Monthly Archives: February 2008

“TRUE GRIT” — A Winning Philosophy

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For as long as I can remember, I’ve wondered why every newspaper, magazine, and news cast contains only negative content. Think about it. No matter what you read, see or hear under the guise of NEWS, 99.9% of it refers to murder, death, crime, war, disease, scandal, etc. I’ve heard the universal answer many times: “Good news doesn’t sell. People simply aren’t interested in good news.” However, I’ve always doubted that observation and held out a little hope that others enjoyed good news as much as I did.

When I was a youngster, about 100 years ago, you could buy a colorful comic book for a mere 10¢. Today they cost anywhere from three to four dollars each. Almost every comic book contained want ads offering anything from ant farms and sea monkeys to job opportunities in the form of Christmas card sales and paper routes.

One of those ads resulted in my first “real job” other than mowing lawns at the ripe old age of 8. I considered myself a newspaper man of sorts by signing up to deliver a weekly newspaper door to door. I had to recruit my own customers from scratch using a sales pitch I developed myself. Little did I know at the time that I was one of approximately 30,000 boys collecting dimes from more than 700,000 American small town homes from coast to coast. I made 5¢ on every copy I sold, won a variety of “swell” prizes and built my route to include well over a hundred customers and several commercial partners who resold my papers in their establishment. I had no idea that what I thought was a little weekly newspaper was actually a national institution. The name of the paper was Grit and it was known as “America’s Greatest Family Newspaper.”

I share this fond learning experience as a result of a pleasant shock I received during a recent visit to my local Barnes and Noble. While browsing the magazine rack, I was astounded to discover a colorful publication with the bold title of Grit adorning its cover. My initial impulse was coincidence as cherished memories flooded my mind. However, upon close and immediate scrutiny, I discovered that this magazine was indeed the descendant of the weekly classic I delivered to so many loyal readers. I immediately purchased a copy, hurried home and thoroughly perused the content before researching Google for a refreshing update of this new found treasure.

I discovered that Grit was a pioneer in the introduction of offset printing and was one of the first newspapers in the U.S. to run color photographs. At its peak in 1969, Grit had a total circulation of 1.5 million weekly copies! In September of 2006, it converted to an all-glossy, perfect-bound magazine format and a bi-monthly schedule. It is now displayed and sold at general newsstand outlets, bookstores and specialty farm feed and supply stores.

Founded in 1882, Grit is one of the longest running publications in the country and is still enjoying popularity 126 years later. What’s really ironic about that is the fact that Grit publishes only “good news,” substantiating my initial observation that there are obviously many of us who do, in fact, enjoy a positive slant on recent events.

My research also reminded me why Grit achieved classic status on a national level. I came across the age-old philosophy that might very well explain the “magic” behind this treasured piece of American tapestry. Simplistic? No doubt. Successful? No question.

  • Always keep Grit from being pessimistic.
  • Avoid printing those things which distort the minds of readers or make them feel at odds with the world.
  • Avoid showing the wrong side of things, or making people feel discontented.
  • Do nothing that will encourage fear, worry, or temptation.
  • Whenever possible, suggest peace and good will toward men.
  • Give readers courage and strength for their daily tasks.
  • Put happy thoughts, cheer and contentment into their hearts.

Sounds almost corny by today’s standards, doesn’t it? On the other hand, corn is a money crop today. Maybe other publications should follow suit. I’m certain that philosophy contributes greatly to the longevity of this historic publication.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Kindergarten Kandor

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My career choice of consulting and training has provided me with a variety of “perks” I may otherwise never have enjoyed. Among those is the privilege of observing, interacting, and contributing to an enormous variety of industries across North America. We’ve had the opportunity to work with leaders of every ilk at every level under most every circumstance.

To increase productivity, profitability, customer satisfaction and employee growth, we’ve shared the wisdom of such notables as de Bono, Deming, Crosby, Juran, Ishikawa, Drucker, Welch, Peters, Covey, Collins, Lencioni, Maxwell, Blanchard, Bennis, and many, many others. No one dares question the combined education, intellect, experience and intuition of these great minds. The many processes, strategies, tips and tools offered by these renowned gurus have changed individuals, organizations, and countries alike.

And yet, without reservation, I would submit the following generational gem as being just as effective, if not even more so, than anything offered by those mentioned here. The question lies not in the value of the content but in the simple application of these words of wisdom.

From what began as the creation of a personal statement of his belief, or Credo, in 1986, best-selling author Robert Fulghum published a volume of essays that reads like the original guidebook for Success #101 and continues to brighten the lives of readers everywhere to this day. One of those essays is extraordinarily elemental in its offering but quite possibly the most powerful strategy ever offered to any culture in today’s workplace. Visualize the organization of your choice and imagine the incredible results that might be achieved if the following strategy was practiced by everyone within that group of potential winners. I have a giant framed poster hanging in my office containing these words of wisdom, framing the photo of a large, red apple like those presented to special teachers. Fulghum’s famous essay, from the book by the same name, should be practiced worldwide. Please read, enjoy, practice and pass on this generational gem.

All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sandpile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned:

Share everything. Play fair. Don’t hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don’t take things that aren’t yours. Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Flush. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life—learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup—they all die. So do we.

And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned—the biggest word of all—LOOK! Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living. Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life and work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all—the whole world—had cookies and milk about 3 o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess. And it is still true, no matter how old you are—when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

Why not give this strategy a try in the coming year? You might very well be pleasantly surprised.

We thank Robert Fulghum for allowing us to share his masterpiece. Visit his web site to learn more about the offerings of this insightful writer, speaker, painter, sculptor, and musician.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Out-of-the-Box Thinking

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I recently received a call from a long-time client who wanted to update me about a book he recently discovered on the subject of creativity. We discussed the content, format, author, exercises, examples, etc. at great length. Near the conclusion of our conversation he confessed that while he really enjoyed the essence of the book, he struggled to deal with the validity of the many examples offered by the author to substantiate his tips, tools, and strategies. He felt they weren’t realistic. In fact, he used the term “out there.” He didn’t feel the examples could ever be found in the “real world.”

I found it interesting that he readily admitted that every example had been documented. I therefore concluded that he was actually divulging his belief that his current culture didn’t support creative thinking, concepts, strategies, etc. After sharing my assumption, he conceded that to be true. He simply hadn’t recognized that reality until we discussed it.

His comments caused me to reminisce about similar comments I’ve heard from some attending our creativity seminars and keynote presentations. They truly want to believe in creative thinking and the tremendous benefits which can evolve … they just can’t see it occurring in their present situations. In reflection, I can see a connection between those making such comments and the culture in which they currently reside.

Why do we find it so difficult to attempt even a stutter-step outside the proverbial “box” we’ve heard so much about for decades? We know we should. We know, in many cases, we have to.  We know for certain that if we continue to do as we’ve always done that we’ll continue to get what we’ve always gotten. Then why the obvious struggle by so many?

Is it fear? Is it an unfamiliar behavior? Is it culture resistance? Is it doubt? Is it lack of encouragement and leadership? Is it lack of know-how? Is it lack of training? None of these things should be a barrier for us if we’ll simply pause long enough to open our eyes and survey the current state of affairs in today’s business world. We see successful examples every day that creative thinking can and will change the way we work, live, compete, grow and survive in today’s chaotic world.

Therefore, to accommodate those who struggle to find such examples, we’re going to initiate a new blog feature in which we’ll spotlight a wide variety of existing examples of successful creative thinking taken from our current business environment.

For example, can you imagine chatting with a friend 20 years ago and discussing the possibility of some day:

  • Taking a picture with your cell phone?
  • Having a live voice inside your car giving you step by step directions to your destination?
  • Downloading hit songs and full-length movies into your living room?
  • Editing and printing your own photographs in the comfort of your home?
  • Receiving TV signals from a satellite?
  • Taking a room-by-room virtual tour on your computer of houses for sale all over the country?
  • Browsing thousands of potential mates in minutes on your computer?
  • Using DVDs, CDs, HDTV, iPods, Blackberries, Wii, Hybrids, eBay, Google, My Space, Facebook, etc.?

We would have laughed aloud at such futuristic fantasies 20 years ago, and yet we take them for granted today. All of those examples exist as a result of those who dared to think creatively while others laughed at the thought of doing so. What does tomorrow hold for us and who will lead us to future fantasies which will become our reality?

Watch our blog feature, Out-of-the-Box Thinking, for upcoming examples from today’s business world which will encourage you to join this inevitable revolution of creative thinking. If you have personal examples you’d like to share with us, please send them to:

e-mail

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Sears/K-Mart Update

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Last week I commented on the Sears/K-Mart “Death Spiral” and suggested that you watch that situation closely. If you took my advice, you’re probably aware of the fact that Sears Holdings Corp. abruptly announced the departure of their President and CEO Aylwin Lewis, leaving a management void at the top of the organization as it tries a high-stakes restructuring to reconnect with customers and reinvigorate slumping sales.

Doing so is an enormous challenge, if not downright impossible, as the retailer has been bleeding customers since Sears and K-Mart joined forces back in 2005. For the first three quarters of the year, their profits have fallen more than 40%, and earlier this month, they posted 3rd quarter earnings at just $2 million—down 99% from last year.

These trends remind me of the last days of Montgomery Ward. When their declining course became evident to most everyone, the majority of retail shoppers still felt Ward would survive. After all, they had been around for what seemed forever. And yet they’re gone. And now we see Sears/K-Mart—at one time the number one and two retailers in the country—facing the same “Death Spiral.”

There’s a valuable lesson here for the entire business world regardless of your industry, product and/or service. You simply can’t afford to:

  • Lose your focus.
  • Lose touch with your customer’s wants and needs.
  • Lose touch with your internal customer’s wants and needs.
  • Lose touch with technological advances.
  • Lose touch with your competition and what they’re doing.
  • Lose the customer loyalty you’ve established.
  • Stop making the necessary changes in areas which demand those modifications.

Start LOSING these things and you begin to take on the characteristics of a LOSER. History teaches us that this label is very difficult to overcome. Some have done it successfully but most have failed and slipped into oblivion. Trying to restructure, to reconnect with customers and reinvigorate slumping sales is certainly a herculean task. Taking on such a venture in today’s challenging economic climate simply intensifies the challenge, making it near impossible to achieve.

This might be an excellent time to take inventory of your own organization while you still have an opportunity to pro-actively change course if needed. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Talk to your employees, customers, vendors and anyone who may enlighten you as to your current status in today’s very competitive marketplace.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.