Author: Brandi Cox

    B283 L02 – First Journal

    Lessons Learned

    We’re just starting class, so there hasn’t been a ton yet, but in regards to “reading blogs,” I can’t “read” so I have to have an e-reader or Audible for everything because my brain just isn’t working right to read the screen or book. I’ve only been able to watch or listen to videos or audios. I absolutely love some of the talks and find myself repeatedly inspired.

    I’m taking 7 courses this semester, 3 are business and 4 are Genealogy, so my brain is frazzled already, especially since I’m disabled and often struggle with schoolwork as it is and then I “doubled up” on classes in order to get the 2 classes I need done in time before they are discontinued. The syllabus is always useful to help me stay on track.  I’ve also built an Excel file with every assignment in every class, so that I know that this Wed I have X number of assignments due, etc.

    I definitely see the value in keeping a journal. I created our Farm journal (www.ladyblackthumb.com) the very day that we started our farm a couple of years ago. Recently, due to having moved to a new webserver, and then being sick for a while, it’s a smidge outdated, but I have all of my notes ready to go to publish the missing posts. It’s surprising how often I reference my Farm blog to remember things.

    I hope to work on my entrepreneurial journal just as often, adding many of the things I’m learning in my business classes. In fact, I have been transcribing the notes I wrote from another book I’m “reading” (Audible again) for another class I took last semester (in another category, of course). This will help me along my entrepreneurial path as well as study for quizzes or exams.

    Hopefully, one day, the docs can fix me and I’ll be able to really implement some of this stuff!

     

      L01 – Creating a blog, entrepreneurial journal

      Lessons Learned

      I’m taking 7 courses this semester, 3 are business and 4 are Genealogy, so my brain is frazzled already, especially since I’m disabled and often struggle with schoolwork as it is and then I “doubled up” on classes in order to get the 2 classes I need done in time before they are discontinued. The syllabus is always useful to help me stay on track.  I’ve also built an Excel file with every assignment in every class, so that I know that this Wed I have 9 assignments due, etc. I’ve already submitted my initial post for the introductions. I’ve already listened to most of the Mastery book on Audible in the car before last semester began (I’m having to retake this course since I got sick in the summer semester and couldn’t finish it).  So, I’m a little bit ahead, and the Mastery book has been so enlightening! I am looking forward to going back through it again with the class and taking formal notes.  I can’t “read” so I have to have an e-reader or Audible for everything because my brain just isn’t working right to read the screen or book.

      I definitely see the value in keeping a journal. I created our Farm journal (www.ladyblackthumb.com) the very day that I started our farm a couple of years ago. Recently, due to having moved to a new webserver and then being sick for a while, it’s a smidge outdated, but I have all of my notes ready to go to publish the missing posts. It’s surprising how often I reference my Farm blog to remember things. I hope to work on my entrepreneurial journal just as often, adding many of the things I’m learning in my business classes. In fact, I have been transcribing the notes I wrote from another book I’m “reading” (Audible again) for another class I took last semester (in another category, of course). This will help me along my entrepreneurial path as well as study for quizzes or exams.

      One thing the article mentioned sparked a memory. We definitely know we don’t want to live in a big city. We are looking into homesteading on a real scale, but at this point in our lives we live in the small/mid-sized city of Knoxville, TN, which will do fine. It’d be great to be able to purchase some of the properties around us and expand, but not sure how feasible that will be as all of the lots near us have occupied houses on them.

      Lessons Not Yet Learned

      I’m really looking forward to the “practical life lessons and fundamental business tools” to become a successful Entrepreneur. We have 3 home businesses and are looking to start a non-profit foundation in addition to those. We’ve got a “life plan” idea started already, but I’m looking forward to making sure we’re on the right track. Most of these assignments I’ll be doing and then making my husband do them, too!  He “gets” to learn all of it, but without the benefit of any of the credit hours. He gets to “learn” ALL of my courses in the “Teach One Another” portions.

      A Reference and Categorization Method

      I can use the tags in WordPress to keep track of different topics within each post. That will suffice as an index as I can have WordPress automatically handle them all for me. The great aspect of WordPress is that I can create posts on the fly from my phone or tablet at the time I’m thinking of it. They could be saved as drafts and formalized when I’m back home, but they don’t necessarily have to be formalized at all. Separate goals or projects can have categories and tags, to help better organize them. I have so many WordPress blogs at this point that I need to get a centralized management system to handle all of the updates, etc. Anything to keep them organized better is a great idea!

       

      Good to Great – CH03

      First Who, Then What

      “There are going to be times when we can’t wait for somebody. You’re either on the bus or off the bus.” –Ken Kesey

      FIRST STEP: First get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and THEN figure out where to drive it!

      1. This makes change simple
      2. The right people don’t need to be managed & motivated, they are already self-motivated by the inner drive to product the best results & to be part of creating something great
      3. Having the wrong people prevents you from EVER becoming a great company regardless of finding “right direction”

      You get the best people, you build them into the best managers in the industry, & you accept the fact that some of them will be recruited to become CEOs of other companies.

      This is not just about assembling the right team. It’s that FIRST fix the people and THEN find the direction.

      Sheer rigor needed in people decisions in order to take a company from Good to Great.

      Nothing to do with executive pay structures, incentives, or compensation packages!

      The right people will do the right things & deliver the best results they’re capable of, regardless of the incentive system.

      Compensation system is ONLY about attracting and retaining the RIGHT people, who are already self-motivated to deliver results because it’s who they are. The wrong people can NEVER be incentivized enough to deliver.

      “We hire 5, work them like 10, and pay them like 8.”

      Rigorous, NOT ruthless!

      Consistently applying exacting standards at all times & at all levels, especially in upper management. When rigorous, not ruthless – the best people need not worry about their positions & can concentrate fully on their work.

      “The only way to deliver to the people who are achieving is to not burden them with the people who are not achieving.”

      1. When in doubt, don’t hire – keep looking
      2. When you know you need to make a people change – ACT!
        1. The moment you feel the need to tightly manage someone, you’ve made a hiring mistake! The best people do NOT need to be managed! They don’t need to be disciplined, motivated, incentivized, etc. Bad business all around. Act right away and let the wrong person go.  Be sure to first ask, “is it the wrong person or the wrong seat on the bus?”
      3. Put your best people on your biggest opportunities, not our biggest problems
      4. When you decide to sell off your problems, don’t sell off your best people.
        1. If you create a place where the best people always have a seat on the bus, they’re more likely to support changes in direction
      5. You need executives who argue & debate – sometimes violently – in pursuit of the best answers yet who unite fully behind a decision, regardless of personal or parochial interests.

      Good to Great – CH02

      Level 5 Leadership

      “You can accomplish anything in life, provided that you do not mind who gets the credit.” –Harry S. Truman

      • Level1-Highly capable individual
      • Level2-Contributing team member
      • Level3-Competent manager
      • Level4-Effective leader
      • Level5-Executive

      “I never stopped trying to become qualified for the job.”

      Level 5 leaders channel their ego needs away from themselves and into the larger goal of building a great company. Their ambition is first and foremost for the institution, not themselves.

      Fight for future greatness

      Described as: quiet, humble, modest, reserved, shy, gracious, mild-mannered, self-effacing, understated, did not believe his own clippings

      It is very important to grasp that Level 5 Leadership is not just about humility and modesty. It is equally about ferocious resolve to do whatever needs to be done to make the company great.

      If you have a cancer in your own arm, you have to have the guts to cut off your own arm.

      10 out of 11 G2G CEOs came from INSIDE the company, 3 by family inheritance. Comparison CEOs turned to outside saviors & failed to produce sustained results.

      Level 5 Leaders look out the windows to apportion credit to factors outside themselves when things go well (& if they cannot find a specific person or event to give credit to, they credit good luck). At the same time, they look in the mirror to apportion responsibility, never blaming bad luck when things go poorly. Comparison leaders do the opposite.

      Those who can never become Level 5 leaders are people who could NEVER let go of their ego to build something greater, larger, & more lasting than themselves. They will never become Level 5 Leaders.

      Those who can grow and can evolve into Level 5 Leaders.  Under the right circumstances: self-reflection, conscious personal development, mentors, great teachers, loving parents, significant life experience, Level 5 boss, or any # of other factors – they begin to develop. Some of these leaders went through cancer, ww2 experience, religion, religious conversion, etc.

      Humility & will; ambitious for the company!

      • Level 5 Leaders set up their successors for even greater success
      • They are fanatically driven to produce sustained results, whatever it takes
      • They have workmanlike diligence; more plow horse than showhorse
      • They look externally for causes of success & internally for causes of setbacks/blame.

      Mr Golden and TSgt Rogers – definitely Level 5 Leaders

      Larger than life CEOs and egos will FAIL!

       

      Good to Great – CH01

      Required Traits

      Every single company that made the cut into the study, only 11 out of over 1450, had these similar traits

      1. Level 5 Leadership – Lincoln/Socrates vs Patton or Caesar
      2. First Who Then What – gather right people, kick out wrong people, THEN plan path (the where)
      3. Confront brutal facts – Stockdale Paradox – unwavering faith that we’ll prevail, regardless of difficulties, & have the discipline to confront the brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they are
      4. Hedgehog concept – transcend “curse of competence”. If you cannot be the best in the world at your core business, then your core business cannot form the basis of a great company. It must be replaced with a simple concept that reflects deep understanding of 3 intersecting circles
      5. A culture of discipline – Combine culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, you get the magical alchemy of great performance. No hierarchy, bureaucracy, or control necessary.
      6. Technology accelerators – Never use tech as a primary means of transformation. But pioneer carefully selected tech
      7. Flywheel vs. Doom Loop – no big overhauls, slow steady progress pushing the flywheel until point of breakthrough and beyond

      Good -> Great + Built to Last = Great company

      Adhere to certain basic principles with rigor and discipline

      Good is the enemy of great. Not a business problem, but a human problem.

      Disciplined people, disciplined thought, disciplined action.

      Applies outside of business. Principles apply across all life.

      Welcome!

      Welcome to The Cox Den Family Page!  I am just setting up everything so we can start posting.  I’ll do this site in addition to all of my other sites so I might have to link the others so you can see everything.  🙂