About anentrepreneurswords

R. Lee Harris grew up in Manhattan, Kansas and has lived in the Kansas City area since 1977. A 1975 graduate of Kansas State University, Harris began his career with Cohen-Esrey, LLC as an apartment manager two weeks after he graduated. Now president and CEO, he is involved in apartment management, development and investment; construction and tax credit syndication on a nationwide scale. Over the course of his career Harris has overseen the management of more than 27 million square feet of office building, shopping center and industrial space and nearly 60,000 multi-family units. He has started dozens of business enterprises over the past 40+ years. In 1991, Harris wrote a book entitled, The Customer Is King! published by Quality Press of Milwaukee. In 2012 he authored the book, An Entrepreneur's Words to Live By. He has mentored a number of business people over the years and has been a long-time participant in the Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program. He and his wife Barb have two grown daughters and one grandson. They are active in their church, community and university.

Male Pink Flamingos

Posted on March 30, 2014 by anentrepreneurswords

Question: I have some less than flattering physical traits. Should I consider cosmetic surgery to keep my appearance from negatively impacting my success as an entrepreneur?

Answer: This question reminds me of the male pink flamingo. I’m going to stereotype here, so bear with me. For past generations (including mine) the color pink is more often associated with femininity than with masculinity. So metaphorically imagine what it must be like for the male pink flamingo. He lives his entire adult existence cloaked in bright pink. And yet it doesn’t seem to bother him one whit.

OK, I know pink flamingos are birds, and birds aren’t self-conscious. Which makes the point. Why as humans are we so concerned about our physical idiosyncrasies? There’s no question that society still gives a slight edge to beautiful people. But first impressions don’t make the world go round. It’s the substance of our character and the depth of our passion that is vital to building and sustaining relationships. I’ll bet if we made a consensus list of famous entrepreneurs we’ll find few that would make a casting call in Hollywood. I won’t name names, but can attest to the fact that this list includes the tall, the short, the very short, the rotund, the bald, the wrinkled, the liver-spotted . . . you get the picture. And when we see a photo of one of these women or men what are we thinking? I don’t see the thick glasses, but I do see an amazing bright individual who has achieved great things.

For most of us, the trouble started when we reached puberty. We were so intent on being attractive to the opposite sex that we often saw ourselves as just the opposite. And every little childhood slight magnified our feelings of inadequacy. Fortunately with age comes maturity (usually) and for the most part we are able to let go of our desire to look like we did when we were 17. But every once in a while we look in the mirror and self-doubts bubble up.

Self-doubts may simply be replaced with self-awareness. Are we well-groomed? Are our clothes clean and pressed? Do we have a smile on our face and exude a positive attitude? As an entrepreneur, I can tell you that I’ve met with some people who were wearing $2,000 Armani suits or carrying $7,500 Hermes Birkin handbags and everything about their appearance, attitude and mannerisms told me they were trying too hard. Likewise, I’ve met with entrepreneurs who were wearing off-the-rack at Wal-Mart and had childhood acne scars but were truly extroverted and genuine. Who do you suppose I trusted more and wanted to do business with?

Like the male pink flamingo we can make the choice to be comfortable in our own skin. Then the first impression we make will be about the things that really matter.

This blog is being written in tandem with my book, “An Entrepreneur’s Words to Live By,” available on Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle (My Book), as well as being available in all of the other major eBook formats.

Learner’s Permit

Posted on March 23, 2014 by anentrepreneurswords

Question: I am making a major presentation soon. Any tips on how to ensure that I connect with each audience member?

Answer: We’ve all heard about the three distinct learning styles. Auditory learners need to hear things; visual learners need to see things, and kinesthetic learners need to touch things. A presentation that successfully incorporates all three learning styles will be the most effective in communicating the presenter’s information. There are conflicting schools of thought about this however.

There are those who have a real disdain for “Death by PowerPoint.” I used to be one such dissident. However my thinking has changed as I’ve made countless presentations over the years. The problem with PowerPoint is that too many presenters try to cram too many words onto a slide and then proceed to read the text word-for-word. My PowerPoint utilization is to incorporate photos, graphs, charts or even a single word or number. Then I use the slides as talking points. Which would be a more interest slide in your opinion?

Version 1 – Without any sort of subsidy the monthly rent for an apartment unit would need to be $1,200.

Version 2 – $1,200

Version 2 works better for me. The visual learner sees a number that is the central them for the point I’m trying to make. The auditory learner then hears my explanation of the $1,200. And I might even mock up a rent check in the amount of $1,200 that I pass around the table for the kinesthetic learners who might be present.

Reaching kinesthetic learners is the hardest of the three styles. We have to be careful not to create something to hand out that is too cheesy or gimmicky – the rent check idea is certainly on the borderline in this respect. It’s also a challenge to determine who in the room fits in each learning style category. And even if you asked the question directly, many people wouldn’t even know without further explanation. There’s also little doubt that you would be viewed as a bit eccentric! Statistically the population roughly breaks down to 29% visual, 34% auditory and 37% kinesthetic. Obviously a balanced presentation approach is warranted.

As entrepreneurs we are regularly called upon to present ideas and information. Utilizing auditory, visual and kinesthetic techniques will help stack the deck in favor of effective communications.

The Verdict: Not Guilty!

Posted on March 16, 2014 by anentrepreneurswords

Question: Sometimes I have to make decisions that adversely impact others. Then I feel guilty about this. Should I have this reaction or not?

Answer: Guilt is one of the most unproductive emotions we can have as humans. Why? Because often it’s used in a manipulative fashion by others. As entrepreneurs it’s important that we not buy into the guilt game. Acting upon guilt may produce very undesirable results because rational thinking is often abandoned.

It’s relatively simple to avoid the guilt-trap. All we have to do is operate with integrity at all times. This needs to be an intentional process whereby we create a set of values for ourselves and write them down. It is these values by which we will live and by which we will measure all our actions. As entrepreneurs we have to continually make tough decisions. And sometimes these decisions may not be favorable for everyone involved. But if upon reflection we determine that we have been true to our values then our integrity is intact.

I refuse to allow guilt into my life because I live my values. Yet, I’ve had plenty of situations where others try to make me feel guilty. Sometimes it’s as subtle as someone saying, “Well, I sure would have done it differently,” to as direct as, “I don’t know how you can live with yourself.” I both cases a quick check against my values confirms that whatever the issue, I handled it with integrity.

The mantle of guilt is easy to assume unless we are well-grounded in our integrity. Guilt has actually become institutionalized through certain religions and endlessly stereotyped as in “You haven’t called your mother for weeks.” Along with guilt we often find its kissing cousin . . . shame. By getting us to feel shame over our actions or inactions, the guilters are attempting to coerce us into doing something that they want us to do.

Should we feel guilt and shame if we do not operate with integrity? That likely depends upon how far out-of-bounds we might be. An illegal or immoral act may warrant such emotions. But if our transgressions are minor in nature and we recognize our mistake as a result of back-testing our actions against our values, then what point is served by succumbing to guilt and shame? The more productive response will be to learn where we went off track and not do it again.

Clearly defining our personal values and living to them shapes our integrity. And through integrity we have no use for guilt or shame.

Impresario of Improv

Posted on March 9, 2014 by anentrepreneurswords

Question: I’m a planner and I work my plan. But every once in a while things don’t go according to plan and I don’t handle it very well. What can I do to stay on track?

Answer: One year when I was on vacation my wife’s suitcase didn’t make it onto the plane. Compounding the problem was the fact that we were scheduled to take a ferry to our final destination and get on a sailboat charter the next morning. And to top it all off, our final destination was in another country! What a mess. My wife was pretty upset about all of this and it dawned on me as to why. She felt totally powerless to solve the problem that wasn’t her fault at all. Fortunately she had packed some extra clothes in her carry-on, purchased some toiletry items and was able to make do until the bag arrived two days later (we had to sail back to port to pick it up).

The lesson here is two-fold. When things go awry we must first and foremost discard any feelings of victimization. Clearly my wife was a victim. The airline screwed up and so did the ferry operator once the suitcase was in its possession. But wallowing in the victim mentality solves nothing (and to be clear, my wife did not wallow). It’s natural to feel a bit helpless in such situations but critical that we move beyond such feelings as quickly as possible. Do you remember the story of “The Little Engine That Could?” I have used this silly childhood story when I have a momentary feeling of helplessness. For me it’s a trigger that helps me get out of the defeated mental state I may be in at the time. Simply saying, “I think I can, I know I can” is enough to start the rally.

Once we clear our head the next step in this process is to improvise. My wife didn’t realize it, but she had already begun to improvise when she packed some clothes in her carry-on. Over the years we’ve learned from experience that this is a good idea. For my wife, improvising was not that big of a deal. But there are plenty of situations when something goes wrong where we need all of the MacGyver skills we can muster. We step back assess the whole situation. We look around and see what resources we might be able to cobble together that will solve the problem and get us back on track. Our creativity must be called upon at this point. I choose to turn this into a process that I write down on paper. I state the problem in writing; identify the resources in writing and lay out the deployment of those resources – in writing. This is the way my brain works to improvise and solve a problem. We each need find a way that works best for us.

When the metaphorical train runs off the rails, removing the emotion of victimization is critical. Then we can get down to the business of solving the problem through improvisation. “I think I can, I know I can.”

Star Power

Posted on March 2, 2014 by anentrepreneurswords

Question: I am part of a team working within my company. One of the members of this team is always getting the credit when we succeed. I don’t know what to do about this frustrating situation.

Answer: The most successful teams are those where no one is seeking the glory and each team member supports the others in every way possible. No one ever says, “That’s not my job.” When the team wins everyone wins. And conversely, a team loss is everyone’s loss. It’s not a single team member who is the hero or the goat.

I love going to restaurants where members of the wait staff cover for each other. One server may take my order but another re-fills my water glass when it’s empty. I always am hopeful that they share their gratuities because I feel as though I’m tipping the whole server team and not just one person. Contrast that with a restaurant where servers ignore all guests except those who they are serving directly. Southwest Airlines is also on my most-admired list. How many times have we seen flight attendants and pilots cleaning up the airplane as we deplane?

Unselfishness is an important element to the success of an entrepreneur. Hats off to those who make certain that members of their team are recognized and given credit for a successful outcome. An entrepreneur who can step back out of the limelight and heap accolades on his or her team is both wise and self-assured. When we crave attention and receive for the efforts of others, team morale can be severely damaged.

The question we must answer is, “what are we in it for?” Is it personal glory or gain? Or is it long-term, sustainable overall success that benefits an entire team or company? I submit that when our egos cry for personal attention and pats on the back, someday our team may not have our back. There will certainly be times when we are recognized for personal achievement and there is nothing wrong with this whatsoever. The fine line here is our intention and how we handle it. Did we seek the recognition or was it a byproduct of our efforts? And, when the wonderful things were being said about us, did we acknowledge others who contributed to our (and the team’s) success? But this can be a trap if we aren’t walking the talk. It’s interesting to watch a ball game where a star player is being interviewed at the conclusion of the event and he appears to deflect the praise by mentioning how much his teammates figured into his success. The incongruence in his statement is that his play throughout the game reflected selfishness.

Whether in our entrepreneurial venues or with life in general, we are best served when we subordinate our egos to an attitude of gracious selflessness. Stepping off the stage and genuinely giving credit to others who deserve it is a demonstration of real star power.

Do I or Don’t I?

Posted on February 23, 2014 by anentrepreneurswords

Question: Do I need religion to help me as an entrepreneur?

Answer: This question requires that a distinction be made. A religion is a set of beliefs to which one subscribes. These beliefs are typically held by a group of people – large or small. We may agree with some of these beliefs and not with others. Many religions require us to subscribe to their beliefs in order to belong. So, the easy answer to this question is that you do not need religion to be a very successful and happy entrepreneur. But hold on. It’s not quite this simple. While many young entrepreneurs may be happy to know that the road to success is not paved through an organized religion, there is something a whole lot more complex to understand. That is the concept of spirit and spirituality.

I believe that there are three parts to us as human beings – a body, a mind and a spirit. Spirit is our essence and provides us with our consciousness. It establishes our character, our personality and infuses us with creativity. It is energy and a natural force that shapes our will and the foundation for the decisions we make. Some people hear the terms spirit and spirituality and are immediately turned off because they equate them with religion. This is not the case. There are a number of religions that help us develop our spirituality. I’ve found that the religion I have chosen does this for me. But being religious is not requisite for being spiritual.

As entrepreneurs, we have much work to do to grow and nurture our spirit. We tend to be racing around at 100 miles an hour, brimming over with new ideas, meeting with countless people and living a warp-speed existence. Certainly one of my weaknesses is not being contemplative, reflective and introspective enough and something I’m working on daily. Developing our spiritual dimension – whether we do so with or without religion – helps our lives become happier and healthier. When times are tough, a well-developed sense of spirit helps us endure, overcome and maybe even thrive.

What are some action steps we can take to become more spiritually aware? First and foremost we must remember that our spirituality is very personal to each of us. It does not require that we conform to the beliefs of anyone else. Continually expressing gratitude to those around us will serve to underpin our spiritual being. So will performing acts that bring great joy to others. A daily meditation practice helps in this regard. Being still heightens our awareness and focuses our creative nature. Maintaining a positive attitude no matter what, invites spiritual growth. And work to be present in every moment.

For some, being part of an organized religion that supports spiritual growth may be beneficial. For others, a do-it-yourself approach will work just as well. In either case, we have an opportunity to experience the richness and fullness of life when we purposefully pursue that which feeds our soul.

Social Club

Posted on February 16, 2014 by anentrepreneurswords

Question: Do you have any thoughts on how social media should be used by entrepreneurs?

Answer: Social media offers great opportunities and great pitfalls. As entrepreneurs we need to be sure that we are using it wisely. There’s a certain etiquette to be considered by everyone, but especially by entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, social media tends to create a “behind the locked screen door” perception. Some of us may remember being chased home from school by a bully. We’d run into the house and lock the screen door behind us. Feeling secure, some of us might taunt the bully forgetting what would happen to us the next day. Facebook, Twitter and some of the other forms of social media cause some of us to let go of our inhibitions and say things that we might not otherwise say in a room full of people.

I enjoy reading about my friends on Facebook – particularly those with whom I grew up. It’s a wonderful way to stay in touch with people we might otherwise never see or hear from. I really haven’t figured out the point of Twitter. That’s not a condemnation but a statement of true bafflement. I see it used a lot to give quick updates on what people are doing or a thought they might wish to share. LinkedIn is a terrific tool for connecting with business people. I use it extensively every day to research people with whom I’m going to meet or do business. I’ve never used Google Plus+. The top five social media sites are Facebook with 800 million users; Twitter with 250 million; LinkedIn with 200 million; Google Plus+ with 150 million, and Pinterest with 140.5 million (as of January 2014).

Here are some thoughts about how we entrepreneurs might remember when we’re using social media.

Post only those photos, thoughts and updates that you would be willing to share in person with every one – especially your mother and your minister!
When using a business site like LinkedIn, include extensive information about yourself in your profile. A half-hearted profile doesn’t do you much good. Remember that the purpose of LinkedIn is to help you do more business. Showcase yourself, your accomplishments and your skills.
Keep your public comments and posts positive. We all know people who we come to expect that their posts will generally have a negative tone.
It’s worth keeping in mind the fact that social media sites are very public and there are millions of eyes that are watching. Many companies look at social media sites when hiring new employees. Others will conduct searches when preparing to do business with an entrepreneur or an employee of a company. I’m aware of numerous instances where Twitter and Facebook posts have prevented people from being hired or being able to do business with a particular company.

Social media is fun and informative. As entrepreneurs we should use it in a most positive manner. In so doing, we’ll reap all of the benefits and suffer none of the downsides.

Lovin’ It – Part 2

Posted on February 9, 2014 by anentrepreneurswords

Question: In your previous installment you wrote about how you eventually became able to live your passion. I want to know how to find mine.

Answer: Let’s quickly review what I previously said. To live our passion we must find balance in our lives in all respects – profession, physical health, relationships, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. And I said that when we become more multi-dimensional in these areas, the cumulative effect is passion. But there’s a very important element that still must be added to the mix. Without this ingredient we can be well-rounded and multi-dimensional but there’s simply no spark to start the fires of passion.

The ignition source which I refer is our WHY. I’ve written before about the WHY – a concept that is eloquently discussed by Simon Sinek in his magnificent book, Start With Why, and which has been explained to me in much greater detail by my friend and Sinek collaborator, Ridgely Goldsborough. Most people can tell you WHAT they do and HOW they do it. But when asked WHY they do what they do the answer becomes fuzzier. According to Sinek and Goldsborough there are nine WHYs. While we may identify with several, each of us has a predominant WHY. The nine WHYs are:

Do things the right way.
Do things a better way.
Make sense of complexity.
Make a contribution or a difference.
Create trust and build relationships.
Simplify things.
Master things.
Challenge the status quo or think differently.
Create clarity.

To live our passion we must understand our WHY. And to find our WHY we need to ask ourselves a series of questions. Think of something at work that we did that was a success. How did we feel about that success? Why is that important to us? Then ask the same questions about something positive that happened outside of work. We may need to repeat this several times before our answers create a discernible pattern that leads us to our WHY from the list of nine.

What is it about understanding our WHY that is so important in our quest to find our passion? Because to the greatest extent possible we need to align the various elements of our life with our WHY. Think about it – if our profession, physical health, relationships, emotions, intellect and spirituality track with our WHY, won’t we be in a better position to love everything we’re doing?

When we find our WHY we can then discover our passion. The alignment of WHY with the balance of the basic elements in our lives then enables us to live our passion every single day.

Lovin’ It – Part 1

Posted on February 2, 2014 by anentrepreneurswords

Question: You’ve written before about passion. How do I find my passion?

Answer: I’ve said previously that most people go through life and work at a job. Fewer of us pursue a career. And even fewer yet actually live a passion. To be truly successful entrepreneurs living a passion is requisite. But there are plenty of very rich entrepreneurs who are miserable, so what gives? I’m defining success to be much more than just money. A truly successful entrepreneur has success in relationships, in health, in philanthropy, in hobbies, in intellect, in spirituality and in emotion.

Passion is multi-dimensional. I submit that living a passion is more than just our chosen profession. It’s about reaching the conclusion that life is all about more . . . not less. And it’s not just more of one thing but more of many. A fundamental question to be asked is, “What are we excluding from our lives?” Kindling and sustaining passion is difficult if we’re one-dimensional and our lives are out of balance. We may experience bursts of energy and creativity, and we may have moments of euphoria when we achieve that upon which we focused. But then what happens? More often than not we crash and burn. Then we may yo-yo back and forth between the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.

Here’s my story. Early in my adult life I was pursuing a career. I move out of the “working a job” phase pretty quickly. Our business was growing and I threw myself into building it. There were plenty of 18-hour days plus weekends and holidays. In fact, I actually took pride in working 100-hour weeks. I read nothing but business books and thought about little else than what was happening in my company. I was the poster boy for being one-dimensional. No, I wasn’t unhappy but there was always a gnawing feeling that something was missing.

Living my passion did not come through an epiphany but was gradual over time. I loved what I did professionally but realized that burnout was unavoidable if I didn’t change my ways. Over the years my life became more balanced, and that in turn stoked the passion. What I’ve learned is that passion is much more than just loving my profession. The balance of physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and relationships in addition to our profession has a multiplier effect. I love being creative in my businesses. I love the philanthropic endeavors that my wife and I pursue. I love mentoring and coaching others – the list of the things I love to do goes on and on. And the cumulative effect of all of these “loves” is what becomes passion for me.

Make sure to read my next installment in which I’ll add the other ingredient necessary to discover our passion.

What Happened to Recess?

Posted on January 26, 2014 by anentrepreneurswords

Question: Why is it that so many work environments are staid and boring? No one seems to want to have any fun.

Answer: I remember how recess was a much anticipated event in my elementary school years. We’d keep our nose to the grindstone with reading, writing and ‘rithmetic, and then the teacher would announce that it was time for recess. The clouds would part, the sun would shine, the birds would chirp and the angels in heaven would sing the sweetest songs ever heard. We would stream outside for 15 or 20 minutes of pure bliss. As we grew older we bought into the notion that a play break was only for kids.

Part of the problem is that many people see work as work and play as play. For some reason they believe that there can’t be an intersection between the two. As entrepreneurs we can be pretty intense at times, so lightening things up a bit is very much in order. Many of us learned that we should always be prim and proper – if we let our hair down at all, we’d be viewed as immature and it could hurt our chances to advance in the world. Fortunately there are some companies and organizations that are discarding these old mores. Hopefully this trend will continue.

Having fun while we work makes us more productive and more effective. It also allows us to build relationships and helps us to avoid burnout. So how can we infuse the concept of recess back into our daily lives? We can start by giving ourselves permission to have fun, and to discard some of the old tapes that are playing in our heads that tell us we should not play at work. Then we find things to do during the day that bring joy and laughter to others. For a number of years during the heat of the summer, I donned an ice cream cone costume and pushed an ice cream cart around the office. I dispensed ice cream bars to our associates and elicited a lot of smiles in the process. It was fun for them and I had a blast.

One company that seems to weave the recess mentality throughout each day is Southwest Airlines. The employees are given license to have fun. Flight attendants sing and dance and the pilots provide witty commentary throughout the flight. I’ve spoken with many, many Southwest employees over the years, and every one of them provided testimony as to how much fun they have serving their customers every day.

Life is too short not to be happy and smile all the time. There’s no reason to turn off our joy when we are working. When we have fun and include others in the process everyone benefits. And the simple and beloved concept of recess lives on.

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