Character Archives - Page 2 of 2

✏ The Thrill of Victory, the Agony Between the Feet

Does the fear of failure ever stand in your way of achieving your goals? Have you learned to bounce back and persevere? If your answer is “not really,” I have a story for you…

It was October 26, 1986, and over 55,000 people were packed into Shea Stadium for the 83rd World Series. The Boston Red Sox held a 3-game to 2 advantage in the best of 7 series over the New York Mets. Win this game, and the 68-year old “Curse of the Bambino” would be erased from the memory of every Sox fans in what would later rank as one of the greatest World Series of all time.

After the top of the tenth inning and with over 22 million viewers tuned in, NBC had started to set up in the visiting Red Sox clubhouse to film the postgame celebration and the exchange of the Commissioner’s Trophy. The champagne was on ice, and Bob Costas was set to preside over the ceremony.

After the second out in the tenth, the scoreboard operator in Shea Stadium accidentally posted “Congratulations Boston Red Sox, 1986 World Series Champions”. It was meant with a roar of boos and was immediately removed.

“The game ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”
– Yogi Berra

With the winning run at second base, the Mets had two outs and a 3-2 count on Mookie Wilson. Wilson hit a little roller down the first base line, a routine play for any novice, much less an MLB 1st baseman — but it was anything but routine that night. It went past his glove, between his legs and faded just enough outside the baseline to bring Kevin Mitchell, the tying run at 3rd, and Ray Knight, the winning run at 2nd, in to score and in dramatic fashion, win the game for the Mets, 6-5.

The New York Mets would go on to win the series after a 10-9 victory over the Red Sox in game 7 and were crowned the 1986 World Series Champions.

in its wake, one name was immediately and indelibly etched in the lore of Red Sox baseball: Bill Buckner.

If you’re a Red Sox fan, you’ve probably brought his name up a few times with your therapist. Buckner was the first baseman in that game. This guy didn’t ride the pine either; Buckner spent twenty-two years in the majors, had over 2,700 hits with 9,397 plate appearances, over 100 RBI’s, a .289 batting average in a span of over 3,500 career games. In 1986, he was 17 years into his career.

However, all of that meant nothing. October 26, 1986, means everything.

“Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.”
– Yogi Berra

Let’s go back to failure.

It would have been easy for Buckner to end his career following that season; he was ridiculed and the target of every sports journalist and Red Sox fan across the country during the off-season, even receiving death threats. It was more than enough to make any man crumble, even an experienced professional athlete. But amazingly enough, Buckner somehow went on to play another five successful seasons following the debacle of 1986.

In an Associated Press interview in 2005, Buckner revealed his secret to moving on. “I think a lot of people would have really let it bother them,” he mused. “Or you could use it in a positive manner. I’m a positive person.”

There are those who have the courage and fortitude to allow failure to serve as inspiration as opposed to being discouraged. Failure is a constant in the process of success.

Failure is an opportunity to:

– Commit to improvement

– Evaluate and if necessary, redirect your focus

– Look within and become more self-aware

– Review your plan

– Find motivation

– Seek trusted mentorship

The off-season that followed the 1986 World Series was dedicated to improvement for Buckner, despite his critics. That was not how he was going to leave the game. He took it in stride and did not allow it to become a distraction as he prepared for the following season.

To this day, when Buckner is interviewed, they always ask him about that play back in October of 1986. After 30 years, one has the right to get frustrated and possibly display anger in their response. After all, there have been many mistakes in sports since his.

Not Bill Buckner.

He answers every question with respect, dignity and an authentic tone that continues to teach others how failure doesn’t define you — how you respond to it does. He had an amazing MLB career, and he is now a successful businessman who is very involved with his community.

One can’t be an innovator without risk. How can you have an entrepreneurial spirit with doubt? Where will the breakthrough come from if you have a negative mindset?

BE BOLD!

BE COURAGEOUS!

FAIL!

GET BACK UP!

SUCCEED!

“You can observe a lot by watching.”
– Yogi Berra

Today is the day that you commit to not allow fear to detour or distract you from the greatness you can achieve. Instill a mindset of positivity, discipline, passion, and perseverance in everything you do.

If it’s your passion, nothing can stand in your way.

Just ask Bill Buckner.

“Baseball’s what I do.”
– Bill Buckner

Go do great things today and make a difference.

VENTURE + LEAD + PROSPER

Humbled to lead,

#ChargeUp #venture #lead #prosper #inspire #gratitude #action #leadership #failure #failforward #leaderwithin #courage #compassion #BeThe1 #mentor #journey #moveforward #adversity #reflect #YouAreReady

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©2018 Victor Pisano/Charge Up. All rights reserved. You are free to use portions of this publication, provided the following credit is listed at the bottom: ©2018 Victor Pisano/Charge Up, is a media-based entity that provides intriguing, innovative and distinctive content, engaging its readers with real-world challenges and solutions while embracing obstacles and the value that failure can provide. While that sounds serious, we promise you will both learn AND laugh (and sometimes cry).Contact Charge Up at victor@chargeuptoday.com or visit our website at www.chargeuptoday.com.

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✏ The Firm Handshake

Attention, young adults…

Believe it or not, there was a time when you judged a person’s character simply by their handshake.

I distinctly remember that while growing up, my father would give me lessons on the proper way to shake someone’s hand. And not just the handshake itself; he would start with how to approach a person when doing so. You walked toward them, extending your hand with a welcoming posture, a smile on your face, and you began your initial comment even before you grip their hand.

He probably made me do it 20 times, and it makes me smile just thinking about it.

We would practice that for years, little impromptu crash courses to make sure I never lost that skill. When I had the honor to work for him, there were countless times after a meeting when he would comment to me about the other person’s handshake. And, he would trust my opinion as well.

If it was firm and they held it for a few seconds while looking you in the directly in the eyes, he believed that was a person you could trust.

He said to be cautious of someone with sweaty palms, a weak grip and no eye contact; that they’re probably not to be trusted.

I cherish those times now that he is gone. My father was a man of his word; if he shook your hand and said he would do something, come hell or high water, you could count on it.

“A handshake is an email you send with your body.”
– Anthony Finucane

Today, we do business across continents without even so much as a handshake, but rather a screen-to-screen discussion where we are forced to gain as much business knowledge as possible, as well as character of the person on the other end, without any in-person interaction.

Sure, there are other signals that we can look for, but give me the choice between a phone call and a face-to-face meeting, and I will ALWAYS choose the latter.

There is something about the human connection that strengthens the character of leadership within us all.

You can never replace the personal greeting; the initial small talk which leads to future trust. The dialogue that, over time, earns you the right to negotiate, but more importantly, provides you the opportunity to sense verbal and non-verbal cues. To look a person in the eye, have disagreements, share in solutions and celebrate the success of an agreement.

And how do you solidify your agreement?

Through a handshake.

Meeting people face-to-face is critical to be successful.

Social media, emails, texts or even a WebEx should never be a replacement for the human connection. If there are costs associated with making one, that is price of doing business. If you want to distinguish yourself from your competitor, form a true, personal relationship with that client.

The easiest and most successful way to earn the trust of another person is to sit across a table from them and be yourself. Don’t fake it, be authentic. Don’t pretend to know everything, be humble. And most of all, listen more than you talk.

VENTURE + LEAD + PROSPER

Humbled to lead,

#legacy #hero #chargeup #chargeuptoday #lessonsinleadership #leadership #lead #process #strongleader #patience #leadershipjourney #resilience #failure #success #moveforward #adversity #areyouready #leadandfollow #mentorship #mentor #venture #lead #prosper #reflect #inspire #empower

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✏ How Important Is Character?

“Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.”
– John Wooden

Whether it is a first or last impression, your character will play a vital role in your ability to lead. In building your character — guiding by your beliefs and actions — you are in essence building your legacy.

Now, when conversations venture into this territory, some leaders tend to confuse character and reputation. But I am not talking about your reputation here — and this is the difference between the two:

CHARACTER IS WHO YOU ARE.
REPUTATION IS WHAT OTHERS THINK YOU ARE.

We have become a hyper-judgmental generation, and over-focus on what others think about us. Whether it’s because of insecurity or a lack of self-confidence, it’s something that should have no bearing whatsoever on who you are as a person, or more importantly, as a leader.

If you confidently, consistently operate with integrity, trust and positive influence, then your character will speak for itself. And how others perceive you — your reputation — will be a result of other key traits associated with your character, some of which include:

CONFIDENCE – Your presence will define your success. Not outwardly, but the way in which you lead your team with clear initiatives, effective communication and a shared respect.

EMPATHY – By being empathetic, you are showing those around you that you understand the challenges they face. Encourage open discussion and empower others to find solutions. Your belief in your team will go a long way.

GRATITUDE – Nothing beats feeling appreciated for your efforts and willingness to go outside your comfort zone for the good of the team. It is a simple gesture, and your team needs those pats on the back…it makes them want to do more.

VALUES – What do you stand for? What will you not sacrifice? If they are exhibited every day, these values become a critical part of your character and your integrity.

COMPOSURE – Not allowing your emotions to cloud your judgement is critical in a group. By controlling our composure, we take charge of the situation, and in turn, display why we have the ability to lead.

FAILURE – Without failure, you won’t understand the joy of success. Whether it is you or your team who failed, take responsibility, find the solution and move on. Failure has led many to amazing innovation, inventions and solutions; let it serve the same purpose in you.

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.
Only through experience of trial and suffering can
the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”
– Helen Keller

If you are to succeed as a leader, it is imperative that you are self-aware and recognize the skills that you need to develop. You must live according to your values everyday…in your personal and business life.

We are all blessed with the amazing ability to control our character by simply taking a few seconds to think before we speak, react or expose our composure.

These precious seconds are our life jackets — know how to use them.

Regardless of age or tenure, be a leader with character. I assure you that in some way, you will make a difference and impact others in your abilities and how you carry yourself.

Make a difference today.

VENTURE + LEAD + PROSPER

Humbled to lead,

#legacy #chargeup #chargeuptoday #lessonsinleadership #leadership #lead #process #strongleader #patience #leadershipjourney #resilience #failure #success #payitforward #adversity #areyouready #leadandfollow #mentorship #mentor #venture #lead #prosper #reflect #inspire #empower #buildforsuccess

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✏ Pay It Forward Like a Leader

“To move forward, you must give back.”
— Oprah Winfrey

Leadership in and of itself is the ultimate gift.

Leadership in duration is a blessing.

I am writing this for the leader that has been in the role for ten or more years. If this isn’t you, stay with me anyway. There’s always a lesson, and 10 years from now, you very well may be in this role — might as well prepare now.

The unwritten rule for leaders is that since somebody
was willing to help you in your journey, it is your responsibility
TO PAY IT FORWARD

I want to go beyond the obvious; most will relate the “pay it forward” to be a mentor. This is an incredible resource for you to contribute to the success of others, but I want you to think deeper and find the courage and gratitude to go even further in your commitment.

Volunteer at a local school: There are so many schools that would welcome you to volunteer, regardless of grade. This is where you can put some thought into it and match your interests. For example, if reading out loud to a classroom of 2^nd or 3^rd graders sounds great to you, do it! Most schools have mentoring programs where you visit the same student one a week during lunch and just talk. If you have a passion for writing, go talk with the counselor of a high school and see if you can speak to an English class, Yearbook staff, newspaper staff, etc. My point, there is a place for everybody to give back to their local schools.
Coach a local youth sports team: If you are that person who still talks about the “remember when” from your high school or college sports days, this is right up your alley. There are so many youth-based teams that are in critical need of talented and willing coaches to volunteer their time. I challenge you, though: this is not just about teaching sports. This is also about teaching character, integrity, sportsmanship, the concept of team, gratitude, encouragement, etc. Be the “complete” coach, and you could be doing this for a long time.
Serve on a community-based board: Go to the website of your local City Council or Chamber of Commerce, and there will be a prompt that will take you to an area listing all of the committees and boards that you can serve on. Do your research, narrow it down and match your skill sets to the areas where volunteers are needed. When you narrow it down to three, go talk to the director or leader of the groups, and get a feel where you think you can make an impact.
Visit a Senior Center: This is all about perspective. Don’t make the assumption that a senior center is simply a place where people go to live the last days of their lives. Find an “active” senior center, and not only will you be able to contribute your time and skills, but the stories and lessons that you learn will be applicable in your day-to-day life. The best part: you will make friends who will look forward to your visits.
Volunteer at a disaster area: We tend to fulfill our obligations in this specific category by writing a check. I don’t want to take anything away from your generosity, because money is extremely important in disaster situations. My challenge is to take it a step further. Volunteer at a disaster center in your local community and do whatever it is they need. Whether is a clothing a drive, a food drive, emergency medical equipment, or just setting up cots, anything that can benefit the center is a debt nobody could ever you pay back for.
Volunteer at a Food Bank: Again, this is a great experience – I would encourage you to go with a group. Call your local Food Bank, find out when they need one person or a group, schedule it and go assist for a few hours helping those in need. It’s a rewarding experience and one that I bet you go back to again and again.
Become a mentor: When I say be a mentor, I mean call the middle or high school to become a mentor through the school. Your commitment will vary based on the programs offered. There are also community-based mentor programs depending upon the size of your city. Some are weekly, some bi-weekly, or once a month. Regardless, go mentor a young person who needs direction in their life. Teach them about life, and the character and skills necessary to succeed. For some of these kids, you may be the only positive figure in their life. Be humbled and make a difference.
Help a local charity: This is the easiest one of all; nobody will say to no to, “how can I help?”. You may have friend or family involved in a charity. You may have seen one on social media that sparked your interest. You may have attended a gala or fundraiser and felt compelled to give back. Let that spark determine who the charity is that you want to contribute your time, money and skills in building.
Clean up the environment: As I have gotten older, it’s funny to me to pass the signs along the highway and read the ones that tell you which organization is in charge of keeping a particular stretch free of trash. I have admiration for those groups, and when I see a fundraiser or event that they are a part of, I tend to give. I call it “top of mind gratitude”. With a few clicks on Google, you can find out how you can assist and volunteer a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday to clean a highway, possibly lead a neighborhood clean-up effort, or even a park. Take your kids along – they will be less likely to litter if they have to experience picking up trash.
Encourage employee volunteerism: I saved this for last on purpose. Think of it like this. “Pay it Forward Like a Leader Should” and its intention was to focus on what YOU could do. Once you get the motivation to pay it forward, you will see the immediate benefits, and a true leader will find the purpose to get more invested in the mission. If one person can make such a dramatic difference, imagine what an entire team could do. Even better, imagine what an entire company could do.

Giving and gratitude go hand-in-hand. The more you practice it, the better you will get at it. I challenge you to take the first step. Once you reap the reward, pass it on and grow the efforts.

“WE RISE BY LIFTING OTHERS . . .”
— Robert Ingersoll

Here are 50 of the Best Workplaces for Giving Back that have committed themselves to adding the pillars of gratitude and charity to their corporate culture. Let them serve as the example and inspiration for other companies to step up in their communities and make a difference.

Once you’re ready to commit, trying to figure out the how and where can be a job in and of itself! I have found that Charity Navigator is a great resource to match your skills and interests to the right charity. Founded in 2001, Charity Navigator has become the nation’s largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities. Their mission? To help donors by deploying a team of professional analysts to examine tens of thousands of non-profit financial documents. According to their website, “we have used this knowledge to develop an unbiased, objective, numbers-based rating system to assess over 9,000 of America’s best-known and some lesser-known, but worthy, charities”.

I promise you, giving back to others in ways outside of the traditional mentorship role will pay dividends for the rest of your life. The gratitude you will be exposed to will not only change the lives of others, but it will change yours: making you a better person and leader. So go change the world!

Venture + Lead + Prosper

Humbled to lead,

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✏ Venture + Lead + Prosper

Leadership is an investment — of time, humility, sacrifice, and money. And although the pursuit to become a respected and effective leader is never-ending, the return on this investment far outweighs the journey. It’s the person willing to play the long game who will experience the reward.

This is my journey to earn the trust of hard-working, ambitious, courageous, and humble people who have either earned the role to lead, or aspire to it.

My encouragement is based on three simple outcomes: Venture + Lead + Prosper. When you reach for these three outcomes, you will find that many more amazing things occur in the process.

“HE WHO DOES NOT VENTURE HAS NO LUCK.” — proverb

For me, to VENTURE conjures up an exciting journey, one that may involve risk, but ends in a rewarding experience. For leaders, every day has you venturing to both familiar or unfamiliar places. With patience, knowledge and courage to set yourself apart, you will eventually thrive on venturing to those unfamiliar places that involve risk —strengthened by knowing that the path you take will set you apart.

MY ADVICE: Don’t ever let fear be your strategy . . . it never works. To venture will require you to trust your instincts and move outside your comfort zone. Be courageous, be vulnerable, and most of all, be a visionary.

“LEADERS BECOME GREAT NOT BECAUSE OF THEIR POWER,

BUT BECAUSE OF THEIR ABILITY TO EMPOWER OTHERS.”

To LEAD is to initiate action, setting an example for others to follow. But don’t confuse “lead” and “power”. Too often, the perception is that those with the most power tend to lead. That may be true in some cases, but my goal is not to inspire the type of leadership that is based upon a position of power, but rather a position of empowerment. In order for you to achieve anything in a leadership role, you have to inspire those around you.

The buy-in is critical, but more important than the buy-in is the respect for your vision and personal example.

MY ADVICE: Lead by trusting and empowering those around you.

“THERE IS NO WAY TO PROSPERITY; PROSPERITY IS THE WAY.”

To PROSPER is to flourish, or be successful. Do not correlate prosperity with financial success when discussing leadership, but instead, focus on having balance. Consistently enjoy what you do every day, and change the lives and circumstances for the better all around you. That, my friends, is true success.

Allow your passion to flourish; if it were easy, everybody would do it. Leaders aren’t born, they are made.

MY ADVICE: Act with integrity, create a legacy by inspiring others, and you will prosper.

Above all, remember this: success is a journey, not a destination.

VENTURE. LEAD. PROSPER.

Humbled to Lead,

#prepareforlaunch #legacy #hero #chargeup #chargeuptoday #lessonsinleadership #leadership #lead #process #strongleader #patience #leadershipjourney #resilience #failure #success #moveforward #areyouready #leadandfollow #mentorship #mentor #venture #lead #prosper #reflect #inspire #empower

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The only way we can inspire is to grow our community – would you please share this with family and friends, ask that they subscribe to Charge Up, and follow us on social media?

©2018 Victor Pisano/Charge Up. All rights reserved. You are free to use portions of this publication, provided the following credit is listed at the bottom: ©2018 Victor Pisano/Charge Up, is a media-based entity that provides intriguing, innovative and distinctive content, engaging its readers with real-world challenges and solutions while embracing obstacles and the value that failure can provide. While that sounds serious, we promise you will both learn AND laugh (and sometimes cry).Contact Charge Up at victor@chargeuptoday.com or visit our website at www.chargeuptoday.com.

More . . .

The only way we can inspire is to grow our community – would you please share this with family and friends, ask that they subscribe to Charge Up, and follow us on social media?

The only way we can inspire is to grow our community – would you please share this with family and friends, ask that they subscribe to Charge Up, and follow us on social media?

The only way we can inspire is to grow our community – would you please share this with family and friends, ask that they subscribe to Charge Up, and follow us on social media?

Venture + Lead + Prosper

The only way we can inspire is to grow our community – would you please share this with family and friends, ask that they subscribe to Charge Up, and follow us on social media?

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