December 15, 2011 / in General Information / by Mic Johnson
As you may recall from last week’s blog post, I am the reigning 2011 Blue Gurus Employee of The Year. I appreciate and embrace both the humor and sincerity behind that dubious distinction (in fact, I’m the first EVER Blue Gurus Employee of the Year!).
What I want to share with you today is that the award wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the person who was the inspiration for this blog post and who is, without question, one of the smartest people I know in Kansas City.
Now he doesn’t even know that I’m writing this, because if he did, he probably wouldn’t have wanted me to. So I’m being sneaky here…at least, of course, until this post shows up in his email inbox and is blasted across all of our social media accounts.
I’m sharing these with you after my observations of working with him for the last two years. This list is far from exhaustive, but it’s a GREAT start if you and your business are looking for ideas as you set goals for 2012.
So, without further adieu, let me share “10 Business Lessons From One Of The Smartest People I Know In Kansas City”:
Jason Terry, Principal of Blue Gurus
1. Lead by example. At the same time, take a vested interest in helping others develop personally and professionally.
2. Be passionate every day about what you do. It makes a world of difference…and a difference in the world.
3. Help someone every day. In fact, help SEVERAL people every day. Make it a habit.
4. Communicate clearly, openly and honestly with people. Nothing builds trust in a relationship quicker.
5. Be exceptionally reliable. Do what you say you are going to do. EVERY TIME.
6. Be confident in what you do and how you do it, while at the same time being wise enough to know you don’t have all of the answers.
7. Proactively and consistently recognize great work, great deeds, and great people. (Did you know that Jason has 56 Recommendations on LinkedIn? That’s more than anyone I’ve ever seen. Even more impressive than that? He’s GIVEN 75 Recommendations. I challenge you to find ANYONE on LinkedIn that has given more.)
8. The little things aren’t so little. (I think of the award Jason gave me, the blog article he wrote, the lunches he picks up when we’re working together, the bonus that he distributes at year-end, the technology that he equips me with so I can do my job effectively every day, how he routinely takes the time to tell me how much he appreciates me and the work that I do, and the conversations we have about business and life. To all of you in leadership positions out there, the positive ROI of genuinely caring for, and investing in, your employees, is impossible to quantify.)
9. Being a part of a team and collaborating is far more rewarding, fun, and just plain smarter than doing it alone.
10. Be the solution. (I’m constantly amazed at how many times I’ve seen someone pose a question or a problem and Jason jumps in and says “Yes, we can help you with that!” Sometimes he doesn’t have the answer, but he knows he will find it.)
I’d love to hear your thoughts on other great people in Kansas City (or anywhere for that matter) and the lessons you’ve learned from them throughout your career. Share them in the Comments section below for all visitors to enjoy.
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We have worked with Blue Gurus for almost 10 years now. He and his team are incredible to work with.
Among other things they have helped us get a blog team together so that we are blogging regularly and it is a nice variety of viewpoints in the blog posts. All of us have stellar LinkedIn profiles thanks to Jason. There are many many other things they've helped us with over the years… too many to mention in one quote. They're so knowledgeable and so helpful and are a positive energetic addition to any project. I would highly recommend Jason and his team!!!!
Kandy Meehan
Owner of Home Rental Services
Great post Mic. One thing I’ve heard recently that I wish I had known years ago is “[Success] comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don’t get on the wrong track or try to do too much.” – Steve Jobs, 2004.