aren't thatambitious. Many have simply given up on the possibility. For hundreds of years, the battlesbetween employees and employers, between owners and workers, between unions and corporationshave created an 'us versus them' mentality that is detrimental to the collaborative spiritof 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 leavebecause of their relationship with their direct supervisor. And when you ask them abouttheir relationship with their supervisor, they almost inevitably say that he or she didn'tappreciate them or their contribution. The predominant concern of employees isn't moneyor 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 abouttheir employees. It is proof that we care about who they are and that we appreciate thecontribution they make to our enterprise. Appreciation is the strongest currency inthe corporate culture.Our people are ordinary people, from different backgrounds, no doubt, and they have theirstruggles. But people need someone to help them articulate their dreams,someone to speakwith openly about their dreams. It's simple stuff, but it really is powerful. I lie awakeat night sometimes, thinking about my employees' dreams, and I get so excited for what'shappening in their lives.So to finish, let me just say this. We all have dreams. The earlier we start dreamingand the more mentors and friends we have who urge us on toward our dreams, the richerour lives become. In time, we learn to help others achieve their dreams, and so thecycle 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, andwe give people the opportunity to live their dreams!We set out to solve a very specificproblem and instead we discovered the essence of life. What's your dream, and why aren'tyou living it?Most businesses fail because they have a few rainmakers and an army of administrativesupport. In any successful business, everybody has to be part of the sales force. Wheneverybody sells, you're destined to succeed.BusinessWeek reports that over the next ten years, 21 percent of top management and 24percent of middle management positions across all functions, regions, and industries willbecome vacant. In the areas of unskilled labor, we all know that the statistics are muchharsher 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 allsurround the area of human resources, in particular, talent and labor. Executives willignore these challenges as their peril. CEOs have to become as dedicated to scountingnurturing, and acquiring talent as football coaches are. The future of any sportingfranchise depends on the talent that takes the field. What makes you think your businessis any different?You can ignore people's dreams, but it will be at your peril. You are free to ignoreyour children's dreams, your spouse's dreams, your employees' dreams, your customers'dreamsand your nation's dreams. But in each of these areas of life, you will pay an enormous priceif 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 thepower of electricity, consider what would happen if you stuck your finger into anelectrical outlet. You would quickly be reminded of its power. Should you doubt thatelectricity keeps everything going, may I suggest that you turn off the electricityat your office tomorrow!I think you will find that little if anything gets doneand 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, butthey keep everything going.
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