Want free poop?
August 13, 2009 by Phil Gerbyshak
Filed under Business
One of my mentors is a man by the name of Kirk Weisler. Kirk is a motivational speaker and an author. 5 years ago, Kirk spoke at an event in Milwaukee, and he completely changed the course of my life by talking about the power of volunteering for your career. I left a comment that I’m excerpting below for you:
Your advice to me 5 years ago rings as clearly in my head as if you’d said it to me 5 minutes ago: If not you, who? If not now, when? The time will never be JUST RIGHT. Make the leap of faith and dive in RIGHT NOW, and your life will be blessed for the decisions you make. Though it may not be easy, it will be worth it, for you will have enriched the lives of others.
Here’s my story about initiative.
5 years ago I heard Kirk speak to an organization I was barely a member of. He shared the advice above, and it hit me right in the heart. I realized then I could no longer sit on the sidelines and watch life pass me by. I volunteered not long after that meeting to become the treasurer of the organization. 2 years later, I became president of the organization, and last year, I was re-elected to my second term as president and now sit as a regional director for the same organization. And my life is better for the relationships I’ve made and the things I’ve learned.
Things are better for me because I volunteered and stood up to be counted.
It’s Kirk and his wife Rebecca’s 18 year wedding anniversary this week, and I thought I’d share a little poop with you in honor of Kirk.
Why poop?
Sorry, I forgot to tell you…One of Kirk’s book is called The Dog Poop Initiative. It’s a little book about the power of initiative, about taking initiative in your life and not letting life pass you by. Powerful advice in a cartoon package!
You can use this book talk to your team about the enormous power of initiative, in a very non-threatening way. Kirk tells a true story about how picking up the poop can set a fantastic example for others, and change their trajectory.
How can you win poop?
In honor of Kirk, I’d like to collect some initiative stories. Some stories about how little things that you’ve done have had great results. Whether it was picking up a piece of paper or standing up to a bully, share your stories. We learn best by the stories we share with others, for that’s how our grandparents passed their stories down to our parents, and how things carry forward.
I have 2 copies to give away. US residents only. When Kirk gets back, we’ll talk about his 2 favorite entries, and I’ll share the winners with you. Contest ends at 5 PM Central time August 20th, 2009.
Good luck winning some poop!
The Dog Poop Initiative photo from More Better Books
Kirk Weisler photo from the private collection of Phil Gerbyshak
Good article. Kirk’s book sounds like a good read, shame its only available for US residents, oh well I guess I should add it to my wish list on Amazon:-)
X Chelsea
Phil,
First I have to tell you how much I enjoy my 10pm feedburner emails from you…It’s often the idea that closes the book on my day and begins my “deep thinking” train of thought for the next day.
Onto Poop. I work in a large project management organization pushing papers and talking on the phone to get things done. In the realm of business stratification, my position is closer to the cleaning crew than that of the CEO.
A couple of years ago I was working on a project team (as the happy grunt-worker) and ended up with a bully Team Leader. She used drama and embarrassment to dominate the situation when she was stressed. The company culture has a history of allowing this kind of negative behavior since it is a means to an end. I didn’t recognize the warning signs soon enough, and Bam! I failed on that project. At the time, I thought I was going to be fired, but I wasn’t.
A handful of successful projects, and probably a year later, I overheard her berating a coworker in the middle of what I call “cube-land”, since it’s a sea of grey cubicles. I pushed my chair back and sternly corrected her behavior, equally as loud as she had been. “You need to take this somewhere else! In fact, there is no reason for you to speak this way at all!” She apologized, and I quickly snapped, “I don’t need an apology, it’s [name] that you should apologize to!” Instantly, I emailed her manager and documented the situation and generally made her day difficult.
Despite time and healing, I still was sore and guarded when in a room with her. Then she got promoted again to the highest level of leadership in the department, while I sat on the same level. I could have been jealous, upset, or petty, but I decided in that moment, that enough was enough. I emailed her and gave her congratulations. I told her that she deserved the promotion (she did – her projects are always on time and on budget) and that she was going to go far.
The next time I saw her in the hallway, she HUGGED me and said “Your words mean more to me than any others! You are a much better person than I am, I could never have forgiven me if I were you!” Now we are even Facebook friends, and she has even invited me to work on another project with her.
I gracefully declined that invitation to work together, but the point is – by standing up to her, I made a difference for both of us. We both got the freedom to grow as human beings. Yes, she may be at a higher level than me, but I am the leader for her.
I picked up the poop and led the way.
Phil!
Like you, Kirk made a deep impression on me as well. It is rare that you find someone so caring and respectful in the world as him. I am particularly impressed with his family life at home, his expectations of his children and how involved he seems to stay with them.
So what does this have to do with Poop? Whether he knows it or not, Kirk has helped me refocus several times on what is truly important in my life – my 5 year old Daughter. It is easy to get side tracked with all the noise in the back ground that is your career, business meetings, business dinners, etc.
Kirk’s book, “The Dog Poop Initiative” is one of my Daughters favorite books. I had shared it with my team many times and never thought about reading it to her. It was my Daughter who discovered the book for herself as she plopped it on her bed for her good night story. She said she recognized the word “Poop” from another book she was familiar with “Everybody Poops”.
That night I read to her, I found that the story opened up in a different way than it had when I read it to my team. There were new positive life choices and actions that I was explaining to her. I have read the book to her many times since then. What started happening as a result from reading the book is what I am most happy about. Taking those extra minutes and explaining the “why” to her has made such a change.
My Daughter turned into a SUPER helper! Saturday morning is my family’s chore day. I still won’t forget the first time she came down the steps and saw me sweeping the floor and said “Daddy, I don’t have any hard work to do. Can I help?” I think my jaw dropped. I had never heard a 4 year old say that. This hasn’t been a one time occurrence. She now has expectations of having work to do, she feels left out if she doesn’t. I have even had other parents ask me how they can have an impact like that on their children. I usually smile, give them a wink and say “Poop”.
Phil, I already have two copies of “The Dog Poop Initiative”. I didn’t submit this story to try to win another. Because of our past encounters and encounters with Kirk I thought it appropriate to share how much the both of you have an impact on my life. Being positive and taking time to address what really matters in your life trickles down to the smallest of people.
I am so grateful to have both of you in my life, even if it is only through blogs and T4D’s.
-Brenden Bernardi
Mine is a simple example of how taking care of “poop” can make a difference, but I think it illustrates the principle well.
After living in the same neighborhood for seventeen years, our family moved to a new area where I didn’t have friends or even meaningful connections. Because of this, I sulked and sang the sad “Oh, woe is me song” for a while. However, it didn’t take long for that lament to grow old. I was tired of feeling sad and lonely, so I decided to do something about it.
A short time later, at the end of our church’s Christmas party, I volunteered to scrub the pans that had gooey cheese and potatoes stuck to them. It was hard work, but I didn’t mind because scrubbing those torturous pans solved my woes. Suddenly I was a favorite in the kitchen. When people came in with more dishes they would ask me, “So how did you get stuck with the pans?” Before I could answer, the other women in the kitchen would say things like, “Diana is on our good list. She volunteered to scrub the pans.” Or “We like her. She chose to scrub the pans. She’s our friend.” And I was. It only took about two hours to clean up the kitchen, but after that,someone always said “Hi” or smiled at me during church, and I never felt lonely again–all because I chose to scrub some dirty pans.
I enjoy so much of the thoughts for the day, often times it’s what’s going on in my life or relates to what I have gone through. The out come is very positive, and makes you look at life in a different way.