Does Circuit City Carry Calculators?

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Nary a day goes by that I don’t run across something in the newspaper or on a TV newscast that boggles my mind, drops my jaw, and challenges any concept of conventional wisdom.

I constantly see absurd decisions being made by corporate leaders who, a year later, are receiving severance packages consisting of hundreds of millions of dollars and benefits that easily rival the most outrageous lottery winnings.

For instance, Circuit City, the nation’s #2 consumer electronics retailer behind Best Buy, has announced plans to fire 3,400 retail workers because they’re making too much money! Yes, the word was “FIRE,” and the reason was exactly as stated above. They’re also going to fire about 130 corporate information-technology employees.

Let’s take a closer look and, as we do, ponder the facts and think about the possibility of whether you would consider such a strategic move if you were in charge of this organization.

Circuit City will absolutely save a great deal of money as they replace those they fire by hiring lower-paid workers! There is positively no question about that fact. However, I do have another question. I’m pretty sure that Circuit City sells calculators. I’m not quite as sure if they know how to use them.

While they stand to savor a substantial savings, let’s contemplate what they stand to lose.

Consider these potential speed bumps:

How will this strategy affect their customer service levels as they replace 3,400 seasoned, well-trained employees with novice, inexperienced, less-paid stand-ins who lack product knowledge?

What caliber of new employee can they expect to attract after demonstrating how they’ve treated loyal employees who have put forth an effort to grow and prosper? Can these replacements anticipate pay raises and promotions or will achievement equate to possible termination? What’s the incentive for these rookies to strive for excellence? If there is no incentive, what level of service can we anticipate as consumers?

How about the remaining store associates who were not fired? What did this do to their morale, productivity, and aspirations of a career in their chosen field of endeavor? I can’t wait to visit one of their stores to be greeted by this bunch of “happy campers.”

By the way, those being fired will get severance packages and may apply for any open positions after 10 weeks. What’s the message here? “Even though you were fired, you’re welcome to come back as your dismissal had nothing to do with your performance. However, you’ll be returning at a lower pay rate — equivalent to those we recently hired with less experience and product knowledge than you have.” How many do you think will return?

When you consider the escalating cost of advertising, what do you think Circuit City will have to invest in order to compensate for the tremendous negative publicity they’re currently receiving in newspapers, magazines, radio and television newscasts, and Internet reports? This story spread world-wide within minutes of its release and received very little positive response. It’s difficult to calculate the loss of public trust and image. How many customers are now willing to return to Circuit City? Some will question the level of service they can expect. Others will express dismay in the treatment of those fired. Some will challenge the wisdom of leadership decision-making skills. Many will simply decide to “wait and see.” All because Circuit City didn’t pro-actively utilize their very own HP 12C Platinum 25th Anniversary Edition Financial Calculator.

I have one last question: Do you think the Best Buy CEO will send the Circuit City CEO a formal “Thank You” note or will he simply remain safely hidden in the wings serenely smiling as he surveys the most recent stock market results? We’ll never 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.

212 – The Extra Degree

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A few weeks ago, I directed you to the web site of “Simple Truths” to view the short, three-minute movie called “The Dash … Making a Difference With Your Life.” I hope it was as thought-provoking for you as it was for me. It certainly makes you re-evaluate your current priorities. More than 30 million people around the world have viewed it since its appearance on that site, and more than 20,000 a day continue to watch it as a result of folks passing it along as I did to you.

The following week I again directed you back to that same web site to view still another three-minute inspirational video called “The Nature of Success.” I found this one to be inspirational, energizing, and insightful as well.

Well, apparently good things come in threes as I just received another invitation to return to their web site to observe a third video. This one is titled “212 – The Extra Degree.” Again, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality, inspiration, and impact of what I witnessed. I found this one especially interesting as it reminded me a great deal of a familiar theme we share in many of our training seminars and keynote presentations … Sweat the Small Stuff. Little things do make a big difference, and we witness examples of this simple fact every day. It’s the “small stuff” that really makes an impression on us when it comes to making the decision to spend our hard-earned dollars on products and services of any kind. It’s also the “small stuff” that disturbs us to the point of deciding to take our business elsewhere on occasion.

This particular video is based on the fact that at 211 degrees water is hot; at 212 degrees it boils and turns to steam, and steam has enough energy to power a locomotive. It’s that one extra degree that makes all the difference. Some might consider one single degree as being “small stuff.” However, look at the impact it can have! If you enjoyed the first two videos, you’ll want to see this one as well. It’ll only take a few minutes, it’s absolutely free, and it’ll provide you with some serious content to ponder and share with others. Give it a look-see, you won’t regret 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.

Untold Treasures Await Us. Stop and Smell the Roses.

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As I’ve mentioned many times, I take great pleasure in the fact that I strive to learn at least one new thing every single day. However, ironically enough, I learn daily about the vast amount of knowledge I have yet to learn. It’s exciting and challenging, yet sometimes frustrating. I value the experience and opportunity more every day.

Upon completion of my “Tennis Shoes & Blue Jeans” creativity seminar among the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota, I shared a great early dinner followed by a very unexpected but pleasant surprise. I was treated to a personally guided tour of several historic landmarks by a few very well-informed local residents.

I returned to Mount Rushmore to discover that it had changed drastically since my last visit well over a decade before. In fact, a $52-million investment has totally transformed this national treasure. Attractive new roads leading to the monument set the stage for what awaits the 2 million visitors who arrive annually. A futuristic visitor center, museum, enormous gift shop filled with a vast conglomeration of treasures, two 125-seat amphitheaters, the Grandview Terrace, the Presidential walking trail and boardwalk, the sculptor’s studio and the beautiful Ponderosa pine forests left me with memories I won’t soon forget. When the lights came on at dusk, I found myself speechless. They were so lifelike I almost expected George, Tom, Teddy and Abe to start harmonizing from their lofty perch.

I remember learning about Mt. Rushmore in school, but listening to locals share their knowledge with such deep pride and true respect certainly overshadowed book learning by far. I was fascinated to learn:

  • Why Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor, chose Washington (Father of our Country), Jefferson (Declaration of Independence), Roosevelt (The New Deal) and Lincoln (abolishing slavery) as the subjects of his colossal carvings.
  • That well over 400 workers assisted Borglum as he created each of the 60-ft. images.
  • The entire memorial covers 1,278 acres and is 5,725 feet above sea level.
  • The carving started in 1927 and ended in 1941 — 14 years!
  • How the name “Rushmore” evolved. I was surprised to learn the mountain was named after a New York City attorney. Charles E. Rushmore was sent out to this area in 1884 to check legal titles on properties. On his way back to town he inquired as to the name of the mountain. He was told by a local authority that “the mountain never had a name, but from now on we’ll call it Rushmore.” I certainly never read about that in school!
  • That the heads were originally created in a different order than we see them today. Jefferson was initially positioned where we now see Washington on the far left. Borglum wasn’t satisfied with the “look” so had the entire face dynamited away. He started again placing Washington in the first position.

After my congenial guides tore me away from this breathtaking experience, we traveled about 12 miles down the highway to visit the Crazy Horse Memorial, home of the world’s largest mountain sculpture in progress. I thought Rushmore was enormous and it was. I’m not certain how to describe the enormity of this monument, which came into view long before we entered the compound. Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski began the project in 1948 at the request of Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear and other Native American elders. Korczak died in 1982. His wife, Ruth, and some members of their family continue the project, working with the nonprofit Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation.

This mountain monument, named after the Oglala Lakota (Sioux) warrior Crazy Horse, appears in the form of the head and torso of the famed warrior riding a horse and pointing into the distance. The monument has been in progress for almost 60 years and is still far from completion. I found it intriguing that this project will not be completed in my lifetime! When it is finished, it will be the world’s largest sculpture!

In the foreground is a 1:34 scale model denoting the appearance of the finished product. The actual partly-carved sculpture is seen in the back ground.

The memorial’s visitor complex includes a 40,000 sq. ft. welcome center and theaters, the Indian Museum of North America, the Native America Education & Cultural Center, the sculptor’s log home studio and workshop, indoor and outdoor galleries, museum gift shop, restaurant and snack bar areas and an expansive viewing veranda.

The memorial will be the icon of a huge educational and cultural center, which will include the University and Medical Training Center for the North American Indian and the Indian Museum of North America. Visualize an entire university campus at the base of this Thunderhead Mountain monument.

Interestingly though is the fact that this massive project is very controversial within the Native American community because many feel that the whole idea of making a beautiful wild mountain into a statue of a single warrior is a pollution of the landscape. Some say it is against the very spirit of Crazy Horse.

After leaving this second awe-inspiring spectacle, we visited several other local tourist attractions, which I found very appealing. I’ll spare you those details as my point here is not to attract tourists to the Black Hills but to share my revelation that there are so many untold treasures awaiting our discovery if and when we’ll simply put forth the effort to recognize their existence.

If you ever get the opportunity to visit South Dakota, you’ll want to make certain to visit the Rapid City – Keystone – Custer area to take in the variety of picturesque tourist attractions. You’ll find them both educational and entertaining. Oh, by the way, bring plenty of cameras, film, children, grandchildren and friends. Hopefully, you’ll bump into a few local residents who will share their history, tradition and pride, which will make your visit as memorable and truly unique as mine.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Business Briefs – March 29, 2007

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Based on the feedback we receive from those attending our time management and stress management seminars, it’s quite evident that the majority of us appear to have less and less spare time to focus on newspapers, magazines, and television/radio newscasts to catch up on the latest business news. Internet surfing is even more time consuming.

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

  • The Borders Group appears to be in the midst of some major changes as a result of losing $73.6 million for the three months ending February 3. They plan to remodel their U.S. superstores, jump back into online bookselling, and close 300 of their 564 Waldenbooks stores by the end of next year. They’re also giving serious consideration to selling off most of their international businesses.
  • The latest fund-raising trend among state governments appears in the form of privatizing their state lotteries. Illinois is the latest state to jump on this growing bandwagon. Governor Rod Blagojevich figures the sale of their lottery could raise as much as $10 billion. It currently generates approximately $650 million a year in profit on revenues of $2 billion, which is being spent on education. The new owner will receive all revenue and profit for 75 years. Two years ago, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley sold off a 7.8-mile tollway for $1.83 billion. Indiana is currently investigating the sale of their lottery as well.
  • Time Magazinereports that consumer spending currently powers 70% of the U.S. economy! Interestingly enough, average DAILY purchases by U.S. consumers include:
    • 1,900,000 Krispy Kreme original glazed donuts
    • 87,431 Slim-Fast Optima multi-pack shakes (hopefully by those buying the donuts!)
    • 20,826 Dell notebook computers
    • 88,163 Apple iPods
    • 50,051,507 12 oz. cans of Pepsi
    • 125,000 Barbie dolls
    • 628 Toyota Camry 4-cylinder LEs
    • 2,400,000 Burger King Whoppers
  • According to a recent study conducted by the University of Michigan, a person should take three half-hour naps at work each week in order to lower the risk of heart-related death.
  • It is estimated that U.S. businesses are losing close to $150 billion per year due to lost productivity as a result of fatigue.

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.

Border Business

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Have you tried to keep up with the dissension over the proposed U.S.-Mexico border fence? Maybe it’s too far from your home to be concerned. Maybe you feel you have absolutely no impact on the final outcome. Maybe that’s exactly what some people in Washington D.C. want you to think. I don’t want to debate the “should we – shouldn’t we” aspect of the fence. That’s far too political and certainly can’t be settled here. I just want you to be aware of some of the most current data surrounding this issue and remind you that YOU’RE PAYING FOR IT!

I’ve very curious as to why no one in this entire country can agree on what should be done, how it will be done, when it will be done, and what it will cost. There seems to be a different story every day. As a result of the continuous chaos surrounding this controversial issue, I did a little research. The following facts, overwhelming at first glance, came from two sources: The Congressional Research Service and the Congressional Budget Office. After browsing these eye-opening facts, you might want to consider contacting your Senators or Representatives to tell them how you feel. Don’t use the excuse that you don’t know who they are or how to reach them.

Visit the U.S. Senate website to learn who your Senators are and how to reach them, or to do the same for your Representatives, visit the U.S House of Representative website. With two simple clicks, you’re talking business to those who had better listen. They recently saw strong evidence of what can happen if they don’t listen to those of us who sent them to D.C.

Now, sit down in a comfortable chair, buckle your seat belt, and try to digest the following:

Last year the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the proposed border-fence would cost about $3 million a mile — or $2.1 billion for the entire 700-mile barrier!

Did those numbers knock you out of that comfy chair? Listen to this. A new study by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service says the cost could easily be up to 25 times more than any previous estimate. That would be a figure approaching $50 billion! What few people bother to challenge is the fact that our shared border with Mexico is 1,933.4 miles long, and thus far the only plans proposed are for a 700-mile barricade! Let’s hope border-hopping illegals don’t figure out how to walk around the fence! And let’s not even discuss the fact that the fence has a life expectancy of only 25 years!

Again, we’re not discussing “fence – no fence” here. What I can’t understand is how two supposedly legitimate organizations made up of what I would assume to be loyal, educated, experienced participants can focus on the same project and arrive at conclusions so diametrically opposed: $2 Billion and $50 Billion! That’s not even close and, until the truth is revealed and verified beyond a shadow of a doubt, the credibility of both organizations is at stake!

I think it’s safe to say that any organization inside the Beltway (I-495) is capable of manufacturing facts and figures, which inevitably support and promote their own personal agendas. Until that focus is redirected to an agenda benefiting all Americans, regardless of party affiliation, the chaos will continue, and WE will continue to foot the bill.

In the meantime, consider the following facts of interest concerning the U.S.-Mexico border:

  • The U.S.-Mexico border is the world’s busiest.
  • The U.S. employs over 12,000 border patrol agents.
  • More than 90-million vehicles cross the border every year.
  • Two of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S., Laredo and McAllen, Texas, are on the border.
  • Trade between the two countries averages $795 million per day.
  • A record 473 migrants died at or near the border in 2005, primarily due to a heat wave.
  • The border patrol also rescued 2,750 illegals that same year.
  • California shares 140.4 miles of the border with Mexico.
  • New Mexico shares 179.5 miles of the border with Mexico.
  • Arizona shares 372.5 miles of the border with Mexico.
  • Texas shares 1,241 miles of the border with Mexico.

Let’s hope this very political issue doesn’t join the ranks of so many other fiascos evolving from opposing bureaucratic agendas. Your call can make difference. Pick up the phone and demand accountability and share your personal view.

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.

A Real Time Management Saver: Viewing RSS Blog Feeds in My Yahoo!

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web marketing and communications consultant Melanie L. DrakeRecently, I was in correspondence with a Yahoo! employee who was alerting me to a promotion related to one of my web sites. I thanked him for providing the information and said how little time I had to surf the net for information to update my web sites. He, in turn, suggested I add a news search to the My Yahoo! account or any other news reader as an RSS feed. I’m the one everyone comes to for technology information and advice, so I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that while I had heard of RSS before, I really had no clue what he was talking about.

RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication.” It’s a format for distributing and gathering content from sources across the Web, including newspapers, magazines, and blogs.

I monitor a number of blogs and news searches on a daily basis by going to my favorite bookmarks and clicking away. It turns out there’s an easier way.

First, you must have a Yahoo! account in order to set up your My Yahoo! page to retrieve RSS feeds. You can sign up for a free account here.

Second, go to My Yahoo! and sign into your account. Yahoo! is in the process of updating the My Yahoo! design so options discussed in this article may be in different positions than listed.

Third, click on “Add Content,” which is currently under the search box at the top of the page.

Fourth, click on “Add RSS by URL,” which is to the right of the Find button.

Fifth, type in the RSS feed address of the site you’d like to add to My Yahoo! For example, to add the feed from the AchieveMax® blog, you would type in http://www.AchieveMax.com/blog/feed and then click on “Add.”
Last, click on “Add to My Yahoo!”

Unlike adding an RSS feed to Internet Explorer, adding an RSS feed to My Yahoo! allows you to see the most recent posts from all of your favorite RSS feeds and searches on one page, which makes it easy for you to skim for the most recent content. Moreover, you can edit your preferences to show anywhere from one to 30 links from each blog.  Also, you can set it to show posts from the last 24 hours, 2 days, 3 days, 4 days, 5 days, 6 days, the past week, or all posts.  If you keep track of a number of web sites on a daily basis, then adding the RSS feeds to My Yahoo! will definitely save you time while still keeping you up to date on the issues that affect your life.

About Melanie L. Drake

Melanie L. Drake focuses on the publishing and marketing sides of the AchieveMax® company. AchieveMax® professional, motivational speakers provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services on change management, creativity, customer service, leadership, project management, time management, teamwork, and more. For more information on AchieveMax® custom-designed seminars and keynote presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Three-Minute Inspiration: The Nature of Success

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

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

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

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

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

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Bench Strength: A Growing Concern

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Business Briefs – March 15, 2007

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

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

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

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.