So Whad'ya Know For Sure?

When I was kid my family vacationed every summer in Eagle River, a small tourist town in northern Wisconsin. My great-uncle Bill - a retired Milwaukee fire-fighter - had moved up there with his wife Irene and hand-built a log house on Deerskin Lake about 10 miles out of town on a gravel road. It was a real get-away for my parents and their five kids and a welcomed chance to go fishing every day (nothing large, but it was still great fun). Anyway, I can still remember sitting in a little rowboat with Uncle Bill (chewing his tobacco and sipping a few cans of beer), putting worms on a hook and just relaxing on the water…

After a while he would simply ask me, "Well, Ron, what do you know for sure?" I had no clue what he meant – maybe he was just trying to make conversation – and at times I admit I thought he was a bit wacky.

Uncle Bill passed away at 91 after a full life. Now… it makes me wonder: What DO I really know for sure?

A. So, please join my Uncle Bill and me, and list a few things you are absolutely certain about…

• ABOUT YOUR CUSTOMERS...

• ABOUT YOUR EMPLOYEES...

• ABOUT EACH OTHER AS FAMILY BUSINESS PARTNERS…

• ABOUT THE WORLD OF BUSINESS…

• ABOUT LIFE…

• ABOUT YOURSELF…

B. At this stage in your life, what are you very uncertain about…

C. … and how does all of this affect you as a manager/leader, and as a person…