Author Archives: Harry K. Jones

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.

Sudden Focus on Organizational Creativity: Seniors Dance Out of the Box!

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While our creativity program is frequently requested by clients from coast to coast, we’ve experienced a sudden increase in those requests over the past few months. In fact, I’m heading to South Dakota next week to present “Blue Jeans and Tennis Shoes: Using Out-of-the-Box Thinking” for a two-state audience at a four-day conference. Like so many other clients, this organization is facing many challenges which demand a greater level of creativity from everyone involved … rapidly increasing global competition, increasing customer demand for more high-quality products and services, mergers and acquisitions, and more rapid response while working within an already tight budget!

All of these demands must be met while, at the same time, we must place a much-needed focus on teaching our staff HOW to be more creative. Chances are good that few of them have previously received any training in this area. In fact, the average business executive has spent between 1,000 and 10,000 hours formally learning economics, history, languages, literature, mathematics, and political science. That same executive has invested fewer than 10 hours learning about creative thinking. Those stats are provided by Tony Buzan, author of Use Both Sides of Your Brain. I’ve had a great number of executives tell me that they can honestly say they haven’t spent anywhere near a full 10 hours learning how to be more creative. If this is true, who will train their staff in this much-needed area?

This sudden interest in creativity across industries isn’t a result of a growing desire for continuous education. Simply put, the increased focus on this area has emerged due to an escalating level of global competition, a very challenging economy, more demanding customers, and the nation’s exceedingly short attention span.

Here’s a prime example … Visualize East Rutherford, New Jersey. You must agree it’s not Broadway and certainly not Hollywood. However, it is the home of the NBA’s New Jersey Nets who play basketball in the state-of-the-art Continental Airlines Arena in the Meadowlands Sports Complex.

It’s a safe assumption on my part that you probably don’t follow the seasonal ventures of the Nets. They’ve got a star player who simply isn’t playing up to par, another that’s injured, they’re in a weak Division, and they’ve lost a few more games than they’ve won thus far this season. In short, it hasn’t been a great year!

Maybe that’s why they’re putting forth an effort to be more creative. In the spirit of high school and college cheerleaders, professional teams have always felt they needed to “step it up” a little in that area, probably based on their ever-rising ticket prices. Therefore, most NBA teams have created “dance teams” … a somewhat tame description for a squad of very sexy, scantily-clad, young women who perform routines better suited for the local strip club.

Now we see a new, very unique, trend emerging throughout the NBA. Several teams, seven in all thus far, have jumped on this rapid-transit bandwagon, but let’s focus, for the moment, on those N.J. Nets who have some pretty tough hurdles to get over.

They still provide a young, sexy dance team, but they continue to add to their three-ring circus of entertainment by providing fireworks, flag teams, mascots and even gymnasts to keep the audience focused on “fun.” And now, picture this.

It’s half-time, and the only sound is crowd noise. Suddenly, the throbbing drum beat of “At The Hop” is heard, growing louder with each beat. Out of the crowd emerge 13 gyrating geriatrics, ranging in age from 60 to 84, hand-slapping and high-fiving their way to center court. These are the NETSational Seniors, a geriatric dance team, determined to stun the fans with their spirited renditions of various musical pieces created to energize and entertain fans of all ages.

Fans appear stunned as one of the dancers strips off her bright-red rain slicker during the troupe’s “Singing in the Rain” number. Seconds later she slides into a bump-and-grind hip-hop routine, and the crowd’s smiles turn into grins, which turn to laughter, which turn to shouts, followed by fans rising to their feet in applause!

This is obviously a win-win situation. The fans get a dose of out-of-the-box entertainment, and the swingin’ seniors get to prove they’re far from over-the-hill just yet. Their crowd-pleasing appearance certainly reveals that they’ve worked hard on their routines, take pride in their performance, and are enjoying themselves beyond belief! They’re paid a small honorarium and game tickets for their efforts, but I have a strange feeling that they’d do it for nothing!

This craze began with the Miami Heat three seasons ago in reaction to the trend of “hefty guy dance troups” instituted by teams such as the Dallas Mavericks and the Detroit Pistons. Miami’s “Golden Oldies” were followed by other teams such as the Chicago Bulls’s “Swingin’ Seniors” and the Orlando Magic’s “Silver Stars.” The latest addition appeared in the form of the Seniorgee! Dance Team supporting the Milwaukee Bucks just a few weeks ago.

Several of the teams are updating their routines to include current moves as well as the old favorites. Fans questioned this direction at first but have since accepted it, enjoyed it and actually learned to love it as demonstrated by standing ovations all over the country. Fans at one game included actor Jamie Foxx, who actually came out of the stands to congratulate the group.

This is just one example of the creativity envelope being pushed beyond all boundaries. Keep your eyes open and let us know of other examples you find in your travels.

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.

Three-Minute Inspiration: The Nature of Success

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In our continuing effort to provide you with access to great resources — both personal and business — I suggest that you check out the following link.

Immediately upon connecting to this link, you’ll see a fascinating, three-minute, inspirational movie. It’s titled “The Nature of Success,” and I think you’ll really enjoy it. You won’t hear a single word. What you will hear is a terrific musical sound track as you view some of the most creative and exquisite photography you’ll ever encounter. It’s truly inspiring to see these very colorful depictions of inspiration as a variety of thought-provoking quotes are superimposed on each shot. You’ll share the wisdom of such notables as Carl Sandburg, Vince Lombardi, Henry Ford, William Wordsworth, and the author who has long been my personal favorite, Anonymous.

It certainly is a magnificent way to start each day with the proper mind-set to be both positive and productive. It’s also a great way to conclude each day providing you with an opportunity to unwind after a long, stressful day and appreciate the relaxation that will enviably lead to a good night’s sleep. Either way, you’ll find it a great investment of your time and attention.

Those of you who may have enjoyed “The Dash” poem I shared with you a few weeks ago will most likely relate to this movie short as it comes from the same source … Simple Truths, a company dedicated to publishing great gift books that reinforce core values. Mac also founded Successories, Inc., the leader in designing and marketing products for motivation and recognition purposes.

If you enjoy this experience, you can easily send it on to others directly from the web site. Check it out, you’ll be glad you did.

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.

Bench Strength: A Growing Concern

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Name the sport — they all target a strong bench to lead them to the success they covet so greatly. In baseball, it might be a burly DH (designated hitter) or a strong closing pitcher. In the competitive game of “hoops,” the 6th, 7th, and 8th players are almost always as talented, experienced and valuable as the starting five. In football, the bench strength appears in the form of the 11 starters who don’t happen to be on the field at the moment … be it the offense or the defense. When it comes to NASCAR, you’d better have one of the best pit crews on the circuit, or you may as well stay off the track. Tiger Woods pays his caddy six figures. Do you think that’s for rotating the tires on his golf cart or for providing the experience, support, advice, knowledge, judgment, and talent that has led Tiger to become one of the most successful talents in the game today? That caddy is Tiger’s bench strength!

Although there are far more analogies, I don’t have the time or space for them all here. Why the sports analogies? If you don’t think business is a game, you’re still in the bush leagues. Choose your sport and note the similarities in today’s marketplace … competition, talent, budget, high stakes, moving franchises to new locations, marketing, growth, strategy, experience, fans, creativity, teamwork, and, of course, BENCH STRENGTH. Sports have become big business, and business has become a very competitive gamble with many high-stakes consequences at risk.

The examples are many, but the point remains the same. You’d better have a constantly growing, high-performing, extremely focused, in-the-know, ready-to-go bench in order to compete — much less win — in today’s competitive marketplace. How would you rate YOUR bench on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 representing total satisfaction? If it’s under 8, you’d better get to work!

Over the past five years, we have witnessed a growing number of our clients that have recognized this reality and taken action to focus on establishing or strengthening their “bench.” They have taken the necessary steps to identify, recognize and develop existing employees who have the potential to be a “future leader” within the organization. They then utilize the many strategies available to assist those selected employees as they evolve into a leadership role. While time frames and methods may often vary, the results are usually the same. When the organization is ready to elevate these employees to official leadership roles, the transition is much smoother, takes less time to produce notable results, creates far less stress and inhibitions, reduces turnover and increases productivity.

Current tactics include mentoring programs; increased empowerment; increased interaction with leadership, clients, and vendors; involvement with special products and/or R & D; opportunity to train others; bench marking assignments; job shadowing; advanced training; and the opportunity to attend meetings, conventions, and trade shows usually reserved for higher levels.

Program guidelines exclude any change in titles, levels of authority, pay increases or additional working hours. The organization provides opportunity, guidance, and regulation. The employee contributes openness, involvement, and a willingness to grow. No promises are extended other than opportunity, consideration, and growth. This win-win situation has resulted in the valuable “bench strength” required to compete in today’s chaotic environment.

Several of our clients have identified anywhere from 5 to 25 potential leaders who have regular meetings to share training, exchange ideas, brainstorm, cross-train, benchmark, and support one another. Some have even created team mission statements, beliefs and values, logos, and team goals. Many have even established names for their teams that represent their missions, such as Future Leaders, Fast Trackers, Pace Team, Strike Force, Supreme Team, etc.

Results certainly support the creation of these teams as the concept of “bench strength” becomes more viable, and even necessary, every day. If you scored under 8 in your earlier evaluation of your organizational bench strength, consider the identification of potential leaders who can and will enhance your potential for future productivity. Look for those current staff members who demonstrate:

  • a true desire to lead others
  • obvious potential
  • respect of peers
  • education and experience
  • enthusiasm and positive attitude
  • creativity and enthusiasm
  • unrelenting curiosity
  • integrity and trustworthiness
  • an openness to risk-taking

Identify these people, articulate the opportunity, answer their questions, make the offer and get them in gear. Clarify the “Big Three” (expectations, accountability, and consequences) and, most importantly, “Inspect What You Expect.”

While the task may appear daunting at first glance … the return on investment is incredible! If you’re still in doubt, reframe the equation by seriously considering the question: “Can you afford to procrastinate in such a critical area of growth and productivity?”

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.

Business Briefs – March 15, 2007

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Based on the feedback we receive from those attending our time management (The “I Hate Time Management” Program) and stress management (Stress: The Ultimate Paradox) seminars, it’s quite evident that the majority of us appear to have less and less spare time to focus on newspapers, magazines, and television/radio newscasts to catch up on the latest business news. Internet surfing is even more time consuming.

To address that growing concern, we’d like to occasionally offer you a “big picture” update on recent business tidbits. Nothing in depth; just a quick overview to keep you “in the know.” For instance:

  • Researchers at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center recently announced that hangovers cost our U.S. economy about $148 billion annually in worker absenteeism and poor job performance.
  • Forbes Magazine has released the names of this year’s billionaires from
    around the world. For the 13th straight year, Bill Gates, Microsoft founder, holds the number one spot with $56 billion! Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page are in a three-way tie at 26th with Wal-Mart heir Alice Walton at $16.6 billion. Both men are just 34 years of age!
  • Michigan-based furniture-maker La-Z-Boy, Inc. is apparently restructuring
    as they cut 500 of their 11,300 employees, close several plants across the nation, and consolidate several others. This strategy will apparently save them $11 million annually.
  • Do you get mad when you see a FedEx or UPS truck blocking traffic by parking right in the middle of the street as they deliver packages to local stores? If so, this should make you feel a little better. In New York City, an average of 7,000 parking tickets a day are issued to commercial delivery services. Last year, these delivery companies paid more than $102 million in fines to the city!
  • If you’ve got an ego and a few extra bucks, you can contact Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, and they will actually create a wax replica for you! You don’t have to be a star. They’ll do it for anyone. By the way, the few extra bucks must add up to $270,000!

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.

Who’s Yer Daddy? – Dollar Stores

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Who's Your DaddyAre you Dollar Dazed?

The everyday “Dollar Store” is actually anything but. Most everyone accepts these discount havens as being a nationwide chain of relatively small, convenient stores where you can buy most anything for a buck. In reality, there are a vast number of chains that fall into that category. Regardless of what name you may see on the store, we tend to call them all “Dollar Stores.”

Some of those chains include:

  • The Dollar Tree
    It began in 1986 in Chesapeake, Virginia, and currently boasts 3,156 stores in 48 states. Everything is one dollar or less.
  • Family Dollar
    It began in 1959 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and currently boasts 6,000 stores in 44 states. Much merchandise is one dollar, but they also carry products which sell for more than a dollar.
  • Dollar General
    It began in 1955 in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, (suburb of Nashville) and currently boasts 8,164 stores in 30 states, selling products for one dollar and less.
  • Liberty Dollar Store
    It began in 1983 in Conway, Arkansas, and currently boasts 2,000 stores in 50 states and 23 countries.
  • Fred’s Super Discount
    It began in 1947 and currently boasts 683 stores in 15 states.

Those five chains alone account for 20,003 Dollar Stores!

The list goes on and on, but we don’t have the space here to list them all. However, a few others would include My Dollar Store, Allied Dollar Store, Dollar Castle, 99 Cents Only Store, Deal$, Dollar Discount Store, Dollar Deals, Dollar Depot, Dollar, Dollar Value, Dollar Bill$, Dollar Express, Dollar Daze, and Greenbacks. Are you starting to get the picture? These stores are big business all over the world.

For many Baby Boomers, the typical Dollar Store will convey vivid memories of what was once known as “five and dime” stores. It might be difficult to convince today’s generation that you could actually purchase something for a nickel or a dime, but these popular stores were a mainstay all across our nation. Stores such as Woolworth’s, Grant’s, Kresge’s (later K-Mart), McCrory’s, Newberry’s, and Ben Franklin were destinations for many families from coast to coast. Inflation eventually dictated that the stores were no longer able to sell any of their products for as little as five or ten cents so they soon became “variety stores.” In fact, Wal-Mart, the world’s #1 retailer today, can be traced back to its humble beginnings as “Walton’s 5-10 Store.” They grew from the original store in Arkansas to a world-wide chain of 6,722 stores in 14 countries employing 1.8 million employees and generating $348 billion in revenues! That’s a lot of DOLLARS!

The average “Dollar Store” today appears to carry just about everything under the sun. It’s indeed difficult to walk out of a Dollar Store having purchased just one bargain. I’ve heard many people point out that they really didn’t need what they bought — they just couldn’t pass up that price! By the way, don’t misjudge the success of these small operations. Consider the growing number of locations, the increasing customer count, our troubled economy, and the fact that many of these establishments are just as profitable, per square foot, as many of our much larger, well-known, very exclusive, franchise or brand-name chain stores that have a much greater overhead to contend with.

Many have wondered how in the world these stores could possibly afford to sell their products, many brand-name, for such a low price. There are several reasons they can do this:

  1. Many products you find in these stores are actually a generic or “knock-off” product. They’re actually manufactured specifically for such stores.
  2. A certain percentage of the products were manufactured to coincide with the promotion of a motion picture, special holiday, a television special, or special event (Olympics, World Series, Super Bowl, etc.) and are past their prime.
  3. Other products are purchased from another retail chain or distributor as overstock, closeout merchandise, or seasonal merchandise at the end of the season.
  4. Some products were manufactured inexpensively for a foreign market but were then imported by an unauthorized distributor.

It’s all good merchandise but can be sold for a lower cost for any of the above reasons. While many of us don’t even notice the actual name on the building we frequent for these great deals, we certainly enjoy the experience of browsing for bargains and especially saving money in the process at what we simply call “The Dollar Store.”

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.

Who’s Yer Daddy? – The Walt Disney Company

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Who's Your DaddyIt used to be so simple. A logo on a baseball cap. A letterhead on corporate stationary. Corporate slogan on an employee shirt or blouse. It was easy to identify who you were dealing with. Not so today!

Mergers, acquisitions, buy-outs. Turmoil in the business world has taken away our ability to identify what we once thought was the “Parent Company.” Hence: Who’s yer daddy?”

From time to time in my seminars and keynote presentations, I find occasion to mention the fact that one particular organization is a subsidiary of a much larger entity. I’m always surprised at the fact that so many of those in the audience were not aware of the relationship I referred to. I’m even more astonished at how interested everyone seems to be in learning of these affiliations. For that reason, I thought it might be interesting to share some of those examples. There are far too many to list in one column so I’ll be updating this category on a regular basis.

The Walt Disney Company

The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923 in Burbank, California, by Walt and Roy Disney. The company currently employs 133,000 employees. Disney is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. It began as a small animation studio but today is one of the largest Hollywood studios and also owns eleven theme parks, two water parks and several television networks. Divisions include:

Studio Entertainment
Disney’s original business was motion picture production. Disney Studio Entertainment, also known as Walt Disney Studios, includes Disney’s movie and animation studios, record labels and Broadway-style stage shows.

TV Networks

  • ABC Television Network (10 local TV stations)
  • ABC Radio (26 local radio stations)
  • ABC Entertainment
  • ABC Family ABC Television Studio (formerly Touchstone TV)
  • A & E (37.5%)
  • Buena Vista Television
  • Disney Channel
  • E ! (40%)
  • ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN 2, ESPNews, ESPN Classic
  • History Channel
  • Jetix Europe (74%)
  • Lifetime (50%)
  • SoapNet
  • Radio Disney
  • Toon Disney/Jetix
  • Walt Disney Television

Motion Pictures

The Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group is a collection of Disney’s main movie studios, made up of:

  • Walt Disney Pictures
  • Touchstone Pictures
  • Hollywood Pictures
  • Miramax Films

Record Labels

  • Buena Vista Music Group
  • Walt Disney Records
  • Mammoth Records
  • Lyric Street Records
  • Hollywood Records

Theatrical

  • Walt Disney Theatrical
  • Hyperion Theatrical (produces non-Disney-branded shows)

Animation

  • Walt Disney Feature Animation
  • Walt Disney Television Animation
  • DisneyToon Studios
  • Pixar Animation Studios

Parks and Resorts

  • DisneyLand
  • Disney World
  • Tokyo Disneyland
  • Tokyo DisneySea
  • Euro Disney Resort (Paris)
  • Magic Kingdom Park
  • Epcot Center
  • Disney’s Newport Bay Club
  • Disney’s Sequoia Lodge
  • Disney’s Hotel Cheyenne
  • Disney’s Hotel Santa Fe
  • Disney’s Davy Crockett RanchHong Kong Disneyland Resort
  • Disney MGM Studios
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park
  • Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park
  • Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park
  • Downtown Disney Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
  • Disney’s Contemporary Resort
  • Disney’s Polynesian Resort
  • Disney’s Port Orleans Resort
  • Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
  • Disney’s Old Key West Resort
  • Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
  • Disney’s BoardWalk Resort
  • Disney’s Beach Club Resort
  • Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
  • Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
  • Disney’s Pop Century Resort
  • Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
  • Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
  • Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
  • Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
  • Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
  • Disney Regional Entertainment (ESPN Zone sports-themed restaurants)
  • Walt Disney Imagineering
  • Walt Disney Creative Entertainment
  • Anaheim Sports (operated Mighty Duck hockey team sold in 2005 and the Anaheim Angels sold in 2003)

Hyperion Publishing Co.

Walt Disney Internet Group

  • Go.com
  • Disney.com
  • ESPN.com
  • ABCNews.com
  • Movies.com

Consumer Products

  • Disney Store
  • Jim Henson’s Muppets
  • Disney Interactive Studios

Disney Cruise Line

  • Two ships: Disney Magic and Disney Wonder
  • Disney’s private island in the Bahamas, Castaway Cay

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.

Motivational Speaker: A Misnomer?

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Working in the consulting, seminar and keynoting business, we receive a good number of calls from clients looking for a “motivational” speaker. I often struggle with that terminology. Very early in my career, I attended a number of programs which featured a “motivational speaker.” I was very fortunate to sit in the audience as a vast number of iconic characters took the stage to stimulate, motivate, and change lives. I remember with great fondness many of those who did this very successfully on a regular basis … Zig Ziglar, Denis Waitley, Wayne Dyer, Earl Nightingale, Robert Schuller, etc.

Many of these great talents are still very active today, and I’ve had the privilege to meet several of them later in my career. This impressive list has grown over the years to include such notables as Tom Peters, Tony Robbins, and several others who possess the fire and brimstone to wake us and shake us into action.

I remember the days when the fire and brimstone was enough. I’m not certain if that’s true any longer. Today, we need something to take us beyond our car in the parking lot of the auditorium where the rally was held. The very competitive and global marketplace requires much more of us now. We truly need proven tips, tools, and strategies that are easily understood and readily applied.

Interestingly enough, almost all of these successful speakers authored best-selling books to support their messages. I always found it intriguing to ask others what they thought about a live performance or best-selling book. It wasn’t that far-fetched to ask five people for feedback and receive comments such as:

  1. “No value whatsoever.”
  2. “Didn’t care for it.”
  3. “Really liked it.”
  4. “Truly loved it.”
  5. “Decided to live it.”

Now when you review those responses to a speaker, his/her message or book, would you say he/she did a good job or a poor job? I think you must admit that the speaker did at least a good job of providing good information. If not, the last three responses would never have materialized. However, upon closer observation, I think you must admit that the majority of the responsibility for success lies not with the speaker/author but with those who receive the message. What they did with the information they received made all the difference.

One common thread I think I’ve heard every “motivational speaker” share with those attending their programs is the fact that we CAN’T motivate people. Accept that fact. True motivation must come from within. All we can do is create a culture, environment, and opportunity for our employees to motivate themselves. This leads to a number of challenges:

  • Hire the right people initially. Are we investing enough quality time in this area?
  • Provide the proper expectations, informing our people about self-motivation.
  • Hold staff accountable for C.A.N.I. (Continuous And Never-ending Improvement).
  • Provide both positive and negative consequences to insure continued growth and necessary change when and where needed.
  • Provide the proper on-going training and development necessary for continued success.

For all of the reasons above, we try to avoid giving the impression that we’re going to provide a speaker who will run into the audience, yell, scream, walk on hot coals, balance on a 2 x 4 prior to swinging on a rope, perform magic tricks and send your people back to you ready to conquer all challenges currently facing your organization.

We customize a message for your audience that will assist them in dealing with your current challenges … a message that will provide them with tips, tools, and strategies that have proven to be successful by a vast number of organizations across industries. We’ll use humor, props, interaction, and the most current information available to support the focused message that will best benefit your staff. However, that’s not enough today. We need you and your total support if you want the very best ROI available.

Prior to bringing us in:

  1. Inform your staff why you chose our organization. We can help you with that message.
  2. Inform your staff why you chose this particular subject. We can help you there as well.  It’s critical that your people know you have expected outcomes of this training.
  3. Clearly inform your staff of your expectation concerning their contribution to and participation in the program.
  4. Request that they return from the program with at least three, preferably five, key learning points, which they feel can immediately be applied in the workplace for obvious results.
  5. Request that they return from the program with at least three ideas, suggestions, tips, tools or strategies to share with their immediate work group in the spirit of shared learning. It has been proven time and time again that sending a staff member to a training program with this expectation results in better concentration and comprehension as a result of his/her effort to identify those three elements requested to share.
  6. Upon return, “inspect what you expect” by insisting on the follow-through described in your earlier request. If you don’t do this, you’re sending a message that your future requests can be ignored.
  7. Upon return, discuss the program and content with your staff. What did they feel was immediately applicable to your organization, what should be further pursued, who else should attend, what should be added or deleted from the program, what are some “next steps,” what “targets” should you focus on next, etc.? This conversation with you will send a very positive message to your team concerning your concern for their future growth, feedback, success, etc.

Following the above formula will insure a much greater degree of success. Partnering with your speaker prior to and following your program will definitely create the “motivational” climate you desire to achieve. Can you afford to do otherwise?

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.

Who’s Yer Daddy? – YUM! Brands

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Who's Your DaddyIt used to be so simple. A logo on a baseball cap. A letterhead on corporate stationary. Corporate slogan on an employee shirt or blouse. It was easy to identify who you were dealing with. Not so today!

Mergers, acquisitions, buy-outs. Turmoil in the business world has taken away our ability to identify what we once thought was the “Parent Company.” Hence: “Who’s yer daddy?”

From time to time in my seminars and keynote presentations, I find occasion to mention the fact that one particular organization is a subsidiary of a much larger entity. I’m always surprised at the fact that so many of those in the audience were not aware of the relationship I referred to. I’m even more astonished at how interested everyone seems to be in learning of these affiliations. For that reason, I thought it might be interesting to share some of those examples. There are far too many to list in one column so I’ll be updating this category on a regular basis.

YUM! Brands
Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, is the world’s largest restaurant company in terms of system units with approximately 34,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries.

Their five brands include:

A & W All American Food Restaurants
Established in 1919, A & W is the longest running quick-service franchise chain in America. There are more than 600 A & W locations in 13 countries and territories around the world and nearly 600 additional points of distribution at Yum! Brands other multi-brand restaurants.

KFC Corp. (formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken)
KFC, based in Louisville, Kentucky, is the world’s most popular chicken restaurant chain. There are more than 14,000 KFC outlets in more than 80 countries and territories around the world.

Long John Silver’s, Inc.
Based in Louisville, Kentucky, this brand is the world’s most popular quick-service seafood chain. Today there are more than 1,200 locations worldwide, and more than 200 additional points of distribution in multi-brand restaurants.

Pizza Hut, Inc.
The legacy began in 1958, and today they are the world’s largest pizza restaurant. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, there are more than 6,600 locations in the U.S. and more than 4,000 in more than 80 countries and territories around the world.

Taco Bell, Inc.
Based in Irvine, California, Taco Bell is the leading Mexican-style quick-service restaurant chain in the nation with more than 5,800 locations in the U.S.

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.

Jet Black and Blue!

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Yes, they took it on the chin. They’ve been hammered, mocked, criticized, and crucified. They’ve been brought to their knees and kicked while they were down. It’s been almost a week of relentless abuse from every aspect of our U.S. media community. Comedians have had a heyday dissecting JetBlue’s “Valentine’s Day Massacre.” And you know what … they deserved every bit of it.

Bloopers, blunders, poor choices, bad decisions, no decisions. You name it — they did it. It was almost as though everyone at JetBlue demonstrated a synchronized effort to do everything wrong. If so, they succeeded beyond their wildest dreams!

Having been grounded myself in that same crippling storm, I can “feel the pain” and frustration of those 130,000 passengers who were stranded over the past week due to the cancellation of 250 flights. In a previous article, I joined the chorus of dissent regarding this escapade that is destined to live on for years to come. However, the point of my observation was to share my shock in discovering that this nightmare happened to JetBlue.

Until the “Heart Day” disaster, this young, aggressive airline was a highly respected, well-oiled operation that was constantly hailed for their customer focus and concern, cutting-edge technology, quality of service, and low prices. The bottom line of my article was to urge our readers to be proactive in their efforts to make certain that a similar situation doesn’t happen to them. If something this disastrous can happen to an industry leader such as JetBlue — an organization doing so many things right — it can happen to any company.

In that previous article, I noted many of the accomplishments that have led to the tremendous success of this highly respected airline — again emphasizing this chaos can strike even the best organizations at the most inopportune time. After what I have witnessed the past 24 hours, I think it’s time to add to that list!

I’ve always been a firm believer in the fact that it doesn’t matter what happens to you in life — it’s how you react to it that counts. Well, I have witnessed with great respect and admiration a very vivid example of true leadership during the past few days. Again, let’s agree … JetBlue’s team, at every level, experienced an operational meltdown, which affected more than 130,000 of their loyal customers. This fact can’t be argued. It happened.

I’m amazed at the fact that I have not seen the following things:

  1. Justification by leadership at shortcomings due to terrible weather conditions.
  2. Denial of responsibility due to the fact that conditions were beyond the control of JetBlue personnel.
  3. Excuses for a single mistake of judgment, poor decision, or lack of action.
  4. Refusal to deal with the many obvious consequences resulting from this experience.

I mention these behaviors because we have come to expect the above actions from the leadership of so many organizations which have failed miserably in so many different ways and been exposed in the glaring light of publicity. Look back over the past few years and reflect on what happened with such noted organizations as Enron, Arthur Anderson, WorldCom, HealthSouth, Tyco, Imclone, Adelphia, and so many more giants that invoked justification and denial.

This past week I’ve closely monitored the response strategy of JetBlue in light of the beating they’ve suffered since their unpleasant adversity. I’m not in the least bit surprised that their response has been immediate, honest, straight-forward, and reflective of the culture we’ve all admired since they entered the industry seven years ago. In less than a week since the anguish occurred, JetBlue responded as follows:

  1. They took full responsibility for everything that happened.
  2. They publicly apologized, expressing shock, mortification, and great disappointment.
  3. CEO David Neeleman created a public relations offensive, which included television interviews on all networks, a conference call with journalists, and a damage-control appearance on the David Lettermen Show the night after the popular host dedicated the majority of his opening monolog to roasting JetBlue for millions of his viewers. In each of these appearances, Neeleman accepted the blame for meltdown, pointed out that the airline has definitely learned a great deal from the experience, and had no plans to replace any members of their management team. He said: “This has been a big wake-up call for JetBlue.”
  4. The CEO then vowed to make immediate changes to prevent a repeat of what happened and followed that with a straightforward promise to the world that it will never happen again!
  5. To demonstrate their dedication to that promise, Neelemen revealed a “Passenger’s Bill of Rights” … something Congress has promised but failed to achieve after years of empty rhetoric. JetBlue did this within a week. The document addresses a monetary voucher program covering any and all future delays. You’re going to be seeing the details appear in most all magazines and newspapers in the coming weeks.
  6. JetBlue made their “Bill of Rights” retroactive to cover everyone affected by the Valentine’s Day misfortune. This action will cost JetBlue in excess of $30 million dollars!

Two very obvious thoughts emerge after witnessing the above actions:

First: What more could you possibly have asked JetBlue to do after what happened?

Second: When was the last time you saw any organization and/or individual
duplicate these efforts after their obvious misdeeds? Look back over the major organizations mentioned above that dominated headlines for months and even years. Did they publicly accept blame, take full responsibility, publicly apologize, offer immediate compensation to those affected, and create a strategy to avoid future recurrences? Nuf said.

It’s time for us to respond in kind. Accept what has happened. It can’t be changed at this point. Accept the very unusual admission of guilt, apology, and promise for immediate action. We must now stand back and offer JetBlue the opportunity to keep their promises. We must also hold them accountable with promises of severe consequences should they fail to keep their word. However, you might also throw some admiration and recognition their way for responding to an unfortunate fiasco in a very unique and refreshing way — like no one has done in the past. Good luck to JetBlue and their loyal staff as they embark on their journey to regain their credibility and lofty status in an industry which defies such attempts.

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.

Did the Media Miss a Leadership Message in the Super Bowl?

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Prior to sharing some personal feelings about this year’s annual pigskin extravaganza, I want to request that you not jump to conclusions upon reading my remarks. Keep in mind that you lack the benefit of viewing my facial expression, hearing my tone of voice, or noting my body language as you read. You have only my words to use in forming your response to my comments.

For me, this year’s Super Bowl was one of the most notable in a good number of years. However, it had little to do with the game itself.

I’d like to share a few observations on the media coverage of both coaches of this year’s classic. Much was said by many concerning the fact that these two coaches, Tony Dungy of the Colts and Lovie Smith of the Bears, were the first black coaches to achieve this enviable status level. The fact that we observed two coaches actualize this ultimate goal in the same season garnered even more publicity world wide.

Personally, I couldn’t be happier for both gentlemen. They, and all other African Americans, should indeed be elated at this accomplishment and all of the glory it so richly deserves.

However, I wonder if we’re missing a very vital lesson here. Neither coach achieved championship status because they were African Americans.

They certainly didn’t earn the respect of their players, fans, or the world’s media based on their race.

Their obvious mutual respect was hard-earned and long in the making.

Personally, I was tremendously impressed by the leadership skills, integrity, and pure unmitigated CLASS I saw demonstrated by both men.

They spoke with great respect for one another’s achievements, beliefs and values. They spoke highly of each other’s teams.

They weren’t criticized by a single member of the radio, television, or print media after both gridiron generals gave conspicuous thanks to their “God” for their many blessings and achievements. Ordinarily, the media wolves would have devoured both men in the public square at the break of dawn for making such obvious politically incorrect statements. Yet, not a word from anyone. That was so very telling of the respect both men have earned from old friends and new fans alike.

After the game ended, many players spoke nothing but respectful words about the performance and leadership of both Tony and Lovie.

I heard one commentator point out the fact that both coaches never raised their voices during practice sessions or in actual game situations. Neither needed to do so. They always have the full respect and attention of their teams.

I couldn’t help but notice that they appeared together in several public service announcements during the day supporting such organizations as Big Brothers and Big Sisters to name just a few.

They were a class act from start to finish on this special day and one can only assume that both conduct themselves exactly like that every day.

Like any championship event, one of those proud and accomplished warriors was destined to walk off that field at the end of the game deemed as a “loser” while the other was carried off on the shoulders of his team being hailed as the “winner.” That’s the nature of the game. Always has been and always will be.

However, in the eyes and hearts of millions of world-wide fans on this particularly unique Super Bowl Sunday, I think Tony and Lovie both left that field of battle as WINNERS … having earned the highest respect of anyone who loves the game of football.

They were both great leaders in front of the entire world during this game, which provided them both with memories they will never forget.

They certainly served as excellent examples for not only the many young people who so dearly need such role models today but for potential and existing leaders in every field of endeavor all around the globe.

The final outcome of the game — exciting but secondary. The greater reward for fans, of course, was the privilege of witnessing a historic game, which will be discussed for years to come.

Both gentlemen entered an “unofficial” Hall of Fame after spending an entire evening demonstrating great leadership on the field of battle. If only we could boast such leadership role models on the world’s stage of business and politics today! We might all sleep a little better every night.

Good guys can and do finish first. Don’t mistake soft-spoken leaders for post-season push-overs. Both have spent a grueling season proving they can compete with the best, overcome adversity, rise above criticism, and endure brilliantly to become Division Champions and move on to compete in the most prestigious competition in the game.

For those who are tempted to say, “Yeah, they’re both nice guys, but … ” remember they made it to the Super Bowl! Maybe this year’s game should be renamed “The Good Guys Bowl.”

Congratulations, deep appreciation, and continued success to both Tony and Lovie … they certainly made this particular Bowl Day a SUPER one for me, and I’m sure we’re going to see much more of both of them! I think I’ll always remember this particular game as the “Leadership Bowl”!

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.