Monthly Archives: March 2010

Sky’s the Limit as Baseball Gets Creative

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You’d better sit down for this one. It’s amazing how creative juices flow when times get tough! It’s just sad that it takes tough times to initiate the flow. The following information should encourage you to pursue any and all creative ideas you may have been pondering but kept to yourself thinking they may have been a bit eccentric.

NOTHING is too far fetched today!

Lansing is Michigan’s capital city. Decades ago, the city’s downtown business area was a thriving metropolis. Then, like so many other downtown areas, it soon resembled a ghost town … no theaters, few restaurants and hotels, very little entertainment, and very little major retail. In short, no reason to go downtown.

Then, 15 years ago, they brought a minor league baseball team to town, building one of the largest state-of-the-art Class A Minor League baseball parks in the United States … currently seating 11,000 eager fans. If you could see that ball park today, you’d swear it was built last month. They’ve done a wonderful job of maintaining and enhancing that facility every year.

Even more exciting is that you can buy a ticket to a ball game for less than it costs to park your car for a Detroit Tiger baseball game. General Admission is only $8 per person. Then the prices skyrocket to $9 for a reserved seat and $10 for a box seat! This is affordable family entertainment and the caliber of play is unequaled. This beautiful structure also offers 20 luxury suites.

Due to the fact that the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors, then located in Lansing, purchased the initial naming rights for the stadium, they called it “Oldsmobile Park” and named the team “The Lansing Lugnuts.”

The team was a Class-A Midwest League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, later switching to the Chicago Cubs and currently the Toronto Blue Jays.

This is where the story gets both interesting and very creative. Oldsmobile is no longer a GM brand and, last July, the automaker broke the contract with the Lugnuts during its bankruptcy reorganization. The Lugnuts began an immediate search for someone interested in purchasing the coveted naming rights.

It certainly didn’t take long. The Thomas M.Cooley Law School, the largest law school in the United States and also located in Lansing, paid a whopping $1.5 million to rename the facility the “Cooley Law School Stadium.” THAT’s generating additional income. But wait … the Lugnut owners certainly don’t stop there.

This week they announced that they have also sold naming rights to the actual baseball field inside the stadium! Jackson National Life Insurance Company, an indirect subsidiary of Prudential plc (a company incorporated with its principal place of business in the United Kingdom) has purchased the naming rights of the field for the next 11 years! The price was not disclosed. Jackson National Life Insurance Company is an industry leader offering life insurance and institutional products in 49 states and the District of Columbia. They have agreed to donate $100 to one of a variety of Lugnut charities every time the home team hits a home run throughout the entire season!

How long will it be before they sell the naming rights to first base, second base, third base, home plate, the pitchers mound, the dugout, each individual baseball bat and each of the 11,000 seats within Jackson Field situated inside the “Cooley Law School Stadium”? WHEW!

This isn’t exactly a new concept. I wrote a blog article earlier in the year identifying 26 various football bowl games that have now sold their naming rights. While I certainly understand the logic behind such a move, preparing to attend the MAACO Las Vegas Papajohns.com Bowl just isn’t the same as going to the Rose Bowl game!

However, seeing an annual increase in this sort of creative advertising certainly encourages one to pursue just about any unique concept which may come to mind. Go for 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.

Bracket Browsing at the “Big Dance”

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Yes, it’s that time of year again … March Madness … when anyone who loves B-Ball forgets all else for a few short weeks.

As much as I love the game—from my high school days through 20 years of announcing both boys’ and girls’ games at my alma mater—I’ve always felt the game mirrored life in so many ways. There always seemed to be valuable lessons to learn on the court and yet, ultimately, many never seemed to learn many of the most crucial and often times most obvious. The same certainly holds true today.

As we advance into the NCAA “Sweet Sixteen,” I couldn’t help but notice an ever-emerging trend in the bracket results thus far.

  1. 5 teams have been eliminated after losing by a mere THREE POINTS!
  2. 5 teams are now history after being beaten by only TWO POINTS!
  3. 3 teams have had their Championship Dreams destroyed by coming up ONE POINT short at the buzzer!

Now for those who constantly tell us: “DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF!” … I’d love to invite you into the locker rooms of the above 13 teams to spread your gospel.

A free throw is considered “small stuff” by far too many people on and off the court! To others it’s the decisive factor between a very long and challenging winning or losing season!

I watched one of my favorite teams, heavily favored by the way, get booted out of the Big Ten Tournament in their first game. Simple math tells the ugly story.

  • They lost by just 5 points.
  • They missed 15 free throws!
  • They’re still in the NCAA “Sweet 16.”

Another simple explanation:

  • They won their first game by just 3 points.
  • They won their second game by only 2 points!

Oddly enough, they enhanced their free throw percentage since the Big Ten Tourney!

Over my 20-year career as an announcer for hundreds of games, I lost count of the games that were decided by missed free throws!

My advice to any coach or player: “SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF” … free throws, dribbling, passing, blocking, rebounding, teamwork, communication, practice, concentration, attitude, etc. —all considered “small stuff” by many high school, college, and professional players and coaches today. Think not? Read the newspapers. Watch TV. Go to a game.

Yet, study any winning program and you’ll find an extreme focus on the “small stuff” which, in the end, is critical to the success of individuals and teams alike.

The same holds true in our personal lives and our careers. Take care of the details and “Big Stuff” seems to take care of itself. Think about 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.

Never Underestimate the Power of Your Mind

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At any given time, you can find dozens of books on the subject of creative thinking in most any book store. Theories, principles, and strategies galore can be found to assist you in the enhancement of your creative potential. While these methods may very well achieve what they claim, we often overlook extraordinary resources much closer to home. All we have to do is be a bit more attentive to what and who we often take for granted.

There is much to learn from the simple observation of those we come into contact with daily. Here’s a short video that some might think focuses on a simple paper airplane. Actually, it’s about a young 6th grade boy who has learned in his short life span how to open his mind to new concepts, how to take simple calculated risks, and how to avoid the possibility of negative peer pressure in hopes of discovering new frontiers. The innocence of youth should be added to our list of creative resources.

Watch Jeff amaze his friends as he easily wins a paper airplane flying contest in a way most of us would never consider. In fact, some of us may even tell Jeff that his new approach can’t possibly work or that it’s against the rules. Rules are changing every day as the demands of our chaotic environment increase greatly and much faster than ever before. Are you willing to think out of the box as Jeff did? Your decision to do so could well be the decisive factor in your future success or failure. Take a look …

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.

Everyone Serves a Purpose

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A very powerful common thread can easily be found in successful teams, organizations, associations, military units, religious groups, cities, states, and countries. It’s very simple and quite evident.

DIVERSITY is that decisive factor that so often makes the crucial difference between success and failure.

Many strive for continuity and sameness in selecting members of their particular organization to avoid conflict and dissension in the ranks. Others focus on the selection of a diverse membership knowing that it will provide more creativity, a wider range of ideas, and much needed innovation.

Consider this age old anecdote which illustrates the important of diversity and the fact that everyone serves a purpose.

The Value of the Cracked Pot

Nobody’s perfect, but our imperfections make us interesting.

A water bearer had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.

At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.

“I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you. I have been able to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don’t get full value from your efforts,” the pot said.

The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you’ve watered them.

“For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.”

Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We’re all cracked pots. But it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You’ve just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them.

Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape. Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life! Everyone serves a purpose!

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 Link to the Past

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Change is great. Technology is fascinating. Progress is essential.

However, it’s crucial that we maintain a link to our distinguished past. While time and progress marches on, as it should, there is still much to be learned by revisiting those thrilling days of yesteryear! To those of us who lived it, a review of those times are a comforting pause in a hectic existence. To younger generations who didn’t, it can be an educational and enlightening peek into what appears to be a less complicated and often impeccable world.

Revisiting the past also provides insight into experiences that today’s generation would otherwise never experience or even comprehend. Where else would they learn about vinyl records, drive-in theaters, jukeboxes, typewriters, flagpole sitting, Dippity Doo, bell bottoms, family dinner conversations, telephone party lines, lickable postage stamps, a milkman, full-service gas stations, hitch-hiking, bomb shelters, tent revivals, the Iron Curtain, hood ornaments, fuzzy dice, steam locomotives, car fins, iron lung, flash cubes, and dirt roads.

We could add people to that list of phenomenal memories, but the list would never end. However, I feel comfortable in adding one particular name because this man was unsurpassed at reminiscing about so many heart-warming and tear producing moments. Paul Harvey did just that on radio for 76 years until he died in 2009 at the age of 91. His listening audience was estimated, at its peak, at 24 million people a week. Paul Harvey News was carried on 1,200 radio stations, 400 Armed Forces Network stations and 300 newspapers. The most noticeable features of Harvey’s folksy delivery were his dramatic pauses and quirky intonations. You’d swear he was talking directly to you and you alone.

To this day, you can find a large sampling of Paul’s work on YouTube. One of his most touching recitations dealt with a subject that produces vivid memories for millions of Baby Boomers and just might spark the imagination of today’s fast-paced, continually stressed younger generation.

Paul did a very touching rendition of a piece written by Lee Pitts in his book, People Who Live at the End of Dirt Roads. It certainly takes us back to a much gentler time and place … if only for a moment.

“Dirt Roads”

What’s mainly wrong with society today is that too many Dirt Roads have been paved.

There’s not a problem in America today, crime, drugs, education, divorce, delinquency that wouldn’t be remedied, if we just had more Dirt Roads, because Dirt Roads give character.

People that live at the end of Dirt Roads learn early on that life is a bumpy ride.

That it can jar you right down to your teeth sometimes, but it’s worth it, if at the end is home … a loving spouse, happy kids and a dog.

We wouldn’t have near the trouble with our educational system if our kids got their exercise walking a Dirt Road with other kids, from whom they learn how to get along.

There was less crime in our streets before they were paved.

Criminals didn’t walk two dusty miles to rob or rape, if they knew they’d be welcomed by 5 barking dogs and a double barrel shotgun.

And there were no drive by shootings.

Our values were better when our roads were worse!

People did not worship their cars more than their kids, and motorists were more courteous, they didn’t tailgate by riding the bumper or the guy in front would choke you with dust and bust your windshield with rocks.

Dirt Roads taught patience.

Dirt Roads were environmentally friendly, you didn’t hop in your car for a quart of milk you walked to the barn for your milk.

For your mail, you walked to the mail box.

What if it rained and the Dirt Road got washed out? That was the best part, then you stayed home and had some family time, roasted marshmallows and popped popcorn and pony rode on Daddy’s shoulders and learned how to make prettier quilts than anybody.

At the end of Dirt Roads, you soon learned that bad words tasted like soap.

Most paved roads lead to trouble, Dirt Roads more likely lead to a fishing creek or a swimming hole.

At the end of a Dirt Road, the only time we even locked our car was in August, because if we didn’t some neighbor would fill it with too much zucchini.

At the end of a Dirt Road, there was always extra springtime income, from when city dudes would get stuck, you’d have to hitch up a team and pull them out.

Usually you got a dollar … always you got a new friend … at the end of a Dirt Road.

If you enjoyed this brief reflection, take a look at the many other offerings you’ll find in our Generational Gems category of this blog. Share them with your children and/or grandchildren to experience the closest thing you can find to what we enjoyed as a family dinner conversation.

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.

Are You on a Merry-Go-Round or Roller Coaster?

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Today’s environment is chaotic, challenging, and unpredictable. 1.1 million people claimed bankruptcy last year. The ranks of U.S. millionaires swelled to 7.8 million last year. It was a roller-coaster year! Is that good or bad? The answer is yes!

It has been said for years that it doesn’t matter what happens to you in life—it’s how you react to it that makes the difference!

In these uncertain times, many people choose to play it safe, climb on the Merry-Go-Round of Life and risk nothing as they travel in slow, methodical circles waiting to see what’s going to happen … if anything. Others choose to buckle themselves in for a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, calculated risks, and unknown turns in their quest to survive and thrive in an ever-growing chaotic world. The choice is yours.

Obviously, there are strong pros and cons to each choice. There are many factors to consider and only you can decide which “ride” will deliver you safely to your chosen destination. Maybe a consultation with a seasoned veteran might be of assistance in making your decision.

Just such a seasoned veteran appeared in the 1989 movie Parenthood directed by Ron Howard. In this short clip, husband and wife Steve Martin and Mary Steenburgen learn a very valuable life lesson from his grandmother as she describes the choice she made years before. Take a look and remember, the choice is yours!

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.

Opportunity Abounds for Creative Minds!

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Let me get right to the point! What you see here is a simple garage door cover—a printed tarp made to attach to your garage door to make it look as if it’s actually showing the interior of your garage and what’s in it. The owner of this particular garage doesn’t own a boat … but you might think otherwise as you drove by his house.

If you’re not interested in a boat, you have your choice of dozens of other unique choices … a full-size race car, a giant dog, stacks of gold bars, a robot, a band room, a family room complete with fire place, a monstrous alligator, a sandy beach, a stealth jet airplane, a disco, a wine seller, a military tank, a locomotive, a semi-truck, a road grader and the list goes on and on. You can also send in your own image to be reproduced. You can use these covers as a mural inside your home or even add the look of wallpaper to enhance any room.

Each garage door cover retails for anywhere from $199 to $399 based on the subject you choose and the size you need (double door available). There are many manufacturers of this product so you certainly have a large variety of subjects to choose from. Simply go to Google.com and type in “crazy garage door covers.” Here is one of those sites that will give you an idea of what’s available.

Consider the number of ideas you’ve witnessed over the years that caused you to think: “I could have come up with that!” The point is …. you didn’t! You could have—you had access to the same education, experience, and resources as everyone else. It’s just that someone else acted before we did.

Look around you—unlimited resources. Get creative, brainstorm, think positive, take action and make a difference!

About Harry K. Jones

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

New Title Added to Book Reviews

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Check out our new section of book reviews to learn more about our latest addition, Who’s Your Gladys, … a riveting journey to learn how to turn even the most difficult customer into your biggest fan.

In their new book, co-authors Marilyn Suttle and Lori Jo Vest combine years of experience to produce 224 pages of delightful content on a subject that is indeed critical to any organization concerned about the successful delivery of customer service in today’s competitive marketplace.

Marilyn Suttle is the President of a personal and professional growth training firm (Suttle Enterprises LLC) through which she has presented training workshops and keynotes to thousands. From customer service to work/life balance, her relationship expertise helps people learn how to talk in ways that gain cooperation, inspire personal excellence, and create connected relationships both at work and at home.

Lori Jo Vest has spent most of her career in business-to-business sales positions involving high levels of day-to-day customer contact. Lori has developed extensive expertise in customer service and business development. She currently manages Communicore Visual Communciations, a metro Detroit television production studio and consults with small businesses on methods to enhance their sales and customer service efforts.

Learn much more Who’s Your Gladys from our review in our new book reviews section.You’ll be “gladys” 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.

Change Will Never Change!

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There’s a funny thing about change. It never will.

As is often the case, I find myself once again at my computer in the early hours of the morning. This time I’m researching material for an upcoming seminar. A portion of that day-long program will focus on the subject of change. This particular subject seems to arise in a vast majority of our program offerings of late. In fact, our most requested seminar and keynote for the past few years has been “Productive Chaos: Riding the Wave of Change!” I think people want to learn more about coping with change because we have so little choice in the matter. We’ve been riding that wave of change for as long as I can remember.

In the midst of my research tonight, I stumbled upon some interesting data that provided me with a different take on this powerful subject of change. We often hear concerns from clients that dealing with constant change is a true challenge for their staffs today. Many seek new coping skills and strategies as chaos seems to increase in today’s challenging world.

The simple truth I realized tonight is that the majority of us already have those skills and strategies and have been using them successfully most of our lives. If you would pause long enough to realize how many changes you’ve experienced in your life thus far, I’m certain you would first be somewhat shocked and then very proud of your ability to cope and adapt.

Although a majority of these changes have been small, they have been numerous and constant. I was so overwhelmed at my discovery that I felt it crucial to share some of it with you. For most of your life, you have been faced with constant change, and the pace is rapidly increasing. For those of you who may fear or dislike change, you really must realize how often and how successfully you’ve dealt with change in the past.

In this article, I’m going to share some examples of the changes you’ve witnessed over the years. However, I can only scratch the surface in this format. Therefore, starting tomorrow I’m going to provide additional examples every day on Twitter and my Facebook page for what I’m sure will be many weeks.

Although these examples may seem insignificant at first, realize that each is one of hundreds, if not thousands, of changes that you’ve dealt with in the past and survived quite well. Each may very well have strengthened your tolerance and ability to deal with constant change. Remember these changes … relish each for its value … and take great pride in your growing strength to cope and conquer.

Do you remember these national brand stores?: Montgomery Wards, Kresge’s, Woolworth’s, Cunningham Drugs, Shopper’s Fair, Topps, Korvette’s, Zayre’s, Mervyn’s, Steve & Barry’s, Circuit City, Gimbels and Arlan’s … to name just a few.

How about airlines? Remember any of these?: Eastern, Pan American , Frontier, Ozark, Braniff, Piedmont, Republic, Western, AirCal, ValuJet, ATA, TWA, and North Central.

Remember those popular car brands?: DeSoto, Hudson, Packard, Pinto, Studebaker, Dodge Dart, Nash Rambler, Gremlin, Corvair, Edsel, K-cars, Trans Am, Plymouth, Dodge, Mercury, Delorean, Pontiac, Buick, and the Oldsmobile.

Watch Twitter and my Facebook page starting tomorrow for examples from other categories such as fashion, fads, expressions, people, edibles, toys, books, TV shows, sports, dances, music groups, pop culture, ad slogans, electronics, technology, medicine, transportation, environment, places, and politics. I think you’re going to be overwhelmed at the number of changes you’ve been required to deal with in your lifetime. You’re quite the pro … you just weren’t aware of it until now!

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 Words That Could Change the World

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The title of this article is a little misleading. Let me correct that immediately. I want to share three words that, IF EXECUTED, could change the world! It, of course, requires that we close the proverbial “Knowing-Doing Gap.”

We’ve all been exposed to these three words for decades. Everyone knows what they are, everyone knows what they mean, and everyone knows how to execute them. However, in today’s rapidly changing, ever-chaotic environment, very few people attempt the actual execution. And that could very well be why this country is in the shape it’s in today.

By now, you may have figured out that the three words are: WALK THE TALK!

The following three-minute video explains it much better than I can. However, as you watch this moving message, I want you think about the impact which might result if it were mandatory for all members of the following organizations to not only watch the video but also execute the message!

  • All Washington Politicians
  • All State Politicians
  • All Members of Law Enforcement
  • All Wall Street Executives
  • All Wall Street Employees
  • All Medical Personnel
  • All Business Executives
  • All Business Owners
  • All Board Members
  • All Athletes in Every Sport
  • All Coaches and Staff
  • All Religious Leaders
  • All Members of the Entertainment Industry
  • All Members of the Military
  • All Parents
  • All Family Members

I hope by continuing this list to the extreme, I’ve made my point! Children no longer have role models to look up to. No one trusts anyone. A handshake or verbal agreement is laughable today. Marriages don’t last. People have lost faith in the greatest country in the world! What’s next?

Trying to solve the above challenges seems insurmountable. And yet, if each of us, individually, could focus on the execution of the message in this video, you would see massive change take place almost immediately! Take a look, see what you think, and begin today!

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.