How much of an "open book" are you when it comes to your family, friends, and even your employees?

Are you honest with people or do you hold information close to the vest until you determine how things will benefit you?

I once knew a colleague who worked in a department with a senior vice president who demanded that all information be cleared through her before it was disseminated to the staff or the company.

The only problem was that my colleague also worked on a special project for the chief operating officer, who believed in being as open as possible with all the organization's staff.

This put my friend in the middle between a department head who refused to share information unless it was absolutely necessary and the head of the organization who wanted to share as much information as possible.

Fortunately, the chief operating officer outranked the senior vice president and information was freely shared within the organization.

Sharing information, time, and even money when you are able, builds trust among the staff.

Every company goes through cycles and if the employees believe you always tell them the truth, in good times and bad, they will be more likely to stick with you during the down cycles.

Please watch the short video below to learn how the attitude and treatment of one company towards its employees, kept the staff working hard and how the company financially rewarded those workers for their effort when the difficult times passed.

Also, please leave me a comment about your thoughts on how you believe companies should treat their employees when it comes to information, resources, and compensation.   

When was the last time your back was against the wall?

A time when there was only one way forward, but you didn't think the odds of success were very good.

In 1519 Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortes was tasked with overthrowing Mexico and the Aztec empire.

In July of that year, his fleet landed at Veracruz, Mexico with approximately 600 soldiers, 15 horsemen, and a few cannons. 

Once the ships were unloaded, Cortes had them burned to send a clear message to his men, there is no turning back, there is no surrender, we will be successful.

There is nothing like a "burn the boats" moment when you know you must move forward even in the face of tremendous uncertainty. These moments can be cleansing and life-affirming.

Every time I speak in front of a group of people, locking my wheelchair in place always feels like a "burn the boats" moment. There is no turning back. I am 100% committed, and I will be successful.

We all like options when trying to make decisions. But sometimes having too many options can paralyze us and prevent us from making choices. 

By burning our boats we remove all but one option from consideration and then we forge ahead with the understanding that we must find a way to be successful because the only other option is failure.

It's always great to have a safety net or a backup plan, but approaching a decision, plan, or project with a "burn the boats" attitude, forces you to hone your technique to ensure maximum optimization of all your resources. 

Burning the boats forces you to give everything to the choices, the plan, and the implementation in the hopes of achieving ultimate victory.

​Please leave me a comment about a time in your life when you used the "burn the boats" attitude and where it led you.