Darden Restaurants

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Who's Your DaddyBear with me for just a few short minutes here to enhance this introduction. Suppose an associate invites you to discuss a business proposition over lunch and recommends that you meet him at your local Darden Restaurant. What comes to mind? Total blank? Don’t recognize the name? No Darden Restaurants in your vicinity?

Let’s try another scenario. Your associate invites you to meet him at the world’s biggest and most successful casual-dining operation in the world. Now what comes to mind? Another total blank? No idea as to where to head? Let’s clear the air.

Both locations are one in the same and when you arrive you’ll immediately recognize the restaurant. However, don’t look for the name Darden on the marquee. Darden is the name of the parent company. The name you may recognize can be found in this list:

  • Olive Garden
  • Red Lobster
  • Longhorn Steakhouse
  • Bahama Breeze
  • Seasons 52
  • Capital Grille

This famous group of brands make up the family of Darden Restaurants which happens to boast the following:

  • It is the country’s largest full-service restaurant operation.
  • It is the 29th-largest employer in the United States.
  • It is a pioneer of what’s known as “casual dining,” which accounts for 39% of all sit-down restaurant meals.
  • It generated $6.7 billion in revenue last year.
  • It owns and operates 1,770 restaurants.
  • It employs 180,000 loyal staff members.
  • It proudly boasts one of the few African-American CEOs in the Fortune 500, Clarence Otis, the 53-year-old son of a janitor from Watts, the Los Angeles neighborhood that made headlines for the California riots of 1965.
  • It boasts a $100 million state-of-the-art headquarters in Orlando.
  • It serves more than 400 million meals a year (which happens to be the equivalent of feeding the entire U.S. population, with seconds for residents of California, Florida, New York, and Texas).
  • It has tripled its stock price in the past year.
  • It plans to add as many as 55 restaurants in the coming year.

All of this takes place at a time when the average American family has, for budgetary concerns, reduced the number of times they experience sit-down meals in restaurant out to 79 per year, 16% fewer than 15 years ago, according to industry analysts.

Even though you may not be familiar with the parent company, Darden Restaurants has been around for 70 years. Bill Darden, the founder, was just 19 years old when he opened his first restaurant in 1938. At that time, no one would have guessed what the future might hold as Darden’s first attempt at success was a simple lunch counter in Waycross, Georgia, with a mere 10 stools, two booths, and curb service. Remember those days? Darden called the place “The Green Frog” and promised “service with a hop!”

Today his dream has grown to include:

  • The Red Lobster consisting of 690 restaurants producing annual revenues of $2.63 billion. It boasts: “The taste of wood-grilled seafood.”
  • The Olive Garden consisting of 689 restaurants producing annual revenues of $3.08 billion. Its philosophy: “When you’re here, you’re family.”
  • The LongHorn Restaurant consisting of 322 restaurants producing annual revenues of $885 million. Its proud of “The flavor of the West.”
  • The Capital Grill consisting of 37 restaurants producing annual revenues of $235 million. People visit there to “Be wined, dined, and dazzled.”
  • Bahama Breeze consisting of 24 restaurants producing annual revenues of $135 million. Come there to “Feed your island spirit.”
  • Seasons 52 consisting of 37 restaurants producing annual revenues of $45 million. Here you can find “Seasonally inspired healthier dining.”

It once owned Smokey Bones but sold the 127-restaurant chain after deciding it lacked national appeal.

Darden Leadership operates its major brands as test labs, sharing the best ideas and even personnel, while maintaining their distinctive identities. This approach is rather unique to the industry but has proved to be very successful. More than 1,400 executives and support staff share energies in its $100 million state-of-the-art building in Orlando.

As a result of its belief that the direction of its business is based on understanding customers, it has invested in a great deal of customer research. It’s obviously paid off in a very positive ROI … something its competition should consider. Most see this kind of research as a cost rather than an investment and have diminished their efforts in this area.

COO Drew Madsen said its research revealed that “People come to a restaurant for both physical and emotional nourishment. The physical is the food; and the emotional is how you feel when you leave.”

To address this revelation, Olive Garden executives began tying everything to a mythical Italian family, adopting the tagline, “When you’re here, you’re family.” New locations were designed to suggest Italian farmhouses, with a large family-style table similar to those found throughout the Italian countryside. Executives even formed a partnership with actual Italians: Olive Garden’s Culinary Institute of Tuscany (CIT).

Eleven times a year, Olive Garden sends 14 top employees, many of whom have never set foot in Italy, to spend a week in an 11th-century village in Tuscany and learn from Sergio and Daniela Zingarelli, a husband and wife who operate a restaurant, winery, and inn. The couple and other local experts expose the Americans to everything Italian such as pressing olive oil, how to layer flavors in a Bolognese sauce, how to buy fresh vegetables at a market, and how to prepare a multicourse Italian meal. Since 1999, some 850 employees have attended CIT, and 80% of them are still with the company.

Darden has a very simple one-minute rule: Food should arrive at the table within one minute of being ready. To achieve this goal at every location, they must find the best mix of independence and collaboration, often relying on the latest technological breakthroughs such as Guest Forecasting, Kitchen Monitors, and Meal Pacing software. While all of its chains may use the same technology to pace their cooking and predict their dinner traffic, and they may serve shrimp from the same Thai fish farm, but each brand needs to remain distinctive. There’s an art and science to this to achieving the necessary balance to attain success.

Over the past two years, Darden has reduced unplanned hours by more than 40% and trimmed excess food costs by 10%. This kind of performance explains the phenomenal execution, achievement, and growth Darden has enjoyed and the potential it has for continued 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.

Perplexing Economy Stimulates Action

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Continuous chaos on so many levels in the U.S. has resulted in a variety of reactions by both businesses and individuals. It’s interesting to observe the vast differences in strategies as this country faces the most challenging economic environment in decades.

Difficult times lead many to innovate, others to take risks never before contemplated, and still others to lay low, do nothing, and focus on hope as a strategy.

Let’s take a look at some examples of innovation, change, risk-taking, and action which are currently taking place as a result of those who have chosen not to wait until the dust settles. These examples may be very successful or may fail miserably … time will reveal their fate. However, they evolve from the hearts and minds of those who refuse to wait for others to determine their fate.

Is It a Gamble to Land at Miami International Airport?

Knowing that I fly a great deal, people often comment on how exciting it must be to travel across the country from airport to airport. Well, they’re absolutely right—for your first few months of travel. After that, it becomes boring, frustrating, and often exhausting. Although the food has improved, it’s still far from ideal. The lines are long, the delays have become customary, the waiting areas are uncomfortable, and there is little, if anything, to do while you wait. That may all soon change.

USA Today has reported that the Miami-Dade County commissioners voted 8-3 to allow slot machines at the Miami International Airport. The devices will be located beyond security checkpoints and would potentially allow the county to recoup some of the money that the airport is hemorrhaging. At present, the operating cost of the airport is $600 million and could more than double in the next six years. The slots could provide a much-needed revenue stream.

The airport will realize a new, much-needed revenue stream, passengers will have something to do waiting for the typically delayed Miami flight, and a few people may even win a few dollars. However, if you’ve ever been to Vegas, Atlantic City, or one of your local casinos, you certainly know the annoying sound of a group of slot machines mocking, in unison, the fate of the losers. Airport sound tracks are bad enough with PA announcements, screaming children, and people yelling into their cell phones. Now we can add the sweet, soothing tones of dozens of slot machines!

One last thing … if this endeavor is successful, however that may be defined, you can bet it won’t take long before every major airport in the nation will be following suit. So hunker down, make earplugs a travel staple, figure out how to get rolls of quarters through security, and adapt to another change in our chaotic lives.

Are You Ready for a McSpark?

On this blog, we’ve discussed the innovative efforts of McDonald’s to maintain its leadership in a very competitive industry. (May I Take Your Order Please?; History in the Making – “Bites or Bytes”?) We’ve discussed its order-taking technology, its revolution to the breakfast market, the addition of sofas, fireplaces, WiFi, and large screen TVs, and its addition of boutique coffee offerings. To have watched McDonald’s evolve during difficult economic times can only make one ponder what may be next. You may be surprised!

Apparently, a new North Carolina McDonald’s will include, believe it or not, electric vehicle (EV) recharging stations, part of the ChargePoint network. Now you can enjoy your Extra Value Meal and Latte Macchiato while your car battery is being recharged. Consider the cross-marketing potential … it’s endless. Current EVs take a couple of hours to recharge, so McDonald’s has a captive audience to buy meals, desserts and boutique coffee drinks while they get comfy on a sofa, work on their computer and take in a ball game in front of a cozy fireplace while they wait for their recharge. Look for discounts on fill-ups with meals. Anything’s possible at Mickey D’s. And with more than 30,000 locations worldwide, what company is better placed to establish a recharging network? Before you know it, McDonald’s will be refueling those new green vehicles that have been retrofitted to run on french fry grease. Laugh today for the day will come when you look back on the good ole days of the simplistic Happy Meal.

Flying RyanAir – Better Get in Shape!

RyanAir is a combination of court jester and Scrooge McDuck in the airline industry. It cuts corners to save dollars like nobody else and yet its ideas challenge you to take RyanAir seriously. I told you about its “no frills” philosophy in a previous article (Boo Hoo – Can’t Afford the Loo!), which included charges for food, soft drinks and even water; it hawks bingo cards and duty-free goods during its flights; its seats do not recline, there are no seat back pockets and it offers no window shades; and it is considering charging to use the bathroom.

Now RyanAir has done it again. It has announced plans to cut costs even further by getting fliers to carry all their bags and suitcases through security departure lounges and directly to the plane rather than checking them in. They can carry aboard one piece of hand luggage, but leave any other baggage beside the aircraft to be loaded into the hold. They then pick it up the same way on arrival.

RyanAir chief executive Michael O’Leary said: “You can bring unlimited bags as long as you can get them through security. What it means is no more waiting at the carousel, no more losing your bags, no more wasting your life in over-priced airport terminals.” The move—scheduled for next spring—would mean a plane would need just one baggage handler, instead of five, he said. It is expected this will save RyanAir approximately $42 million a year (American currency).

But wait … it’s far from finished! Ireland’s RyanAir, along with Spring Airlines, a four-year-old carrier that calls itself China’s first low-cost airline, is seeking permission from their government aviation regulators to reconfigure their planes to allow some stand-up seats! Standing passengers would be safely strapped to stools or railings and would, of course, pay less than their conventionally seated fellow travelers. Talk about “Standing Room Only”!

Removing seats to accommodate standing passengers could increase capacity on domestic flights up to 50%. Even if standing passengers paid lower fares, the result would be an increase in revenue per flight. It would also let airlines lower costs by allowing them to offer fewer flights and employ fewer works.

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.

New Drucker Book References AchieveMax® Article

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When it comes to Peter F. Drucker, people fall into one of two categories.

  1. They have no idea who he is and have probably never heard of him at all, OR
  2. they’re well aware of his many accomplishments, his major impact on the business community and are more than familiar with the majority of his 39 best-selling books.

Many books have also been written about Peter Drucker. One of the most recent is titled A Class with Drucker: The Lost Lessons of the World’s Greatest Management Teacher. Author William A. Cohen is a graduate of Drucker’s executive Ph.D. program in management at Claremont Graduate University. In the bibliography of this book, Cohen references an article we wrote for our AchieveMax® newsletter on the subject of MBWA (Management By Wandering Around).  If you’d like to review that article you can do so at “Does MBWA (Management By Wandering Around) Still Work?” We’re certainly honored to be mentioned in a book associated with the man known as “The Father of Modern Management.”

For those of you who may not be familiar with Peter F. Drucker, let’s take a closer look.

  • Peter Ferdinand Drucker was a writer, management consultant, and self-described “social ecologist.”
  • He was arguably one of the most influential management theorists in the world.
  • Drucker’s 39 books have been translated into more than 30 languages.
  • He made eight series of educational films on management topics.
  • He also penned a regular column in The Wall Street Journal for 20 years and contributed frequently to the Harvard Business Review, The Atlantic Monthly, and The Economist.
  • He also explored how humans are organized across all sectors of society—in business, government and the nonprofit world.
  • His writings have predicted many of the major developments of the late 20th century, including privatization and decentralization; the rise of Japan to economic world power; the decisive importance of marketing; and the emergence of the information society with its necessity of lifelong learning.
  • In 1959, Drucker coined the term “knowledge worker” and later in his life considered knowledge work productivity to be the next frontier of management.
  • During his long consulting career, Drucker worked with many major corporations, including General Electric, Coca-Cola, Citicorp, IBM, and Intel.
  • He also consulted with notable business leaders such as GE’s Jack Welch; Procter & Gamble’s A.G. Lafley; Intel’s Andy Grove, Edward Jones’ John Bachmann; Shoichiro Toyoda, the honorary chairman of Toyota Motor Corp.; and Masatoshi Ito, the honorary chairman of the Ito-Yokado Group, the second largest retailing organization in the world.
  • Drucker was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President George W. Bush on July 9, 2002. He also received honors from the governments of Japan and Austria.
  • He continued to act as a consultant to businesses and non-profit organizations well into his nineties. Drucker died November 11, 2005, in Claremont, California, of natural causes at 95.

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.

To Succeed, Sweat the Small Stuff

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For some time now, there has been controversy surrounding the popular theory which suggests that we “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.”

Richard Carlson, Ph.D., was considered to be one of the foremost experts on happiness and stress reduction. As the author of 30 popular books including the runaway bestseller, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff … and it’s all small stuff, he showed millions of people how not to let the small things in life get the best of them.

Apparently, Carlson’s advice struck a nerve with readers worldwide as his book was an instant success!

  • The book made publishing history as USA Today’s #1 bestselling book for two consecutive years.
  • The title spent more than 100 consecutive weeks on The New York Times bestseller list.
  • The book is considered one of the fastest selling books of all time.
  • In 2004, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff was voted one of the top ten most-read books in the past decade!
  • 26 million books have been published in 35 languages in over 130 countries.

However, in spite of all of this success, Carlson’s advice was often misunderstood. His focus to readers was how not to let the small things in life get the best of them. That advice, of course was right on the money. Many people, however, interpreted the message to be more along the lines of “don’t waste your time and energy on details.” This interpretation certainly IS NOT the author’s message, and those who have adopted this philosophy have done themselves and others a major disservice.

In today’s chaotic and competitive environment, attention to detail has been the decisive factor determining success or failure for many organizations across industries. It will certainly continue to do so.

Think about some of the things that aggravate customers today—sometimes to the point where they take their business elsewhere.

  • Having to hunt down a waiter for more coffee or the check.
  • Not receiving a genuine welcome or prompt greeting.
  • Waiting too long on hold when making reservations.
  • Waiting too long for service.
  • Having to stand in line.
  • Personnel lacking product knowledge.
  • Phone calls transferred several times.
  • Unclean silverware or glass.
  • Apathetic personnel.
  • A filthy bathroom.
  • Lack of eye contact.
  • Lack of a simple smile.

I think you would have to agree that all of these examples could be considered “small stuff,” “details,” “the basics.” Yet more people switch loyalties and alliances for reasons similar to those listed above than they do for what may be considered as major concerns.

The “big stuff” occurs less often, demands immediate attention, and is seldom repeated. The “small stuff” is seldom noticed by those who should address such issues, seldom seems to be addressed, contributes to a lasting “image,” and is often discussed among customers who have little tolerance for such lack of concern.

Note that successful organizations in all industries today are indeed training their people, communicating a philosophy, and focusing on the importance of “sweating the small stuff” to insure customer satisfaction and future success. Big things happen when you do the little things right!

If asked, how would your employees respond to the need to “sweat the small stuff”? Do you know?

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.

Keep the Ball Rolling

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So many wonderful stories and lessons are available to us today and yet we seldom hear or read them as our media chooses to focus on the more negative. Thus, we created this Generational Gems series. We all have the responsibility to see that these Gems are passed on to the coming generations. The following Gem is true, goes back a few decades, and is certainly pertinent today. Take a moment and share it in the hopes of keeping it alive.

Living in the Same Box

It is 1936. American Jesse Owens seems certain to win the long jump competition in the Olympic games. The previous year he had jumped 26 feet, 8 1/4 inches—a record that will stand for 25 years.

As he walks to the long-jump pit, however, Owens sees a tall, blue-eyed, blond German taking practice jumps in the 26-foot range. Owens feels nervous. He is acutely aware of the Nazis’ desire to prove “Aryan superiority.” And as a black son of a share cropper, he knows what it is like to feel inferior.

On his first jump, Owens inadvertently leaps from several inches beyond the takeoff board. Rattled, he fouls on his second attempt too. One more foul and he will be eliminated.

At this point, the tall German introduces himself as Luz Long. “You should be able to qualify with your eyes closed!” he says to Owens, referring to his upcoming two jumps. For the next few moments, the African American and the white model of Nazi manhood chat together. Then Long makes a suggestion. Since the qualifying distance is only 23 feet, 5 1/2 inches, why not make a mark several inches before the takeoff board and jump from there, just to play it safe? Owens does and qualifies easily.

In the finals, Owens sets an Olympic record and earns the second of four gold medals. But who is the first person to congratulate him? Luz Long—in full view of Adolf Hitler! Owens never again sees Long, who is later killed in World War II. “You could melt down all the medals and cups I have,” Owens later writes, “and they wouldn’t serve as plating on the 24-carat friendship I felt for Luz Long.”

Perhaps unknowingly, Luz Long taught the world a valuable lesson.

Someone else put it like this: “We can learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp … some are pretty … some are dull … some have weird names … and all are different colors … but they all have to learn to live in the same box.”

The same holds true for today’s workplace, and we shouldn’t overlook the importance of this lesson.

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.

Employee Suggestion Programs Obsolete?

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There are many who would agree with the title of this article. There are as many, if not more, who would disagree. Let’s re-frame the question. Do employee suggestion programs work, or do they not work! The answer is YES.

Maybe we should re-frame the answer as well. It’s not the suggestion programs which work or don’t work. It’s the organization using such programs which fails or succeeds.

While many companies have discontinued formal suggestion programs for a variety of reasons, other organizations have reported extraordinary success by tapping the capabilities of their work force.

We’ve had the opportunity to witness first hand the true impact of an effective suggestion program working with various chapters of the Employee Involvement Association (EIA) across the country. As a result of what we’ve seen first hand, we’ve decided to share examples of employee contributions, the impact on organizations, and tips and tools to create, support and strengthen internal programs.

Let’s start by examining some history.

The idea of workplace suggestions began 288 years ago in Japan. You’d think we would have fine-tuned this powerful force by now, wouldn’t you? Well, some have and those particular groups have benefited beyond all expectations. However, here we are almost 300 years later, and only 3% of U.S companies have effective suggestion programs. Everyone talks about them. Few produce results. Sounds like a classic example of “the knowing-doing gap.”

Sharing the results of a survey conducted by “Office Team,” USA Today says: “Only 38% of working men and women feel their managers are willing to listen to new ideas and suggestions for improvement.” True or not, that perception will hinder any efforts to create, support, and benefit from any suggestion program efforts.

However, the 3% that have established effective suggestion programs have certainly achieved a return on their investment far beyond the time and effort involved.

Let’s examine a few examples of those that swear by suggestions programs.

  • Harley-Davidson saved $3,000,000 in 30 days!
  • The U.S. Army got 530 ideas in three weeks!
  • Holly Farms identified $1,000,000 in savings!
  • Eaton Corp. gained 944 ideas from 113 people reaching 100% participation!
  • Parker Hannifin Corp. got 499 ideas from 103 employees!
  • National Semiconductor saved $3,600,000 using a suggestion campaign!
  • The U.S. Park Service made more than 12,000 suggestions with an approval rate of 75%!

Employees Buy an Airplane with Savings

One of the biggest success stories relating to employee suggestions comes from American Airlines (AA) in Fort Worth, Texas. AA ran a year-long suggestion program called “IdeAAs in Flight.” At the end of the year, it purchased a $50.3 million Boeing 757 with the money it saved from the employee suggestion program. AA receives an estimated $55 million a year from its employee suggestion program and reinvests $15 million back into the employees suggestion program.

A Gamble Pays Off

Randy White, an employee of Oregon State Lottery, submitted a suggestion to his manager after finding a solution to upgrade video-lottery terminal equipment so the equipment would accept the new currency issued that year. Randy recommended replacing 2,500 components in terminals at $12.50 each, compared to the manufacturer’s proposal of $450 per terminal. Randy saved the State of Oregon $1,200,672 (one million, two hundred thousand, six hundred and seventy-two dollars) and was awarded $5,000.

Quick Turnaround

Heartland Foods, a Minnesota turkey processor, received 49 ideas from employees in the first four months of a suggestion program. After implementing just 20 of those ideas, the company saved $40,000 in the first year.

Overwhelming Response

W.R. Grace, a specialty chemical manufacturer in Atlanta, saw its suggestion program generate 1,800 ideas from just 55 employees. It implemented more than half of them for a total savings of $125,000.

Shocking ROI

When South Carolina Electric and Gas set up a suggestion program, employees submitted 130 ideas during the first nine months. One of those ideas paid for the program tenfold.

Your organization has a source of talent that’s waiting to be tapped for new ideas. Employees are that source. Get out there and get inside their heads. Set up a suggestion program and tackle it with the same planning and dedication you would expend on any other major project. If you offer enough recognition and set up the right environment, the results will amaze you.

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.

Learn From Anyone and Everyone

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In our continuing effort to encourage the closing of the knowing-doing gap, we recommend that everyone maintains an open mind and willingness to learn life’s lessons whenever and wherever possible.

Wisdom from the past or present can be applied to everyday problems, challenges, speed bumps and even opportunities. We need only be open to the power of re-framing. Constant repetition permits us to become more proficient in applying the wisdom of others, past or present, to deal with our current day needs.

As an example, let’s travel back to the time of Noah and the great flood to see the many valuable lessons we can adapt to today’s challenging times.

Let’s count the lessons we should have learned from Noah:

  1. Don’t miss the boat.
  2. Remember that we are all in the same boat.
  3. Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark.
  4. Stay fit. When you’re 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
  5. Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
  6. For safety’s sake, travel in pairs.
  7. Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
  8. When you’re stressed, float a while.
  9. Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
  10. No matter the storm, there’s always a rainbow waiting.

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.

Lessons, Lessons, Everywhere

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It’s amazing how many lessons we can find within our environment if we just pause, observe, and think about the many obvious things we usually take for granted.

The Wizard of Oz, based on the best-selling book by L. Frank Baum, was first released in 1939.

  • It is often ranked among the top ten best movies of all-time.
  • It is believed by many to be the most-watched film in history.
  • Hundreds of millions have seen this movie over the past 70 years.

Of those millions who saw this classic, many would say it was simply an entertaining family movie. Many others would share what they thought was a powerful moral embedded within the storyline. In fact, based on one’s personal philosophy, there were supposedly several morals identified in this time-honored plot.

  • Some agree with the folk rock band AMERICA who, in 1974, sang: “Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man that he didn’t, didn’t already have!” They were, of course, referring to the potential within every individual whether we realize we have it or not.
  • Many related this fable to another classic, Acres of Diamonds, when they heard Dorothy say: “The next time I go looking for my heart’s desire, I won’t look any further than my own backyard. If it’s not there, then I never really lost it to begin with.”
  • Still others truly believed it to be a classic parable on the silver crusade.
  • Others felt it contained an obvious message of populism and national reform.

Although it’s quite obvious that people’s opinions were based much on their personal beliefs and values, one must admit that it’s to discover a “moral to the story” in most everything we see. As proven by The Wizard of Oz, the vehicle containing the moral can be quite simplistic.

For instance, think about the things we can learn from a simple jigsaw puzzle.

  1. The creator of the puzzle gave you the picture as a guidebook.
  2. Be sure to look at the big picture. Getting hung up on the little pieces only leads to frustration.
  3. Establish the border first. Boundaries give a sense of security and order.
  4. Don’t force a fit. If something is meant to be, it will come together naturally.
  5. When one spot stops working, move to another. But be sure to come back later.
  6. Don’t be afraid to try different combinations. Some matches are surprising.
  7. When things aren’t going so well, take a break. Everything will look different when you return.
  8. Perseverance pays off. Every important puzzle went together bit by bit, piece by piece.
  9. Variety is the spice of life. It’s the different colors and patterns that make the puzzle interesting.
  10. Working together with friends and family makes any task fun.
  11. Take time often to celebrate your successes (even little ones).
  12. Anything worth doing takes time and effort. A great puzzle can’t be rushed.

Do yourself a favor and start seeking the many lessons provided for us in the course of your typical daily routine. Many of our greatest discoveries were made in the simplest of circumstances. Seek, discover, develop, share.

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.

James C. “Jim” Collins, III

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The average American business person may not necessarily recognize the name or photo of Jim Collins. He hasn’t published as many titles as most of the other authors we’ve spotlighted in this series thus far. However, the few titles he has shared with the business world have generated tremendous influence on individuals and organizations worldwide. As far as the number of best sellers, he’s just getting started. Leave room on your shelf under “C.”

While the name may not ring a bell, there’s an excellent chance you’d recognize the titles of one or more of his bestsellers, and you’ve probably been exposed to his research, theories, and strategies revealed in his work.

Built to LastBuilt to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies

Published in 1994, Built to Last has been a fixture on the Business Week best-seller list for more than six years and has been translated into 29 languages.

Good to GreatGood to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … And Others Don’t

Published in 2001, Good to Great has attained long-running positions on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Business Week best-seller lists, has sold 3 million hardcover copies since publication and has been translated into 35 languages, including Latvian, Mongolian and Vietnamese.

How the Mighty FallHow the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In

How the Mighty Fall is his most recent book published in May of 2009. Count on this one to join the ranks of popularity of the previous two titles as the author reveals that every institution, no matter how great, is vulnerable to decline. Decline, it turns out, is largely self-inflicted, and the path to recovery lies largely within our own hands. The book describes the five step-wise stages of decline and how to reverse their course.

Beyond EntrepreneurshipBeyond Entrepreneurship: Turning Your Business Into an Enduring Great Company

Collins co-authored this book with William C. Lazier in 1995 providing entrepreneurs with building blocks to help their companies sustain high performance, play a leadership role in their industries, and remain great for generations.

Collins is an American business consultant, author, and lecturer on the subject of company sustainability and growth. He frequently contributes to Harvard Business Review, Business Week, Fortune and other magazines and journals. Jim Collins is a student and teacher of enduring great companies—how they grow, how they attain superior performance, and how good companies can become great companies. Having invested more than a decade of research into the topic, he knows of what he speaks.

Jim has served as a teacher to senior executives and CEOs at more than a hundred corporations. He has also worked with social sector organizations, such as: Johns Hopkins Medical School, the Girl Scouts of the USA, the Leadership Network of Churches, the American Association of K-12 School Superintendents, and the United States Marine Corps. In 2005 he published a monograph: Good to Great and the Social Sectors.

Driven by a relentless curiosity, Jim began his research and teaching career on the faculty at Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he received the Distinguished Teaching Award in 1992. In 1995, he founded a management laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, where he now conducts research and teaches executives from the corporate and social sectors.

He also re-published an autobiography called Test Pilot written by Collins’ grandfather, Jimmy Collins, for whom Jim Collins is named. Grandfather Jimmy Collins was the chief test pilot for the Grumman military aircraft company during the 1930s, and Clark Gable portrayed him in the movie version of his book. Jimmy Collins died testing the F3 biplane, which crashed while he was testing it.

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.

Think Times Are Tough?

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You know we’re all dealing with multiple challenges at the moment. Some are difficult and others may even seem insurmountable. How you perceive these challenges could very well determine if you will, in fact, survive them. Your perception can be changed but only by your choosing to change your thinking.

I heard the following short story on the radio over the weekend. It’s a perfect example of how, with very little effort and the right information, you can look at things differently. Read it yourself. Think about it. Be grateful.

A Small Request

I was taking my usual morning walk when a garbage truck pulled up beside me. I thought the driver was going to ask for directions. Instead, he showed me a picture of a cute little five-year-old boy.

“This is my grandson, Jeremiah,” he said. “He’s on a life-support system at a Phoenix hospital.”

Thinking he would next ask for a contribution to his hospital bills, I reached for my wallet. But he wanted something more than money. He said, “I’m asking everybody I can to say a prayer for him. Would you say one for him, please?” I did. And my problems didn’t seem like much that day.

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.