There’s an astronomical number of people in this world who have never entered the portals of a modern day airport … or ever will. There are millions of others, like myself, who qualify for the privilege and/or burden of claiming airports as a second home.

I personally long ago lost count of the number of hours I’ve spent in and around airports, arriving or departing from more flights than I can recall. Today’s typical airport can be a mind-boggling, high-tech, state-of-the-art marvel of wonder or, for many others, a simple necessary evil.

Experts claim that the challenges of operating a major airport such as those listed below rivals that of operating a major city!

• Chicago O’Hara
• Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson
• New York’s LaGuardia & JFK
• Washington’s Reagan & Dulles
• Detroit’s Metro
• Los Angeles LAX
• Las Vegas McCarran
• Orlando International
• Pittsburgh International
• Dallas/Fort Worth International
• Miami International

Think about it … today’s major airports require a sophisticated focus on such critical areas as traffic control, energy generation, safety, security, parking, weather, law enforcement, food prep, maintenance, personnel, transportation (planes, fuel trucks, subways, limos, trams, taxis, shuttle buses, etc.), entertainment, communication, marketing, advertising, etc.

One can certainly see the similarities to operating a major city. However, there’s still another very obvious similarity that can’t be overlooked — the lack of common sense! Airport protocol has always astounded me. They do such a phenomenal job of successfully dealing with challenges in all of the areas mentioned above. At other times, common sense seems to have taken an earlier flight!

Consider a few examples:

If security finds you in possession of fingernail clippers, they will take them away from you. However, you can walk into most any gift shop after passing through security and purchase bigger and better fingernail clippers. Is this simply their effort to upgrade you to a better quality of nail clippers?

What’s the reasoning for scheduling an arrival and/or departure at such odd times such as 11:43, 3:14, or 6:52? They NEVER take off or land on time regardless of what it may be.

Why are pilots so proud of the fact that they managed to land 15 minutes early? Every time they do manage to do that, they can’t get you to the gate because there’s a plane sitting there preparing to depart. As a result, you end up sitting on the tarmac for an additional 20 minutes waiting for a gate to become vacant.

When connecting with another flight, there are always a few things you can count on. The gate at which you are scheduled to connect with your next flight will always be located in a different terminal and will usually be at least a 20-minute walk. In addition, they will usually allow you only ten minutes to make that connection.

Why does a Subway “$5.00 foot long” sandwich always cost $8.50 in an airport?

I recently saw a news report showing the transport of a shuttle craft from Florida to California. The 165,000 lb. shuttle was attached atop a typical 747 aircraft. Why is it that they charge you an additional $50 overweight baggage fee if your bag weighs ONE pound over the allotted 50 lb. limit? Are they afraid we may exceed that 165,000 limit?

Why does the TSA agent always ask me “if someone put anything in my carry-on without my knowledge?” How would I know?

Yes, common sense seems to have found a way to avoid major cities, all airports and Washington, D.C. Be sure it doesn’t do the same with your place of employment! It only takes a few seconds to stop and think!

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.

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In my last blog article, I shared information based on research by 24/7 Wall St., which operates a financial news and opinion firm with content delivered over the Internet. I shared the first five companies of “The Ten Most Hated Companies in America” and then explained exactly why each company qualified for such a dubious title.

As expected, the various reasons were very fundamental, obvious, and apparently oblivious to the leadership of those organizations: J.C. Penney, Dish Network, T-Mobile USA, Facebook, Inc., and Citigroup.

Now let’s reveal the final five companies as we seek common threads with the first five.

6. Research In Motion Ltd. (Blackberry)

• Once the preeminent smartphone in America and around most of the world, RIM Blackberry has lost much of its market share to competitors.
• Several service outages further harmed its reputation and angered customers.
• The company’s latest smartphone, the Blackberry 10, has been delayed for months.
• The company has fired thousands of employees in an attempt to restore profits.
• To top off these troubles, the BlackBerry lost 39% of its brand value last year.

7. American Airlines

• Despite its recent merger with U.S. Air, American Airlines, has, in a remarkably short period of time, ruined its relationships with shareholders, bondholders, pilots, customers, suppliers, and most of its other employees.
• In 2011, it filed for Chapter 11, virtually wiping out shareholders and crippling corporations to which it owed a great deal of money.
• The company has been bickering with its pilots for months over compensation, and the mass layoffs that often accompany bankruptcy proceedings have added to the chaos.
• American Airline’s image with passengers has also taken a beating. It was recently named the U.S. carrier with the rudest employees and was ranked the worst carrier in America based on customer service, according to the ACSI.
• The recent merger with U.S.Air makes American Airlines the largest U.S. airline. Industry experts are divided in their opinions as to whether the merger will solve many of the above problems or simply add more turmoil to what currently exists. The past week it announced upcoming price increases as a result of the merger. Adding more planes and personnel may very well be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

8. Nokia

• Nokia was once the largest handset company in the world but has now lost that spot to Samsung.
• Its brand and distribution muscle should have given it some advantages in the smartphone market. However, Nokia instead experienced a tremendous disaster, losing its industry leadership to Apple and Samsung.
• Nokia’s shareholders have had to contend with a sickening drop in the value of its shares. The stock is down 20% in the last year, and 60% in the last two years.

9. Sears Holding Corp.

• For decades, Sears and Kmart were the #1 and #2 retailers in the nation. No one could even imagine anyone else being capable of surpassing their performance. Sears has now been around for 127 years and Kmart for 114. Combined they boast 241 years of experience in dealing with any and all aspects of the retail industry. Theoretically, they should have no equal.
• However, Sears and Kmart continue to struggle. In the past seven years they have had five CEOs!
• Over the past five years, Sears shares have dropped by roughly 60%. It lost more than $2.8 billion in the most recent reported 12 months. Meanwhile, main competitors Target Corp. and Walmart Stores Inc. have both handily outperformed them.
• Employees of both Sears and Kmart stores rate their experience at the company as poor and customer service scores are even lower.

10. Hewlett-Packard

• According to the ACSI, HP was the second worst-ranked personal computer brand in 2012.
• HP may also be the most mismanaged major company in the U.S., which gives shareholders a reason to turn on it as well.
• Five years ago, the company had annual net income of more than $8 billion. In the 12 months ending in October, HP lost $12.6 billion.
• The company shares are down more than 40% in the past year.
• Last year, in an attempt to restructure and stop the bleeding, the company laid off 27,000 employees, more than double any other company in 2012. Employee research firm Glassdoor reports HP is also disliked by its employees.

So let’s review our findings. The most naive observer can easily identify the many common threads shared by these well-known organizations. While each may be dealing with a few unique circumstances, most would benefit greatly from simply identifying their “functional blindness” and taking the necessary steps to correct the problem.

You and I, as customers, could easily offer legitimate advice and solutions to these challenges. If we can see it, why can’t they? Here are just a few of the common threads shared by “The Top Ten Most Hated Companies in America.” Note the obvious simplicity of each.

• Customer service
• Employee performance
• Employee morale
• Employee training
• Listening to customers
• Alienation of shareholders
• Out of touch
• Mismanagement

If the leadership of these companies aren’t dealing with these critical concerns which are key factors in the success or failure of their operation, what are they doing? Ironically, if you were to rate these same areas among the nation’s leading organizations, you would obviously find that great attention is shown to each. Isn’t there an obvious message here?

Take a look at your own organization from two different aspects.

1. T.L.C. Think Like Customers. View every phase of your business as though you were a customer. If you’re honest in your review, you’ll be surprised at what you may discover. Then make necessary changes and/or educate your customers as to your decisions.
2. Naive Observation. View your products, services, business plan, marketing, advertising, policies, etc., avoiding any and all justification and denial. While this may prove to be challenging, it certainly produces results.

Each of the those in the “Top Ten Most Hated Companies in America” have been around for a long time and have experienced tremendous success. They know how it’s done. Their future now lies in their own hands. They will become Distinct or Extinct! As will you! 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.

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On my recent flight home from New York City, I read an interesting article that should be a real eye-opener to anyone in business today. It doesn’t matter what product and/or service you may offer. It was directed to any organization, regardless of size. It was certainly a powerful wake-up call for one and all.

Like most wake-up calls, it was simple, obvious, and right in front of us day in and day out. It was written by a well-known Delaware corporation, 24/7 Wall St., which operates a financial news and opinion firm with content delivered over the Internet. The company’s articles are republished by many of the largest news sites and portals, including Aol’s DailyFinance, MarketWatch, MSNBC, MSN Money, Yahoo! Finance, Comcast and The Huffington Post. The company publishes more than 50 articles per day and has readers throughout North America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

The article identified “The 10 Most Hated Companies in America” and then explained exactly why each company qualified for such a dubious title. In fact, the article went into great detail in doing so.

I’ll spare you the details, but I would like to share some very obvious common threads that could very well prove critical to your future success. These companies have been around awhile, they’re well known, and have enjoyed success in the past. However, they obviously suffer from a “functional blindness” which prevents them from recognizing obvious shortcomings that have led to the dismay, disappointment, and even hatred of those they chose to serve.

Look over the list as I’m certain you’ll immediately recognize the common threads that are bringing these organizations to their knees and possible extinction. Evaluate your own organization to make certain you haven’t allowed these shortcomings to take root. As you can see, that can be disastrous for even the best companies.

The 10 Most Hated Companies in America

1. J.C. Penney
   • Identified as one of the great management disasters of the last few years.
   • The company decided to radically change the chain’s pricing policy and sales fell 20% in the first quarter and continued to lose sales at a rapid rate.
   • Customers defected in droves and have complained that J.C. Penney is out of touch with its customers based on radical in-store changes currently on the drawing board.
2.  Dish Network Corp.
   • Dish’s remarkably poor customer service ratings show up in more than one national survey.
   • Dish further alienated itself from its customers last May when it dropped several channels, including AMC.
   • Employee ratings of their experiences at the company are as terrible of those of its customers.
   • In a recent BusinessWeek story titled “The Meanest Company in America,” former and current employees called the environment created by the company’s founder as a “culture of condescension and distrust.”
   • Employee ratings for Dish is among the worst in an entire Glassdoor survey that covers thousands of companies.
3. T-Mobile USA
   • T-Mobile is becoming the black sheep of the big four U.S. carriers.
   • T-Mobile’s 4G network in the U.S. is tied with AT&T as the worst in customer service among wireless carriers.
   • The company had an extraordinary net loss of 1,558,000 subscribers in the first three quarters of last year, out of the roughly 33 million it had at the end of 2011. During the same time, AT&T and Verizon Wireless continued to gain customers.
4. Facebook Inc.
   • Facebook alienated its investors in a particularly public fashion when its IPO dot-com public offering immediately collapsed despite great expectations. From its IPO price of $35, the stock fell to below $20 in less than three months.
   • Facebook has had customer satisfaction issues among its one billion plus members for some time. This comes in part from the company’s continuing user privacy concerns.
   • Facebook is one of the most strongly disliked American companies, beaten out only by three public utilities companies.
5. Citigroup
   • Last year, Citigroup sacked its CEO, experienced a financial crisis and then fired thousands of workers.
   • That, of course, destroyed employee morale, but the bloodletting was not over. The new CEO said he would fire 11,000 more.
   • Its mishandling of the sale of its Smith Barney unit caused Citi to write down $2.9 billion, and the action triggered a cut in its credit ratings by Moody’s. Such actions did not endear Citi to investors.
   • It is one of the 10 worst companies in America based on customer service.

I’ll share the last five companies with you next week. I hope you noticed the obvious common threads emerging from these very well-known companies … out of touch with customers, poor treatment of employees, alienation of investors, inability to listen, low employee morale, unacceptable culture, etc.

Why is it that so many others have identified these behaviors and reacted to them with negative consequences for the organization? Yet the companies mentioned above can’t or won’t recognize the challenges and take action to correct or eliminate them?

Again, review the behaviors as they apply to your current culture and make the necessary adjustments before it’s too late! Next week, we’ll review RIM Blackberry, American Airlines, Nokia, Sears/Kmart, and Hewlett-Packard.

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.

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I don’t know about you, but I’ve been a Disney Devotee since the early days of The Mickey Mouse Club (Annette Funicello), Davy Crockett, Spin and Marty, and Old Yeller!

Like so many others, Disney has been part of my life in so many ways over the years. Most people have no idea how successful this organization has been since animator Walt Disney and his brother Roy joined forces in California in 1923 to create what would become a global entertainment conglomerate.

Those who deny the Disney influence are simply uniformed. For instance:

Like movies? Disney has produced well over 750 classic films, cartoons, and animated shorts. It owns LucasFilm, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Worldwide (toys, comics, movies, TV and music), Touchstone Pictures, The Muppets Studio, and several other movie studios.

Like theme parks? Disney owns 5 major theme parks and 38 various resorts around the world.

Vacation? Disney currently owns 10 vacation clubs, 2 water parks, and 5 of the most beautiful, state-of-the-art cruise lines currently sailing the seas and several others on the drawing board.

Watch TV? Disney owns the ABC Television Network, ABC News, ABC Family Cable Channel, Lifetime Network, A&E Network, ABC Sports, 26 Divisions of ESPN, and dozens of television stations and Disney Channels worldwide.

As though this weren’t enough, consider a few of its other assets: real estate, financial services, magazine and book publishing, apartment properties, consumer toys and products, retail stores, investment companies, Disney Learning, Disney Mobile, 12 Disney websites, Disney on Ice, and its own corporate airline.

In short, it has been doing pretty well. So, why do I say “Mickey Needs Our Help”? It’s actually very basic. Although it pains me to say this, the current Disney leadership team has simply lost their minds. They’re obviously delusional and totally out of control. They’ve lost their ability to think rationally.

Let me give you a simple example.

Heralded by the kind of fanfare only Disney can muster, Walt Disney World recently debuted its largest Magic Kingdom expansion ever. The “New Fantasyland” is touted as the largest expansion in the 41-year history of the Magic Kingdom, doubling the size of original Fantasyland from 10 to 21 acres.

By adding multiple rides, restaurants and gift shops in one massive swoop, the project budget is headed toward $400 million! This addition will increase the capacity of Disney’s most popular park, which draws 17 million visitors a year, from 66,000 people a day to 80,000!

Disney is expanding on the west coast as well by creating a $1 billion addition to its California Adventure, which is anchored by the Pixar-inspired Cars Land. In addition, a multi-attraction corner of Disney’s Animal Kingdom is being designed as a tribute to the film Avatar.

Herein lies the problem.

• Disney obviously doesn’t realize that our economy is in dire straights!
• It doesn’t understand that millions of its “guests” (customers) have lost their jobs.
• It doesn’t seem to realize that families have less money to spend.
• It doesn’t seem concerned about its growing global competition.
• It seems to ignore the fact that prices are increasing everywhere.
• It fails to understand that families are vacationing less.
• The list goes on and on.

Instead of buckling down, playing it safe, and waiting for things to change for the better, Disney seems to have taken an opposite approach. For instance:

• It continues to expand, enhance, and promote every aspect of its many products and services while its competitors downsize, merge or close their businesses.
• It increases its creative and innovative efforts throughout the organization worldwide.
• It continues to train, educate and enlighten its “cast members” (employees) while tapping the potential they offer the organization.
• It continually invests in its people, properties, products and services to make certain it maintains its industry leadership.
• It continues to advertise and market at a time when all others have ceased this strategy in the spirit of saving money.

DOESN’T DISNEY REALIZE THAT THIS STRATEGY WILL SOON LEAD IT TO DEATH AND DESTRUCTION?

We must all join forces to make Disney aware that this current path will most certainly lead to its demise. Call or write Disney immediately in hopes of making it see the light.

By now, I’m pretty sure that the majority of those reading this article realize that I’m being totally facetious (not meant to be taken seriously or literally) about the demise of Disney.

In fact, its strategy is genius, and its current growth and success should be proof positive that its game plan can and will work for anyone with the courage and determination to execute it! This will work for any business, regardless of size. In fact, the smaller the business, the easier it is. Are YOU willing to make the effort? Examples such as this one exist from coast to coast. We simply must seek them out.

When you settle on a plan that you feel is right for you and your organization, analyze it, create a strategy, and then execute that strategy with focus and determination! Thanks, MICKEY!

By the way, I understand that Starbucks is now offering a $7 cup of coffee! The next time you stop in at one of its thousands of locations, tell them that this will never work in this horrendous economy! I’m certain they’ll take it off the menu immediately!

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.

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L-E-A-D-E-R-S-H-I-P! Ten simple letters … one word which can make the crucial difference between success and failure on so may levels for so many organizations in today’s challenging environment!

I’ve been involved with leadership concepts for as long as I can remember … Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, organized sports, educational involvement, the military, Big Brothers, local politics, international corporate involvement and now in my position of consulting with and training for a wide variety of businesses and organizations.

I’ve witnessed tremendous change in the area of leadership over the years, and that’s as it should be and hopefully always will be.

Leadership Is Disappearing

However, the most recent emerging trend is quite startling and must be dealt with before irreversible damage is done. Leadership is DISAPPEARING. Numerous studies debate the root causes and the degree of this critical demise, but they all agree that it’s very evident and sadly appears to be continuing.

Doubters need only analyze the current political situation as we approach the coming election. Caution must be taken to avoid the near-fatal mistake of placing the blame on one particular party. It’s blatantly obvious that both sides of the aisle have shown a tremendous lack of leadership at the federal, state, and local levels. Trust and respect levels for politicians are at an all-time low at a time when they should be setting the standard for the rest of the country!

The rest of the country is doing little better at demonstrating the leadership our country so desperately needs during these challenging times. Choose an industry today and you’ll note the obvious lack of leadership … healthcare, technology, energy, hospitality, retail, manufacturing, financial, transportation, media, etc.

One can only imagine the dramatic impact this growing trend can and will have on most every aspect of life as we know it if immediate action isn’t taken to reverse this crippling trend!

Demand Leadership

Considering the wide-spread challenge we face, it may seem overwhelming to visualize your role in facing this growing threat. However, consider the following facts and choose just one area in which you may have some influence or opportunity to make even a small difference. If enough of us make even a small effort, the end result can and will be amazing.

• Leadership is seldom, if ever, even discussed or modeled in high schools today.
• College level efforts aren’t much better.
• Community efforts to educate in this area are practically non-existent.
• Local churches could play a critical role in offering leadership training.
• Associations, organizations, and clubs can also offer community leadership training.
• Federal training grants are available to all of those noted above.
• Leadership training is one of the first budget areas to be cut by most businesses.
• People are often promoted to leadership positions based on their individual performance, longevity, or task experience. While helpful, these areas have little to do with the ability to lead others. Yet, needed leadership training is seldom offered.

Tackle the Leadership Challenge

We can all do something to tackle this challenge. It’s simply a matter of determining how you can make a difference. Who do you know? Who can you speak to? What action can you take? If something isn’t done about the continuous demise of leadership in this country, we’ll all suffer the consequences.

For more information about our leadership seminar series and keynote presentations, contact Dr. Jeffrey Drake at 1-800-886-2629 or fill out our form for more information.

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.

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What do the following Hollywood superstars have in common?

ANSWER: They all began their film careers at the bottom as “extras.” They started at the entry level of their chosen field and earned stardom which many would describe as “overnight success.” For the majority of those listed above, that “overnight success” took years and, in some cases, decades. They gained knowledge and experience, sought mentors, learned the rules of the game, and demonstrated perseverance against all odds.

The same scenario has been witnessed in most every field of endeavor … politics, sports, manufacturing, sales, military, finance, technology, health care, and the list goes on. This path to foundational strength is essential for success in today’s very competitive and ever-changing environment. And yet, sadly, it’s seldom discussed, much less encouraged, in high school and/or college classrooms across the country.

By the time an entry-level employee reaches his/her career battlefield today, most employers assume this traditional work ethic is well understood and about to be eagerly executed. Sadly, that seldom, if ever, occurs.

At a time when employment is difficult to secure, far too many applicants are ill-equipped to compete. When can we expect to see the re-emergence of the traditional work ethic that built this great country? I’m afraid it’s going to take a concerted effort by many — parents, teachers, employers, mentors, and leaders in every field. Until that happens, we will continue to struggle.

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.

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Sports analogies have forever been utilized to prepare those in business for the competitive challenges evolving from global chaos. And for good reason. Where better to learn of the decisive impact of teamwork, motivation, communication, etc. and its influence on successful outcomes … for both individuals and organizations alike.

Sunday’s Women’s World Cup soccer final provided many lessons for those not only involved in the sports world but for anyone in the business world as well.

Let me be direct. Consider the following facts:

• This was Japan’s first appearance in the final of a major tournament!
• Japan had not beaten the Americans in their first 25 meetings!
• Japan suffered a pair of 2-0 losses to the U.S. team in warm-up games a month prior to the World Cup.
• Throughout the tournament, the Japanese teammates poignantly reminded the world that they were playing for their battered country, still reeling from the devastation of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami where nearly 23,000 people died or were reported missing.
• Several of their key players had considered skipping the World Cup this year as a result of the disaster. They changed their mind only at the last minute.
• They were hoping their success could provide even a small emotional lift to their nation.
• After each and every game, the team unfurled a banner which read: “To our Friends Around the World — Thank You for Your Support!”
• They paraded the banner prior to Sunday’s final as well. After the game, they unfurled another banner which read: “Champion — the First Asian country to win this title!”
• The odds were against them. Everything they read and heard predicted a U.S. domination of the final.
• They came from behind twice before winning this crucial final.

A closer study of this unique Japanese team will provide volumes on the subjects of teamwork, motivation, pride, determination, and focus.

Another valuable lesson appeared at the close of the game. While the U.S. team played a good game, they were beaten. Plain and simple. And they were shocked and devastated as their hopes for a Final World Cup victory were crushed. And yet, in the chaotic turmoil immediately following the end of the game, I watched several of the U.S. players approach their opponents with congratulatory hugs, handshakes and kind words … at a time when they probably would have preferred to be alone in their locker room drowning their sorrows. That says a great deal about the integrity and class of those young ladies. They served as a fine example for the millions around the world viewing this event. They’ll be back and they’ll be successful once again!

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.

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I’m the first to admit that today’s fast-paced world leaves very little time to stay abreast of what’s happening in the news.

However, know this! Leaders in every industry find time to do so. They either make time in their schedules to do so by delegating and empowering others to deal with less important tasks, OR they have someone to monitor current events and keep them informed. They’ve made a conscious decision that there is tremendous value in observing life outside our own realm.

We have one client that has actually created a team of three talented employees who do nothing but monitor the news, determine what can be learned from what’s happening, consider how their organization can benefit from adopting and/or adapting concepts and then making it happen.

Now, I’m certainly not suggesting that you copy other people and businesses. What they’ve done simply may not apply to your needs and goals. However, you can certainly use their accomplishments to stimulate your own thinking in new directions.

Many of today’s successful and accepted products and services were inspired by observing totally unrelated influences:

• Zip lock food-storage bags
• Pet-grooming shops
• Fed-Ex
• Henry Ford’s assembly
• Motown
• Velcro
• Camouflage
• Liquid Paper
• Snow shoes

The list goes on and on.

At a time when the economy, for so many reasons, has closed or down-sized more businesses than ever before, I’ve witnessed many organizations growing and prospering because they’ve followed the simple formula of Looking, Learning, Thinking and especially DOING!

In the past two weeks, the news has reported many examples of what I’m talking about:

Airline Industry

The airline industry reports $3.4 BILLION in bag fees over the past year! Not only is that up 24% over the previous year, but it’s also a major reason the industry made money after three consecutive years of losses. I’m not happy with the fees myself, but it’s a fact that this idea saved a floundering industry.

Southwest Airlines

At a time when everyone seems to be “waiting it out” in hopes that things may someday change, Southwest Airlines purchases AirTran to become the nation’s first megasize, low-cost airline. “Calculated” risk has often been the decisive factor in achieving success while others flounder.

Target

Target initiates an aggressive “full speed ahead” campaign at a time when the retail industry remains dormant and very cautious. Target is currently remodeling more than 400 stores, opening smaller urban stores to ward off the assault of the many dollar store chains, planning to expand to Canada, and totally overhauled its website … soon operating independently of Amazon. Target is also expanding its fresh food offering as well as adding a new higher-end clothing line and expanding its housewares line. Target is approaching today’s soft economy by taking action while so many of its competitors “play it safe.”

McDonald’s

Did you ever think you’d enter a fast food restaurant to find fire places, free WiFi, comfortable faux leather couches and chairs, or large flat-screen TVs? That’s all part of a $1 billion+ make-over that McDonald’s has planned for more than 14,000 of its U.S. locations. McDonald’s is even doubling the number of its drive-thrus. “McChanges” may just be the word to describe this ambitious game plan for the home of Ronald McDonald and his friends. By the way, this strategy was inspired by observing the emergence of the Apple stores. The CEO pointed out that “entering a new Apple store makes you feel as though you’ve actually entered an IPad and never want to leave. We want our customers to feel the same about their visit to any McDonald’s location.”

Do you see a common thread among these examples? Daring leaders in successful organizations are opting to “take action” to strive, survive, and succeed in one of the worst economies this nation has ever witnessed.

I’m not suggesting that you duplicate any of the efforts mentioned above. I’m suggesting that you watch these organizations closely to see what works and what may not work. Note their creativity, strategies, daring, and precise planning efforts. Then create a powerful strategy for yourself. “Sitting and waiting” is no longer a feasible strategy … it’s a “death wish.” Do something!

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.

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If you’re a regular reader of USA Today, you’re more than likely familiar with its Snapshot Surveys. Some are simply humorous and others are useless trivia tidbits. However, every once in a while, you can find a survey that is informative, useful and even sometimes perplexing. I found one in today’s paper that was somewhat puzzling to me. I’m certain the figures were accurate; I’m just not sure why!

This particular survey was conducted by the Society of Human Resource Management. Human Resource professionals were asked what most concerned them most about their younger employees.

• 55% — Inappropriate clothing
• 54% — Poor work ethic
• 38% — Excessively informal language behavior
• 38% — Need for supervision
• 38% — Inappropriate use of/excess reliance on technology

I had to re-read this list several times to believe it! Apparently our younger generation is out of control, hopeless, and simply can’t be reigned in. Personally, I would be ashamed to admit that I was having to deal with any of the above issues!

The behaviors listed above are NOT the problems of today’s younger workforce. In fact, today’s young workforce is as creative, diligent, and productive as any in our history. Full responsibility for each of those behaviors lie solely with the leadership of any organization. Those conditions will NOT exist in any environment that focuses on CULTURE.

Three simple steps will insure that the above conditions will never exist in your organization.

• Expectations must be clearly established concerning accepted behaviors and performance of every member of the workforce.
• Accountability at every level must exist to insure that all established expectations are met by everyone in the organization.
• Consequences, as rewards and/or discipline, must be applied fairly to everyone based on their performance and execution of expectations.

How much more simple can it be? Time and time again, we have learned that organizations that faithfully practice these three strategies seldom, if ever, have to deal with the concerns listed above by Human Resource Professionals.

However, very few organizations have established and continue to maintain these simple but critical practices. How does your organization fare? If your workforce was asked to rate, on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being fully enforced, each of those three practices, what results would you see? Are you satisfied with those results? You might want to give this issue some serious thought!

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.

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