I would like to depart from my traditional articles to describe a great leader who was also a great friend. This departure is partly selfish, but I welcome an opportunity to describe a person from whom I learned many management and leadership lessons.

In the early 1990’s I met with the owner of the Fishel Company so that he and several of his executives from around the country could evaluate a system I had developed for process improvement. The meeting took place in Phoenix because The Fishel Company has a large presence in Arizona.

The Fishel Company has about 30 branch offices around the U.S. with most of its operations focused on either underground or overhead utility construction. The company motto says it all, “The World’s Best Ditch Diggers.” That is what they do – dig ditches and install pipes and cables. As you might expect, the majority of the workers in The Fishel Company are blue collar, hard working outdoor types, or as John Phillips the current company president once described them, “These people are absolutely the salt of the earth! There isn’t one of them you wouldn’t enjoy having as a relative or next-door neighbor.”

The meeting must have gone well, because I received a contract to implement a system of process analysis, teambuilding, leadership training, and process improvement in their many locations around the country. For several years I visited each branch office many times, which enabled me to learn a lot about the company history and some very unique corporate philosophies. It’s about the uniqueness of this company and its owner that I would like to describe in this article.

Ken Fishel, who built the company through old fashioned hard work and a commitment to providing the customer high quality at a fair price, founded the Fishel Company 66 years ago. Ken’s son-in-law, Jeff Keeler, joined the company in 1976 as part of a field crew. Later he moved to the office as an assistant to the Vice President. The combination of field and office experience enabled Jeff to learn the underground utility construction business from the underground up. Jeff was named president in 1977 and served in that capacity until 1998 when he became Chairman and CEO.

It is about J.F. (Jeff) Keeler, Jr. that I pay tribute. From the moment I first met him and later in dozens of meetings and leadership training workshops that he attended, I became his fan. He preached a concept called “Fishelosophy,” which distinguished his company form the competition. I had never seen a company like this before. At first I was amazed that “Fishelosophy” actually worked. But I soon realized that it was a different way

of treating people. And because the people (employees, customers and vendors) were treated differently, they in turn responded in like manner.

Let me give a few examples of “Fishelosophy.” There are no “employees” in the company; they are called Teammates. If you inadvertently use the “employee” word, someone will quickly correct you. It took me some time to break the “employee” habit; but when I did, it was obvious to my Teammates that I had embraced their passion for teamwork.

Jeff believed in sharing company profits. Each quarter eligible, Teammates shared a significant portion of the company’s profits. This sharing of profits helped each person think like an owner, because in effect, each person is. Profit sharing checks were typically distributed in meetings that would best be described as a pep rally. I’ll never forget the first one I attended in Phoenix; it was an exciting and fun event.

At the meetings Jeff would lead his Teammates in a company cheer! That’s right, I said company cheers. If you had told me that company cheers were possible in today’s sophisticated marketplace, I would have disagreed. But with Jeff’s enthusiastic leadership style, it worked exceptionally well. The cheers fostered a camaraderie among his Teammates that is without equal in my 34 years of business experience.

The Fishel Company believes in posters. There are posters espousing every corporate belief, value and initiative. At meetings, the posters are prominently displayed as a reinforcement of what they stand for. It was common to see half-dozen posters on easels for a leadership training workshop.

As I traveled with Jeff and saw him interact with his Teammates, many things impressed me. But one of the most amazing was that he knew not only the names of his Teammates, but he also remembered who they were as human beings. This attribute endeared his people with unparalleled loyalty and honesty.

Jeff Keeler lived teamwork, he had vibrant passion for life, he loved competition, he cherished friendships, and he made life more fun for his family, Teammates, and everyone he met. Unfortunately, Jeff recently passed away, a cancer victim. He may be gone, but I’ll never forget the lessons I learned from the “World’s Best Ditch Digger.” Leadership training makes a difference.

To learn about how Dr. Williams or CMOE (Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness) can assist your organization with leadership training initiatives, please contact a CMOE Representative toll free (888)262-2499.

Dr. Richard L. Williams is a retail consultant where he specializes in quality improvement, feedback, and leadership training.

In his 30 plus years of experience, Dr. Williams has conducted more than 3,800 workshops to more than 100,000 managers and executives around the world.

It’s not enough to declare that your selected candidate for promotion to supervisor is now a “leader.” You must provide him or her with three essential building blocks. And by the way, if you are the one being asked to take on the additional responsibility of leadership you should insist on having the same three building blocks:

Authority

After this time I surpassed all others in authority, but I had no more power than the others who were also my colleagues in office. – Augustus Caesar

Authority includes the personnel, money and materials that go beyond the title supervisor or manager. Your authority includes the sole determination of how the above assets are utilized or expended conducting the business of your department, section, area of responsibility or company. Your staff must be absolutely certain that you are in charge and your decisions won’t be reversed by your supervisor, within reason, baring anything unlawful or immoral.

If you aren’t given the decision making authority, don’t take the job. Having the authority to complete a job is very satisfying. Remember that your authority also means taking responsibility when things go wrong.

You are given the authority to perform your duties and responsibilities because of your supervisor’s confidence and trust in your abilities.

Responsibility

While an open mind is priceless, it is priceless only when its owner has the courage to make a final decision that closes the mind for action after the process of viewing all sides of the question has been completed. Failure to make a decision after due consideration of all the facts will quickly brand a man as unfit for a position of responsibility. Not all of your decisions will be correct. None of us is perfect. But if you get into the habit of making decisions, experience will develop your judgment to a point where more and more of your decisions will be right. After all, it is better to be right 51% of the time and get something done, than it is to get nothing done because you fear to reach a decision.- H. W. Andrews

This is the lonely part of leadership; every decision you make you make alone. While you want to have input from staff members and others as may be necessary but you will evaluate all the data and advice and ultimately make the decision alone. Leaders are responsible for making the hard decisions no one else wants to make or can make. Once you implement your decision everyone suddenly knows the correct answer. You have now opened yourself to criticism from every possible direction. You may even begin to second guess yourself-don’t. The decision you made was based on available information and in the best interests of the organization.

You always have the option of adjusting the decision as its consequences develop. As a leader you make decisions knowing

that they may be wrong but you take that risk where others won’t. You and you alone have the responsibility for making the decision. So make your decision with confidence and above all, trust yourself.

Accountability

The major way of doing anything with one’s self is to own one’s self. This means to take full responsibility and accountability for whatever I am doing at any moment, with anybody. It means, among other things, that I get rid of all the extra fingers that I point at people and situations to explain my behavior. When a person says “He made me mad” that is not accurate. It is “I made me mad.” When I permit myself the luxury of taking that full responsibility, then I’m on first base, at least, because then I can do something about it.- W. W. Broadbent, MD, PhD

Accountability simply put means you own it. The military teaches this concept better that any organization I know. It works like this. You are assigned a task; there are two possible outcomes, you succeed or fail. If you succeed, congratulations and move on. If you fail there is no excuse for failing, you just didn’t get it done. This short conversation sounds like this; Yes, Sir, No, Sir and No Excuse, Sir. The young leader learns very quickly that he or she is totally accountable for everything his or her unit does or fails to do.

I guarantee you will only make an excuse once.

Your reputation as a leader will be determined by how accountable you are in your daily business practices. By holding yourself accountable for all your actions and those of your department you will be way ahead of your contemporaries. It is an easy way to get noticed in a positive way.

Accountability is not just for the big stuff; it also important for the casual daily things. For example: You tell a colleague that you can’t meet with him at the moment but will call him in an hour. Make sure you call him in an hour. Or you are scheduled to attend a meeting at 10:00 AM. Show up at 9:55 AM not 10:05 AM.

Feel free to use this article, in your publications, in its entirety provided you include the following notice:

© Copyright 2004, Lighthouse CCUNIV Publications, Ltd., Lakeville, Massachusetts, USA (except as otherwise indicated). Lighthouse Continuing Care University is a servicemark Lighthouse CCUNIV Publications, Ltd. http://www.ccuniv.org

Kenneth E. Strong, Jr., MS, is President and founder of Lighthouse CCUNIV Publication, Ltd., http://www.ccunivpub.com He is the founder of Lighthouse Continuing Care University http://www.ccuniv.org a web based community devoted to educating, supporting and developing, supervisors, managers, line staff and trustees of Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Skilled Nursing Facilities. He publishes a monthly newsletter “How To Find A Great Nursing Home” http://greatnursinghomestrategies.com

“You must drop that name, ‘Ragged Dick’, and think of yourself now as “Richard Hunter, Esq.”

“A young gentleman on his way to fame and fortune,” added Fosdick.

-From Ragged Dick, by Horatio Alger

These are the closing lines from Ragged Dick, Horatio Alger’s first rags-to-riches story. Its publication in 1867 would be followed by 133 similar books written over a thirty-three year span. The stories were meant to be inspirational and to offer not only hope, but a blueprint for success to thousands of impoverished American and immigrant boys. In that regard they succeeded admirably and ended up stamping self-reliance indelibly on the American psyche.

Alger was an unlikely teller of such tales. New England bred, Harvard educated and well traveled through Europe, he was unprepared for the squalor he found in New York City. He had moved there in 1866 to restart a writing career that, to this point, had lacked both focus and success. Upon arriving, he was immediately drawn to the plight of the over 60,000 orphaned and abandoned children fending for themselves on the city streets. They earned small amounts of money by shining shoes, peddling newspaper or selling notions. At night they slept in boxes or under stairwells or in the street. They were completely on their own. As he interacted with these children, Alger became convinced that there was one key variable that determined if a child would overcome his circumstances or be overwhelmed by them. That variable was character.

Alger believed not only that good character was a prerequisite for success, but that it could be developed in anyone. The first requirement of character is confidence. For Alger, people succeed who believe they can succeed. Neither hard work nor strong moral values can propel someone through adversity who sees themselves as a victim of circumstance. Such people lack the will to succeed because they expect to fail. The

second requirement is absolute integrity. In Alger’s world there are no ethical shades of gray. The demand is for scrupulous honesty coupled with a willingness to look out for someone even less fortunate. It means always telling the truth and never collaborating with deceit through silence. Finally, character requires perseverance. You must never give up or run from a challenge. Despite the odds you must press on in pursuit of a good end. And perseverance shouldn’t be grim. Instead, it should be a cheerful and optimistic look to the future—to the certainty of better times.

Alger was sometimes criticized because his characters usually succeed after some lucky break or encounter. In this case, Ragged Dick is finally launched on the path to becoming a gentleman when he dives into the river to save a wealthy man’s child. But Alger’s point was that people of strong character make their own luck. Luck is a matter of being ready when opportunity knocks. People with character have made themselves ready to be lucky.

It’s easy to dismiss Alger’s strive and thrive message as naïve or simplistic. But the belief that character can be developed in anyone and that with character any obstacle can be overcome was powerful tonic for hundreds of thousands of dirt poor kids. It was their success formula and it worked. It can work for us too.

About the Author:

George Ebert is the President of Trinity River Seminars and Consulting, a firm specializing in the custom design and delivery of team building, personal growth and ethical development programs. Mr. Ebert is a highly sought after speaker, educator, and consultant with over thirty years experience in both the public and private sectors. He has presented widely throughout the Unites States. George is the author of the management cult classic, “Climbing From the Fifth Station: A guide to building teams that work!”