Principle 20
Some of my most precious memories are of times I spent with my parents as a child: visiting Lake Michigan or an art museum with my mother, going to a ballgame or the office with my father, enjoying vacations with the whole family. Today, even with the demands of running a global packaging business and a baseball franchise, I do my best to make lasting memories with my own kids.
Principle 19
I can teach anyone about the packaging business, but I can’t teach people the qualities that would make them great workers. So when I need to hire for Berlin Packaging or the Cubs – while I naturally look at skills and experiences – I’m mostly interested in finding people who possess qualities such as intelligence, confidence, energy, discipline, tenacity, and creativity. When everyone on your team shares these traits, anything really is possible.
Principle 18
If you’re competitive like me, you may be tempted to put in some grueling hours. Just remember that, no matter how efficient you are, at some point — probably sooner than you think — you will start to get diminishing returns. Now and then, you need to just let yourself have fun. And there’s nothing like a ballpark on a sunny day to make you feel like a kid again.
Principle 17
People don’t decide to work with you based on facts and figures. Real decision-making happens in the limbic system of the brain, which is where your emotions live. So to sell someone on what you offer, you have to engage their emotions. And that means focusing not on the products and services you provide, but on why you provide them. What’s the “big picture” emotional benefit? At Berlin Packaging, we exist to help people and companies be Greater, Faster®. That’s the real reason people choose us.
Principle 16
When I was a kid, my parents did me a huge favor — they never gave me an allowance. If I wanted something, I had to earn it by making candles, shoveling snow, cleaning pools, bagging groceries, waiting tables — the list goes on. Over the years, I learned not just how to work, but how to work hard. How to roll up my sleeves and sweat the details. This is the attitude I take to the office with me each day.
Principle 15
I began my career as a lawyer. But I quickly discovered it wasn’t for me. I was too restless, too entrepreneurial, too bored by the endless research. In short, I had no passion for the law, so it would always be a slog.
But for me, being a CEO is all about passion. There are so many elements I love: sharing my vision, building teams, winning new business, providing exceptional customer service. I’ve built Berlin Packaging — and the South Bend Cubs — by doing what I love, and I make it a mission to bring out the passion in all of my employees.
Principle 14
You wouldn’t get on a bus if you didn’t know where it was going. Likewise, your team needs to know where you’re taking your business. It starts with having a clear vision: the ability to see both the path in front of you, and what’s around the next corner. And then you have to paint a clear picture of this vision for your team. When your people know where the company is headed — and especially how they fit into the plan — you’ll be amazed by their effort, dedication, and loyalty.
Principle 13
Berlin Packaging sells packaging, obviously. But our real business isn’t providing our clients with bottles; it’s selling them bigger profits, better EBITDA. Along with providing top-quality packaging, we do many things to help our customers build their businesses, offering them no-charge design services, zero-interest financing, marketing assistance – everything we can think of. By focusing on boosting our clients’ bottom lines, we’ve inspired customer loyalty and grown multiples faster than our industry.
Principle 12
I’m constantly looking for new and better ways to do things. And I find inspiration everywhere; great leaders are always on the lookout for an edge.
But learning from within through self-study and reflection is just as important. Athletes know this; it’s why they study film footage of themselves. You look for what works and repeat it; you look for what fails and change it. It’s how we go about improving ourselves at Berlin Packaging, just as much as it’s what we do in the Cubs organization.
Principle 11
Success in business is a three-legged stool; it’s built on the success of your employees, your customers, and your suppliers. If any one of these groups isn’t sharing in the spoils, you might get lucky in the short term, but your stool is going to topple in the long run. To create a lasting strategy for success, be sure that everyone working with or for your business ends up winning with you.
Principle 10
No one’s really satisfied with “satisfaction.” That’s why I always aim to thrill. Business is about innovating, uncovering needs, solving problems, and determining new ways of delivering products and services.
It’s about getting the little details right in a way no one thought possible. It’s why the South Bend Cubs play in the most family-friendly minor league ballpark in America, and why Berlin Packaging offers an unparalleled array of no-charge services to our customers.
Principle 9
Feeling thankful for your life will make you feel lucky. I developed my own thankfulness practice after learning that the Blue Angels — the U.S. Navy’s flight demonstration squadron — end every post-flight debriefing with these four words: “Glad to be here.”
When you practice thankfulness each day, you’re building a path of positivity for yourself.
Every day, once a day, I close my eyes and say that phrase. I feel thankful for everything I’m grateful for in that moment. Then, I feel thankful for what’s happened in the last 24 hours. Finally, I feel thankful for what I think is going to happen in the next 24 hours.
Principle 8
Whenever I decide on a new goal — for Berlin Packaging, for the Cubs, or even for my private life — I approach it with overwhelming effort. Each step is essential: making a personal connection, team building, planning, executing, and innovation. This is how you become an unstoppable force.
Principle 7
At Berlin Packaging, we have what we call our “T-chart.” It’s a set of mutual obligations between the company and each employee. On one side, it tells the employee what they owe the company: a strong work ethic, productivity, innovation, teamwork, loyalty, and profitability.
On the other side, the chart lists everything we owe the employee: leadership, coaching and training, a chance to grow, collegiality, job security, and rewards. By making these obligations explicit, we’ve been able to recruit and retain high-value people who fit our culture.
Principle 6
You may be standing in the way of your own success. One of the most destructive fears out there — and one that can impact your professional growth and the growth of your company — is the fear of failure. This fear is especially diabolical because it will prevent you from innovating.
So how do you get past your fears? The first step is to acknowledge them. Then, you have three options: (1) The “baby steps” approach, in which you rack up small victories to acclimate you towards taking chances, (2) the “root cause” approach, in which you speak with a therapist to try to uncover a memory or image that’s blocking you, or (3) the “big bang” approach, in which you just say “the heck with it” and jump right into the deep end.
Whatever you do, you need to conquer your fears to reach your full potential.
Principle 5
I’m competitive and I hate standing still, so I’m always looking for a new edge. It could be natural advantages I can leverage, weaknesses I need to correct, or new avenues I haven’t tried. I draw inspiration from everywhere. It’s not enough for me and my team to just “keep pace” with the competition — or even to beat them. In each line of business, we aim to dominate and change the game.
Principle 4
What gets measured gets managed. If you’re trying to improve yourself — and every one of us should be — it’s no good waiting around for New Year’s to make resolutions you’ll forget about in a month.
You should be checking in with yourself about your goals every single day and making objectives daily. Not only will you benefit from the daily inspiration, but you will also have lowered the stakes if you happen to backslide. Swing and miss on a resolution you made for today? Just forgive yourself and make a new resolution for tomorrow.
Principle 2
The best leaders learn and change over time. They improve their skills, refine their attitudes, and expand their awareness of what’s going on in their environment.
Old approaches stop working. New opportunities arise. To survive in business, you have to adapt continuously. But the moral core of who you are, and the moral principles that guide you, should stand as firm as the rock of Gibraltar.
