Jay Leno Retirement

Roy Exum: 'Quit Or Be Fired'

If and when I ever get to heaven, a big question on the list of things I am eager to talk to God about is how a guy like Hitler ever got the German people to take part in The Holocaust. That horror will forever be incomprehensible to me. How did he get educated people to do that?

It just might be I got a big hint Saturday when the Atlanta Public School chief sent a letter to 178 principals and teachers that can be summed up in four brutal words: �Quit or be fired.�

You�ll recall that in just the last couple of weeks a shocking report uncovered massive cheating in the Atlanta school system. It is said to be the worst America has ever known. There were 44 schools where educators � learned professionals � changed test scores of thousands of students to maintain adequate scores under the misguided �No Child Left Behind� mandate.

Erroll Davis, who is now the interim superintendent, was rushed out of retirement in recent weeks to replace a now-disgraced Beverly Hall, who allegedly reigned over constant cover-ups and back-room �erasures� in the 12 years she was the boss. �It was run like the mob,� said one teacher.

Last week Davis accepted the resignation of the school system�s top human resources official, Millicent Few, who was accused of �illegally ordering� the shenanigans and, in the scathing report, another teacher told investigators, �Everybody was in fear. It is not that the teachers are bad people and want to do it. It is that they are scared."

Did the German people kill 6 million Jews and commit horrendous atrocities based on a similar fear? And could that fear now be so prevalent that wholescale cheating on standardized tests has crept like wild ivy into other school systems all across the country? There is a widespread belief that may be the case.

A number of teachers have told me that they no longer teach but instead �coach� for the once-a-year test that has effectively altered the entire educational process. Teachers deplore the standardized test, yet schools that perform poorly are subject to severe sanctions and monetary cuts.

The pressure that is placed on today�s faculties at almost every school is deplorable. What�s worse is that almost everybody admits it.

Sales Retirement

Earlier this year, I told Dave Kurlan (privately) that I would be retiring at the end of June. I didn't because Kurlan & Associates decided to sponsor HUGS 2011 and I didn't think it appropriate for me not to attend and I had several clients that wanted to extend into 3Q11 & 4Q11. So, I wrote a post that announced that Dave and I had agreed to move my retirement to 12/29/2011, but I deleted it. Not because I'm not going to retire that day and not because I don't want to retire on that day, but because Jay Leno announced his retirement, retired and caused a lot of turmoil when he came back. Unlike Jay Leno, General MacArthur and Arnold Schwarzenegger, I shall not return and I won't be back.

So, what? Why write about my retirement at all?

First, I don't want to be one of those old guys that's lost his edge, is irrelevant, or drools on himself. I just had the best year of my professional life, made a lot of money and had a positive impact on a lot of people.

Second, I have other stuff that I want to do, but I tend to be a fanatic. At the moment, I'm a fanatic about sales excellence in business ownership. I expect that I'll be fanatical about whatever's next and don't want to deliver less to clients.

Finally, I want to finish what I started. I have several clients that are committed to growing their businesses to $250K-$500K by year end and two that are committed to being million dollar businesses by year end and I'm part of the plan. I talk to these people several times a week. I'm involved with their funnels, pipelines, sales calls, prospects and clients. None of them accept mediocrity. None of our engagements extend beyond 12/29/11.

The time is right, but I haven't answered the question, "Why write about my retirement at all?" It's actually pretty simple.

Would you like to be part of my last hurrah?

Are you willing to swear off mediocrity?

Is your number $250K, $500K or $1,000,000?

Are you committed to developing long term realtionships with your clients?

Are you willing to be held accountable and talk with me several times a week?

Are you willing to learn about yourself and overcome your barriers to success?

Are you willing to learn from those who went before you and apply the lessons learned?

Are you willing to do whatever it takes between now and 12/29/2011 to set 2012 up to be your best year ever?

If any of your answers are, "No.

Retire to -- Not from

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