Business articles on change, creativity, customer service, leadership, motivation, teamwork, and time management, written by AchieveMax® professional speakers.
The ingenuity of the American entrepreneur never ceases to amaze me! The tougher times get for our country financially, the more creativity and innovation surface to cope with it. The tenacity of our great people is unequaled anywhere in the world.
John Deere is credited with the phrase, “Find a Need and Fill It” … but two men from the Holland, Michigan, area are credited with taking it to heart in a way which satisfies a lot of boaters and just may prove to be very profitable for themselves.
The two friends have created a very simple Hot Dog Stand on Pontoons. They bought a 1976 25-foot pontoon boat and 50-horse Johnson outboard last winter and have been busy rigging it with a stainless steel grill, steam tables, and a full-sized refrigerator and freezer—and the generator to run them.
They painted the pontoon and fitted it with 15-foot flags from the stern shouting “ice cream” and “hot dogs.” They recently hit the waters of Lake Macatawa, not far from Lake Michigan. They sell hot dogs, bratwurst, chips, ice cream, pop and water to boaters who pull up to order or call ahead. They’ll be able to pull up to people’s docks, as well, although Coast Guard regulations won’t allow any customers onboard.
They said they ran the gamut of official OKs, from Coast Guard to sheriff’s department to health department to townships.
Meanwhile, the two are keeping their day jobs. They plan to be open for drive-through, weather permitting, 5 to 8 p.m. Fridays and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, likely with extended days and hours on holiday weeks.
Personally, this venture makes so much sense that I struggle to understand why it hasn’t been attempted on every lake in the U.S. to some degree. It’s a great money-maker for those who initiate such a venture but also great for all of those who are served! Good luck, gentlemen and congratulations for thinking “out-on-the-lake”!
One of my favorite sayings has always been: “It’s not what happens to you in life that really matters … it’s how you react to what happens to you that makes the difference!
As a business consultant, I see proof of this infinite “truth” every week! It has nothing to do with the industry I’m working with … the organization, product or service. It’s a “people” issue.
In working with clients, I have found that almost always we have determined that “the problem is never the problem—the response is the real problem!”
Consider the Gulf tragedy. Everyone talks about the problems the oil spill caused. Closer focus would reveal that the oil spill didn’t cause a fraction of the problems that the “response” to the oil spill caused … by BP, by FEMA, the Coast Guard, affected states, Washington, etc. Historians will document in great detail what we’re currently ignoring daily.
Consider your personal challenges with a simple re-frame. Forget what you once assessed to be a problem and focus, instead, on how you reacted or are currently reacting to that challenge. In doing so, you’ll find yourself focusing on action you can actually take to make a difference. Think about it. Try it. You now have a new weapon in your arsenal, a new strategy in your game plan, a new map for your journey to success!
Again, I find myself in my prime time (midnight to 3 a.m.), working on a project. I have the TV on cable for background noise and can’t help but notice that every station is streaming the same constant negativity we’ve been exposed to for far too long now.
They sound enthused to report on the economy, the oil spill, immigration, the war, political scandals, gun bans and the list goes on and on. Plenty of reporting—very little emphasis on solutions.
I’ve been talking about the “knowing-doing gap” for quite some time in my seminars and keynote presentations. There seems to be a growing need for this strategy in today’s chaotic environment … more so than ever before.
Tom Peters, noted author and speaker on business management practices, says “motivation and positive thinking is like spray paint on rust. It simply doesn’t last long!” I’m afraid I have to agree with Tom although I’m a firm believer in both motivation and positive thinking. However, I think Tom is saying that those dynamic forces are only 2/3 of the formula needed to solve the many challenges we face today! The third, and critical, element is ACTION.
The key to success is to STOP TALKING … get motivated, think positive, and then, as a result, DO SOMETHING!
As of late, Tom has encouraged personal responsibility in response to the challenges we face today as individuals, organizations, and a proud world-leading country.
Stop rehashing, complaining. justifying, explaining, and sharing your problems. Little of that energy contributes to solution. Research, network, synergize, evaluate, plan and TAKE ACTION. What if you fail? Evaluate why you failed, start all over again, and don’t stop until you’ve solved the problem.
Great advice for us personally, small companies and Fortune 500 giants, political parties and countries world wide.
Tom, himself, sums it all up much better than I do, and he does it in just 1:29. Watch his message, absorb it, and then DO IT!
In today’s job market, many of those seeking employment may have lowered their expectations to the point of demonstrating a willingness to accept most anything. This could readily lead to a number of negative consequences.
Human Resource specialists have elevated their game in an effort to attract talent under very trying, competitive, and challenging circumstance. Today, job seekers must learn to familiarize and interpret the new, deceptive Lingo being utilized by Human Resource departments to recruit World-Class talent at bargain-basement salaries.
As a public service, we offer the following interpretations to assist you with your journey through employment mine fields.
“COMPETITIVE SALARY” means:
We remain competitive by paying less than our competitors.
“JOIN OUR FAST-PACED COMPANY” means:
We have no time to train you.
“DUTIES WILL VARY” means:
Anyone in the office can boss you around.
“SEEKING CANDIDATES WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF EXPERIENCE” means:
You’ll need it to replace three people who just left.
“REQUIRES TEAM LEADERSHIP SKILLS” means:
You’ll have the responsibilities of a manager, without the pay or respect.
“GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS” means:
Management communicates, you listen, figure out what they want and do it.
“NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE” means:
We’ve filled the job; our call for resumes is just a legal formality.
“CASUAL WORK ATMOSPHERE” means:
We don’t pay enough to expect that you’ll dress up.
“MUST BE DEADLINE-ORIENTED” means: You’ll be six months behind schedule on your first day.
“SOME OVERTIME REQUIRED” means:
Some time each night and some time each weekend.
“MUST HAVE AN EYE FOR DETAIL” means:
We have no quality control.
“PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS A MUST” means:
You’re walking into a company in perpetual chaos.
Yes, it’s true. Brand names and organizations continue to fall in this ever-growing chaotic economy, like a child’s dominoes on a windy day on the porch!
“24/7 Wall Street,” a Delaware corporation set up to run a financial news and opinion operation over the Internet, has created a new list of brands that will soon disappear in the near term. This most current list includes Readers Digest, Kia Motors, Dollar Thrifty, Zale, Blockbuster, T-Mobile, BP plc, and RadioShack. To qualify, it expects that brand to be gone by the end of 2011, or for its parent to be sold or go into Chapter 11.
Let’s take a look at some of those brands on the current list.
Reader’s Digest was once the most widely read magazine in the world. It still may be when its overseas editions are taken into account. Last August, the company took its U.S. operations into Chapter 11 to decrease debt. Widely circulated magazines like Newsweek, US News, and TV Guide have no future in America in their current form. Reader’s Digest may live on outside the U.S. and its parent company may survive. However, Reader’s Digest as it is known in the U.S. will be gone.
Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, the car rental company, is for sale. Hertz is a potential buyer as is Avis Budget. Each of the larger car rental firms would use the Dollar Thrifty business to expand its market share. That does not mean that they would keep the brand. The number of vehicles that Dollar Thrifty operates at any one time is only 95,000 compared to 420,000 for Hertz. Dollar Thrifty will be the next casualty of the industry’s consolidation.
Blockbuster, Inc. was the national leader in the video rental business for nearly two decades. Now it is contemplating Chapter 11 to eliminate debt. Its revenue continues to fall rapidly as firms such as Redbox and NetFlix siphon off its revenue. Blockbuster has more than 6,000 stores, so it is hard to imagine that the company could disappear. Blockbuster rival Movie Gallery said in February that it would close all of its 2,400 U.S. stores. Blockbuster’s model of renting movies through physical locations has been destroyed by cable and satellite video on demand, DVDs via mail, and dispensing machines. Blockbuster may still be around as a company that has movie kiosks and a small mail and Internet-delivered content business. But its brick and-mortar business is dead.
T-Mobile, the U.S. wireless provider, is owned by telecom giant Deutsche Telekom. It is the #4 cellular company in an American market that only supports two really successful firms—AT&T Wireless and Verizon Wireless. Even the third largest company in the market—Sprint—has 50 million customers. T-Mobile had 34 million customers at the end of last year. As it now stands, T-Mobile has no future in the U.S.
The case against the BP p.l.c. brand is not so much that the company will enter bankruptcy. It is that BP may end up breaking into pieces for its own sake. This may be to put the liabilities for the Deepwater Horizon spill into a company that also holds escrow capital to cover the huge costs of clean-up and suits. BP may also want to separate its successful refining operations from its exploration business, or recreate an American-based company similar to BP America, which existed for two decades. A restructuring of BP would also allow the firm to take a badly crippled brand and give the oil operation a new name—much as it did when it changed its name from British Petroleum. The second time may be the charm.
RadioShack is one of the oldest retailers in the U.S. It was founded in 1921 and in the early 1960s was purchased by Tandy Corp. The Tandy name was used for some of Radio Shack’s retail stores. RadioShack is currently a takeover target. There have been rumors that the company may be taken private via a leveraged buyout or purchased by Best Buy, probably for its locations. Best Buy would certainly not keep the RadioShack brand because it is considered downscale and does not have the reputation for quality products and service that Best Buy enjoys.
Zale Corporation was founded in 1924 by the Zale brothers. It was one of the earliest retailers to offer the ability to buy items on credit. By 1980, Zale had revenue of more than $1 billion. In 1992, Zale filed for bankruptcy. Zale has been at death’s door for some time. The company is trying to turn itself around, but most experts are not convinced. Zale is also in a very crowded market that includes retailers as large as Wal-Mart.
Kia Motors Corporation is one of the two car brands of Hyundai of South Korea. It has always been a marginal brand. Its stable mate, Hyundai USA, has a reputation for high quality cars like the Sonata and Genesis. The parent company will take a page from several other global car companies and dump its weakest brand.
I’m very fortunate to have a good number of high school and college students as “friends” on my Facebook page. Many of them, surprisingly, are from other countries. I often receive requests for quotes to be used in papers that are being written about a wide variety of business subjects and I, of course, am more than happy to oblige.
I’m also asked for advice by these young people on how to deal with a number of common, as well as unique, challenges. Recently, a young lady requested advice on overcoming her very serious fear of failure. I needed more information before feeling comfortable to address that issue so I contacted her by phone. We had a very interesting conversation for almost a full hour.
Listening to her concerns took me back to my early days in business … vividly reminding me of so many of my fears at that time. I remember one of my biggest fears being that of having to speak in front of my small class of 30+ students in high school. It was indeed a serious fear which would constantly lead to a trembling voice, knocking knees, loss of memory, a high pitched stutter, and enough sweat to fill my shoes after a single paragraph.
Years later, I would work in radio (I have a great face for radio!) and television. Today, I travel all over North America speaking to large and small groups ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses. I speak to high school and college audiences in major auditoriums. I speak to CEOs, corporate boards and large groups of military personnel. And I make it a point to often think back to those high school days when I would rather cut off an arm than walk to the front of a 30-student classroom to share a simple book report.
When you think about it, we don’t have a fear of speaking in front of an audience or any other fear for that matter. We have a fear of failing—making a mistake that might generate laughter and even humiliation on our part. Fear of failing can result in tremendously negative consequences for us.
However, upon further examination, I think you’d have to admit that you’ve failed many times in your life, although you may not remember.
You fell down the first time you tried to walk. You almost drowned the first time you tried to swim, didn’t you? How many times did you fall trying to learn how to ride your bike? I remember spending hours and hours trying to learn how to tie my shoes, failing time and time again. To this day, I can’t cook a fried egg without breaking the yolk!
Did you hit the ball the first time you swung a bat? Heavy hitters, the ones who hit the most home runs, also strike out a lot. In his day, Babe Ruth was the home run king with 714 home runs to his credit. What few people know is that during that same time period he also held the record for striking out at bat more than anyone else with 1,330 failures.
R.H. Macy failed seven times, before his store in New York caught on.
Author J.K. Rowling had her Harry Potter manuscript rejected time after time. Today, after successful books, movies, toys, clothing, etc., she is the world’s richest author with a net worth of $1.0 billion dollars and 400 millions books published.
Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. His coach justified the cut by pointing out that Michael had little or no potential!
Wayne Gretsky, probably the greatest hockey player to play the game, pointed out that you miss 100% of the shots you fail to take! Don’t worry about failure. Worry about the chances you miss when you don’t even try.
Tom Peters, professional speaker and successful author of 15 best-selling books, tells an interesting story about Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, and the fact that Sam was totally unafraid to fail. Listen to Tom and then go face a fear. Make it a habit. You’ll be glad you did!
Yes, Once in a Blue Moon … that’s how often we’re exposed to anything positive in today’s news media. Ironically, we need good news more today than ever before. We all have enough negativity to deal with everyday.
I recently had a Facebook Friend send me an article from ESPN.com. The story grabbed me from the opening line as it revealed an unusual narrative which could easily be transformed into a television special. It was written by Rick Reilly who has been voted National Sportswriter of the Year 11 times! You’ll soon see why he rates this honor.
Rick shares the true story of a softball game between two junior varsity girls team that couldn’t be more mismatched! One team hadn’t lost a game in 2½ years, and they performed together like a well-oiled machine. The other team, believe it or not, consisted of 16 players who had never played the game before and were led by a coach who had never even seen a game before! It was easy to imagine how this game might play out.
However, destiny can sometimes be deceiving. After an inning and a half, it was quite obvious that this game was going to be nothing more than a lopsided debacle and a major humiliation for 16 inexperienced young athletes.
Ironically, at this point, a story unfolds which redefines sportsmanship in a way which no one could ever expect. Players, coaches, parents, fans, a Reebok rep, and an entire community joined forces to change the lives of everyone involved! I’ll let Rick share the unbelievable details by sharing his article.
This story should be shared with athletes, parents and coaches from coast to coast as a tribute to positive consequences of a dying art—true sportsmanship! Read it, share it and remember that there ARE good stories to be shared … even if they only appear “Once in a Blue Moon!”
We’re currently in the midst of still another crisis. The problem is that we may not recognize it amidst so many other chaotic challenges today. Nevertheless, it’s as serious and consequential as any challenge we’ve ever faced. Another problem is that so many people don’t understand the critical impact this crisis may have on our society and culture in the years to come.
Our already-busy President isn’t going to help us with this one. He already has more than enough on his plate. Our brilliant and accomplished Congress can’t help us here either as they have become part of the problem.
Let me explain. Return with me now to those thrilling days of yesteryear … when we, as children, had someone other than our parents to look up to. While we loved and cherished our moms and dads, we had a need for a hero, maybe even a super-hero, to admire and emulate. Maybe it was a sports figure, maybe a TV or movie star, maybe even someone from a history book. Heck, in those days, it may even have been a politician.
Well, sadly, over the past decade, we’ve lost a good number of those heroes, and it’s a tragedy that few have been replaced … posing the question: Who will be the hero’s of today’s generation?
While those heroes we worshiped may have been TV stars, movie stars or even fictional characters, they shared a common thread of setting good examples and influencing us in a positive way by sharing words of wisdom. Do any of these names ring a bell?
Captain Kangaroo (Bob Keeshan who was the original Clarabell the Clown on the Howdy Doody Show) and his good friend Mr. Greenjeans influenced children for 30 years. The good Captain left us at the age of 77.
Mister Rogers (Fred Rogers) shared his songs, friends, wisdom, love and his “Neighborhood” on TV for 33 years. We lost Fred as he reached the age of 75.
BOZO the Clown (Larry Harmon) dominated radio, TV and cartoons, teaching us manners, good habits, and the joy of laughter. We lost this icon at the of 83.
Soupy Sales (Milton Supman) hosted several children’s shows that spanned three decades, bouncing from network to the locals—with broadcasts originating from Detroit, Los Angeles and New York. He was the official afternoon babysitter for several generations of youngsters. He also passed at age 83.
Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) … The impact and influence of this man’s 60 books, multiple poems, movies, cartoons, videos, and personal appearances can never be measured accurately. The good Doctor died at 87.
Mary Kay Ash, while known for her cosmetics, was widely respected for motivating thousands of women to advance by enhancing their self-esteem and pride as they helped others to succeed. She focused on the need for balance and shared that message with her slogan “God first, family second, and career third!”
Art Linkletter was best known for his TV shows “House Party,” “People Are Funny”, and “Kids Say the Darndest Things.” He taught us all that life can be wonderful and funny without resorting to the toxic strategies practiced on TV today. Art just recently passed at age 97.
John Wooden was named the “Greatest Coach of all Time” by The SPORTING News, leading U.C.L.A. to 10 championships in 12 years. However, he transcended the game and became a great model of leadership for college business classes far and wide. “Coach” left us last week at age 99.
I’m going to stop here although the list goes on and on. I’m not trying to be morbid by sharing obituaries. My point is simple. These good folks were there to educate us, inform us, and provide us with wisdom and guidance. Now that they have left us, who has emerged to replace them by providing these crucial necessities for the next generation?
Time for a wake-up call? Pause from your busy life and ask your children and/or grandchildren who their heroes are, who they look up to, who they emulate, or who they want to be like when they grow up! Did they even have an answer? For those who did answer, were you pleased with their answers?
If not, guide them to someone you would be pleased with. Introduce them to the few good examples we have today. Or better yet, YOU be that special person they will be talking about years from today … that special person who was there for them when they needed you … who provided wisdom that would last a lifetime … that special someone they would like to one day be very much like!
If you’ve been using e-mail for more than a month, for business or pleasure, you’re probably well aware of the fact that it’s very easy to be misunderstood while communicating. It’s happens every day … much more than most of us realize.
How many times have you written something with the full intention of being humorous only to discover that the person you were writing to was actually offended? Or how about a casual comment from you that was taken as being sent with anger, aggravation, contempt, or sarcasm?
Usually when we discover that the other person misunderstood, we’re dumbfounded at the thought. How could they possibly have misinterpreted our simple message. Well, the answer is actually very simple … we just don’t think about it.
The majority of us write an e-mail exactly as though we were talking to the other person face-to-face. It’s human nature! Why would we do anything other than that? What we don’t seem to comprehend is that those we speak to face to face don’t interpret our message by words alone!
In fact, words contribute only 7% to our message clarification. The remaining 93% of message interpretation consists of facial expression (including eye contact), body language and tone of voice and social context … all of which are key to proper understanding!
Research tells us that both sender and receiver tend to automatically fill in the “tone” of an e-mail, 93% of the actual message, based on how they feel or what they fear, not what’s actually being said. It can, and does, happen to anyone, no matter how knowledgeable.
Studies have shown that some 54% of e-mails are incorrectly interpreted in some way by the receiver of the message. While this may cause havoc in the workplace or within friendships, there’s even more bad news long term. Most of these e-mails go unchallenged. You could very well anger someone, bruise someone’s ego or burn bridges and never even be aware of it.
Here are some basic tips for making sure you don’t accidentally annoy, anger or intimidate the people you communicate with via e-mail.
If you’re joking or being sarcastic, use surrogate facial cues like smiley faces — : ) — or type “[grin]” or use some other indicator of your intent. They seem trivial but are very important.
Use plentiful qualifiers such as “don’t take this the wrong way,” “I’m joking,” or “I’m not angry at all.”
Beware of brief e-mails, as they can be interpreted as abrupt. A very short e-mail can be interpreted as cold, angry or demeaning.
Start the e-mail with something obviously humorous, which conveys that you’re not angry.
Think about who you’re talking to. It’s very easy for a co-worker or subordinate at work to read anger, disappointment or other negative emotions into your notes. If you’re a manager, you need to go out of your way to send friendly e-mails or you’ll end up with a morale problem. In-laws and relatives might be easily offended as well.
End your e-mail in a friendly way, such as “Thank you!” or “I really appreciate this.”
Always re-read your e-mails before sending—and be on the lookout for areas of misinterpretation based on your knowledge of the 93% – 7% ratio.
Don’t get angry from e-mail, then reply based on your anger. First find out the intent of the sender by calling or asking for clarification. Remember: nearly half of all e-mails are misinterpreted.
Don’t use e-mail for emotional or sensitive topics. Pick up the phone or visit in person.
While all of the above information is very basic in nature, it is abused or ignored every hour of every day by most everyone. Think no? How do you explain 54% of all e-mail messages being misinterpreted! Don’t forget, you’re sending your e-mail to someone in order to communicate. Master the simple art of e-mailing and you will avoid disaster, soon be known and respected as a great communicator, and enjoy some peace of mind.
Memorial Day once again. The start of summer, warm weather, celebration. Everyone has plans for a fun-filled extended weekend.
Picnics
Boating
Beach activity
Fireworks
Barbecues
Parades
Road trips
Family reunions
And, for millions of race fans the 51st annual NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 takes place at the famed Charlotte Motor Speedway and the 100th Anniversary of the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Yes, there will be plenty to do for Americans from coast to coast this weekend. However, I challenge you to devote a short 15 minutes of your 96-hour weekend to sit down with your children and/or grandchildren and ask them if they know why Memorial Day was established. I feel confident they won’t know. So take that opportunity to enlighten them at a time when our country is at war all over the globe.
Memorial Day is a U.S. federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. It was formally known as Decoration Day due to the fact that families would commemorate the grave sites and memorials of men and women who died while in the military service. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. local time. Another tradition is to fly the flag of the U.S. at half-staff from dawn until noon local time.
Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars collect donations for poppies in the days leading up to Memorial Day; the poppy’s significance to Memorial Day is the result of the John McCrae poem “In Flanders Fields.”
At one time this “poppy” phenomenon was celebrated, supported, and treasured by Americans all over the country. Sadly, today, few know the significance.
While we’re celebrating all of the activities listed above, we tend to forget that hundreds of thousands of U.S. men and women are stationed all over the world protecting our freedoms and way of life. These military heroes have sacrificed their way of life back home in order that we may enjoy our lives here with our loved ones.
Located in the shadow of our nation’s capitol, Arlington National Cemetery averages 15 funerals per day, approximately 3,000 annually. It is expected to reach capacity in the year 2020, when more than 250,000 people will have been buried.
Over the Memorial Day weekend, flags are placed on each grave in the cemetery. Troops from the Old Guard (3rd Infantry) have flags on all the graves by dawn and the flags remain on the grave sites until after the Memorial Day Service.
Arlington National Cemetery is the only military cemetery that is authorized to use horses as a regular part of its ceremony.
Nearby there are approximately 16,000 ceremonies conducted annually at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
This year, let’s not forget the purpose of Memorial Day. Pause to honor those who are and have been so deserving of our respect and eternal appreciation.
