What Matters Most

By Bob Shenefelt – CEO, RCS International

When people ask me, how does one find happiness, to me you must realize what matters most, clarify who you are, and follow your North Star, (your why), and to do this in my daily life has been amazing.  I’ve done a fair amount of self discovery and I’ve coached hundreds of entrepreneurs.  Following one’s North Star has been the biggest challenge for most; it’s really about the “why”.

Why are we here? Why were we born? How can we really make a difference in the world?  To me it is a serving mentality which is counter intuitive to the younger generation who are usually thinking, once I’ve raised my kids and made some money then I’ll give back to the community and serve.  I have learned that regardless of age one has to pay it forward, to give back and make a difference, making a mark is one of the things that can truly bring happiness and joy to an individual.  My path has been to grow entrepreneurs, our community, and our children.

As I’m sure most parents do, my wife and I often struggle with parenthood.  We had to realize what matters most and know who we are, we recognized that yes, we make a lot of mistakes but overall we’re doing a pretty darn good job.  How can I, with my kids, make a difference with other kids, my community and help grow entrepreneurship?  My wife and I created a non-profit called iMatter for Kids.  This is based on the teachings of iMatter and ultimately it is helping kids stand up for who they are, find their voice and speak it.  They learn to ask questions, set boundaries, prioritize what matters most, manage their time and take action.

Maybe I’m a crazy visionary and this is a dream, a thought, who knows, maybe it’s another one of those things that’ll come and go without really coming to fruition.  But maybe, just maybe we can change the world, one school, one community, one dreamer at a time.

I am proud that with community involvement we completed our Pilot at Pierce Elementary School in Birmingham with flying colors.  We had our third annual family fun day a week ago and we had over 400 people there.  The turnout was amazing.  The attitude was amazing.  Many businesses participated not only financially but with time.  They didn’t do it to get a write off to a non-profit; they did it to work with the kids, to be in front of Birmingham families and to help promote character.  We’re excited with the possibility that this is not just a little project at our school.  If the program did end here it would still have been a huge success, however, if others take on the brand and the process and take it to another level, fabulous.  I’m following my north star and I’ve found incredible happiness, it has not been easy and yet I’ve been digging deep inside and asking for help.  I am encouraged and resolute and although we are proud of our successes and our progress we will continue to strengthen and grow and hopefully inspire a few more dreamers to join in.

So now I put the question to you, what matters most to you and why?  I encourage you to take a few moments to contemplate this powerful question.

Good luck on your endeavors. Peace

- Bob

Every company has a culture, whether they know it or there’s a name to it. It’s real; it’s a living organism within a business or a community. Take control of the things we actually have some say in, such as the outcome, as opposed to complaining about the things that are out of our control. We can only control what’s right around us and things that we have direct influence on, such as our families, our businesses, our clients.

To put a name to a culture and cultivate that culture in who we know we are and who we aspire to be is very important within a business. If we don’t have a soul and a purpose, and it’s going to die eventually, especially in today’s commoditized world.  If you don’t grow
 dramatically and remake your industry, you’re going to be a dinosaur and be out of business at some point. Remake your industry; don’t keep trying to compete on continuously lowering margins.

The culture starts with the individuals. This again may not be for everybody, every company, every team, for companies that I associate with, the massive growth has been, “If I am in fear mode and only running at a 30% efficiency of my time and value within my company, and you, my fellow employee are only at 30% and in fear as well, it’s a negative spiral.”

Out of 100% capacity and efficiency between two people, it may be less together than apart.  If I’m running at 50%, 60%, 70% of my efficiency, I know as an individual who I am, and I’m adding real value and making a difference and am inspired to make a difference within my company, and you are as well, and we’re not afraid about taking each other’s jobs, or looking to have to cover our asses.

We’re being honest and having a real conversation – if I know who I am and
communicated it, and you know who you are and can communicate it, and there’s a trust there, away we go. And I think two people together are even greater than one plus one – not one plus one equals two, not even one plus one equals three, it’s one plus one equals infinite. That’s the beauty of being in business in the wisdom age, and it starts with the individual.

The more solid the individual, the more solid the relationships, thus the more solid the company.

Grow people; grow relationships; grow business.