AchieveMax® Blog

In the coming month, we’ll be adding another ten book reviews to our growing list of best sellers. I was recently asked why I never write a negative review. My personal policy on book reviews is quite simple: I write no negative reviews. That doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of bad books out there. We all know better than that. However, my time is much too precious to finish a bad book, and I certainly wouldn’t want you wasting your valuable time reading a review in which I described, in great detail, a book that I suggested you don’t read. Therefore, we offer only those reviews which would be beneficial to our readers.
 
I’m well aware of the fact that I might very well suggest a book that you might find uninteresting or of no value whatsoever. That’s obviously a matter of opinion. However, on our web site I place only reviews of books which I feel offer value at some level … knowledge, humor, insight, tools, tips, strategies, technology, etc. to enhance your journey to success.
 
If you have recommendations for future reviews, please send them to me at:

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Technorati Tags: books, book reviews, business books

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed or subscribe via e-mail. Thanks for visiting!

I was recently scanning some of the 160 book reviews on our website and came across one particular title that seemed very relevant to many of the situations I’m asked to address for our clients in today’s business culture. This book, Please Don’t Just Do What I Tell You, Do What Needs to Be Done: Every Employee’s Guide to Making Work More Rewarding, appears to be another simple example of “common sense.” However, upon closer examination it’s obviously another example of something that is NOT “common practice.”
 
Bob Nelson’s book may be short at just 105 pages, but it certainly packs a wallop at a time when it is most urgently needed. In what the author calls The Ultimate Experience, he shares a few very apparent thoughts that far too many of us assume our employees are aware of and practicing regularly. For instance:

• “You never need permission to do great work.”
• “Wherever you work, whomever you work for, management expects that you will always use your own best judgment and effort to figure out what needs to be done and then do it without having to be told.”

Sounds almost too evident to point out, doesn’t it? On the other hand, how often do you see these examples practiced in today’s workplace? Maybe we should revisit them as expectations from day one followed by some stringent accountability and topped of with the proper consequences. If this were done properly and more regularly, I’m sure we’d see an increase in productively as well as the many benefits which accompany such behavior. Unmistakably win-win for everyone involved.
 
The following antiquated generational gem provides a simple but perfect example of this simple philosophy.

Two Brothers and the Geese

Two sons worked for their father on the family’s farm. The younger brother had, for some years, been given more responsibility and rewards, and one day the older brother asked his father to explain why this happened.
 
The father, hoping to further develop his first born, said, “I’ll be more than happy to explain my decision. First, go to the Jefferson’s farm and see if they have any geese for sale as we need to add to our stock.”
 
The older brother soon returned with the answer, “Yes, they have five geese they can sell to us.”
 
The father then said, “Good, please ask them the price.”
 
The son returned with the answer, “The geese are $10 each.”
 
The father said, “Good, now ask if they can deliver the geese tomorrow.”
 
And duly the son returned with the answer, “Yes, they can deliver the geese to us
tomorrow.”
 
The father then asked the older brother to wait and listen closely. He then called to the younger brother in a nearby field saying, “Go to Jefferson’s Farm and see if they have any geese for sale as we need to add to our stock.”
 
The younger brother soon returned with the answer, “Yes, they have five geese for $10 each, or ten geese for $8 each; and they can deliver them tomorrow. I asked them to deliver the five unless they heard otherwise from us in the next hour. I also convinced them that, should we determine a need for the other five, that they will sell them to us at $6 each.”
 
The father turned to the older son, who nodded his head in appreciation. He now realized why his brother was given more responsibility and rewards.

Which brother would you prefer to have on your payroll?

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

In the spirit of C.A.N.I. (Continuous And Never-ending Improvement), here are this week’s new facts—one for each day of your coming week. Pass them on to others to keep the spirit alive or invite your friends and family to visit our blog where they can also view previous entries.

• A Christmas club, a savings account in which a person deposits a fixed amount of money regularly to be used at Christmas for shopping, came about around 1905.
• “White Christmas” is the biggest selling Christmas single of all time.
• Hallmark introduced its first Christmas cards in 1915, five years after the founding of the company.
• “The Nutcracker” is the name for the ballet performed around Christmas time each year. “The Nutcracker Suite” is the title of the music Tchaikovsky wrote.
• “Wassail” comes from the Old Norse “ves heill”—to be of good health. This evolved into the tradition of visiting neighbors on Christmas Eve and drinking to their health.
• A traditional Christmas dinner in early England was the head of a pig prepared with mustard.
• According to a 1995 survey, 7 out of 10 British dogs get Christmas gifts from their doting owners.

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Technorati Tags: facts, learn, life-long learning

There are, perhaps, many normal, well-adjusted persons living in our society today who feel—and not without some justification—that the annually recurrent holiday known as Christmas has lost much of its basic cultural significance owing to the progressive distortions generated by the conceptual vicissitude concomitant with modern day life … but we think it’s kind of nice!

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

This generational gem was written quite some time ago although you may have trouble embracing that fact because it’s so relevant to modern day times … especially this time of the year.
 
I could suggest that you simply read this cute poem and enjoy it for what it is. But naw-w-w-w, there’s much more to be savored here. Let’s do a bit of a “reframe.” Read it through the first time visualizing your own father as “Pa.” Memories will no doubt provide you with a smile. Read it through the second time visualizing yourself or your husband as “Pa.” Again, another smile but this time accompanied with a little guilt and a somewhat different memory. Now read it a third time … this time visualize your son as “Pa” enjoying Christmas Day with your grandchildren. Another smile and maybe a peak into the future.
 
In each scenario, it’s quite obvious that we simply seldom learn from experience. In this situation, it’s fun and memorable. In the business place, it could easily stifle our progress and lead to situations we simply can’t afford.
 
For now, read this classic poem, enjoy it for what it is and pay special attention to the author and his life line at the end. It may surprise you. 

The train of cars that Santa brought is out of kilter now:
While pa was showing how they went, he broke the spring somehow.
They used to run around a track … at least they did when he
Would let me take them in my hand and wind ‘em with a key.
I could ‘a’ had some fun with ‘em, if only they would go.
But, gee, I never had a chance, for pa enjoyed ‘em so!
 
The automobile that I got that ran around the floor
Was lots of fun when it was new, but it won’t go no more.
Pa wound it up for Uncle Jim to show him how it went,
And when those two got through with it, the runnin’ gear was bent,
An’ now it doesn’t go at all. I mustn’t grumble though,
‘Cause while it was in shape to run, my pa enjoyed it so.
 
I’ve got my blocks as good as new, my mitts are perfect yet;
Although the snow is on the ground, I haven’t got ‘em wet.
I’ve taken care of everything that Santa brought to me,
except the toys that run about when wound up with a key.
 
But next year you can bet I won’t make any such mistake;
I’m going to ask for toys an’ things that my pa cannot break!

(EDGAR ALBERT GUEST, 1881-1959!)
 
Yes, the author of this classic died almost 50 years ago but his words ring as true as though he were predicting what will be happening next week in so many homes around the world on Christmas Day. Do we ever learn from the past? In this case, it’s cute … in others it can be critical.

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

In the spirit of C.A.N.I. (Continuous And Never-ending Improvement), here are this week’s new facts—one for each day of your coming week. Pass them on to others to keep the spirit alive or invite your friends and family to visit our blog where they can also view previous entries.

• During the Christmas/Hanukkah season, more than 1.76 billion candy canes will be made.
• In 1947, Toys for Tots started making the holidays a little happier for children by organizing its first Christmas toy drive for needy youngsters.
• According to the National Christmas Tree Association, Americans buy 37.1 million real Christmas trees each year; 25 percent of them are from the nation’s 5,000 choose-and-cut farms.
• For every real Christmas tree harvested, 2 to 3 seedlings are planted in its place.
• California, Oregon, Michigan, Washington, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and North Carolina are the top Christmas tree producing states. Oregon is the leading producer of Christmas trees.
• The best selling Christmas trees are Scotch pine, Douglas fir, Noble fir, Fraser fir, Virginia pine, Balsam fir and white pine.
• Franklin Pierce was the first United States president to decorate an official White House Christmas tree.

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Technorati Tags: facts, learn, life-long learning

It’s intriguing to think about the vast amount of time, energy, money and focus we, as a culture, are willing to invest in our career and personal goals. We sacrifice our sacred family time, our mental, physical, and emotional health, our personal lives and how many other unknown assets to seek out future success which may very well never be realized. And to what end?

Of course, the answers to that question are varied. Some of us not only achieve but surpass those lofty aspirations. Others fall by the wayside at various points in the formidable journey.

Regardless of the category you may fall into, take a moment to truly consider the priceless investment you’ve made while striving to complete that awesome journey. Have you received a return on that investment (ROI)? Have you paused at any time to provide a return on your investment? Have you given back, to any degree, any of your time, education or experience to assist others on their chosen journey? Investing your time, effort, and resources will provide you with a cherished return on your investment. Personal satisfaction gained by assisting others, mentoring, or simply sharing your experience simply can’t be measured. It takes just a few moments to make somebody’s day, to help someone with their own personal aims and dreams—especially someone who looks up to you for encouragement and support.

Consider the following instance and contemplate the powerful consequences of such a small but generous gesture. How many opportunities, similar to this one, present themselves to us on a regular basis? Of those, how many do we take advantage of? It is certainly food for thought.

A mother wished to encourage her small girl’s interest in the piano and so took her to a local concert featuring an excellent pianist. In the entrance foyer the mother met an old friend and the two stopped to talk. The little girl was keen to see inside the hall and so wandered off, unnoticed by her mother. Mom became concerned when she entered the hall and could see no sign of her daughter. Staff was notified and an announcement was made asking the audience to look out for the little lost girl. With the concert due to start, the little girl had still not been found. In preparation for the pianist’s entrance, the curtains drew aside, to reveal the little girl sitting at the great piano, focused in concentration, quietly picking out the notes of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”

The audience’s amusement turned to curiosity when the pianist entered the stage, walked up to the little girl, and with a warm smile on his face, quietly said, “Keep playing.”

The pianist sat down beside her, listened for a few seconds, and whispered some more words of encouragement. He then began quietly to play a bass accompaniment, and then a few bars later reached around the little girl to add more accompaniment. At the end of the impromptu performance the audience applauded loudly as the pianist took the little girl back to her seat to be reunited with her mother.

The experience was inspirational for everyone, not least the small girl. Who knows what impact that kind gesture may have had on the future of that young lady or what inspiration it may have provided those in the audience to do the same in the near future. Never underestimate the potential power you possess and the positive effects it may have on others.

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Technorati Tags: inspiration, mentor

If you are interested in motivation and inspiration, you might also enjoy ...

• Motivational Training - Motivational Esteem: The Foundation of Personal Success
• Motivational Speakers
• Top Motivational Books and Self-Help Books
• Words of Wisdom on Motivation
• Motivational Posters
• Famous Motivational Speaker
• Motivational Speaker: A Misnomer?
• Are You Happy with Your Dash?
• Three-Minute Inspiration: The Nature of Success
• 212 - The Extra Degree
• The Wizard of Odds
• A Guaranteed Smile
• Today's Inspirational Youth Sparks Hope for a Positive Tomorrow
• What Happened to Americans?
• What Goes Around, Comes Around
• I Quit!
• Inspirational Individuals Who Overcame Obstacles
• Take Time to Appreciate
• An Inspirational Family Project
• The Miracle of You
• The Miracle of You - Part II
• "TRUE GRIT" - A Winning Philosophy
• Key to Success? Ya Gotta Get Up!

In the spirit of C.A.N.I. (Continuous And Never-ending Improvement), here are this week’s new facts—one for each day of your coming week. Pass them on to others to keep the spirit alive or invite your friends and family to visit our blog where they can also view previous entries.

• Alabama was the first state to recognize Christmas as an official holiday. This tradition began in 1836.
• Although many believe the Friday after Thanksgiving is the busiest shopping day of the year, it is not. It is the fifth to tenth busiest day. The Friday and Saturday before Christmas are the two busiest shopping days of the year.
• Before settling on the name of Tiny Tim for his character in “A Christmas Carol,” three other alliterative names were considered by Charles Dickens. They were Little Larry, Puny Pete, and Small Sam.
• The poem commonly referred to as “The Night Before Christmas” was originally titled “A Visit from Saint Nicholas.” This poem was written by Clement Moore for his children and some guests, one of whom anonymously sent the poem to a New York newspaper for publication.
• The popular Christmas song “Jingle Bells” was composed in 1857 by James Pierpont, and was originally called “One-Horse Open Sleigh.”
• During the ancient 12-day Christmas celebration, the log burned was called the “Yule log.” Sometimes a piece of the Yule log would be kept to kindle the fire the following winter, to ensure that the good luck carried on from year to year. The Yule log custom was handed down from the Druids.
• During the Christmas buying season, Visa cards alone are used an average of 5,340 times every minute in the United States.

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Technorati Tags: facts, learn, life-long learning

I went to my barber for my last cut of 2007. Apparently, many others had the same idea as the shop was filled … eight chairs and the entire waiting area! As usual, everyone was discussing the same subjects they always discuss while getting trimmed. In fact, “getting trimmed” was one of the more popular subjects as the rising cost of just about everything came into focus. Constantly rising gasoline prices seemed to be the biggest complaint as everyone compared today’s prices with those of last year’s holiday season.
 
I simply sat and listened as I normally do. I learn so much more by observing people than I do by joining the conversation. Ironically, I was reading the newspaper as everyone ranted and raved about gas prices. I suddenly came across an article, complete with graphics, that, had I shared it, would have silenced everyone in a nano-second!
 
It was titled: “Fuel For Thought.” In just a few words, it addressed the fact that so many of us grumble about the price of gasoline while it’s actually a bargain compared to a gallon of so many other goods which we consume daily. For instance, the average price for a gallon of gas in the U.S. at the moment is $3.06. Compare that to the gallon price of the following products:

• Average gallon of milk … $ 3.49
• Evian water … $ 5.12
• Wesson cooking oil … $ 5.47
• Blue Bunny ice cream … $ 8.38
• Bud Light … $ 9.73
• Starbucks Coffee … $12.88

Makes gas sound like a steal, doesn’t it? Thank goodness for small containers. Proves everything is relative and you know how we feel about relatives. I came so close to sharing that article with everyone in the barber shop. However, that would have deprived them of their joy and freedom to complain. So I just smiled to myself, finished my paper, got my hair cut and headed back to the office. Guess that was my first Christmas gift to anyone this season.

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.