Abundant | Lorne Rubis

Character Hall of Famer – Larry Berg

201014 May
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Posted inBe Abundant

My friend of almost 40 years, Larry Berg, is the CEO of the Vancouver International Airport. During the recent 2010 Winter Olympics, there was a lot of pressure on the airport and all related logistics. Imagine all those thousands of people and thousands of pieces of equipment coming and leaving in concentrated ways over a two week period.

It is especially stressful as the entire Olympic world departs at once after the closing ceremonies. My understanding, by all objective accounts, is that Vancouver set a new bar for great airport performance.

If you know anything about being Canadian, you probably know that hockey is the oxygen of the country. There was no better ending to the 2010 winter Olympics than to have Canada play for the gold medal in men’s hockey on the last day of the games. Tickets for that game sold for thousands of dollars on eBay.

Larry, who is a big hockey fan, had four premium tickets to the game. What did he do? He gave the tickets to four of his direct reports who worked their butts off to make the airport run like a finely tuned machine.

That’s being abundant! That’s character. Character Hall of Fame inductee: Larry Berg.

with Character,

Lorne

Seth Godin Gets It

201010 May
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Posted inBe Abundant

Hey Characters, are you a Linchpin? Linchpins, Supporters and Leeches, Seth Godin, Seth Godin, author and marketing guru, describes these categories of people. I strongly urge you to read his recently published book, Linchpin.

The people in the “leech” category are those who Godin describes as pessimists and obstructionists. Godin states they are “driven by fear, they set out to slow you down, whittle you down, and average you down.” This is the antithesis of being “abundant.”

The third element of the Character Triangle is being Abundant. This means being generous of spirit and an optimist. It also embodies a deep belief in a successful outcome. Put an emphasis on the importance of being generous of spirit.

Think about the people that make an incredible impact – they give! As Godin states, “The economy has been better and worse. Through it all the market seeks out, recognizes and embraces artists, people we can’t live without.”

Godin’s type of “artist” has nothing to do with fine arts, but instead, being able to make a difference and valuably contribute at one’s craft, regardless of whether or not it’s in the board room or fixing kitchen sinks.

Be abundant. Be generous. Be an “artist.” Give everything you have to have an impact.

with Character,
Lorne

Character Triangle

Our character is exclusively ours. We define it by how we think and what we do. I believe that acting with Character is driven by what I call the Character Triangle.

What, exactly, is the Character Triangle (CT)?

The CT describes and emphasizes three distinct but interdependent values:

Be Accountable: first person action to make things better, avoiding blame.
Be Respectful: being present, listening, looking again, focusing on the process.
Be Abundant: generous in spirit, moving forward, minimizing the lack of.