My road trip and “Just Listen” by Mark Goulston

I was fortunate enough to take a little Thanksgiving vacation (working vacation) this past week. Monday – Wednesday was pretty much 90% work and 10% play as I had a deadline for our innovations competition. We made it though. I am thankful for a good team of folks…..some of the best I’ve seen in the last 8-10 years.

I was able to run by Barnes & Noble in Murfreesboro TN on Wednesday night and pick up a book titled Just Listen by Mark Goulston. I plan on purchasing a couple of additional copies and loaning them to some of my friends. The book is a must read for managers and anyone that wants to better understand how to ‘get through’ to those folks in your life that are ‘impossible’.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0814414036/

I love a quote found in the book from Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis, “Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done.”

Hope everyone has a good holiday weekend. I’d love to hear your Thanksgiving stories!

kml

2009

Building Relationships

I have found that the pillar of any strong relationship is trust. Most any problem can be worked through if trust is established. This is true in the corporate world (internally within companies) and also when dealing with customers. Today, in addition to trust I picked up a couple of other additional thoughts.

1.)    It is better to ask many questions and give fewer answers. The best way to know how a person feels is to ask them. Assuming that trust has been established, asking people to tell you how they feel builds relationships. I know in my own life (at home, in the family business and at my public job) I find myself guilty of not asking folks their opinion. I believe Scripture to be very accurate as it states “In a multitude of counsel there is safety.”

2.)    It is better to listen more and talk less. Sometimes I find myself talking nonstop about some new project around the house, talking about some new business idea with our Services Group or rambling on about my corporate life. Occasionally, I have to pinch myself and remember that it is important to listen.  Again today I was refreshed to have some time to simply listen to a brilliant young man discuss his approach to business. I wish I had the time to jot notes as he spoke.

Building relationships is no easy task. If it was so easy then there would be less divorce in America. It takes hard work and it takes honest communication. The beauty of building relationships is the value that it adds to each of our lives. As I have stated so many times before when teaching classes on various subjects, “We as people are simply the collective efforts of others on our behalf.”

Anyone have some other points to add regarding building relationships?

kml

2009

Remembering Why I Love My Blackberry

A typical day for me is waking up around 6:00am. I stumble around for a few minutes and attempt to figure out what planet I am on. Within a few minutes my Blackberry Bold 9000 is powered on and 3 email accounts are pushed to my device. By the time I drive an hour to the office, I know my bank account balance, have received my daily Google news updates, and know what I’ll face that day at work in terms of schedules and emails.

My lunch usually happens somewhere between 10:00am-2:00pm. During that short break I am answering emails that I did not have time to address while at my desk. When the weather is nice I try to walk about 30 minutes during lunch. This is also a nice time to answer text messages or catch a quick bit of news as I walk.

By afternoon, I am letting emails that do not need an immediate response sit on my Blackberry while those needing immediate attention get answered at my desk. In the meantime I get a call and while on that call another beeps through. I am prompted for a choice, ‘to answer’ or ‘not to answer’. I choose ‘not to answer’. I continue my call with caller #1 as caller # 2 is speaking to my voicemail. I finish my conversation and realize I have 3 unanswered voicemails. I love Visual Voicemail. I scroll through deciding which voicemails need immediate attention. I scroll to voicemail # 2 and listen to part of it and then fast-forward to the end.

It’s now later in the afternoon. I leave for home. There’s usually at least one stray phone call for the ride home. I finally make it home and go for my daily walk/jog. This is the only time during the day that the Blackberry takes a rest from my side. I finish up my exercise, have a bite to eat and spend time with the family until their bedtime. Then it is one final check of the Blackberry and onto the PC to work another hour or 3. By this time the Blackberry was placed on the charger and the family is snoring. Usually around 11:00pm-12:00pm I wind down and remember just why I love my Blackberry. It is a working man’s tool. How I managed before my Blackberry is beyond me.

Guess what?..........we get to repeat the cycle all over tomorrow.

Your thoughts?

kml

2009

Google Wave……..second glance..

Now my interest has been aroused. Tonight I have been goofing around on Google Wave trying to see if I can get some short terms benefits from this deal. I realized that I can drag Microsoft Word documents right into a created wave. Just for giggles, I thought I would copy a few web links into a wave. I then realized I had the option to embed YouTube videos into a wave. (I suppose this should not be a real shock considering Google owns both)

In fact, the more I use this the better I like it. I can see now that it is easy enough to copy sections of Word documents directly into a wave and collectively modify them. (Can not tell yet if there is a limit on text.) Anyone that figures out a way to insert slides in PowerPoint format into a ‘wave slide show’ let me know.

More to follow! This is exciting!

Your thoughts?

****Note: Windows 7 Ultimate Update**** I am several weeks into Windows 7 now with no reported failure. I had a few minor issues early on that were 3rd party software issues. I am starting to feel like this version may compare to XP......that's a good thing. I'll keep you posted.

kml

2009

Google Wave……a good start….

Well, I finally got my long anticipated invite to Google Wave. The anticipation was more fun than the application…….don’t get me wrong, I think the application has great potential. The key for me is connecting with people that I actually want to share information with. 

I am currently working on a project that could really use a ‘Google Wave’ or ‘Microsoft Groove’ solution. My team has folks attempting to collaborate from several  locations in the USA, Sweden and Switzerland. The real issue in the corporate world is that security is such a high priority, we really suffer when attempting to collaborate. We have weekly conference calls together with numerous emails being exchanged.

Microsoft Groove was ‘out’ in our case as it is not part of our ‘corporately approved’ software package. Had I been issued my Google Wave invite sooner, I suspect we would have test driven the software. The problem now is that we are in a critical phase and under great time restraints and do not have the time to beta-test Google Wave without the risk of missing our deadline.

I did tinker with Wave a bit last night. I’m still curious about bringing in documents and working on them together. It seems easy enough to have a conversation and drag pictures into a wave. I’d like to see  Wave offer the ability to open a PPT presentation (assuming all parties had MS PPT installed on their machines) and modify together as a team, while still maintaining the ability to chat etc.

I’ll definitely report back on this topic frequently as I work through my own learning curve and explore the features in greater detail.

Your thoughts?

kml

2009

Are Entrepreneurs a Dying Breed??

Has the economy finally finished off the entrepreneurs? I hear stories of horror regarding the American and European entrepreneurs. Risk taking is now considered the eighth deadly sin.

You know, the thing that most people forget is that there is a HUGE difference in a calculated risk and reckless spending. Spending money on processes that are proven to produce failure is just plain ignorant. I equate this kind of risk to pumping money into GM knowing that labor unions have sucked every ounce of life out of the company. I say let them fail it will open the marketplace up for innovation. Someone please tell me how Ford was able to make it without government funding while GM sucked their own coffers dry and then pillaged the pockets of the tax payers. What GM needed was a real life entrepreneur to step in and make painful radical decisions.

I find it important to note that many of America’s great companies were born during the Great Depression of the 1920’s-1940’s. This was a time in history that men and women took calculated risks. The future of lives and families were at stake. Every penny was spent as if it were the last. I contend that ‘depressions’ and ‘recessions’ are not the time to repress good entrepreneurs but rather a time to encourage calculated risks.

I’d venture to say that 80% of the companies in America could cut 15-20% of their budget and never lay off one person. Think about where you work. How many processes can you name that add no value directly to the customer? We need to get our priorities back in the right place in America. Globalization of the economy is where it’s at. Successful companies in the future must be able to innovate and merge their processes into the global product chain.

For more study on this topic, e-mail me or make a donation and you will be sent a 5 page quick-study on the promoting of global intrapreneurship within your business.

Your thoughts?

kml

2009

Salesmen – A Means to an End

How many of you have ever ‘bought’ a salesman? How many of you want to pay for the salesman as part of your purchase? I have recently become quite unpopular regarding my approach to ‘selling’ and ‘salesmen’.

The internet has changed the world. We may not agree on if the change was for the better or for the worse but we all agree that the world is not the same place as it was before the internet age of knowledge. Information has become available to ANY person with an internet connection and the will to do a little research.

30 years ago if a person in America wanted to buy a car they found information about the car through someone who already had one or through a local salesman. We had to drive from dealership to dealership mentally comparing what one salesman told us against what another salesman told us. Those days are OVER. (Thankfully) Now we simply get online search every possible configuration of the car and walk into the dealership knowing more than some of the salesmen know.

Times have changed. The salesman is now simply the gatekeeper that introduces the customer to ‘access of knowledge’ channel. The customer does NOT want to pay for the salesman. (Nor have they ever) Customers paid for salesmen in the past because they had no choice. My market research within my industry recently has helped me understand how the customer really feels but sometimes will not tell us simply out of respect. Customers want to buy a quality product and the service to support that product and VERY little else.

Contrary to popular opinion, the customer does not want to buy your lunch, or support your family, or pay the salary of your salesmen, or pay your rising health insurance costs. At the end of the day customers want their money to go towards a quality product and service support.

The sooner we realize this global shift in customer opinion and embrace the change the better off the entire world will be. We need to focus more on directing the customer to the correct portal of knowledge and less on planning a way to prop up a crumbling (and outdated) system.

Think on these things. When was the last time you bought a product and wanted to buy the ‘salesman’ too??

Sometimes we overcomplicate simple things. Your thoughts??

kml

2009

The Creation of Leaders

I look back in my life and am constantly made aware that my successes are simply the product of other people’s investments in my life and future. There have been times that I was on the brink of self destruction. (There will probably be more of those times in the future) I remember 2 or 3 times vividly. I had a dear friend in the US Army that cared more about me at the time than I even cared about myself. I remember staring at a ceiling in a run down rented house late one night thinking that I should just 'give in' and waste my life away on nothingness.

The next afternoon my dear friend came by and insisted that I start over and do something with my life. I shudder in fear when I look back and see how easily life could have gone the other way. I often wonder how many good people just need a little push from folks that sincerely care about humanity. Technically, every success I have in this life must be shared with those who prodded me along the way.

These thoughts lead back around to the title of this post. As I add years to my life I am now finding greater joy in seeking out those few people that really want to be leaders but just need a push or nudge in the right direction. I hope that when I am gone people will look back and say, “He truly cared for others.”

kml

2009

Watching as People Suffer

I have to admit that I have traditionally been the cold hard American Conservative. I historically thought most people that did not have jobs were simply too lazy to want a good job. It is quite ironic how humbled you can become when you watch these things happen to people that you love and care about.

My father was employed by a local newspaper company as a computer technician for 38 years. Anyone with access to any means of media has obviously witnessed the destruction of ‘printed news’ in this economy. So after 38 years my father was let go without one ounce of compassion. It did not take him too long to find a job but it was certainly for a lot less money and no benefits. He has been at it for almost 2 years with no benefits, holidays or vacation. I have been humbled to watch the man suffer that provided me with a private education, 3 meals per day and fine clothing until I was old enough to join the US Army.

I realize that many people have a far worse story than this. In fact, I am sure there are fine people with quality educations that would settle for 1/5^th of what they have made in the past just to have any job.

I am more convinced now than ever, that ‘sound’ business principles apply in recession just as in times of economic prosperity. We must be lean and focused.

If you are one of those folks suffering, my prayers are with you. If you have success stories or ideas of how to make it through tough times, feel free to leave your thoughts here on the blog.

kml

2009

Tracking Injuries.........

http://thefabricator.com/Safety/Safety_Article.cfm?ID=2344

When considering activities that can affect your company’s bottom line, don’t overlook the positive difference tracking injuries can make. Recording and analyzing injury data can help you identify and correct problem areas, properly plan for production alterations should an injury occur, and reduce the impact of lost workdays.....................

True Business 'Focus'

I have been enjoying recent studies regarding ‘quality’. I have also been engaged in conversation as late as today regarding this general concept.

I enjoy these conversations about quality. I find myself coming back to the same point of view each time I discuss any aspect of business. This point can be referred to in the form of the question, “What does the customer expect?” I hear many heated discussions in business on a variety of topics. One thing that always seems to amaze me is the lack of input from the ‘customer’s point of view’. Decisions are made each day. Quality control programs are put into place. Teams of people are assembled. Money is spent but all too often the customer’s input is excluded from the scope of our ‘quality endeavors’.

So what……… if we make a gadget that is designed to withstand a nuclear blast. The question should be, “Does the customer expect a gadget that can withstand a nuclear blast? Innovation does not have to come from within every time. We should solicit our customers for feedback. Every once in a while in life the ‘build it and they will come’ philosophy will work. (if you are Steve Jobs) However, more often than not, we could simply ask the customer what they prefer in terms of future projects and skip a lot of the ‘wasted motion’ that occurs in between. Too often we view the customer as the ‘sucker on the receiving end of a transaction’ and not as a true business partner. Successful customers create successful suppliers. In this age of web-based highly enlightened people……..the end user has again become King. Quite frankly, it is nice to see the priorities aligned as they should be once again.

kml

2009

Freeing the Mind

I have to believe that the human body is designed to ‘work’ hard but also to ‘rest’ hard. I have found that exercise and guitar playing are the things that best remove my mind from work. Don’t get me wrong, I love to work but I also love to play. I believe it is important for everyone to fit an exercise routine into their schedules. So many other small things seem to fit into place in life if a person exercises and removes the impurities from their bodies.

I’m not saying that music is for everybody but I do think it is important that everybody find something outside the scope of their work to remove their minds to a place of relaxation. Some folks like fishing, some like reading and the list goes on. The important thing is to keep the mind active but also to let it rest and focus on more than one task in life.

I find myself ready for the work week when I have had mental rest and physical exercise.

What do you do to free your mind?

kml

2009

Your Business…..Do You Love It?

You know I have been finding myself waking up at night just having dreamed of another process change or business idea. Up until a couple of months ago, I really thought I had some kind of ‘issue’ or ‘mental hang-up’. (Seriously) However, about a month ago I became part of a company contest called Innovations for a Better World in which people from our company (around the globe) could offer business inventions or innovations. After a serious culling process from a pool of 7,000 people and 250 submitted inventions / ideas, 12 actual ideas were chosen to move through the process and compete with each other. All 12 teams were together for the first time last month in Switzerland. For the first time in my life I sat within a group of people who had the same ‘issues’ that I had. Each of these people told me stories of waking up in the middle of the night with ideas. Many of the folks told personal stories of not being able to sleep at night and not being able to rid their minds of dreams of a more unified world.

I was humbled by the determination seen in the eyes of some of the folks on teams from South Africa, India and China. I realized immediately in the company of these people that we as Americans have become gluttons and ‘spend drunk’. We collectively feel that we are ‘owed’ a good paycheck. We feel that we are ‘entitled’ to certain benefits. Many of the folks there spoke at least 2 languages……..some spoke 3 or more languages. I saw folks from what America considers to be 3^rd World Countries with more national pride than I have seen in many years. I saw people with sincere hope. I saw people not only hoping and wishing for a better world but also people who were willing to work however many hours it takes to create a better world.

I am thankful and humbled by this experience. I am learning that loving what you do is a blessing. I am learning that dreams are not for the weak of mind but for pioneers. For without dreams, many nations of the world today would not exist in the manner in which they exist today.

Your business, do you really love it?

kml

2009

Listening to the Customer

***I should first say that my thoughts and prayers go to the soldiers killed on American soil at Fort Hood this afternoon. 11-5-2009***

You know, the more I understand modern business the more I see why some companies fail…….and fail miserably. I love this internet age. I know of no other time in history in which the general populace had such access to information. A Health Bill is being debated in the USA (Nov. 2009) and for one of the first times in history the ‘common man’ can simply download the Bill and draw his own conclusions and even engage in the debate at various levels online.

As related to business, we have the means to engage the customer. All we have to do is go where the customer is online and become a part of the conversation. The customer is more than willing to tell us their opinions, we simply have to listen. Sadly, many companies refuse to accept the fact that end users will go online and will state their opinions. We (the business owners) can either ignore the fact that the conversations are occurring or we can create our own conversations as well as take part in existing conversations.

I am amazed that during this age of knowledge and information ………we use this advantage so little. I maintain the stance, “If you want to know how someone feels, simply ask them.”

kml

2009

The Transit Strike in Philly

I was reminded today (as I sat in traffic on I95 in Philly) why I hate 'unionization'. How, in America, can a bunch of clowns ruin transit in a major city? So the subway and bus folks are on strike, therefore I95 out of Philly to the airport becomes a giant parking lot.

Can someone 'in the know' tell me if the conditions are so horrid to merit a strike that messes up life for the average person attempting to do the daily commute?

I mean, please.........they waited until the World Series went back to NY.........guess a city has to have their priorities, right?

Maybe after I 'sleep on it' a night I will not be so grumpy about it.

kml
2009

Being Corporately Lean – Adding Value

When the economy tanks and everyone is desperate to keep their jobs and all the folks you thought were your friends are attempting to ‘knife’ you to keep their jobs…….how do you react? …….or do you react?

I have watched many people over the last two years flutter and fumble around more concerned about ‘keeping’ their job than they have been with ‘doing’ their job. I have developed a pretty simple formula for folks that work for me. ‘Do’ your job and the chances are higher that you will ‘retain’ your job. This is the first part of my equation. The second is much like the first. Secondly, if you want to know if your job is secure, ask this question of it (the job) or of yourself, “Do I add value to the customer?” If you can not answer ‘yes’ to this question, then you should get real nervous. The days of floating along in a large corporation ‘under the radar’ are over. If you can not say for sure that you add value to your customer, you should start figuring out a way in which you can add value.

I think human nature is to ‘over react’ to every little tidbit of news we hear each day. We rush through our work to ‘keep our job’. We major on the minor. At the end of the day, every single person in an organization should be able to list at least one way in which they add direct value to their customer. If we all did this, the world would be a better place………and if we all ‘did’ our job for the customer instead of focusing on ‘keeping’ our job within the corporation, the world would also be a better place to live.

Serious times require serious people. Quality wins……..no matter the economy.

kml

2009

Uh Oh….the not so good about Windows 7

Well, I am now on week 2 with Windows 7 Ultimate. I have finally started finding the bugs that remind me of Windows software that I am accustomed to. Don’t get me wrong, there are still lots of things to ‘like’ but there are also those nagging Windows issues for me. I should add that I opted for a clean install on a new PC.

1.)    I am having the same ‘pain in the butt’ problems when dealing with desktop icons. When trying to copy pictures or files from a location on the hard drive to a folder on the desktop, Windows Explorer will freeze. All other programs will work but the desktop folder refuses to manipulate. It takes a reboot to solve the problem.

2.)    Windows ‘hangs’ after clicking the ‘shutdown’ button. The computer will go into shutdown mode but never power off. This is a known Windows issue in my opinion. I have had this same issue randomly since Windows 95 and it makes me mad enough to scream. It requires manually forcing the computer to shutdown. I always feel like I am going to interrupt some background process by doing this.

These are 2 issues that I feel like Microsoft should have mastered by now. These are two of the same issues I have had over the years on different pieces of hardware and different versions of Windows. I find myself stuck with Windows at times because my company (and most companies) use Windows in the corporate environment. If I want to stay ahead of the curve, I usually buy the latest version of Windows to use at home. Sometimes I feel like a part of that Apple commercial in which the guy says “this version fixed the bugs”. Two years later I find myself buying the hype again, “this version fixed the bugs”.  

We’ll have to see what bug fixes Microsoft offers. Anyone else experiencing the same 2 problems with Windows 7?

kml

2009