Alex Pettes is the President of TFI Food Equipment Solutions, a Toronto based specialty restaurant equipment distributor. Alex has spent his career in sales and sales management, and this book is a collection of thoughts gathered along his own personal and professional development journey. Included in the book are thoughts on sales, sales management, self-development and serving others. You'll learn: ¿ the importance of developing a personal mission statement, ¿ the method of "idea canvas" and why it might help you; ¿ ways to use lists to focus and achieve your goals; ¿ the nine keys to succeed in love and life; ¿ ways to harness concentration, consistency, and cooperation to succeed. Known as "The Commander" or "Cmdr Pettes", Alex has developed this persona as the Sales Fighter Pilot Squadron Leader over the past dozen or so years. His enthusiastic, positive and "Super Good" approach to all he does has been well received by those he has had the privilege to serve.

FROM THE FLIGHT DECK

Thoughts on Sales, Life, and Personal DevelopmentBy ALEX PETTES

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2010 Alex Pettes
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4502-8158-4

Contents

Preface.............................................................................1Introduction: Who Is Commander Pettes?..............................................3Notes from the Idea Canvas..........................................................13The Best Ideas I Ever Took .........................................................30Put Your Own Oxygen Mask on First...................................................35Even This Shall Pass Away: Enjoy All of Life's Fleeting Moments.....................41Lessons on the Wing.................................................................47Goal Setting: How Can You Hit a Target You Don't Even Have?.........................54Sales Signs along the Way...........................................................64The Cmdr's Perspective on Sales Management..........................................74Parenting 101: A Collection of Ideas for Parents....................................84The Lessons of the Pump.............................................................93Final Comments......................................................................101

Chapter One

Notes from the Idea Canvas

Once I had conceived the idea for this book, I wanted to find a way to record the various ideas and insights that might be useful when I finally got around to the actual writing. I had a journal that I was using, but I am a visual person and needed something "in my face" to keep me motivated.

I was reading a blog by a great marketing writer named Seth Godin. He referenced an artist named Hugh MacLeod's blog, so I clicked on the link and kept reading. One of things on the blog was a regular update on Hugh's progress as he created a piece of art. This art was a canvas that was becoming ever more filled with what I think was small detailed words in black ink.

Suddenly, the idea came to me.

So on April 2, 2009, I went out to the art store and bought a 28" X 32" blank framed canvas and hung it on the wall in my office at home. I bought four different-coloured Sharpie markers and that day started what I called my Idea Canvas. The concept was that anyone could add a thought or a note to the canvas. With the various colours of markers and the "random" method in which the various sayings would be written, not only would this be a great vehicle to keep ideas, but it would also end up as a piece of personal art.

Over the next fourteen or so months, if I was reading and found a particularly interesting or inspiring thought, I recorded it on the canvas. I really got to like this simple idea. The Idea Canvas became significant to me in a few ways. First, it was a simple and inexpensive way to publically make sure I kept my word and wrote my book. Second, I often would review the items written down, further reinforcing the personal development journey and the lessons I was learning. Third, it became a conversation piece, and now that it is filled (although there is always space for more ideas!), I think it is quite an interesting piece of personal art and a part of me. I created the art for myself, but as with all art, the viewer can take away whatever message and meaning it creates for them. Whatever your feelings about it, you won't hurt mine!

Below I have recorded all the items written on the Idea Canvas. I have tried to order the random nature of these thoughts into a few helpful categories. As you read the variety and quantity of ideas below, I hope that you will find some that resonate with you. They are varied in nature and have been taken from many areas (I have tried to note the source where possible), along with comments from my kids and my nephews, who also added a few points. With each subsection, I will try to relay a summary of what the points mean to me. In this and all the following sections, the text written in point form is as it appears on the canvas. And the order in which the points appear has no real meaning or substance. They are random, like the ideas that came to me over time as I filled the canvas. Enjoy!

Ideas for the Book

As I started the Idea Canvas, the initial idea was to record some ideas that I might end up putting in the book. Below are the random ideas that came to me, some of which have actually ended up as chapters or as ideas that were developed further.

- Dog tags as chapter headings - What is the objective of writing the book? Why? For Whom? - The inspiration for this came from Hugh MacLeod's blog and his "DesertManhattan" art - Remove the ego behind why and a better book and message will occur - Cmdr Mission Statement - I am thinking of From the Flight Deck as the book title - Narrative hook - Challenge Coins or CD/DVD - A journey of personalities and influences I have encountered - The Sailor, The Seal, and The Swami - Lessons from the Mouse - Chart of The Mastery Grid - Lesson's from Mario

Comments from the Kids

Before I get too deep into the list of ideas, I wanted to start with the thoughts and ideas that were given by the kids. I wanted to have this Idea Canvas to be a way to involve others in the process of developing the book. While most of what the kids wrote is funny and light, there is definitely some wisdom in the words of these youth.

a. Tabitha Pettes (my oldest daughter) - I have read Holes for every report I had in grade school. Make your book that good! I love you - "Out damned spot, out!" Lady Macbeth - Marry rich and you will live a good life - Chapter Title: Tabitha, my Favourite Daughter

- Behind this canvas is everything you'll never understand - Will it be first person or third person? That is the question b. Nicole Pettes (my youngest daughter) - The three little pigs is one of the most rewarded stories of all time! - (A drawing of a heart with "I love you") Your book should symbolize something you are passionate about - I see said the blind man to his deaf wife as his paralyzed children came running—Tell the truth in your book - Men are like trees; it takes them 50 years to grow up - A good friend will bail you out of jail. A true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "That was Awesome!" - A hug is like a boomerang; you get it back right away - Life without love is like a chocolate chip cookie without chocolate chips ... boring - "When you are in love, you have to share the 'starism'" - "MMM. Sprinkles. Crunchy little balls of sugar" - Goal setting triggers your subconscious computer - Good things come from hard work - Life is full of setbacks. Success is determined by how you react to them c. Nephews - Keep your ears open wider than your mouth (Tyler Marshall) - If you see something, it doesn't mean it's not alive (Lucas Lafleur) - The road ends 2 ways; which one will you choose (Lucas Lafleur)

Service to Others

One of the themes that came out very clearly in the reading and thinking I did over the past couple of years was the nature of service to others. The idea that man's highest ideal is in service to others dates back thousands of years. It is interesting how...