Today's Business Lessons
Bars or stars?
Felix
entered the military service at the young age of 17. He eventually
became a Marine officer. When he retired, he started working as a car
salesman in a Japanese car dealership in Palo Alto, California. That
dealership was ruled and dominated by a Japanese-American salesman whose
sales have always been unchallenged. Maybe because he’s really an
excellent salesman or maybe because the Japanese community preferred to
do business with a Japanese sales person, we really don’t know, but his
dominance over the rest of the salesmen remain unchallenged. Until Felix
came into the picture that is.
After four months of acclimatizing himself with sales, a world far
different from his former job with the Marines as a recruitment officer,
Felix dethroned the old Japanese salesman and became the celebrated
salesman of that dealership. Then he moved on to another dealership and
became a manager.
I’ll never forget what he said when I asked him for his secret to his
career success. He said, “I go to the malls and spot young teenagers
roaming around with absolutely no direction in life. I convince them to
join the Marines to discipline themselves and tap into their own
potential, and serve the country. I mean, if I can convince a “loser and
a sucker” to give up his life for his country, and to become a person
of substance and worth, how difficult is it to sell cars anyway?” I had
given a hearty laugh. It made sense – recruiting people for the service
and selling cars both involve selling, don’t they?
Felix also explained that being with the Marines, the soldiers are
trained in many aspects of business. They complete the sales course of
Zig Ziglar, and they’re required to study books authored by the most
prominent business gurus in the country. In other words, they’re trained
thoroughly. No wonder Felix was good.
That was many years ago. Let’s fast-forward to today.
After 13 years of working in the car dealership, the dealership was
sold. That meant Felix will be out soon. The move caught him and
everybody else by surprise. His colleague of 13 years couldn’t face the
reality of the situation. He threw temper tantrums and expressed his
utter frustration, complaining about how he has given all of his 13 good
years for the company and now the company was closing. Felix, on the
other, said, “Well, every time there is an ending could very well signal
a brand new beginning.” He continued working hard, selling more cars
and encouraging the rest of the staff to do their best.
The complainer had his entire world collapsing under him, but Felix
looked at the horizon, tried to figure out his next move and considered
his options. One finds himself imprisoned with the situation and
couldn’t move forward. Felix figures there must be a better world and
better opportunities out there.
Even during the transition, Felix continued to do his job well, work
on weekends and sell more cars. And this is the most surprising thing of
them all: Felix approached the old bosses and expressed his gratitude,
saying, “I just want to thank you guys for all the goodness you have
shown me. Had you not supported me, I would not have gotten to where I
am today.”
Most people I know wouldn’t do this. They would whine and whimper, moan and groan about the situation, but not Felix.
Guess what? The new owners of the dealership will not rehire those
who have not performed. On top of their firing list will be the guy who
couldn’t accept reality. Felix, meanwhile, has received an offer to
stay, and he might, but he wants to renegotiate his terms and get a
better deal.
Two people in the car dealership have been thrown into the dungeon. One looked up and saw the bars, while Felix looked up and saw the stars. All those years of training are bearing fruit today. Zig Ziglar said, “It’s not your aptitude but your attitude that determines your altitude.”
Felix is my brother-in-law. Every time I spend my family’s holiday vacation with him, I learn something new from him.
Whatever situation you’re in now, learn to look at the stars, not
just the bars. But here’s the condition: get yourself trained first, and
start with the attitude. For whatever the situation is, God is still in
control, isn’t He? Felix believes in this too with all of his heart.
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