C.A.N.I. Insures Success

Awaken the Giant Within “CANI” is an acronym for “Constant And Never-ending Improvement.” We refer to it constantly in a number of our seminars. It should be a battle cry for all organizations and individuals in these challenging days of chaos and change.

We should teach and support CANI to our children at a very young age.

There was a time when many students felt graduating from high school meant there would be no need for further study or progress. More fortunate students felt that way after an additional four year in college.

Well, that has certainly changed! Today, every business, organization, and individual must focus on CANI if they hope to strive, thrive and compete in today’s global economy.

Ironically, many businesses have reduced their training focus in an effort to save money. Study after study has shown this strategy to be disastrous! We are currently experiencing the fastest rate of technology growth in our history and the rate of change continues to accelerate at a frightening pace!

If we don’t prepare our workforce to deal with these challenges, how can we hope to survive? You might want to have that discussion with your leadership team, board members, and stakeholders. Do so and I can promise you’ll witness silence, wide eyes, and expressions of concern.

You might consider sharing the origin of the word CANI with your decision makers. It was created by Tony Robbins, a self-help author and motivational speaker, more than two decades ago. You can read about it in his 1991 bestseller Awaken the Giant Within.

The original principle was first taught by W. Edwards Deming as he taught the United States how to improve production during World War II. After the war, he was sent to Japan to teach them his quality methods. Ultimately, the Japanese were better students of the CANI principle. Deming is well-known for helping the Japanese to recover their industrial base after World War II.

The Japanese had their own term for CANI. It is Kaizen. Kai means change, and Zen means good. Kaizen is a change for the good.

The Japanese proved that Deming’s methods worked. I can remember the days in the 60s when the only thing Japan was known for was cheap toys that fell apart after a short time. “Made in Japan” was a joke in the early 1960s. By the 1990s, it stood for quality.

They transformed their manufacturing to the point where they produced cars known to have better quality than America’s domestic production by the 1990s. Today, Japanese cars and electronics are known for consistent quality due to CANI principles.

In the spirit of Kaizen (CANI), Toyota Motors receives more than 1.5 million suggestions a year from its workers … those in the heart of the organization. You can imagine how many of those suggestions were crucial to their quest for dominance.

Kaizen quickly became an essential part of the Japanese culture and was applied to every aspect of one’s life. Children were taught at a very young age that they were expected to strive for growth, knowledge, and improvement at every stage of their lives.

Maybe we should be doing the same thing. Think about it … If all you did was improve one tiny aspect of your life every single day, you would achieve mastery in uncommon time.

Robbins points out that CANI:

  • Creates a personal and business momentum that will be hard for your competitors to catch up with.
  • Provides personal satisfaction and fulfillment because it will cause you to grow personally.
  • Leads to innovation. Innovation creates leverage.

CANI is a principle designed to encourage you to make small incremental improvements daily. In doing so, you will be forced to find a way to go beyond your current set of self-imposed limitations.

The coming decade will reveal the demise of businesses and organizations we once thought were indestructible. Leaders will emerge in every industry that were virtually unknown just years before. You and your organization may very well become either Distinct or Extinct and the strategy of CANI may very well play a crucial part in that decision! 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.

Own or Manage a Business? It’s Time to Make a Decision about Training!

Yes, it’s true. Business owners and leaders across this country are facing a critical decision that could strongly impact their future success. In fact, their decision could mean the life or death of business as they know it.

Here’s the question that’s being debated almost daily in most every industry from coast to coast:

“In these competitive and very challenging times, dare we invest the time, energy, and dollars to train our employees in hopes of gaining a much-needed competitive edge?”

Why Companies Don’t Provide Training

I’ve heard numerous reasons why it might be better to wait to make such investments in training, and every one of them might be considered by many to be conventional wisdom (the ideas, opinions, or understanding that are considered to be generally accepted by the public):

  1. “Money is tight right now, and I simply can’t afford it.”
  2. “I may have to lay off or terminate some of those I trained.”
  3. “We’ve done fine without training in the past.”
  4. “I’m going to wait until the economy gets better.”
  5. “I really don’t think it would make much difference.”

I can understand the thinking behind every one of those statements. However, I can strongly refute (Prove a statement or theory to be wrong or false; disprove.) every one of them with facts from today’s business world.

Why Companies Should Provide Training

An obvious trend is emerging and it speaks for itself.

It’s becoming quite evident that those organizations that recognize the benefits and value of continuous training are prospering from their efforts to grow and succeed.

On the other hand, those who are putting training on the back burner are suffering the consequences as they lose their competitive edge, stifle their growth, and even disappear from the market place.

Think about it … do you seriously think you would NOT benefit from being able to:

This is what occurs when you train your staff.

Training Is an Investment in Your Business and Employees

Here’s one example:

A person making $50,000 per year who is wasting one hour per day is costing the company $6,250 in wasted salary alone. A group of 25 people wasting an hour a day is costing the company $156,250 a year!

What would you invest to fix that problem?

And this is just one of the many challenges you’re currently facing.

Smart companies view training as an investment rather than a cost.

How do you YOU view employee training?

Contact Dr. Jeffrey Drake at 1-800-886-2629 for further information on
investing in your future growth and success! Let us help you Achieve
the Maximum®!

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 Leader, Dare You Answer This Question?

I want to keep this short and sweet but very relevant to you and your concern for profits. After all, more than likely that’s one of the major reasons you’re in business.

In addition, I don’t expect you to believe what I have to say nor agree with it. However, if you’re a business person who IS concerned about costs, savings, and profits, you’ll read this article and investigate its content for relevance to your organization.

Another call came into our corporate office today asking the question we hear many times a day, every day, “How much does your training cost?” As usual, we pointed out that there is NO COST for our training. Not bad, huh? There is an INVESTMENT which is based on what you’re looking for … a half-day seminar, a full-day seminar, a seminar series, a boot camp, a keynote, a package, consulting, etc. Give us an idea of what you’re looking for, and we’ll gladly reveal the INVESTMENT you’ll need to make.

But wait! While you’re in the spirit of asking questions, consider a few of these:

  • What’s it going to cost us if we DON’T train our staff to make the necessary changes to deal with the ever-growing challenges causing chaos in today’s business world?
  • What’s it going to cost us if we settle for the lowest bidder we can find? We may save money but not provide the best training, tools, tips and strategies that our people need to grow, compete and succeed. Is that really saving us money? Inadequate, ineffective training at any cost is not a bargain!
  • What’s the difference between a “COST” and an “INVESTMENT”? Look up the formal definitions if you must, but you know that a good investment will yield a return that will keep you productive, profitable, competitive, and successful!
  • Can we spare the time to conduct training at this point? Here’s a better question. Can you afford NOT to strive for Continuous and Never-ending Improvement (CANI) for your staff at a time when your competition is doing exactly that? You’d better give that question some serious consideration!

One last question!

If you knew that productive, innovative, motivational training of your staff could do the following:

  • improve morale
  • empower your workforce
  • reduce turnover
  • enhance communication and teamwork
  • nurture greater creativity
  • provide better customer service
  • increase productivity and profitability

… would you consider what you paid as a “COST” or an “INVESTMENT”?

Check media reports to find examples of what’s happening in today’s business world, and you’ll find your answer in what leading companies are doing:

  • Disney is adding to the size of its parks while competitors merge, sell or close their doors.
  • McDonald’s is investing a billion dollars to enhance its facilities and menu while competitors downsize, merge, sell or struggle to keep their doors open.
  • The Super Bowl increases the price of a 30-second ad to a record $3.5 million.
  • The Big Three automakers are reopening closed plants, building new plants, and adding employees.

At this point you might think: “Sure, these companies can do these things because they’re so successful!” Re-frame that thought as you ask: “Are they doing these things because they’re successful, OR are they successful because they’re doing these things?”

COST or INVESTMENT? The choice is yours! The decision is critical! The answer can be life-changing!

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.

Dealing with the Daunting Challenge That Most Organizations Don’t Even Acknowledge

Last week, I shocked a few readers with the following fact:

AS OF JANUARY 1 OF THIS YEAR, EVERY SINGLE DAY MORE THAN 10,000 BABY BOOMERS WILL REACH THE AGE OF 65. THIS WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR THE NEXT 19 YEARS!

That means we’re going to see a mass exodus of key people who have the education, experience, and knowledge of our organizational culture. Those people are going to be very difficult to replace, and it certainly can’t happen overnight. Thus, there is the need for a combination of a strong mentoring strategy and a future leaders program to begin the development of potential candidates!

We’ve been very fortunate to be able to work with many clients in a wide variety of organizations from coast to coast as they seek, select and prepare potential leaders for the challenges they will soon face.

Let me share an abbreviated game plan revealing the crucial steps in this program which is growing in popularity.

Future Leaders

Most of our clients have decided to choose a creative name for the group of potential leaders they have selected for future leadership possibilities. While “Future Leaders” certainly describes the next generation of leaders, our clients have settled on a variety of creative monikers. Listed below are just a few:

  • Strike Force
  • Fast Trackers
  • Pace Team
  • Supreme Team
  • Transformation Team
  • C.A.N.I. (Continuous And Never-ending Improvement)Team

Criteria for Potential Leaders

  • A genuine interest in leadership
  • The desire to lead
  • The potential for leadership
  • Education and experience
  • Enthusiasm and positive attitude

Guidelines and Parameters for Those Selected

  • No title
  • No authority
  • No pay increase
  • No additional hours
  • No promises or guarantees

Benefits to Those Selected

  • Opportunity to attend meetings, conferences, trade shows, etc.
  • Opportunity to interact with leadership, customers, and vendors
  • Opportunity to attend Board Meetings and Focus Groups
  • Opportunity to get involved with special projects, R & D, etc.
  • Opportunity to lead, mentor and train others
  • Opportunity to experience various challenges of leadership
  • Smoother transition into leadership role when the time comes

Benefits to the Organization

  • Long-term preparation of employee for a leadership role
  • Increased productivity of candidate
  • Increased motivation of candidate
  • Increased productivity and motivation of fellow employees
  • Opportunity to observe candidate in action
  • Increased probability of success for candidate

Clients have worked with groups as small as three candidates at a time and as large as 35.

Some clients provide half-day or full-day formal training sessions weekly, monthly, or quarterly based on need and availability.

Those organizations that have utilized this unique program have been extremely satisfied with the results. The transition for candidates from this continuous training into an actual leadership role, when the need arises, has been extraordinarily smooth and flawless … providing a win-win situation for everyone involved.

For more information about the Future Leaders program, give us a call at 1-800-886-2629. 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.

The Daunting Challenge Facing Every Organization!

In answer to several inquires regarding our recent articles on the growing focus on leadership development, I’d like to provide you with an outline of our “Future Leaders” program.

The following data emphasizes the need and benefits of a program that more and more organizations are recognizing as essential to their future success.

Actual program content will obviously vary from client to client based on their current needs, personnel and future direction. However, a few critical decisions must be made prior to determining program content.

Shocking Reality!

We constantly hear about the growing unemployment numbers in the U.S. This unfortunate trend has led many to dismiss any concern about filling future positions in their leadership ranks. Growing numbers of those looking for work DOES NOT translate into an abundance of qualified candidates for leadership positions.

AS OF JANUARY 1 OF THIS YEAR, EVERY SINGLE DAY MORE THAN 10,000 BABY BOOMERS WILL REACH THE AGE OF 65. THIS WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR THE NEXT 19 YEARS.

That means we’re going to see a mass exodus of key people who have the education, experience, and knowledge of our organizational culture. Those people are going to be very difficult to replace, and it certainly can’t happen overnight. Thus, there is the need for a combination of a strong mentoring strategy and a future leaders program to begin the development of potential candidates!

Those who feel they can’t afford such an investment at this time might be wise to research the enormous cost of reacting to this phenomenon after it takes its toll! A “tsunami” has taken target on the business world, and you’d better be prepared for it.

Watch our blog in the coming days to learn how to plan, prepare, promote and participate in what will obviously be one of the most crucial programs that can and will contribute to your future success!

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.

Young Boy Redefines Customer Service

Yesterday was “National Get to Know Your Customer Day.” Prior to this special day each year, I usually write an article reminding everyone that it’s coming up and suggesting a number of things you can do to prepare for it and hopefully take advantage of it.

This year’s a little different. I wanted to try an experiment. I’ve been in Las Vegas all week affording me the opportunity to observe a great number of various organizations that depend greatly on customer loyalty and satisfaction. In fact, even more so in these times of poor economy, global competition, and financial chaos for most everyone.

I thought this year I would simply observe and see if anyone demonstrated an effort, more than usual, to get to know their customers. I observed casinos, theaters, restaurants, gift shops, limo services, several airports, several airlines, cab drivers, clothing stores, dry cleaners, drug stores, grocery stores, a barber shop, and a dozen other establishments that could certainly benefit from customer loyalty.

Sadly, but predictably, I observed not a single example of anyone even being aware of this week’s special day. I personally don’t believe we should even have a special day to focus on good customer service. We should do that every day. I simply can’t understand why more emphasis isn’t placed on service in these challenging times.

I also struggle to understand why so many companies are willing to spend money on radio, TV, magazines, newspapers, and billboards while, at the same time, ignore the proper training of their employees. In doing so, they may, in fact, be ignoring one of the most creative and productive methods to insure customer loyalty and support.

With that thought I’m reminded of the true story of a 19-year-old grocery bagger named Johnny. This young man had Down Syndrome, but he also possessed a heart of gold and a very creative mind. As a result, he positively impacted an entire culture and a large number of very satisfied customers. This short video may cause you to re-examine the potential of those currently in your employ. It’ll also provide you with a smile.

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.

Welcome to the World of Socialnomics!

Anyone who knows me well is very much aware of the fact that I’m known as “Mr. Technology”! NOT! I’m still learning how to use all of the features on my cell phone. I flush my toilet and the garage door opens! However, I strive to keep up as much as I can with my limited capabilities.

Ironically, I have been encouraging a number of our clients to take advantage of the many technical options available to them today as they strive to compete in a very chaotic and competitive business environment.

I’m also very much a rookie when it comes to social media, although I have recognized its phenomenal growth and the impact it’s having on the business world.

I vividly remember several major clients laughing aloud at the suggestion of investigating the impact and possibilities of utilizing social media. That was two years ago. Today, they are aggressively pursuing the benefits of this new revolution. Sadly, some of them are doing so as a result of watching their competition beat them to the punch.

If you are one of those many who thinks social media is a passing fad and has no place in your life or that of your business or organization, you might be interested in the following information. In fact, you’d BETTER be!

Social media is the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution!

By the end of 2010, Generation Y will outnumber Baby Boomers!

96% of Generation Y have joined a social network!

Social media has overtaken porn as the #1 activity on the web!

1 out of every 8 couples married in the U.S. last year met via social media!

It took radio 38 years to reach 50 million users.

It took TV 13 years to reach 50 million users.

It took the Internet 4 years to reach 50 million users.

It took the iPod 3 years to reach 50 million users.

Facebook added 100 million users in less than 9 months!

iPod application downloads hit 1 billion in 9 months!

If Facebook were a country, it would be the world’s 4th largest! …

Yet, China’s QZone is even larger with well over 300 million users!

A 2009 U.S. Department of Education study revealed that on average online students outperformed those receiving face-to-face instruction.

1 in 6 higher education students are enrolled in online cirriculum.

80% of companies are using LinkedIn as their primary tool to find employees.

The fastest growing segment on Facebook is 55- to 65-year-old females.

80% of Twitter usage is on mobile devices—people update anywhere, anytime—imagine what that means for bad customer experiences?

Generation Y & Z consider e-mail passe.

In 2009 Boston College stopped distributing e-mail addresses to incoming freshmen.

YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine in the world!

YouTube currently boasts 100,000,000 videos!

WIKI is an Hawaiian term meaning: QUICK.

Wikipedia has more than 13 million articles. Recent studies show it’s more accurate than the Encyclopedia Britannica! 75% of these articles are non-English.

There are more than 200,000,000 blogs. 54% of bloggers post content or tweet daily.

78% of consumers trust peer recommendations … only 14% trust advertisements!

hulu has grown from 63 million total streams in April 2008 to 375 million in April of 2009!

Only 70% of 18- to 34-year-olds have watched TV on the Web and only 33% have ever viewed a show on DVR/TiVo.

25% of Americans in the past month said they watched a short video … on their phone!

35% of book sales on Amazon are for the Kindle!

24 of the 25 largest newspapers in the U.S. are experiencing record declines in circulation.

More than 1.5 million pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photos, etc.) are shared on Facebook—daily!

SOCIAL MEDIA ISN’T A FAD, IT’S A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT IN THE WAY WE COMMUNICATE. LEARN ABOUT IT, MASTER IT, USE IT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE!

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.

Dollars and Census!

How much do you know about the 2010 Census? According to several recent surveys, most American citizens know very little about the 10-question document that recently arrived in their mail.

The U.S. Census is a process which counts every resident in the United States and is required by the Constitution to take place every 10 years.

The 2010 Census will help communities receive more than $400 billion in federal funds each year for things like:

  • Hospitals
  • Job training centers
  • Schools
  • Senior centers
  • Bridges, tunnels and other-public works projects
  • Emergency services

The data collected by the census will also help determine the number of seats your state has in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The above information is relatively common knowledge and somewhat easy to find. However, the following information isn’t exactly being promoted by government officials. However, since it’s YOUR tax dollars being spent, you might want to know where that money is going. Then let your senators and representatives know how you feel about it—good or bad. If you don’t know how to contact your governmental representatives, simply use this link to find out.

Now, lets see if these figures make “census” to you!

To ask us 10 simple questions this year via the 2010 Census, it’s going to cost an estimated $14.5 BILLION dollars! Yes, BILLION!

The Census Bureau must reach 134 million households, and the results are critical as it determines how $400 billion in federal funds are allocated every year and how seats in the House of Representatives are decided.

And since we’re talking about your money … keep in mind that every unreturned form will cost about $56 in follow-up action to get those questions answered. Therefore, if you haven’t returned your form, expect a knock on your door by someone asking the questions in person.

FACTS:

The Census Bureau is expected to hire an estimated 870,000 people this year to fill 1.2 million field positions (some will work more than one job). Each person will be paid between $10 and $25 per hour. It will cost:

  • $1.5 billion for regional and local offices and staff.
  • $654.2 million for other field operations.
  • $341.1 million for vacancy confirmation.
  • $257.2 million for postage.
  • $2.74 billion for non-response follow-up.
  • $116.5 million for printing.
  • $338 million for advertising and communications.
  • $2.05 billion for IT systems for data collection and assessment.
  • $499.9 million for master address file and mapping.
  • $1.70 billion for American Community survey.
  • $4.33 billion for other expenses which include headquarters costs, planning, research, and tests.

TOTAL COST: $14.5 BILLION

Good thing we only do this every 10 years.

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.

Can You Read This? Thank a Teacher!

In one of our seminar exercises illustrating the power of the subconscious, I ask the audience, by a show of hands, how many can remember the name of their Kindergarten teacher. Without fail, at least 50% of the audience raises their hands. When you think about that, it’s remarkable! Most of those people are recalling a name from anywhere from 25 to 50 years ago! And with good reason. Many of us have very fond memories of the person who introduced us to a culture we would experience for years to come.

In other cases, many remember other teachers that impacted them in a very powerful way. It may have been in middle school, high school or college. It may well have been a Sunday school teacher. We may recall them as an instructor or professor. It may have been a facilitator of a seminar or a military instructor. Regardless, we remember and appreciate.

Showing our teacher appreciation shouldn’t be limited to a week or even a single day. However, establishing a particular time of the year for teacher appreciation helps us to remember how important teachers are in our society.

Tomorrow, May 4th, is Teacher Appreciation Day and today kicks off Teacher Appreciation Week. Learn more about the importance of these celebrations and view a terrific video by simply clicking on this link … and then thank a teacher.

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.

Time for Action!

This morning I saw a short but powerful quote from Tom Peters. It’s certainly relevant in regard to our current chaotic environment world wide. Peters suggested:

  • Stay angry!
  • Change the world!
  • Never give up!
  • Never give in!

We’ve recently seen evidence that this strategy does produce results. It’s simply sad that we have to resort to using it! It seems people have to be pushed to the wall and forced to feel that we’re not going to take it anymore before we finally take action. Note the recent election results in Massachusetts. Some think that occurred to send a message to a particular party. Those people are wrong. That was a message sent to ALL politicians that the citizens of our country are angry. I hope both parties got the message.

Peter’s words should be a battle cry for anyone who is fed up with the status quo and wants to see positive change in their personal lives, community, workplace, organization, state or country.

History has proven time and time again that productive change occurs when society reaches the point of refusing to tolerate its current status. Get angry … but channel that anger into positive action to make significant change in areas that are important to you. Network with those who share your concern. Develop a plan of action. Execute and make things happen! 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.