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Monthly ArchiveJanuary 2008



Business Briefs Harry K. Jones on 31 Jan 2008

Business Briefs

Business BriefsFly the Chaotic Skies

Keep an eye on three stubborn, egotistical airline titans as they battle for survival, dominance, and your ticket dollars. None of the airlines have publicly confirmed merger talks, but industry insiders say a merger may be the only option for several of those involved, and it should happen sooner than later.
 
Delta, United, and Northwest would all benefit greatly from a merger with one of their competitors, and such an alliance may very well be their only saving grace as oil prices pass $100 a barrel, union problems continue to flourish, and customer service levels continue to plunge.
 
Here’s the problem with each and every merger option. Forgive me if this sounds like children on your local playground.
 
Northwest is open to reviewing any merger as long as the new airline will bear their name and the headquarters will remain in Minneapolis. Delta is open to reviewing any merger as long as the new airline will bear their name and the headquarters will remain in Atlanta. And, you guessed it, United is open to reviewing any merger as long as the new airline will bear their name and the headquarters will remain in Chicago.
 
Industry experts see a Delta-Northwest deal as most likely and feel that could prompt an alliance between United and Continental. It’s quite obvious that everyone but the airlines understands that somebody’s gotta give if this team-up project has a chance to work. Watch the news—this should be interesting due to the sense of urgency and obvious refusal to budge on the part of everyone involved.

Sears/K-Mart Continues Dismal Performance

Almost three years after these seasoned giants joined forces in hopes of regaining leadership among the nation’s retail forces, the opposite appears to be happening. The company earned just $2 million in the third quarter, prompting a double-digit sell off of its stock. Sales at both stores worsened, profit margins eroded badly and cost-cutting has lost its power to impact the bottom line. Industry critics are calling the 99% profit decline as the beginning of a “Death Spiral.”

The next time you drive by a Sears or a K-Mart, you might want to snap a picture with your cell phone so you can show it to your grandchildren some day in trying to describe these two one-time category killers.

Kohl’s to Open 90 Additional Stores in ‘08

Sears and K-Mart can eliminate the poor economy, global competition, increased cost for goods, or the real estate downturn for their constant slide toward retail oblivion. While these factors certainly play a role, the struggling retail giants must look elsewhere for the true cause of their demise.

This becomes more evident in light of a recent announcement by Kohl’s that they plan to open 90 new stores in the coming year after opening 112 during the past year. The chain is making changes in hopes of finding their niche among those retailers which offer sophisticated, yet affordable, shopping experiences. Their new locations offer sleek interiors. They’ve recruited the clothing lines of Vera Wang and actress Daisy Fuentes. Their appliances have been featured on the Food Network and the Rachael Ray show. While some critics feel such expansion plans might seem risky at the moment, Kohl’s vision obviously includes change, continued high customer service levels and value to maintain their current customer base while attracting new consumers in search of a rare shopping experience. Should be interesting to watch.

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.

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Generational Gems for Future Leaders Harry K. Jones on 31 Jan 2008

Prime the Pump … for Success!

Generational Gems for Future LeadersIf you’ve been reading our generational gems for any length of time at all, you’re well aware of the fact that we’ve been sharing wonderful lessons, anecdotes, allegories, parables, and narratives with future leaders. These articles have been around a very long time and most business veterans have heard them many times. They are certainly the mortar in the building blocks of many very successful foundations … of both individuals and organizations. That’s why they must be passed on to future generations.

I can’t imagine this series ever being complete without the following classic. I’ll summarize it briefly and include a link to the entire story as it’s a bit lengthy but definitely a story you’ll want to read fully.

I’d like to explain how I first happened to hear this story. I’m very proud of the fact that I have accumulated a personal library of more than 4,000 books. The very first book in that library was purchased from a table in the hallway of a large auditorium that was promoting a motivational seminar decades ago. Early in my career, I was taken to that seminar by a supervisor who thought I might enjoy it. It featured some of the best motivational speakers in the business at that time, although I wasn’t familiar with any of them.

That list included such notable professionals as Wayne Dyer, Denis Waitley, Earl Nightingale, Og Mandino, Leo Buscaglia, and Robert Schuller. Every one of these speakers was fantastic. I was mesmerized from early morning until late in the day when the program finally ended! However, each served as pretty much an opening act for the speaker of the day … Zig Zigler!

I’d never seen or heard of this man before but after watching him grace the stage and tell his stories in his very unusual manner, I knew I would never forget him. He was a very tall, lanky hillbilly who was born in Alabama and raised in Yazoo City, Mississippi. He had a southern accent that made you feel as though you’d known him all his life and could trust him forever.

His mother raised him and his ten siblings all by herself after his father died when Zig was six. He had the unique ability to make you feel as though you were a part of every story he shared. For years he was a top pot and pan salesman breaking just about every sales record that existed at that time. He went on to gain fame in other areas of sales and then to train others, which quickly lead him to a career as a motivational speaker and self-help author. On this day, I remember three distinct things that changed the direction of my life.

  1. I first heard Zig’s story of “Priming the Pump.”
  2. I remember him saying: “You can have anything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” I’ve been trying to do exactly that ever since.
  3. I bought my very first book, which was Zig’s See You at the Top. You can still find it in book stores all over the country. It not only changed the direction of my career but has served as an inspiration to me ever since.

I hope you enjoy Zig’s inspirational tale as much as I did and feel inspired to pass it on to any future leader in your life.

PRIME THE PUMP … FOR SUCCESS!

Prime the PumpIt all started with this tall, lanky hillbilly (and I say that with the greatest respect and note that Zig referred to himself as just that!) emerging on the stage in a burst of verbal and physical enthusiasm, lugging an old-fashioned, large, chrome-plated water pump. It caught everyone off guard. He quickly and very proficiently shared the reason for the unique prop. He said he felt the water pump conveys the story of life at its simplest. He went on to demonstrate that before you can get water, you first have to prime the pump.

He said that if you expect to get something out of life, your marriage, your job, etc., you have to first put something in. Too many people tend to say: “If you give me a raise today, I’ll perform much better starting tomorrow.” Zig gave the example of someone saying, “Stove … if you give me some heat, I’ll put some wood in you as soon as I get warm!”

Once the pump is primed, Zig points out that you have to begin pumping vigorously to get the water all the way up the long pipe. If you happen to get tired and stop pumping, the water will fall all the way down again, and you’ll have to start all over again. All the time Zig was enthusiastically making his point, he was always working the handle of that pump as though it was dredging up hundred dollar bills. He never missed a beat.

He points out that you have to persist in whatever you do in life. When you start a new job or take on a new challenge, you have to pump with enthusiasm … even though you may not see results in the short term. When the water finally flows, it then becomes an easy gentle pumping action to keep it flowing in abundance.

That’s the story in a nutshell. Our challenge is dealing with the fact that most of today’s generation has no idea how an old-fashioned water pump operates as they’ve more than likely never seen one. It’s our job to bridge that knowledge gap because there is, indeed, a very valuable lesson to be shared here. In addition, I strongly advise you to visit the following link to hear Zig’s full rendition of this age-old classic. You don’t want to miss this one.

I also encourage you to visit Zig’s website, www.ziglar.com, to learn more about him, his history, books, tapes, staff and associates. I personally guarantee you won’t regret it. I certainly appreciate Zig giving us permission to share his classic with our readers. I’d also like to thank him for decades of personal inspiration and direction.

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.

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Look-Listen-Learn Harry K. Jones on 30 Jan 2008

The Miracle of You - Part II

I hope some of the data provided in Part I of ”The Miracle of You“ may have opened your mind to the tremendous potential you posses and the unlimited possibilities which await you. If you missed that first article, take a moment now to look it over before going on.

Now let’s take a look at even more great news.

  • The Miracle of YouEven though you may consciously forget more than 90% of what you learn during your lifetime, your brain will store 10 times more information than can be found in the 20-million volumes within the Library of Congress!
  • There are at least several trillion hard-working cells inside you, some so small that it takes 250 of them placed side-by-side to equal the diameter of the period at the end of this sentence.
  • No single scientific instrument has been developed yet that is as sensitive to the light as is your eye. In the dark, the sensitivity increases 100,000 times so that your naked eye is able to see a faint glow, which is less than a thousandth the brightness of a candle’s flame, yet it can see the light from stars, the nearest of which is 25 billion miles away!
  • Your ears are as much acoustic marvels as your eyes are optic phenomenons. The inner ear can detect 15,000 different tones. Not only do these ears perform hearing, they control your equilibrium as well.
  • Your heart beats an average of 75 times a minute, 40 million times a year: that’s nearly three billion times in a lifetime! At each beat, the average adult heart discharges about 4 ounces of blood, nearly 3,000 gallons a day, and 650,000 gallons a year: enough to fill more than 81 gasoline tank trucks! Your heart does enough work in one hour to lift an average-sized man to the top of a three-story building, creates enough energy in 12 hours to lift a 65-ton tank one foot off the ground and generates enough power in a lifetime to lift the largest battleship completely out of the water!

Feel important? Feel amazed? Feel obligated to appreciate, pamper, and care for those astonishing gifts you’ve been blessed with? Can you honestly say that you’re living up to the extraordinary potential you possess? Whether you realize it or not, you are an amazing person! You are important! You have great value!

Can you imagine how much stress and worry could be removed from your life by realizing your true importance? Worry comes from the belief that you are powerless. You are not powerless. You are here for a reason. You possess more than enough natural intelligence and ability within you to reach any goal you want to achieve.

If you had been exposed to these facts at a young age, would it have made a difference in your self-image and your attitude toward your ability to reach your personal goals? Is there someone you know right now that might benefit from realizing how important they really are? If so, consider the priceless gift you provide to them by taking five minutes out of your busy day to sit and share this information?

Start today. Make a difference in your own life as well as the lives of others. Live up to your potential! You’ll never regret it!

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.


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Fact-A-Day from Harry K. Harry K. Jones on 29 Jan 2008

Fact-A-Day from Harry K. - January 29, 2008

Fact-A-Day from Harry K.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.

  • No Super Bowl has ever gone to overtime.
  • This is the 42nd Super Bowl and the second time it has been held in Arizona. New Orleans has hosted the Super Bowl the most at nine times. Miami has hosted eight times.
  • Dallas, San Francisco, and Pittsburgh have won the most Super Bowls at five times. Minnesota, Buffalo and Denver have lost the most Super Bowls at four times. Buffalo lost four times in a row.
  • The NFC leads 21-20 all-time, but the AFC has won eight of the last 10 games after losing 13 straight. The longest Super Bowl winning streak has only been two in a row.
  • 20% more antacids are sold after the Super Bowl than on an average day.
  • 18 sets of brothers have reached the Super Bowl. Eli and Peyton Manning are the first set of brothers at quarterback.
  • Mike Ditka, Tom Flores, and Tony Dungy have all won a Super Bowl both as a player and a coach.

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.

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Who's Yer Daddy? Harry K. Jones on 28 Jan 2008

Pinnacle Foods Corporation

Who's Your DaddyChances are you’ve never heard of this company. In a quick, informal survey, I discovered that, of the 20 people I questioned, none could identify the company nor any of their products.

However, you might be surprised to discover that your family has long enjoyed many of the brands that make up this unique international food group. The vast majority of their brands have been in existence for at least 50 years each, and they penetrate 81% of U.S. households.

Pinnacle FoodsYou won’t find them displayed together in the same area of your favorite grocery, but you will readily recognize them and may very well be stunned to discover that they belong to the same family of fine foods.
 
Their dry food segment includes well-known brands such as Duncan Hines baking mixes and frostings, Vlasic pickles, Armour canned meats, Mrs. Butterworth’s and Log Cabin syrups and Open Pit barbecue sauce.

Pinnacle Foods

Their frozen food segment includes well-known brands such as Hungry-Man and Swanson frozen dinners, Aunt Jemima frozen breakfasts, Van de Kamp’s and Mrs. Paul’s frozen seafood, Lender’s bagels and Celeste frozen pizza.
 
All these once-heralded labels have come under the ownership of Pinnacle Foods Corp., whose strategy is to purchase tired but well-known packaged food brands and reintroduce them, adding modern-day twists.
 
In this very chaotic age of constant change and global competition, we, as organizations, should be doing very much the same thing. We must maintain our well-known, successful foundations while searching for necessary changes to address new customers demands, technologies, competition, etc. Pinnacle Foods has obviously accomplished this challenge as they enjoy continued success in a very competitive marketplace. Those who have chosen to refrain from this strategy have lost their competitive edge or, in many cases, simply fallen by the wayside.
 
They are a company of iconic brands that are very much part of the fabric of Americana, each of which has some great history and heritage. We, as consumers, know the products from ad campaigns of decades ago, and the company is trying to capitalize on that recognition.

But there’s a challenge: The American diet has changed. Besides fried chicken dinners and breakfast biscuits, people want healthy options, prompting Pinnacle to add new products.

Pinnacle Foods Corp., headquartered in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, is one of North America’s largest packaged food companies, founded in 1998 as Vlasic Food International.

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.

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Generational Gems for Future Leaders Harry K. Jones on 24 Jan 2008

From the Mouths of Babes

Generational Gems for Future LeadersI’ve written several articles on the subject of the power of perspective, and that’s probably because I see so many examples of it in today’s business world.

For instance, as a father and a grandfather, I’ve always tried to share wisdom and basic truths with my kids and grandchildren in hopes of preparing them for the many challenges that await them as they grow older. I think of that as a very natural thing to do because, as adults, we have so much more experience and education from which to draw.

However, I must inwardly smile at the many times I’ve found just the opposite to be true … that some of life’s greatest lessons were imparted to me in a most revealing way from the younger spirits in my charge. So often is this the case.

That leads me to today’s generational gem. A dear friend e-mailed it to me with a short note explaining that she had received it from an associate, thought it was a wonderful piece and wanted to share it with me. I couldn’t help but notice that it was penned by my favorite author, Anonymous. I hope it brings a smile to your face as it did to mine.

The Difference between Rich/Poor People?

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

Father and sonOn their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?”

“It was great, Dad.”

“Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked.

“Oh yeah,” said the son.

“So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.

The son answered:

“I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

“We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden, and they have a creek that has no end.

“We have imported lanterns in our garden, and they have the stars at night.

“Our patio reaches to the front yard, and they have the whole horizon.

“We have a small piece of land to live on, and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

“We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.

“We buy our food, but they grow theirs.

“We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.”

The boy’s father was speechless.

Then his son added, “Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are.”

Isn’t perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don’t have.

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.

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Midnight Muses Harry K. Jones on 23 Jan 2008

New Category: Midnight Muses

Midnight MusesWith this article, we’re adding still another feature to our blog content. I’ve decided to call it “Midnight Muses” because it will focus on a variety of subject matter which evolves from the innermost recesses of my mind during the most productive time of my day.

I’m a night person. Always have been. We all have a particular time of day when our mind is most productive, most creative, most active. Some people are aware of it, plan around it, and take advantage of that fact. Others are totally unaware and could care less.

My most creative time of the day usually begins just about midnight and can last anywhere from a half hour to three hours. I don’t know why. Don’t care. Never questioned it. Maybe it’s because I know, subconsciously, that I’ll have no interruptions … no phone calls, no drop-ins, no meetings, no disruptions, and few distractions. My best ideas and revelations occur at this time of night, and my office is filled with means to stimulate and/or record my thoughts … pens, pencils, markers, note paper, chalk board, white board, calculator, camera, tape recorder, computer, laptop, telephone (I leave myself messages), television, radio, CDs, DVDs, books and magazines. It’s indeed critical that I record any thoughts that I may evoke within this small window of time as I may very well not recall them the following day.

Sometimes, when I’m facing a particularly tough challenge and I have the luxury of time on my side, I’ll purposely postpone deliberation until the stroke of midnight knowing full well that I’ll have a decisive advantage in reaching a more productive solution. The majority of my most creative ideas were formulated at this magical hour … and many of my worst. I’d like to share a few of those more creative thoughts which may possibly educate, entertain, or even inspire you to take full advantage of your own creative offerings.

Let’s begin by taking a closer look at something you may not have known about yourself.

SURPRISE!

No SaleOccasionally in my keynote presentations and seminars, I’ll ask the audience to enlighten me, by a show of hands, as to how many of them are involved with “sales” in their current position within their organization. The results are always the same. I see very few hands slip into the air and those who do acknowledge their relationship with “selling” admittedly reveal that they are part of a department that was created to sell products and/or services.

My point, of course, is simple, quite obvious but, indeed, very crucial. Every hand in the room should be in the air because everyone in the organization is involved with sales in one way or another. That holds true for every organization.

Whether we realize it or not, we’re all “selling” a great deal of the time. It may not be a product or a service, but we’re still selling. Consider how often you’re trying to sell a new idea or concept to your boss, clients, team members, community or family. Don’t we sell our home town or state at one time or another? How about your religion or politics? We’re selling our organization every time we take action or open our mouths. And aren’t you always selling YOURSELF? I’m sure you can think of dozens of other possibilities now that we’re on a roll and have made a bit of a “reframe” on the notion of selling.

When you think about it, we’re even selling when we don’t realize we’re selling. How well we sell all boils down to how well we communicate our message … how well our central idea will “stick” with our targeted audience. Your ability to “close the sale” is critical to your future success.

Made to StickIf you want some excellent guidance in the mastery of making your message “stick,” check out one of our most recent book reviews … Made to Stick:  Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die.

They focus on the art of making ideas unforgettable and share many examples to remind you of those who are doing it well. They’ll provide six key principles to make you a Super-Salesperson when it comes to selling your ideas. This book puts “selling” in a different light altogether. You’ve always been a salesperson … why not be the best you can be and reap the benefits?

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.

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Fact-A-Day from Harry K. Harry K. Jones on 22 Jan 2008

Fact-A-Day from Harry K. - January 22, 2008

Fact-A-Day from Harry K.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.

  • The world’s largest indoor lake is in the West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada. The lake has four working submarines that people can ride.
  • Although it’s only 2% of our body weight, the brain uses 20% of all oxygen we breathe, 20% of the calories we take in, and 15% of the body’s blood supply.
  • WD-40 has been used in 2,000 official and some unique unofficial ways (like once helping firemen extract a nude burglar from an air vent). Also, it’s the only lube with a fan club—100,000 members strong.
  • Prior to World War II, Twinkies were filled with banana filling. Bananas were in short supply during the war so the switch was made to vanilla filling and so it has remained ever since.
  • According to the United States Department of Agriculture, more than 600 million eggs are sold in stores nationwide during the months of March and April.
  • The Chinese do not pay a lot of attention to birthdays until they become 60 years old. The 60th birthday is regarded as a very important point in life due to its association with the Chinese lunar calendar. After this special celebration, a birthday celebration is held every ten years.
  • Cobras can bite and kill as soon as they are born. Just 1 tablespoon of their venom—even when dried—can kill up to 165 people or more than 160,000 mice.

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.

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Moment with Melanie Melanie L. Drake on 21 Jan 2008

An Inspirational Family Project

web marketing and communications consultant Melanie L. DrakeI remember reading Harry’s article on “Gender Gap in Pay, Recognition and Rewards“ with great interest. His article pointed out inspirational women who have set examples of leadership in today’s very competitive marketplace. I found it odd that I hadn’t heard of some of these women, but then again I’ve always been more likely to be inspired by the real-life people that walk through my life—from my high school locker partner who wanted to drive race cars and did … to the employee of a client who bulldozed through the bureaucracy and made things happen.

No person, either famous or in my life, inspires me more than my grandmother, who just turned 100 years old. More than once, she has demonstrated determination and a strong work ethic just in the last five years. Needless to say, her life has been filled with moments of resilience, and it wasn’t until I set out to do a small slide show for her birthday celebration that I saw this in action.

Developing a slide show for an active woman celebrating more than 100 years was more time-consuming than planned but well worth the time. With help from family who looked through photo albums, we scanned about 100 photos and articles. Fortunately, some of the more recent photos were already in digital form.

If you’re interested in creating a slide show as a family project, here is the process:

First, I scanned the photos at 300 dpi for the family so that everyone would have a high-resolution graphic that could be printed if necessary. 

Second, I set the resolution to 72 dpi for the slide show.

Third, I imported the photos into the free Microsoft Movie Maker, added transitions between photos, and added music.

Fourth, I created a CD label with the free Avery DesignPro software. I gave every family member a CD with the slide show and the higher-resolution photos.

Last, I created a DVD cover with the free Memorex exPressIt software to hold the CD.

The added benefit of the slide show was that the photos themselves inspired my grandmother to give detailed descriptions of each photo, including describing the color of her dresses in those old black and white photos. What a memory!

In the end, it was a positive project for everyone to see how different the world was in the early 1900s when photos were in black and white, computers didn’t exist, and you couldn’t travel around with your phone in your pocket. 

And I thank the subject of the slide show, my grandmother, a woman who still demonstrates her determination on a daily basis. What an inspiration!

Melanie L. Drake is a consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

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Business Briefs Harry K. Jones on 18 Jan 2008

Alright Already! Enough with CHANGE!

Business BriefsI don’t know about you, but I’ve pretty much had my fill of politics. This comes after witnessing my 641st televised political debate earlier this evening. After the fourth debate of the series, I was convinced as to exactly who I was going to vote for. However, I changed my mind after the fifth debate. And again after the sixth and so on and so forth up until tonight’s 641st attempt at brainwashing the American public. I’ve reached the conclusion that there are very few honest people within the beltway of Washington D.C., and I’ve met them both. One drives a colorful taxi for Liberty Cab and the other waits tables at the Café Promenade at the Mayflower Hotel on Connecticut Ave. NW!  

After months of countless commercials, character assignations, and a myriad of promises and pledges, I have recognized a major theme emerging from the 24/7 political madness we’ve been subliminally forcefed.
 
The theme, of course, is CHANGE! What an original concept. It must be a good one because every single candidate from both parties and possibly a third has decided to jump on that bandwagon. And why not? Of course things must change. We’re rapidly “surging” out of control on a multitude of fronts from coast to coast … immigration, social security, energy, mortgages, veterans, inflation, recession, building starts, trade balance, education, jobs, health care, foreign policy, military, global competition, abortion, affirmative action, the budget deficit, tax reform, oil prices, campaign reform, crime, death penalty, drugs, foreign relations, war, gay rights, guns, labor unions, unemployment, and the environment. Other than that, things are going well.
 
ChangeIf I’m not mistaken, CHANGE has been the battle cry of every candidate in every election for as long as I can remember. And, furthermore, every victor of every election DID keep their promise of CHANGE. Some of that change was for the better and some of it was for the worse.
 
For instance, it’s quite apparent that politicians in Washington, on both sides of the aisle, have accomplished little or nothing in helping this country cope with the many challenges listed above. Overwhelming gridlock has stifled progress on every front—oh, except one. Democratic leaders joined with their Republican counterparts to agree on a $4,100 pay hike for themselves for 2008. Luckily for them, the pay increase is not tied to their approval ratings or job performance. I find it interesting that more Americans can name the three stooges than the three branches of government … probably because the three stooges are more likely to get something done.
 
What constantly baffles me is the fact that the majority of those politicians, in every debate, stating the critical need for change has been serving in a position to institute change—and yet has done little or nothing to do so!
 
The same pattern holds true in business as well. Much talk about the need—little action to succeed! Our work with many clients in this area has revealed that few employees have been exposed to information on the subjects of change, creativity, or innovation. We encourage it and expect it but do little to prepare our personnel to actually deal with it. Let’s stop waving the banners and singing the anthems and do more to focus on providing our people with the tips, tools, strategies, and training to pursue and obtain the true CHANGE that will lead to the success we so genuinely desire.

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.

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