Monthly Archives: June 2009

Listen to Those Who Know

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USA Today runs a series called “Executive Suite: Advice from the Top” where it shares advice from noted leaders in the business world. Recently, it shared some wisdom from the CEO of 3M, George Buckley, and the timing couldn’t have been better.

Chief Executive magazine and the Hay Group (a global management consulting firm that works with leaders to transform strategy into reality) recently released the 2009 rankings of the companies that are best at developing future leaders. 3M stepped into the coveted #1 position after placing 15th in 2008.

The half page article consisted of an interview conducted by Del Jones, the USA Today corporate management reporter. Throughout the discussion, Buckley placed extensive emphasis on the critical issue of developing leaders. In fact, he pointed out that especially during a recession, training and development of future leaders is imperative!

The reporter asked: “In this economy, can companies afford the cost of leadership development?” Buckley responded with an answer which should be discussed in great depth by every leadership team in the nation. He said: “Years ago, when I worked at Brunswick, I was asked, ‘George, it’s a tough time right now. Should we be spending money on training? What if these people leave the company?’ My answer was, ‘WHAT IF WE DON’T, AND THEY STAY?'”

Think about the consequences as you remember that 3M is currently #1 in the nation at developing future leaders!

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.

Far From Over

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This is our eighth installment of our focus on the constant change of the landscape of America. It’s very obviously far from the last installment as culture shifts, new technologies, and products/services are introduced daily. If you’d like to review previous installments at any time, simply click on “Going, Going Gone” in the Categories column on the right or at the top of the post above the title.

Now let’s take a look at a few of the latest additions to this ever-growing list.

The Rainbow Room

The famed Rainbow Room, New York’s legendary dinner and dancing venue—known across the world for its majestic eagle’s-nest view of the city, and once synonymous with glitz and gastronomy, closed its restaurant in January because of the weak economy. The ritzy special-occasion spot opened in 1934 in New York overlooking midtown Manhattan from high above the tourist-attracting Rockefeller Center skating rink and was known world-wide.

Polaroid Traditional Instant Film

Polaroid introduced its first instant camera in 1948. Its revenue peaked in 1991 at nearly $3 billion. However, by 2001, the company had gone into bankruptcy. The increased popularity of digital cameras led Polaroid to plan for the exit of traditional film in all formats and sizes as of December of 2008.

The Kinko’s Name

Kinko’s is the world’s leading provider of document solutions and business services. It was founded in 1970 by Paul Orfalea whose college nickname was “Kinko” because of his kinky (curly) hair. He later sold out to FedEx in 2003 for $1.3 billion, and the name became FedEx Kinko’s. FedEx recently announced that it will drop the name Kinko’s and will be known as FedEx Office.

DHL in the U.S.

DHL, a German global shipping giant originally founded in the U.S., is one of the world’s most famous courier services that, at one time, was a strong competitor to UPS and FedEx. As of January of this year, DHL stopped shipping within the U.S., closing all of its 18 hubs.

Arena Football League (AFL)

Founded in 1987 as an American Football indoor league, this unique venture grew in popularity through the years. However, that same growth was accompanied by greatly increased expenses and debt which led to the league announcing that it was suspending operations for 2009. Insiders predict that the AFL will not return.

Diet Cherry Chocolate Dr Pepper

Now here’s a combination that sounds as though it simply can’t miss. Think about it—everyone loves chocolate, cherry has always been a favorite, Dr Pepper is a national classic and the word “diet” erases any concern that the chocolate and/or the cherry may be a threat to your weight concerns. Put them all together and what do you get? Apparently a limited edition flavor introduced in 2007 and discontinued in 2008.

Stay tuned for our next installment of culture shifts, new technologies, and products/services which are destined to be going, going, gone.

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.

You Will Survive

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Years ago, during my days as a DeeJay, one of my favorite songs was “I Will Survive,” first performed by Gloria Gaynor in 1978. It was often used as an anthem of female empowerment and was a firm favorite on the karaoke circuit. It is one of the most famous disco songs of all time reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and receiving the Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording in 1980.

While not necessarily a disco buff myself, I must admit this particular song never failed to inspire me and inevitably encouraged me to look on the brighter side of any circumstance. This past weekend, I heard this classic once again on our local “oldies” station. It not only rekindled fond memories but forced me to think about the many pressures we’re asked to endure today.

Life is full of stress. Financial forecasters seem to take great joy in spreading a barrage of negative news ranging from the drop of the Dow to the rise of unemployment. Add greedy CEOs and crooked politicians. Include another investment scam or a bankrupt lender. Announce dozens of retail closings and the fall of the Big Three. What does all this fear and panic do? It causes more fear and panic which is bad for your heart, mind and spirit.

However, this happens only if we allow it. We sometimes need to be reminded of how resilient we are … how much we’ve endured and the obstacles we’ve overcome in the past. It’s easy to forget that we’ve lived through many recessions in the recent past—1980, 1990, 2001. Even during the Great Depression when the unemployment rate was at 25%, 75% percent of the people in the United States were still employed. Do you see a pattern here? Recessions come and go. Tough times don’t last but tough people do.

In fact, when I look back at my childhood, I can’t believe I’m here today! Conventional wisdom says I never should have survived. Here are just a few of the reasons why:

When I was young, we had no childproof lids on our medicine bottles.

When I rode my bike, I never wore a helmet. We had no helmets.

We played with toy guns—cowboys and Indians, cops and robbers, and war. We used our fingers to simulate guns when the toys ones weren’t available.

Some students weren’t as smart as others or didn’t work as hard so they failed a grade and were actually held back to repeat the same grade.

I can remember saying prayers and the Pledge of Allegiance in school and neither damaged my psyche.

If I remember correctly, and I do, schools didn’t offer 14 year old students an abortion or condoms, and we wouldn’t have known what either was anyway. However, they did give us a couple of aspirin and cough syrup when we had the sniffles. We even had a school nurse … what an archaic school system.

I can’t recall how bored we were without computers, PlayStation, Nintendo, X-box, Wii or 270 digital cable stations. I do remember how we trekked off every day about a mile down the road to a vacant lot, built forts out of branches and pieces of plywood, made trails, and fought over who got to be the Lone Ranger. That kept us busy.

My mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter, and I used to eat it raw sometimes too, but I can’t remember getting E-coli.

She also used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, but none of us ever got food poisoning.

Believe it or not, my dad drove a car with leaded gas and we all lived.

We often got hurt playing king of the hill on piles of gravel left on vacant construction sites. Mom simply pulled out a 50-cent bottle of Mercurochrome, and then we got our butt spanked. Now it’s a trip to the emergency room, followed by a 10-day dose of a $50 bottle of antibiotics, and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat.

We all took gym, not PE … and risked permanent injury with a pair of high top Ked’s instead of having cross-training athletic shoes with air cushion soles and built in light reflectors. I can’t recall any injuries but they must have happened because they tell us how much safer we are now.

We didn’t act up at the neighbor’s house either because if we did, we got our butt spanked (physical abuse) … and then we got our butt spanked again when we got home.

If we misbehaved, we stayed in detention after school and then paid the price again when we got home and had to explain to our folks.

We had the freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. As a result, our generation produced some of the greatest risk-takers and problem solvers known to mankind.

To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were from a dysfunctional family. How could we possibly have known that we needed to get into group therapy and anger management classes?

Despite all of the many life-threatening hazards I had to deal with growing up, I managed to survive. I did it then, I’ll do it again. All of us will.

This could be a rough year for a lot of people, but it shouldn’t kill us. Take control of your language, thoughts and feelings, and make your life the way you want it to be. YOU WILL SURVIVE!

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.

Why Haven’t We Seen More of This?

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As I write this, today is Memorial Day, 2009. I spent most of the day traveling from Michigan to the heartland of the great state of Texas. During that journey I witnessed a very unique experience that I wish everyone could have observed in person.

I arrived at the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport to connect to a later flight to Killeen, Texas. While heading to my connecting gate, I suddenly heard what began as a loud, rumbling crowd noise. As I moved closer to the source, it sounded as though I was entering an arena playing host to the final game of the NCAA basketball finals. I continued to approach the crowd of what looked to be about 200 people surrounding a gate where a long line of uniformed men and women were entering the terminal from their plane.

I stood, mesmerized, for about 45 minutes, asked questions of several of those cheering crowd members, grabbed some promotional brochures and headed to my connecting gate filled with an uncanny feeling of patriotism and wonder. Later that night, I visited Google to learn more about what I had witnessed at DFW. What I discovered should be shared with every American citizen.

Apparently, every day, anywhere from 100 to 500 soldiers pass through DFW Airport, via several arriving flights throughout the day, on their way home for two weeks of well-deserved rest and recuperation (R&R). As they de-plane from their aircraft and enter the terminal, they are greeted by a very large crowd of volunteer greeters waving American flags, offering hugs, “hero” teddy bears, baseball caps, gift certificates and heartfelt handshakes, smiles and tears. Many others are yelling words of welcome and thanks.

The large majority of these people know none of the returning soldiers! 90% of these people are volunteers who show up at the airport daily to support our troops! 5% are inquisitive passengers like myself who join the group between planes and 5% are actually friends and family. You had to witness the interaction to fully understand the phenomenal display of mutual love, respect, appreciation and patriotism shared by all those gathered in that small gate area! Take a minute out of your busy day to watch this video to see what I mean. It’ll take a minute or two to load, but it’s well worth the wait. Be sure to watch the entire video as there are a few surprises at the end.

I still can’t get over the fact that this scene takes place every single day! Dallas has welcomed home more than 100,000 soldiers thus far. DFW is one of two U.S. airports to conduct this daily program … the other being Atlanta Hartsfied International Airport. Both airports are proud to assist these members of the armed forces as they return home from their service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Participants include corporations, youth groups, schools, civic organizations, religious groups and individuals.

On the second leg of my flight, while reflecting on my thoughts and feelings about what I had just witnessed, I couldn’t help but note the stark contrast between the kindness and patriotism displayed daily at the airport and those who equate Memorial Day with thoughts of outdoor grilling, picnics, boating, and the Indy 500.

Many are unaware that Memorial Day is a federal holiday, that it was formerly known as Decoration Day, or that it commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. Thankfully, we can be proud of citizens such as those greeting our troops daily and hope that some day we’ll see stories such as this one in newspapers, magazines, or even on a television newscast. This is certainly the kind of news we need to see more of.

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.

CUT to the Chase

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While we continue to see, hear and read nothing but negativity when it comes to the U.S. business scene … fear not, all is certainly not lost! There are a number of organizations, across industries, that continue to do well in spite of today’s chaotic environment.

Here are just a few examples.

  • McDonalds: The U.S. fast-food giant reports that same-store sales are up 6.8%, lifted by growing demand from consumers seeking low-cost meals in a deepening global recession.
  • Google: The Wall Street Journal reports that Google is still doing well and is firmly positioned to weather the economic storm that has been so detrimental to competitors.
  • Wal-Mart: The world’s largest retailer reported strong sales … an obvious bright spot in an otherwise gloomy retail market. U.S. same-store sales increased 5.1%, and its stock enjoyed its highest close since March of 2005!

I could go on, but I think the point is quite obvious. The media has and always will focus on the negative side of any issue. That approach attracts advertisers, sells papers, and garners attention. However, examples such as those noted above occur in every industry, and we should be searching for the reasons why … in hopes of duplicating those success stories.

In researching these organizations and others experiencing similar results, there are several common threads to be found. Here’s one that’s short and to the point. It’s a strong combination of sense of urgency, tenacity, execution, and closing the knowing-doing gap.

CUT to the Chase
C ollect
U tilize
T enaciously Execute and Follow Through

Collect:
Assemble the right people, information, data, processes, tips, tools, strategies, experience, education, and technology.

Utilize:
It’s one thing to possess what you need—it’s another thing to actually use it. Close the knowing-doing gap.

Tenaciously Execute and Follow Through:
Develop a sense of urgency, get it done and prepare for the next challenge.

Many organizations and individuals simply refuse to acknowledge that some strategies—short and simple as they may appear—can be powerful, productive and profitable if only executed properly. If in doubt, research those, in every industry, that are proving it.

The gathering storm in the U.S. economy can and is being weathered. The choice is yours!

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.