Your Life Mission

What is your life's mission? How do you answer this question in a way that is possible or attainable? How will you know this is the right mission statement? You are the only one who can write it and know if it is right for you.

A life's mission is something that we must live and continue to explore and develop. It is something we "experience", not just a statement or thoughts we write down. It can be the first step to finding a balanced life of family, work and community. When we begin to live a life that works, we are ready for a business that works. With a foundation of a balanced life that is functioning, we can approach our business differently. Our business can now be a vehicle to achieve our life's work.

People at all stages in life, from students to senior managers, have often asked me what it takes to be a successful leader. I've had the good fortune to work with and observe some great and not so great leaders during the past 25 years and it's taught me what works — and what doesn't. Truly great leaders have something in common: they all have CHOPS, five characteristics that I consistently see in people who lead highly successful organizations and teams that reach their potential. These are the qualities I look for when I hire, promote, or expand responsibility. Woman, man, sports, business, military, community, not-for-profit, at work, at home, at play — if you've got CHOPS, you're on the fast track.

Dr. Nicholas J. Mathys
Professor of Management
DePaul University

NM:  What are some of the qualities that applicants or employees should look for in an organization?

KD:  For me, it's how a company values its people.  Are people treated as drones, or are they an integral part of bringing the product to life?  Are employees respected as individuals with something to contribute, or regarded as "order takers"?  It can be hard to discern whether what's written in a corporate brochure is "image propaganda" or an accurate representation of the company's culture, values, and behaviors.  Remember, you'll be spending a third of your day or more on the job, day after day, month after month, potentially for many years to come.  You'll need to make some value judgments about the company, and you should do it before you accept the position.

Dr. Nicholas J. Mathys
Professor of Management
DePaul University

Dr. Nicholas Mathys:  How has the restaurant business changed over the years?  What do you see affecting it in the future?

KD:  It really boils down to the vast number of choices – and vast amount of information – available to consumers today.  Pretty much every business' customers have become more demanding, better informed, more discerning about value, and in many cases much less loyal.  Satisfying customers' ever-changing needs and expectations is what’s driving change in most industries.  With so many options to choose from, customers have really changed the way business has to operate.  In some ways, it's segmented markets to the point that mass merchandizing – one-size fits all – may be a thing of the past.

 

Dr. Nicholas J. Mathys
Professor of Management
DePaul University

Dr. Nicholas Mathys:  What have you found to be some of the common characteristics of great leaders?

KD:  I use an acronym, "CHOPS" – Communication, Honesty, Organization, Persistence and Selflessness; by the last I mean yielding to the team or the brand; a focus on the result rather than who gets the credit.  Great leaders all have the ability to inspire people to reach their fullest potential, to uncover and develop that discretionary part I believe is within each of us.  We all have abilities we haven't been called on to use.  There’s a great analogy in sports.  How often have we seen individuals and teams who were mediocre under one coach become champions under another?  It's no accident that great coaches – whether in business or in sports – produce great teams and develop great players and great leaders.  There’s a method to their teaching and organization. They’ve broken it down into processes that can be duplicated and replicated in many different walks of life.  I think one of the most effective systems is to ask "what's right" questions instead of "what's wrong."  Focus on maximizing strengths.  A problem-based style of analysis can suck the energy right out of an organization, put people on the defensive, resistant to change, and unable to make sound decisions on their own.  Asking “what’s right” questions can energize people and empower them to think in new, creative ways.