Common Sense Leadership
Hi. I'm Eric Easter. I am President of Kittle's Furniture. I've been in our industry for over 30 years. During that time I’ve held positions ranging from cashier to CEO. Along the way, I've held executive leadership positions both in manufacturing and retailing. I've also been responsible for leading initiatives in merchandising, marketing, sales, and operations for leading companies like Kittle's, Thomasville, Boyles and Huntington Furniture. Leadership has always been a passion of mine and nothing delights me more than seeing good people become great leaders. This blog, while discussing a myriad of topics, will focus on leadership. I look forward to hearing from you!
NUMBER THEORY
Years ago I read the science fiction book “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams. It is a bit wacky but a lot of fun. In the book a computer churns for 7.5 million years to determine “the answer to everything” and finally arrives at the answer: 42. I think about this when I see people who spend most of their time delving into report after repo ...... Read More
Comments (4)HOLD ONTO YOU
All of us at times lose our way in life. None of us exit the womb knowing all we need to know to become a happy, confident person. We must learn life’s difficult lessons on our own. Hopefully we are born to good parents, connect with positive mentors, find competent teachers and choose good friends. However, no matter what our circumstances when we drill down to the dry reality that is ...... Read More
Comments (1)NO SILVER BULLETS, PLEASE
When faced with a seemingly insurmountable obstacle our natural inclination is to search for that one thing that can set the world right again. In business it may mean throwing out one leader for another. It may mean risking it all hoping for that one deal that turns it all around. It might mean placing all our hopes on one new product introduction. It may mean eliminating a complete division ...... Read More
Comments (4)MOVING FORWARD
Taking hits and getting back up is a sign of inner strength. Whether it’s on a personal or professional level, developing this ability leads to more success and happiness. A leader who does not posses this trait is miscast. People look to their leaders for strength to help them persevere. If co-workers sense an unwillingness or inability of their leader to fight back when dealt a series ...... Read More
Comments (7)THE BATTLE FOR CONSISTENCY
We know that every company must have a valid strategic plan and a viable niche in the marketplace. Without this it is just a matter of time before the organization becomes irrelevant and dies. However, this alone does not guarantee success. It is just as easy to go out of business because of poor execution. Most companies last no more than three years because it takes both a differentiating st ...... Read More
Comments (4)PEOPLE MATTER MOST
Years ago I was counseled by an executive that people really don’t matter. He said it is like when you stick your hand in water and then pull it out. The water is the same as before. His belief was that the hand entering and exiting the water made no difference. He felt the same about people. In his world people were dispensable and easily replaced. Sadly, he practiced this philosophy ...... Read More
Comments (6)DOING WHAT IS NECESSARY
I could easily complete the title to this with “…even when we don’t enjoy it”. This is not a comment on unpleasant duties like confronting someone or dealing with an irate customer. This is about enduring a period in one’s career when you are doing things that are not really enjoyable. We’ve all been there. Perhaps we are starting a new job and part of an ...... Read More
Comments (12)FEARLESSNESS
Each of us is all too familiar with fear. Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of authority, fear of what others might think, fear of being wrong, fear of setbacks never ending, fear of being ourselves, plus the fears that result from burdensome neuroses, are all examples of irrational, debilitating thoughts that waste our time and impede our progress. Fear’s only value is to quickly al ...... Read More
Comments (7)DEFINING SUCCESS
Winning is everything. Don’t be a failure. Get all you can. More money means more happiness. These are the messages we hear daily, and they epitomize how our society defines success. The incredible pressure to “succeed” can be overwhelming. However, you should never let others define success for you. Leaders need to decide for themselves what constitutes a successful life. Whe ...... Read More
Comments (1)Where is my job security?
For most of us at any time on any day we could be told we no longer have a job.This is true for leaders as well as everyone else in the organization. Certainly we are more susceptible when the economy is sputtering, but with all the uncertainty and exogenous variables at play in today’s world our job security is always at risk. It seems many of us have chosen to live scared. We fear for o ...... Read More
Comments (4)BEING FAIR IN AN UNFAIR WORLD
Look under. Look over. Look up. Look down. Look around. What do you see? All around us, we find unfairness. We live with it at home, work, play, school…everywhere. Life is never fair. Regardless of who we are or what we do, unfairness finds us-it does not discriminate.Here’s why. The free choices that we make affect not just us but others. Their choices do the same. Then ...... Read More
Comments (10)CRISIS LEADERSHIP
A crisis by its very nature tends to be short but intense. A series of unforeseen events in one’s personal or professional life suddenly takes priority, relegating all other issues to secondary status. We read about various crises daily and almost become desensitized to them. Perhaps we may think the term is overused. However, there is no problem recognizing and feeling their pain when they ...... Read More
Comments (1)
