Author Archives: Gary Epp

Beliefs, Behaviors & Branding

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     I’ve recently gotten involved as a volunteer mentor at Georgia Tech’s startup incubator.  The process teaches budding entrepreneurs how to discover whether their idea might become a sustainable business.  The principles are deceptively simple to understand and incredibly challenging to implement, because startup entrepreneurs often believe so passionately about their idea that they become susceptible to what’s called Confirmation Bias.
     This malady is common to the human condition.  We all hold certain beliefs about our business, family and self and possess an innately tuned bias that selectively finds examples of behaviors that confirm our beliefs.  Yet we often get surprised when others react to us in ways that seem inconsistent with our beliefs.  This dissonance arises from a gap between beliefs and behaviors.
      We cannot resolve this dissonance by more effective marketing of our beliefs and values, because our behaviors almost always have greater impact than our beliefs–as the old adage says, “What we do speaks so loudly others cannot hear what we say (let alone think).”
     In the business world, branding experts zealously strive for consistency between behaviors and beliefs, because they know that behaviors inconsistent with a brand’s target image undermine the brand and decrease its value.  In fact, all of their efforts zero in on translating their beliefs into consistent behaviors so that everyone who interacts with that product or service has a similar experience.
     At a personal level, people know us (our personal brand) by how we behave.  When our behaviors remain consistent over time it establishes a level of predictability which makes it easier for people to interact with us–they know what to expect.  When our behaviors are aligned with our beliefs we experience less distracting and destructive personal stress.  And when our beliefs are further aligned with Truth we experience a harmonic resonance of personal productivity and effectiveness.
Putting it into practice
     My friend, Jack Williams, created a personal mission statement entitled his “I Believe” list.  Jack knows that defining what he believes isn’t enough to make a difference; so Jack reads his “I Believe” list frequently to remind himself of what he values. Periodically Jack reviews the list and evaluates his behaviors against his beliefs. If his assessment reveals behaviors reliably inconsistent with one of his stated beliefs, Jack takes that as evidence of disbelief, and he removes that item.  That can be a sobering reality check when one of those beliefs might be “I believe that I communicate love and respect for my children by consistently participating in events important to them” or “I believe that consistently spending quality one-on-one time with each direct report is crucial to their professional development.”

Learning to Leave a Legacy — What’s in a Name?

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Before I get too far out of the starting gate, this blog’s name, “Learning to Leave a Legacy” deserves its own post.
 
Webster’s dictionary defines “legacy” as anything handed down from the past. Since every living person has a past, we must not ask, am I leaving a legacy, but, what legacy am I leaving? A legacy may:
  • Uplift or tear down
  • Enrich or impoverish
  • Expand or contract
  • Enlighten or obscure
  • Spread peace or strife
  • Cast narrow or broad
 
I’m writing this post sitting in the home of my recently deceased aunt.  An auction company is removing the personal possessions from her home.  It’s a sobering experience to observe how little those things mean.  I want the measure of my lifespan on earth to leave a legacy of enduring value to others in my circle of influence. Like many of you, I want others to think of me as wise.
 
Webster’s dictionary defines “wisdom” as knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action. In other words, a wise person aligns their beliefs and behaviors with Truth. 
 
Let’s consider that definition in two pieces–knowledge of the truth and practicing justice. 
 
1. Knowledge of the Truth
 
But how do I know what is right or true? I see at least three ways to acquire knowledge of the truth.  One, humans have a conscience that sometimes accuses and at other times defends our own actions; although my repeated actions can sharpen or dull this innate sense for what is right. Two, the Christian faith teaches that any person who lacks wisdom may receive it by asking of God who gives to all generously. And third, we may acquire wisdom through life experience.  Since this third source is the only one we influence as humans, I want to explore it a bit.
 
Even a cursory observation of mankind concludes that acquiring wisdom requires something more than longevity of life. That something is a zest for learning. Whether they do so consciously or not, most wise people acquire knowledge of the truth by applying a process akin to the scientific method. 
 
First, they intentionally seek and voraciously consume the acquired knowledge and wisdom from those who preceded them. From that knowledge and their own life experience they develop hypotheses (or beliefs) about what is right or true. However, those ideas remain academic information until tested in their individual lives. That testing process requires purposeful action; most notably, making time for reflection in order to progress upon a learning path (Applying our senses to collect data >> Sifting the data for patterns to glean information >> Acting on that information to acquire knowledge >> Repeatedly practicing knowledge in a variety of circumstances to gain the expertise/wisdom).
 
2. Practicing Justice
 
Like our conscience, I would contend that we are also born with an innate sense of fairness.  Consider small children who are quick to say, “That’s not fair!” at perceived injustice. However, unless arrested, our naturally selfish nature will breed a callous disregard for others that eventually dampens our ability to sense injustice. This  tendency suggests the wisdom to produce a powerful and positive legacy rests on a servant’s heart.
Learning to Leave a Legacy
Summing up…a powerfully positive legacy requires a commitment to intentional learning and a heart of service toward others.  This blog, “Learning to Leave a Legacy” embodies my commitment to share what I am learning on the journey of building my own legacy.

Assets, Inventory & Giving

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     The 14-Apr post on Lessons from Networking generated some interesting dialogue with those I’ve met in the intervening ten days or so.  A couple of those dialogues made significant impressions on my outlook.  Over the past decade or so I’ve mentally toyed with the idea of writing and sharing more frequently, but I’ve always been reluctant to dive in.  Two reasons would usually stamped out any thoughts of committing to regular sharing.  One, maybe some folks can sit down and rapidly capture meaningful thoughts, but for me it’s a time-consuming and deliberative thought process.  And, two, I was afraid of having little, if anything, to share that others would find interesting or meaningful in their lives.
     The past week has been another example of God intentionally lining up people to hammer a common message into my head like ammo in a gun on full automatic.  As my heart and mind have continued to chew on how to make regular deposits to the emotional bank accounts of the relationships in my life network, I keep getting drawn back to the notion of writing for the purpose of giving.  
     Once my mind headed down this path, I quickly realized that we cannot give something we do not already possess.  On the balance sheet of a business, we categorize things we own as “assets.”  One of the periodic activities of successful people and businesses is that they periodically step away from doing and take an inventory.
     So, what assets do I possess (you will need to conduct your own inventory)?  I narrowed my list down to five big categories.  I do not pretend this list is comprehensive (it ignores tangible assets–monetary or physical assistance); however, this inventory represents elements crucial to any effective relationship–gifts from both the head and the heart.
  1. Time — In this fast-paced world, time for many of us is our most precious asset
  2. Talents — Those traits inherent from birth that make each of us better at some things than most people around me
  3. Training — The lessons life has and continues to teach me
  4. Transparency — Being real and vulnerable with others
  5. Truth — The Natural Laws, designed by our Creator, that govern the affairs of mankind
     I still do not know if anyone will consistently find value in what I share, but that barrier, which previously kept me from starting down this path, is falling in the face of several truths.  First, since I believe that God owns it all, “my” life assets are really His assets to use and hoarding them is a disingenuous lack of faith.  Second, any gift involves relinquishing control.  The outcome is in the hands of the reader/recipient, and not my concern.  Third, I am left with this simple, yet deep question… am I giving (writing in this context) for the best interests of the reader/recipient?
     So What (can I do now)? [Since I’m a huge believer in action-oriented learning (i.e. applying the lessons we are trying to learn), I will usually include in these posts a few suggestions on practical steps you can take to apply the concepts discussed in the post.  Otherwise, it’s just an intellectual dialogue firmly anchored in mid-air.]
  1. Conduct your own periodic inventory of life assets (life is dynamic; so it will change over time)
  2. Decide how you will share those assets into the lives of others in your circle of influence
  3. Put that plan into action
  4. Return to Step 1 and repeat

Lessons from Networking

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The past few months of full-time networking have been a treasure trove of lessons from the amazing people in my growing network.  It’s been a blessing to see unconnected comments coalesce in time and concept to crystallize important lessons.  Before I share a brief update about my search, I want to share one such insight.

 

A wise friend recently shared with me the importance of having relationships in very circle of life (business, community, church, family, etc.) that provide for stability and richness (or profits).  He advised that stability arises from the breadth of my relationships in any circle while richness arises from the depth of a much smaller subset of relationships in that same circle.  Deep relationships must arise from those with whom we interact frequently.  However, stability flows from interactions that occur much less frequently and, therefore, require different relationship nurturing behaviors.

 

I’ve been committed since the onset of this opportunity search to serve the people in my network.  I’m not always successful at achieving that goal, but it remains my first intent.  Despite that purposefully, servant-minded attitude, it still feels awkward at times.  Why?  I’ve come to realize that I’ve not stayed in touch with many of the people in my network; so my approach is the equivalent of attempting to make a simultaneous deposit and withdrawal to the emotional bank account of the relationship.  Whether it’s my bank or a relationship, a deposit has to “clear” before it’s available for withdrawal.  That concept suggests one party in a relationship must take the initiative to make a deposit with no immediate attempted withdrawal.

 

Therefore, a means toward enhancing the stability of relationships requires making frequent deposits that create value for the other person.  I appreciate that this is a simple (and maybe obvious) lesson, but one that’s admittedly difficult to apply.  This note (and others like it to follow) is a first step toward purposefully applying that lesson in my own life.