A couple of months ago I had the privilege of connecting with childhood friends that I did pretty much everything with during my adolescence. One of the friends, in particular, grew up about a block away from me. Spencer Fullmer is the type of person I admire, as I have witnessed the change from a typical kid, into an incredible man. As we caught up, we talked about family, business, and I became particularly interested in the success he is having with his business. He has successfully built a practice, expanded his patient list 300% since purchasing the practice, and now is moving into heavy expansion into other offices and states. He has caught the eye of a large partner who is wanting to replicate Spencer’s model across the United States in a powerful way. Spencer’s responsibilities would shift, as he would be fulfilling the role of Chief Evangelist and architect for workflow productivity and culture structuring; speaking of the role and not the title.
I asked Spencer about his software that manages clients, interactions, tasks, etc. and he said that he doesn’t have anything special, but an industry product that most have. I asked about his staff and what training he incorporates, and though he lights up when talking about his staff, the answer was a little more subtle. He said; “the secret to our success, and really any success is being nice”. Taken back, I clarified by saying, “all your success is tied to being nice?” He said emphatically yes! He said oftentimes doctors, dentists, and professionals think they are better than their patients, friends, neighbors, and the overall community. They bring that attitude with them into work, it is present in their conversations, and most definitely shows up in times of frustration. This reminded me of an article that I read about Mark Cuban and something clicked. In an interview with Kathleen Elkins in October 2018, Mark said, “one of the most underrated skills in the business right now is being nice”. He referenced being nice as “a simple skill that anyone can develop” which “can go a long way’. The article is great and particularly includes the reference to a scientific study where high emotional intelligence (EQ) can make you wealthy and successful. Www-cnbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org
I would submit to you that being nice, has an outcome of being and becoming happy. We have all heard the saying that Happiness is the key to life, but my belief is that Happiness is the key to happiness- at least at the cognitive level of choice. I am a believer that choice is the first step to becoming anything. We must make a clear decision of what we want, and eliminate the noise of what we do not need! I am currently reading the book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by author Greg McKeown. He brilliantly nails the principled approach to achievement. We all define achievement and success in a variety of ways, however, I believe most of us can agree that happiness is a success! I am not oblivious to the internal and external things that compete or destroy happiness, but I believe that happiness is a formula that starts with being nice. I also believe that each of us should do a gut check, so to speak and see how we can improve be nice or return to the practice.
