Security Sales & Integration October 2022 - 57

EXECUTIVE DECISIONS
Business Fitness by Paul Boucherle
Seek Wisdom in
Your Decisions Part 1
Every growing
season in your
life depends
on learning
what you can
do to deliver a
bumper crop
of success the
following year.
▶ WISDOM IS OFTEN associated with age and
experience. It is the tuition we pay from our mistakes,
disappointments, successes and failures. It is
up to you to take advantage and gain perspective
to make better decisions in the future. I think we
can all agree that paying tuition does not necessarily
lead to the enlightenment of critical thinking
as many newly graduated college people are
beginning to recognize, perhaps to the dismay of
parents who have helped foot that bill. Th erein lies
the crux of the problem.
If you don't have " skin in the game, " the tuition
Paul Boucherle, Certifi ed
Protection Professional
(CPP) and Certifi ed Sherpa
Coach (CSC), is principal
of Canfi eld, Ohio-based
Matterhorn Consulting
(matterhornconsulting.
com) and an SSI Industry
Hall of Famer. He has more
than 30 years of diverse
security and safety industry
experience.
securitysales.com
of learning doesn't get personally internalized. Internalization
creates the motivation to own results,
to progress, to develop, and nourish the seeds that
produce a bumper crop of wisdom. Th e key element
for a successful harvest? Personal responsibility
for your future growth.
Wisdom needs to be nourished to harvest better
decisions. If you accept victimhood over responsibility,
then wisdom will produce a low yield that
will not fi ll your career silo to sustain you during
the winter months of life. Every growing season
in your life depends on learning what you can do
to deliver a bumper crop of success the following
year. What can you do?
Be an active learner and accept the lessons
which failures teach us. Analyze them objectively,
stop blaming others and make more informed decisions
about your career and life. No need to beat
yourself up, just accept the fact that only you will
steer the tractor. Apply the lessons of failure in a
positive way.
In your 20s-30s, you compare your progress
to others you perceive to be more successful,
who have more than you do, are better looking,
more privileged and happier ... on the surface.
Big mistake.
Oscar Wilde famously said, " Be yourself, everyone
else is taken. " If you must compare yourself,
compare yourself to who you were yesterday
and who you will become tomorrow, and what
steps you need to own to move forward. People
often blame bad bosses for their lack of progress.
Another big mistake.
Th ey are your teachers, imparting lessons that
paul@matterhornconsulting.com
@swisssherpa
you, at the time, may not recognize the value of
the experience they are sharing with you. I had
my share of them in my career, and at that time
I did not recognize their gift to me. Th ose lessons
taught me what I would not do in the future
when I reached their level of authority and became
a leader of others. Recognizing their weaknesses
developed my career. I thank them - they helped
developed my wisdom.
Wisdom helped me to diff erentiate poor leaders
from true leaders who were tough on me, who
could teach me and who held me accountable
for results that contributed to their goals. Always
embrace tough leaders who want to develop you
and who are fair. I have always learned from those
leaders in my career and in the military to become
the wise old man I am today. Here is why.
Th ey always had my back, supported me in
public and dressed me down in private (most of
the time). I learned where I fell short in my decisions
and was expected to not make the same
mistake again. Th ey taught me my most valuable
business lessons.
In business leadership your prime directive is to
develop and leverage the human assets you are given
to accomplish the mission. Wisdom takes time,
patience, hard work, active learning, parking a big
ego and serving others. What steps might help you
become that kind of leader?
1. Self-awareness of your strengths and more
importantly your weaknesses. Th is is fundamental
to gaining wisdom.
2. Step back and utilize assessment tools to
recognize these key factors. We utilize DiSC
assessments for both leaders and their direct
reports. Th e comparative reports can help
you lead more eff ectively, along with a little
bit of remote training.
3. Focus on your communication skills. You
will have a natural communication style. It
may not align with the team you lead who
have diff erent styles.
4. Adjust your leadership communication style
to develop the best results for your team. Th is
will build your career, wisdom and results
you are expected to deliver.
Th ese steps helped me refi ne my leadership
skills and business success in my corporate and
entrepreneurial career during the past 40 years in
the security industry. Seek wisdom, and people
will listen and follow you too. Next month, more
about wisdom!
OCTOBER 2022 Security Sales & Integration 57
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Security Sales & Integration October 2022

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