The Invisible Mentor

Posts Tagged ‘Influential Books’

Interviewee Name: Heather White, Director Membership – Large & Mid Markets

Company Name: Board of Trade

Website: http://www.bot.com 

Avil Beckford: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Heather White: I’m a wife, mother, volunteer and a hardworking professional doing a job that I really like. I am married to a guy I really love and have two kids that I really love.

Avil Beckford: How do you integrate your personal and professional life?

Heather White: I’m not sure if I do a very good job, but I do keep things separate. So when I’m at work, I don’t do personal stuff, and when I’m at home I don’t do work stuff. Sometimes I do some work stuff but I try not to mix the two. If it’s family time, it’s family time. However there is a transition time, so if there are issues at work, when I go home I will talk to my husband about them, so I need that transition period. But outside of that, there is no real integration per se because some of the things that you tolerate at home you wouldn’t tolerate at work and vice versa. 

Avil Beckford: When you have some down time, how do you spend it? 

Heather White: I love to travel – driving or going away, and I love to read and I love to play sports. I play basketball, table and lawn tennis. I play whatever the kids play. I love movement.

Avil Beckford: What are five life lessons that you have learned so far?

Heather White:

1. Be sure of who you are.
2. Stay focused.
3. You always have to study and find ways to improve yourself.
4. I have a range of interests that have served me well. I don’t know if everybody can handle it but it has worked very well for me to have a wide range of interests.
5. Every person you meet you should treat them well andwith respect.

Avil Beckford: What process do you use to generate great ideas?

Heather White: I’m a groupie so I find conversations with people help me to generate new ideas because someone might say something that you can build on, or might trigger something for you. I also think that you have to listen to what other people have to say because no idea is off limit. That has helped me but the group dynamics has been my biggest idea generation tool.

Avil Beckford: What’s your favourite quotation and why?

Heather White:

“Until you make peace with who you are, you’ll never be content with what you have.”  Doris Mortman

“We are what we repeatedly do; excellence therefore is not an act but a habit.”  Unknown

Avil Beckford: How do you define success? And in your opinion what’s the formula for success?

Heather White: Success is a very elusive term for me. I think you have to be good at what you do, so that’s a big thing and if you’re good at what you do you’ll make money at it easier than someone else. But I think it has to benefit more than just yourself. I grapple with the definition for success all the time. But I don’t think that success is in your wealth, it’s in products or services that you offer that can help a wide range of people, or even help to make the quality of someone’s life better. The formula for success, especially in the early part of your career, is to work hard, be open to suggestions on how to improve yourself, and be a subject matter expert. And never think that you know everything there is to know about that area.

Avil Beckford: What are the steps you took to succeed in your field?

Heather White: I don’t know if I’m successful, but I know that I’m good at what I do because my clients affirm that all the time. The people aspect was very critical for me and I was never intimidated by people who were not nice. I deal with senior level executives daily, some are rude and intimidating, but for the most part they are nice. I think it’s a reflection of how you treat people – I treat them with respect, but I am also very confident in myself.

I learn a lot from people and I evaluate criticisms. If someone said something about me I always analyze it and I take it back to my mentors, my family and say, “This is what someone said about me, is that how you perceive me?” I also have people in the office who I can talk to, and my mentors are good for me. Family and mentors play a key role in my life.

Avil Beckford: What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?

Heather White: I would say to be flexible in the early stage of your career. Be open to learning a lot of things. I’m a trained forensic chemist, and now I’m in sales and account management. I had to be open. You have to be open to opportunities, learn from others and get a mentor.

Avil Beckford: If trusted friends could introduce you to five people that you’ve always wanted to meet, who would you choose? And what would you say to them?

Heather White:

1. I’d like to have met Abraham and Daniel in the Bible because of their stories – moving from one place to next, to the unknown, and hearing the voice of the Lord.
2. Nelson Mandela has had an incredible life so I would like to meet him personally. I read his book Long Walk to Freedom and I thought the time he spent in prison all those years was simply incredible. I think his focus is amazing.
3. I’d love to meet Barack Obama and I’d love to meet him now when the markets are crashing. The challenges he has are pretty incredible.
4. I would also love to have met Winston Churchill.

Avil Beckford: Which one book had a profound impact on your life? What was it about this book that impacted you so deeply?

Heather White: For me it has to be the Bible because it has nuggets of truth that have helped me. It’s tried and proven and it works like clockwork. It also helps you to focus on the real things in life and that’s my reference points. I have read some wonderful books, but nothing compares for me like the Bible.

Avil Beckford: You are one of the 10 finalists on the reality show, So, How Would You Spend Your Time? Each finalist is placed on separate deserted islands for two years. You have a basic hut on the island and all the tools for survival; you just have to be imaginative and inventive when using them. You are allowed to take five books, one movie and one music CD, and whatever else you take has to fit in one suitcase and a travel on case. What would you take with you and how would you spend the two years? T he prize is worth your while and at this stage in the game there really aren’t any losers among the 10 finalists, since each are guaranteed at least $2 million?

Heather White: I have several praise and worship music CDs that I listen to so I would take one of those and I would take The Color Purple for the movie. I would take the Nelson Mandela book Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. I love Debbie Macomber who wrote two books, one on giving and the other on how things work out in your life. I also read a nice book Return to Fitness: Getting Back in Shape after Injury, Illness, or Prolonged Inactivity that I really like.

For the two years, I would read and exercise because it would be a great opportunity to lose some weight. I would exercise, eat healthy and memorize the Bible. I would try to find other people because I have never had to be alone.

Avil Beckford: What excites you about life?

Heather White: People, experiences and how those two can come together.

Avil Beckford: How do you nurture your soul?

Heather White: Reading, going to the spa and spending time with friends.

Avil Beckford: If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for?

Heather White: I wish I had the resources, know-how and power to help my friends in Africa and make life better for them – people in places like Somalia, Darfur and Congo.

Avil Beckford: Complete the following, I am happy when…..

Heather White: I’m happy when I’m with my good friends and family and in an environment where I feel loved and people think a lot of me. I am happy at work, with the people I work with because I like them and we get along very well.

How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed.

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Interviewee Name: Shirley Adrain, COO

Company Name: Asia Pacific Technology at Societe Generale

Website: http://www.societegenerale.com 

Avil Beckford: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Shirley Adrain:  I’m a mom and wife and I’ve got a career in investment banking information technology. In addition to that I sing, paint, cook and try to keep fit.

Avil Beckford: How do you integrate your personal and professional life?

Shirley Adrain: I timetable everything. To cope with everything, I write a list and make sure that everything is timetabled. For me, that just gives me a bit more control – that I can cope with everything. 

Avil Beckford: When you have some down time, how do you spend it? 

Shirley Adrain: I like spending time with my friends and family just relaxing, doing something with my daughter, generally outside doing some exercise.

Avil Beckford: What are five life lessons that you have learned so far?

Shirley Adrain:

1. Take responsibility for your actions and not blame other people.
2. Surround myself with positive people and use them to help me develop and act as a sounding board for issues.
3. Face my fears and do them anyway.
4. Take the road less traveled.
5. Have as much fun as possible.

Avil Beckford: What process do you use to generate great ideas?

Shirley Adrain: Have confidence that you’re going to have an idea and use lateral thinking. I always know that I’m going to come up with a solution, and I sit there for a while, and quite often I come up with the idea in the middle of the night if I haven’t thought about it and didn’t get the answer during the day. It comes to me in the night. But I think it’s knowing that you are going to come up with a good idea and letting your subconscious work on it. So it’s really harnessing the power of the subconscious mind.

Avil Beckford: What’s your favourite quotation and why?

Shirley Adrain: Well being Scottish, I have to go for a Scottish quote, “What’s for you wont’ go by you,” which means what’s for you in life won’t go past you so it’s having that confidence that you’re going to get success.

Avil Beckford: How do you define success? And in your opinion what’s the formula for success?

Shirley Adrain: Success is being what you want to be in life, being happy, achieving something and looking back at your achievements. The formula for success is simply believing in yourself. It has to be key; and choosing excellence, always trying to do the best you can, and learning and growing from your mistakes. You have to focus and continue to improve, that’s important.

Avil Beckford: What are the steps you took to succeed in your field?

Shirley Adrain: I’ve had some great bosses who I have learned a lot from, and it is good to have different bosses because they teach you different things. My job requires working with a lot of people and building relationships. I enjoy doing that, as well as building a great team is really important. A lot of my roles have been global and regional and in those circumstances it’s really important to build relationships with all the people in all the locations to spend time with them and understand their needs. And when you want to roll something out, when I have rolled things out on a global and regional basis, I spend time lobbying the key people before hand, before I ask for a decision to be made. It makes it that much easier and ensures that I deliver what they want, so they’ll buy into it.

Avil Beckford: What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?

Shirley Adrain: The world of work is now very different from when I started out working. Today it’s key to build a good network and to use the network to help you. There are so many people and not enough jobs so it’s about thinking about yourself and your personal brand, having that level of confidence and building that network and trying different ways to get into your field of work. And also getting as much coaching and mentoring as possible really helps.

Avil Beckford: If trusted friends could introduce you to five people that you’ve always wanted to meet, who would you choose? And what would you say to them?

Shirley Adrain: I guess I would want to meet inspirational people.

1. Nelson Mandela would be a great person to meet.
2. Gandhi has so many successes so I’d like to look at some of what he did.

Avil Beckford: Which one book had a profound impact on your life? What was it about this book that impacted you so deeply?

Shirley Adrain: It is The Road Less Traveled because it’s a book that I’ve read a few times, and it makes you think about how you live your life and what decisions you make. It’s about where you are going in life. For me it made me realize that I had to look at my life mission statement, and where I wanted to go in life. I’m sure that once I’m clear on what I want to be doing in my life, to make sure that what I choose to do is in alignment with that, so when I look back I know that I’ve done the right thing, and can be proud of what I have achieved. I don’t want to be looking back and having a lot of regrets.

Avil Beckford: You are one of the 10 finalists on the reality show, So, How Would You Spend Your Time? Each finalist is placed on separate deserted islands for two years. You have a basic hut on the island and all the tools for survival; you just have to be imaginative and inventive when using them. You are allowed to take five books, one movie and one music CD, and whatever else you take has to fit in one suitcase and a travel on case. What would you take with you and how would you spend the two years? T he prize is worth your while and at this stage in the game there really aren’t any losers among the 10 finalists, since each are guaranteed at least $2 million?

Shirley Adrain: I would want to learn a lot of things so I would take a couple of big books and spend time reading and thinking about them. I would also write a book since I would have so much time, and think about what I could give back to others.

Avil Beckford: What excites you about life?

Shirley Adrain: All the different challenges that life has. I have been very fortunate to work and live in different countries, so I’m continually learning about the different cultures I am exposed to. I think it’s about learning new things and I also like meeting new people. I like not knowing what’s going to happen next – uncertainty and change is something that I enjoy.

Avil Beckford: How do you nurture your soul?

Shirley Adrain: Helping others and trying to make a difference! I get a lot of pleasure when I’m able to help others.

Avil Beckford: If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for?

Shirley Adrain: I would wish that people could live together more happily – have more fun and get along.

Avil Beckford: Complete the following, I am happy when…..

Shirley Adrain: I’m with the people I love and I’m doing something that I’m passionate about.

How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed.

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Interviewee Name: Runa Magnusdottir, CEO & Founder

Company Name: Connected Women

Website: http://www.Connected-Women.com

Avil Beckford: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Runa Magnusdottir: I am an Icelandic woman, I’m an entrepreneur. I’ve owned companies, bought companies, started up companies, and sold companies throughout my adult life. Today I work doing things that I’m really passionate about and that is to coach business people mainly to help them discover their own passions in life and also help them on the personal branding and marketing side.

Avil Beckford: How do you integrate your personal and professional life?

Runa Magnusdottir: I have one life and my personal and professional life are linked together. I’m very passionate about what I’m doing, and personally if I’m going to be authentic, if I’m going to be open, if I’m going to be working on the things that matter the most to me I can’t see how I’m going to divide my personal and professional life. It has to be together.

Avil Beckford: What are five life lessons that you have learned so far?

Runa Magnusdottir: Live, love and laugh.

Avil Beckford: When you have some down time, how do you spend it?

Runa Magnusdottir: With my family. If not with my family it’s in the wilderness with my dog.

Avil Beckford: What process do you use to generate great ideas?

Runa Magnusdottir: I’m good at getting great ideas. My best ideas come to me when I’m traveling alone and I’m 30,000 feet up in the air, and there is no e-mail, no phone, and nobody talking to me. That’s where my best ideas come alive.

Avil Beckford: What’s your favourite quotation and why?

Runa Magnusdottir: “Whether you think you can or can’t it’s both right, you decide.”

Avil Beckford: How do you define success?

Runa Magnusdottir: I define success when you achieve the things you’re aiming for, and that you’re doing something that has a purpose for you. There has to be a purpose.

Avil Beckford: In your opinion what’s the formula for success?

Runa Magnusdottir: Having a very clear vision, be passionate about the things that you’re doing and believe you can do it. Have fun and you have to love what you’re doing because there are going to always be obstacles in the way and having fun makes it easier. And to become successful you cannot do it alone, you have to have people around you, people who believe in you. And you have to have the mindset that you can do it and that links to the belief.

Avil Beckford: What are the steps you took to succeed in your field?

Runa Magnusdottir: The steps I took to succeed in my field was to do a lot of personal development, find out what was important to me. I think it’s important for everyone to find their purpose.

Avil Beckford: What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?

Runa Magnusdottir: Definitely to look at the things that really make them happy. So often you see people, and I quite understand why that happens, they go to school to learn something that they’re not particularly fascinated about, but someone around them say that they should be doing that because of whatever the reason is. At the end of the day, it is they who are going to be doing the job, not the one who told them to do it. So find out what makes you happy, what it is that I can do more of to keep me happy because you know when you’re around happy people who are content with themselves. It’s a joy to be around them.

Avil Beckford: If trusted friends could introduce you to five people that you’ve always wanted to meet, who would you choose? And what would you say to them?

Runa Magnusdottir:

1. Let’s start with the cliché. I would really like to meet the Dalai Lama. That would be a fantastic opportunity to meet him because the whole history around him and the message he is giving the world is so unique. If I met him I would just sit there and listen to him.
2. I would really like to meet President Barack Obama.
3. I would love to meet Ellen Degeneres who I think is an amazing woman and the same goes for Meryl Streep. Both of them are so amazing because the images I have of them are independent women who do what they think is right and do it for from their heart. With Ellen, it’s the laughter that she gives, it’s such a gift.
4. The fifth person I’d like to meet is Jesus Christ. I would like to sit down and learn more, and there is probably so much missing from the story about Mary Magdalene and all the female powerhouse around Jesus at the time, I’d definitely want to meet him.

For President Obama, Ellen Degeneres and Meryl Streep I would invite them to come to Iceland.

Avil Beckford: Which one book had a profound impact on your life? What was it about this book that impacted you so deeply?

Runa Magnusdottir: The Alchemist by Paulo Cuelho. The book was plain and easy and explained life in an easy and powerful way about how simple it really is. That was the message I took from it.

Avil Beckford: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what are five books that you would like to have with you and why? Summarize the book in two sentences.

Runa Magnusdottir: I would take the renowned books in the Icelandic Sagas (the history of Iceland from the Viking time) and finally have the opportunity to read, understand and be wowed like hundreds of thousands of people who have read them. I have never had the opportunity to do so and on a deserted island I would use that opportunity.

Avil Beckford: What one music CD and movie would you like to have with you (on the deserted island) and why?

The Beatles- Hey Jude (Official Video)

If you cannot view the Beatles YouTube video, please click here.

Runa Magnusdottir: I would take a one of the Beatles’ CD because I love to sing the Beatles songs. When I’m reading the Icelandic Sagas it would be nice to hum the Beatles songs. The Beatles CD and Icelandic Sagas would be enough for me and I would make my own movies in my mind.

Avil Beckford: What excites you about life?

Runa Magnusdottir: Everything literally.

Avil Beckford: How do you nurture your soul?

Runa Magnusdottir: I nurture my soul by being excited about my life.

Avil Beckford: If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for?

Runa Magnusdottir: More gendered opportunities in the world.

Avil Beckford: Complete the following, I am happy when…..

I make other people happy.

How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed.

Interviewee Name: Rona Maynard

Website: http://www.ronamaynard.com

Avil Beckford: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Rona Maynard: I’m a storyteller and the common thread in everything that I do, whether I’m giving a speech, writing an article or blog post, or leading a memoir workshop, is pulling meaning out of experience – my experience or someone else’s. We are all looking for meaning, I provide that.

Avil Beckford: How do you integrate your personal and professional life?

Rona Maynard: When I was at Chatelaine magazine I published an issue on life balance, which is a concept I no longer believe in. I’m much more concerned about harmony – the two aspects of my life enriching each other. I find that when I’m loving my work, my personal life is richer and more rewarding. And when I’m loving my personal life, I feel more relaxed and empowered about my work. So the two really flow together, I do not separate them at all.

Avil Beckford: What are five life lessons that you have learned so far?

Rona Maynard:

1. Success is about knowing and embracing your greatest gifts. Your past successes always point the way to your future ones, so if you don’t know what comes next, look back at what you’ve already achieved, chances are there’s a clue in there. This is why I think life gets easier as you grow older because you just have more successes to look back on. When you’re young you are so untried.
2. Love the problems that come with a job or project. We are all trained to love the moments when everything is going well, but if you’re in the right place at the right time, you will also be able to throw your arms around the challenge and give them your all because those challenges are the best focus for your efforts right now. At Chatelaine I was actually happiest when I hadn’t yet mastered the challenges that I eventually did master. I love the thorniness of the problems. I loved coming to work every day thinking “how am I going to figure this out?” I was like the person who buys a fixer-upper house and gets a little bit bored after it’s already fixed up and has to be put on the market.
3. Know when it’s time to move on because if your enthusiasm is gone you’re no longer the person for this gig and sooner or later it’s going to show. That’s why I left my last corporate job when I did. It wasn’t easy, but I didn’t want people murmuring, “Oh she’s lost her touch.”
4. Give yourself a break. Take praise when it is offered. That is often very hard for women. Women are often trying to downplay their successes and give credit for it to other people. I have sat at so many awards dinner and watch women step up to the podium and thank 30 people. The men never do this. Own your successes when they come to you.

Avil Beckford: When you have some down time, how do you spend it?

Rona Maynard: I love to go to movies and theater, I love books, and I love having wide-ranging conversations with friends that start up one place and end up somewhere completely different.

Avil Beckford: What process do you use to generate great ideas?

Rona Maynard: I don’t have a formal process I just keep my mind open. I’m always looking and listening for things that strike me as interesting. I daydream a lot, I believe in something I call power daydreaming. If you daydream about something a great deal, chances are it’s your subconscious trying to tell you something, so instead of pushing it away, listen to that daydream. It’s not a time waster.

Avil Beckford: What’s your favourite quotation and why?

Rona Maynard: This is from Richard Feynman and Nobel Prize winner, now dead, and it’s from a collection of his letters. “Any talent, any occupation that delights you, do it to the hilt, don’t ask why or what difficulties you may get into.” I was quoting that just the other day in my memoir workshop because it applies to anything – sports, writing or cooking you name it, or raising kids for that matter. When you become a parent you don’t know what’s going to go wrong with the child. That child may turn out to have autism, that child may have a serious physical illness, you don’t know, but you got to love it.

Avil Beckford: How do you define success?

Rona Maynard: Using your best talents to the fullest extent possible.

Avil Beckford: In your opinion what’s the formula for success?

Rona Maynard: Know your own powers, honour them, use them and be prepared for them to take it down some unlikely roads. Believe me I never thought that I would be giving writing workshops. When you’re bored, move on. Challenge yourself relentlessly, get comfortable living in a state where you’re always solving problems. Success is not about wrapping up things and wrapping a bow around them. There is a lot of struggle around success and when there is nothing to grapple with anymore, that’s not success that’s coasting.

Avil Beckford: What are the steps you took to succeed in your field?

Rona Maynard: What I’ve said previously about success, that’s what I used to attain success in my field and that’s what I’ll continue to use. And that’s what I would also recommend to people who are just starting out because people are schooled by teachers and parents to believe that if they are having a problem something must be wrong with them, they’re slipping up somewhere. Well, not necessarily, hard things are hard, and if you aim high you’re going to struggle. To try something new is going to feel uncomfortable at the beginning, there will be questions that you cannot answer, but leadership is not about having the answers, it’s about asking the right questions.

I guess that’s another important thing that I learned. When I was promoted to my first leadership position as editor of Chatelaine magazine, I did think that I should have all the answers, but then I came to realize that no one has all of the answers because nobody has ever stood in this place, with this brand at this juncture in history, I’m the first one. My success is going to be about figuring it out, and you do that by asking questions.

Avil Beckford: If trusted friends could introduce you to five people that you’ve always wanted to meet, who would you choose? And what would you say to them?

Rona Maynard: I don’t know if I really want to meet these people. I think that I would rather eavesdrop on them. I’d rather be invisible and observe them. They would be my invisible mentors.

1. Definitely Queen Elizabeth I, arguably the most powerful woman who ever lived.
2. Bob Dylan because he’s on a never-ending quest and he doesn’t fear failure.
3. Shakespeare for sure, and in my opinion he really did write all those works and I want to know who would possibly be such a fountain of energy, creativity and originality.
4. Martha Graham because she was the Picasso of modern dance. She reinvented dance and she has a phenomenal capacity to pull great work out of other people even when she could not afford to pay them very much, and that speaks volumes. She’s certainly a role model of mine.
5. I’m going to pick Caravaggio whose painting I discovered on a trip to Rome recently. He was a Renaissance painter who broke the rules, told great stories through paint as no one ever had before. He was a violent person and had a bad character but he produced great art.

Avil Beckford: Which one book had a profound impact on your life? What was it about this book that impacted you so deeply?

Rona Maynard: Oh there were so many, but the first was absolutely the The Diary of a Young Girl because this book told me that someone like me could change the world. I was a teenager when I read it.

Avil Beckford: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what are five books that you would like to have with you and why? Summarize the book in two sentences.

Rona Maynard:

1. Well The Diary of a Young Girl for sure.
2. The Complete Works of Shakespeare and I think that would keep me busy forever. I keep vowing to go back to Shakespeare because his work does really contain the world, but I haven’t returned to them since University and while I’m on a deserted island I would.
3. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, that’s a Canadian novel from the 90s that beautifully encapsulates the power people have to draw strength from each other in unimaginable, horrific conditions. This book turns a cliché like the strength of the human spirit to blazing reality.
4. Any collection of stories by Alice Munro, I do not care which one.  Too Much Happiness: Stories
5. The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm

Avil Beckford: What one music CD and movie would you like to have with you (on the deserted island) and why?

If you cannot view the Bob Dylan YouTube video please click here.

If you cannot view the Incendies YouTube movie trailer, please click here.

Rona Maynard: There is a newish Canadian movie which came out last year called Incendies. It’s a profound and brilliant film about secrets in a family and about forgiveness. I’ll pick any of Bob Dylan’s compilation from any period.

Avil Beckford: What excites you about life?

Rona Maynard: Serendipity!

Avil Beckford: How do you nurture your soul?

Rona Maynard: By seeking out the company of people who believe they are entitled to happiness. That’s what’s going to Verity is about for me. And also by seeking out the thoughts of people who have drawn meaning from their experiences which is what films, books, music and art are about.

Avil Beckford: If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for?

Rona Maynard: I wish that everybody I care about could be alive and well for as long as I am alive.

Avil Beckford: Complete the following, I am happy when…..

Rona Maynard: I know I’m going to have a wonderful meal and a fine bottle of wine shared with someone close to me.

How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed.

Interviewee Name: John Fink, Chief Financial Officer

Company Name: Dinosaur Restaurants

Website: http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com

Avil Beckford: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

John Fink: I was raised in a small town in Wisconsin, kind of a company town. My dad was my hero and is to this day even though he’s passed on. My life has generally been about adventure and achievement and I guess that may sound kind of strange, but that’s the way I like to position it. I was the valedictorian of my high school class and a letterman athlete, graduated college with high honors, was the President of my college fraternity, passed the CPA exam on the first shot, was a VP for a company by the age of 28 and became a CFO at 35.  I moved from Wisconsin to Florida to Missouri back to Florida to New York City back to Florida to Wisconsin to New York State. I have an amazing wife who shares my love of adventure, we have a couple of kids who give me the gift of love and laughter every day, and I’m really looking forward to the future.

Avil Beckford: How do you integrate your personal and professional life?

John Fink: When I’m at work, I focus.  Not a lot of chit chat or personal conversation.   At home, my family comes first, and they are my focus, but I seize opportunities to be productive when they present themselves.    It is, after all, what I do to earn my daily bread.

Avil Beckford: What are five life lessons that you have learned so far?

John Fink:

Avil Beckford: When you have some down time, how do you spend it?

John Fink:

Avil Beckford: What process do you use to generate great ideas?

John Fink: Listening and watching.   I discuss problems or issues with my family, friends, anybody who will listen, and I get their feedback.   I try to build consensus in my mind from all those opinions and ideas without having a formal process.

Avil Beckford: What’s your favourite quotation and why?

John Fink: General George Patton said, “Accept the challenges so you can feel the exhilaration of victory.”   I can’t imagine anything sadder than living a soft, sheltered, small life.   Maybe living in fear or living vicariously through actors, sports heros, or others.   I believe you have to get in the game.   You have to take risks.   You have to explore things, and be open-minded about opportunities. You may win or you may lose, but you have to do something.

Avil Beckford: How do you define success?

John Fink: I think it’s satisfaction through achievement, not by the trappings that achievement brings. I take my satisfaction or my successes in what I’ve done to advance others or myself, and not so much about whether I went to Italy on vacation, or drive a Range Rover.

Avil Beckford: In your opinion what’s the formula for success?

John Fink: It’s different for everyone.   In my case, it’s seizing opportunities to lead.   Raise your hand, don’t say no. Take on the challenge. Respect those you work with, but don’t necessarily defer leadership opportunities to them, unless they show you they are the best choice.   Lead different efforts, and several at once, if you can.   Become known as a leader, because if people understand you as a leader, then opportunities will come to you.

Avil Beckford: What are the steps you took to succeed in your field?

John Fink: I used my eyes and ears. I’ve found successful people wherever I was, I watched them, and figured out how they spent their time, what was important to them, what they were trying to do, and I took that.   I didn’t generally talk to them about it, because you get pie-in-the-sky “do as I say, not as I do” kind of rhetoric.   I actually watched what they did on a day-to-day basis and I took what I believed was the best.

Avil Beckford: What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?

John Fink: I would say that people are rarely promoted into a more advanced role, and then start doing it.   Usually, a person is actually doing the more advanced role, and then his/her title and pay catch up.  Don’t ever think to yourself, “I’m going to start working hard, and I’m going to start taking initiative, AFTER I’m promoted to supervisor, manager, director, Vice President, whatever it is.” Figure out what the big shots, the heavy-hitters feel is important, what would make their lives easier, and jump on it now. Don’t wait for someone to tap you on the shoulder, and tell you how wonderful you are, and give you a title.

Avil Beckford: If trusted friends could introduce you to five people that you’ve always wanted to meet, who would you choose? And what would you say to them?

John Fink:

Avil Beckford: Which one book had a profound impact on your life? What was it about this book that impacted you so deeply?

John Fink: I would say it’s the Bible.   Beyond the obvious purpose as the word of God, it’s an owner’s manual for life in many ways.   I think one thing is that most of the people God talked to and worked with, were quite flawed.  King David had issues with lust that he pursued in the extreme.  Moses had an anger problem.  Saul, before his conversion, had a hatred and violent intolerance for Christians.    I took from that that people are flawed, and “Don’t put your trust in princes.”  Even those who accomplish great things are flawed and we should know that, but at the same time we should embrace them and work with them.   Much is made of the concept of “role models” in our world.   Sports heros, politicians, etc.   We need to be careful about putting our faith in them.   I also take away that we must not keep a running list of all the slights that others have caused us, because we are meant to forgive.  If we don’t forgive, it will only result in our isolation, and ultimately being less, achieving less, and accomplishing less than we otherwise would.

Avil Beckford: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what are five books that you would like to have with you and why? Summarize the book in two sentences.

John Fink: My nature is to be a practical individual and that means I’d bring a book on first aid, a book on edible roots and berries and things of that nature, a book on fishing, a book on boat building, and for fun, a book on how to distil your own spirits.

Avil Beckford: What one music CD and movie would you like to have with you (on the deserted island) and why?

John Fink: The CD would be the original album or disk from the band Boston. It’s energetic music, it takes me back to a place in my life that was fun, and I guess the CD would be about entertainment. The movie would be Patton, which was about US General Patton during World War II. I like the movie, it’s one of my favorites, and it would give me a message to stop feeling sorry for myself and get moving.

If you cannot view the YouTube video of Boston, click here.

If you cannot view the YouTube video of Patton film trailer click here.

Avil Beckford: What excites you about life?

John Fink: It changes throughout life. Everyone changes as they age. Right now it’s raising my kids. I love to watch them. I love providing for my family and being the Papa Bear. I love feeling like I have my little group of individuals, and it’s us against the world. I also enjoy growing companies, doing more with less, staying current.

Avil Beckford: How do you nurture your soul?

John Fink: Worship regularly. I reflect on the Bible and on history, because I think in both cases, there are amazing examples that help us understand there is nothing new under the sun. We are experiencing the same things that were experienced throughout recorded history, in one form or another.    We might think we live in turbulent times, but viewed through the lens of history, we have it made.

Avil Beckford: If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for?

John Fink: The health and safety of my family for 100 years. I can’t think of anything that would be more crushing to my wife and I than for one of our kids to have a serious health issue.

Avil Beckford: Complete the following, I am happy when…..

John Fink: I’m busy working on a project that will make my family’s life better in some way. Grow our relationship, or bring more resources or comforts to them.

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