Fortune Magazine has been publishing the Fortune 500 list, an annual compilation of America’s 500 largest companies, since 1955. That was the year Disneyland opened and Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were born.

Since 1955, more than 2,000 companies have earned a spot on the list, but in 55 years only three have achieved the number one slot: General Motors, ExxonMobil and Wal-Mart.

While this probably comes as no surprise, 2008 was the worst year in the history of the Fortune 500 for America’s largest companies. From $645 billion in profits in 2007, profits dropped this year to just $98.9 billion—an 84.7% decline!

Every year about this time, Fortune Magazine updates its many loyal readers with its exclusive list of Fortune 500 companies. It not only ranks America’s largest corporations in a 62-page spread but also offers a tremendous amount of information about what’s happening with these organizations.

Of course, the big news story every year is who is #1? This year ExxonMobil’s surge unseated Wal-Mart from the #1 spot. After holding the top spot for six of the past seven years, Wal-Mart plummeted into second place. Of course, I say that tongue-in-cheek as Wal-Mart has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. It achieved healthy growth of 7.1% in 2008 as much of its competition struggled or even disappeared. It produced revenues of $405,607,000 (four hundred and five BILLION, six hundred and seven thousand dollars!) To add substance to that figure, consider the fact that Wal-Mart’s revenues surpassed those of the other nine general merchandisers in their category combined. It fact, its top ten competitors generated revenues of $205 billion compared to Wal-Mart’s $405 billion! Look for them to regain that #1 position next year.

Here are some other interesting tidbits which reflect the current pulse of our nation.

• Three of the top four Fortune 500 companies this year were oil companies! Duh!
• Eleven of the top 25 largest corporate losses in list history took place last year.
• Fifteen women ran Fortune 500 companies in 2008, an all-time high.
• The top money loser this year was AIG (American International Group) which suffered losses of $99 billion! Yes, ninety-nine billion … making AIG Fortune 500′s biggest moneypit of all time!
• Southwest placed fourth in revenues in the airlines category. However, revenues are impacted greatly by the size of the organization and reflect the number of dollars earned. Southwest did, however, place first in profits with $178 million—the only airline that did not report a loss.
• Fortune’s best recession investment makes a lot of sense when you consider the current state of the economy. Of the 24 Fortune 500 companies that saw their stock rise last year, Dollar Tree led the pack with a 61% return, making them this year’s best recession investment. Not surprisingly, Family Dollar came in second with a 39% return. I guess we know where Americans are shopping during tough times.
• Another record was broken this year as there was an 84.7% drop in the 500′s 2008 profits!
• Here’s another interesting fact which reflects the country’s current state of mind. During a recession, car repairs ramp up as consumers put off new car purchases. AutoZone, which sells auto parts and accessories, rewarded investors with the highest return on equity of any 500 company last year: 279%!
• Interesting note: In the category of beverages, Coca-Cola ranked first, Coca-Cola Enterprises ranked second and Pepsi Bottling ranked third. However, in the category of food consumer products, PepsiCo ranked first thanks to brand contributions from Fritos, Lays, Ruffles, Cheetos, Doritos, Tostitos, Cracker Jacks, Rold Gold, Quaker, Tropicana, and Gatorade.
• Harvard and the University of Wisconsin both boast 11 CEO alums on this year’s Fortune 500 list.

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational 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 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

While we continue to see, hear and read nothing but negativity when it comes to the U.S. business scene … fear not, all is certainly not lost! There are a number of organizations, across industries, that continue to do well in spite of today’s chaotic environment.

Here are just a few examples.

• McDonalds: The U.S. fast-food giant reports that same-store sales are up 6.8%, lifted by growing demand from consumers seeking low-cost meals in a deepening global recession.
• Google: The Wall Street Journal reports that Google is still doing well and is firmly positioned to weather the economic storm that has been so detrimental to competitors.
• Wal-Mart: The world’s largest retailer reported strong sales … an obvious bright spot in an otherwise gloomy retail market. U.S. same-store sales increased 5.1%, and its stock enjoyed its highest close since March of 2005!

I could go on, but I think the point is quite obvious. The media has and always will focus on the negative side of any issue. That approach attracts advertisers, sells papers, and garners attention. However, examples such as those noted above occur in every industry, and we should be searching for the reasons why … in hopes of duplicating those success stories.

In researching these organizations and others experiencing similar results, there are several common threads to be found. Here’s one that’s short and to the point. It’s a strong combination of sense of urgency, tenacity, execution, and closing the knowing-doing gap.

CUT to the Chase
C ollect
U tilize
T enaciously Execute and Follow Through

Collect:
Assemble the right people, information, data, processes, tips, tools, strategies, experience, education, and technology.

Utilize:
It’s one thing to possess what you need—it’s another thing to actually use it. Close the knowing-doing gap.

Tenaciously Execute and Follow Through:
Develop a sense of urgency, get it done and prepare for the next challenge.

Many organizations and individuals simply refuse to acknowledge that some strategies—short and simple as they may appear—can be powerful, productive and profitable if only executed properly. If in doubt, research those, in every industry, that are proving it.

The gathering storm in the U.S. economy can and is being weathered. The choice is yours!

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational 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 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

At any given time there are several business trends emerging within the business community. This has been going on for what seems like forever. Many have passed the test of time and are still being utilized by organizations large and small. The following list includes just a sample of those strategies available today.

• JIT
• MBO
• PIMS
• Kaizen
• 6-Sigma
• Gap Analysis
• ISO Strategies
• Reengineering
• Empowerment
• Bench-marking
• Quality Circles
• Psychographics
• Strategic Alliances
• Pay-4-Performance
• Core Competencies
• Cycle Time Reduction
• Horizontal Organizations

In the ever-growing quest for excellence, new strategies are constantly being formulated as a result of continual efforts. Based on current trends, emerging studies, and an array of recently published books, two powerful strategies are currently gaining recognition across industries. However, neither are new. While both have been around for a while, neither have enjoyed acceptance or support until just recently. In spite of that fact, be prepared to see and hear a great deal more about Engagement and Execution as they have both recently demonstrated great success for those who have successfully implemented them.

Effective employee Engagement and consistent Execution can and will provide the sustainable EDGE all organizations seek during today’s chaotic business environment. We’ve been providing articles on both strategies and will continue to do so as we strive to assist our clients and readers Achieve the Maximum®.

If you’re a regular reader of our blog, you’re probably familiar with our many references to the need to close the knowing-doing gap. This action is, in essence, the focus on Execution.

Engagement can best be summed up by a quote from Control Your Destiny or Someone Else Will. Jack Welch, himself, attempts a final explanation of what’s really needed for success:

“I think any company that’s trying to play in this generation has got to find a way to engage the mind of every single employee. Whether we make our way successfully down this road is something only time will tell—but I’m sure this is the right road. If you’re not thinking all the time about making every person more valuable, you don’t have a chance! What’s the alternative? Wasted minds? Uninvolved people? A labor force that’s angry or bored? That doesn’t make sense! If you’ve got a better way, show me! I’d love to know what it is!”

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational 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 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

I want to keep this short and to the point in hopes that it will sink in. I’m going to tell you something that is truly hard to believe! The sad truth is the fact that very few people will read this message for the following reasons.

1. Those who should be reading this will never see these words for the simple reason that it takes action to do so.
2. Those not included above are too busy making things happen to take the time to read this. Thankfully, this group doesn’t need to hear this message because they’re living it.

There are those in today’s business world who take great pride and joy in the fact that they can call themselves a CEO, President, V.P., Supervisor, etc. These people are sitting comfortably at their desks waiting for the phone to ring or a knock on the door bringing in much-needed business to survive this much publicized recession. Those people will not survive the recession.

The next few quotes support the message that you must take action if you want to see results. Heaven help those sitting at their desk waiting for the phone to ring! Do something!

• “A year from now you may wish you had started today.” ~ Karen Lamb
• “The key to getting ahead is getting started.” ~ Agatha Christie
• “ACTION is the foundational key to all success.” ~ Picasso
• “We have a strategic ‘plan.’ It’s called doing something.” ~ Herb Kelleher, Southwest Airlines
• “This is so simple it sounds stupid, but it is amazing how few oil people really understand that YOU ONLY FIND OIL IF YOU DRILL WELLS! You may think you’re finding it when you’re drawing maps and studying logs but you have to drill!” ~ John Masters, Canadian wildcatter, from his book, The Hunters.

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational 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 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

I know you’re terribly busy today with so much going on in these chaotic times. However, it might be interesting, educational and even entertaining to invest a few moments to sit with your children and discuss the history changing events that are currently taking place in your community.

Discuss the days when downtown was the happening place to be. I live not far from the capital city of our state, and I can vividly remember how busy and vibrant the crowded streets were at any given time. Eight downtown theaters and two bowling alleys provided entertainment day and night. Today, they’re all gone. Sears, J.C. Penney, Montgomery Wards, S.S. Kresge, F.W. Woolworth, W.T. Grant, Cunningham Drugs, Ben Franklin and many more lined the cobblestone streets. Today, not one of those gems has survived the ravage assault of that treasured landscape. Twenty-one restaurants (without bars) were always packed. Today, we have nine bars which happen to serve food. What happened?

Strip shopping plazas and centers starting popping up in the suburbs, providing easy access to those who once had to travel into town to shop, eat and entertain themselves.

It wasn’t long until the mammoth shopping malls emerged on the scene allowing you to shop to your heart’s content, safe from inclement weather conditions, enjoy every type of food available, and see your favorite movie at any one of 20 screens.

Today, we’re witnessing the fall of the mall as online shipping provides us with a wide variety of products, discount prices, and free shipping from most anywhere in the world—all without leaving the comfort of our living rooms.

It’s all well and good for consumers but mall culture in the United States—at least as we know it—is coming to an end. As malls across the country start to fade into obsolescence, what is to become of these massive structures which were once home to our favorite retailers? Well, keep your eyes peeled because the transformation has already begun since landlords simply can’t afford to board up storefronts day after day. Not only are they losing precious income but those abandoned stores are sending a bleak message to shoppers that times are a-changin’.

While numerous shopping malls have actually closed their doors due to the exodus of their occupants such as Steve & Barry’s, others have focused on creating a more useful, long-term multipurpose community space in hopes of luring local shoppers back to what was once a family comfort zone.

Some have chosen to add pedestrian walkways, outdoor dining, and even residential units to those retailers who are still operating under the hope that the market will return. Colleges, churches, bowling alleys and even museums have all found their way into the mall community. Look for insurance companies, law offices, doctors, dentists, financial institutions, tattoo artists, hair stylists, photographers, day care, and auto repair shops to fill the ever-increasing vacancies. Batting cages, amusement rides, and paint ball battlegrounds have invaded some mall sites. There have even been reports of hospitals, funeral homes, and car dealers taking advantage of the reduced real estate opportunities.

The mall is changing … of that there is no doubt. How may be another question as we are currently witnessing both the fall of the mall and the sprawl of the mall. Watch closely as history unfolds in shopping meccas as it seems to be doing everywhere else.

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational 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 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

I recently had an opportunity to visit the library of a major university and must admit I was a bit overwhelmed by the resources available to our students today. This library was so large they had to paint lines of various colors on the floor to guide you to your destination.

Upon arrival, I immediately beelined to the leadership/management stacks to see what they had to offer. This particular librarian must find it difficult to part with older titles because I discovered hundreds, yes hundreds, of titles in this particular category.

What I found amusing, as well as intriguing, was the fact that so many authors utilized a “hook” in form of celebrity names to get the attention of potential buyers. Be it a business leader, politician, military leader, TV program, religious leader, or cartoon character, they’ve all been associated with leadership or management in hopes of increasing sales. For instance, within a few shelves I found the following titles:

• Churchill on Leadership
• Leadership Lessons from Star Trek
• Moses on Management
• Shakespeare on Management
• Leadership Lessons of Robert E. Lee
• Patton on Leadership
• The Leadership Genius of Sitting Bull
• Business Leadership the Marine Corps Way
• Bart Starr: When Leadership Mattered
• Vince Lombardi on Leadership
• Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun
• The Leadership Secrets of Genghis Khan
• Toy Box Leadership
• Leading People the Black Belt Way
• Swordless Samurai Leadership
• Lee Iacocca’s Where Have All the Leaders Gone?
• And there were many, many more … especially in the Presidential arena.

These titles don’t even begin to include the hundreds of standard leadership and management books which constantly line the shelves.

However, returning to the above list … do you really think each of those so-called “celebrity experts” are offering something new and unusual in this crucial area? If you had the time to sit down and actually compare content, you might be surprised at the amount of repetition you’d discover. There are, of course, many different approaches to leadership. However, there aren’t so many that hundreds of books are required to describe them all. There is a great deal of duplication in theory.

Even though theories may differ, the majority of what’s offered today has been proven to be successful to various degrees. Why then do we see so many businesses fall by the wayside every year? In fact, while there were more than 671,000 new businesses opened last year, 544,800 closed down!

The problem does NOT lie in a lack of theories, strategies, tips, tools, or programs. Most all business leaders are well aware of what it takes to flourish in today’s chaotic business environment. They also know how other organizations have reached a level of achievement in the past. The problem lies in a lack of execution.

We address this issue in many of our seminars, keynotes and leadership boot camps. We’ve discussed it at great length on our website and blog. We call it the “knowing-doing gap.” While the closure of this gap is crucial to your future success, few organizations seem to address it.

In research for his recent book, Execution Revolution, author Gary Harpst discovered:

• An astounding 90% of well-formulated strategies fail due to poor execution!
• Only 5% of employees understand their corporate strategy! Unbelievable!
• Only 3% of executives think their company is very successful at executing strategies, while 62% think they’re only moderately successful, or worse.

In short, read all you want on the subject of programs such as Baldrige, Lean and TQM. You’ll find the subject matter interesting, and you’ll enjoy learning about the many successes of those who have successfully executed such programs.

Read about knowledge management, data mining tools and scorecards for performance measurement and management. You’ll learn a great deal.

Investigate new models of training and employee development as well as personal and executive coaching. In the end, you will have read, researched, investigated and probably learned much. Now you KNOW what to do. However, you have invested a great deal of time, energy and effort to no avail at this point. True success and ROI emerges only when you successfully execute what you’ve learned. The “knowing-doing gap” must be closed at every level of the organization in order to enjoy true success.

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational 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 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

When you have to settle for a “single” at Wendy’s because the “double” will put you over your weekly meal allowance, it’s nice to discover that our national financial crisis is reigning despair on billionaires as well.

According to Forbes Magazine, last year the world had 1,125 billionaires. Today, there are 793. Somehow $1.4 trillion vanished.

The richest people in the world have gotten poorer, just like the rest of us. This year the world’s billionaires have an average net worth of $3 billion, down 23% in 12 months.

The world’s top three richest men have been playing musical chairs the past decade. They’ve been politely allowing the other two to enjoy the notoriety provided by that #1 position atop the list of the world’s richest. They seem to patiently wait their turn to return to that coveted position of #1.

This year Bill Gates III lost $18 billion but regained his title as the world’s richest man. Warren Buffett, last year’s #1, saw his fortune decline $25 billion as shares of Berkshire Hathaway fell nearly 50% in 12 months. Mexican telecom titan Carlos Slim Helú maintains his spot in the top three but lost $25 billion.

If you’d like a greater, in-depth glance at Bill Gates III and Warren Buffet, click on their names for our blog bios. Both have been featured in our series “Little-known Facts about Well-known Leaders.”

Below you’ll find a quick overview of the top three richest men and what’s happened to them over the past year.

#1: William Gates III

• Net Worth: $40 billion
  (Down from $58 billion last year; was #3.)
• Source: Microsoft/U.S.
• Age 53. Married, three children.
• Software visionary regains title as the world’s richest man despite losing $18 billion in the past 12 months. Now devoting his talents and riches to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

#2: Warren Buffett

• Net Worth: $37 billion
  (Was #1 last year, lost $25 billion over the past year.)
• Source: Investments/U.S.
• Age 78. Widowed, remarried; three children.
• Last year America’s most beloved investor was the world’s richest man. This year he has to settle for second place after losing $25 billion in 12 months. Shares of Berkshire Hathaway are down 45% since last March.

#3: Carlos Slim Helú

• Net Worth: $35 billion
  (Was #2 last year, lost $25 billion over the past year.)
• Source: Telecom/Mexico
• Age 69. Widowed, six children.
• Economic downturn and plunging peso shaved $25 billion from the fortune of Latin America’s richest man.

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational 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 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

The three men pictured here have been playing musical chairs for quite some time in their pursuit of the title of the richest man on the planet. That title has been extremely competitive in recent months.

The man in the middle, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, is Warren Buffett who currently holds that title as his fortune recently swelled to an estimated $62 billion … up $10 billion from a year ago. That massive increase puts Buffett ahead of his close friend and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who was the richest man in the world for 13 straight years.

The man on the right is Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim Helu who currently reigns as the second-richest man on earth with an estimated net worth of $60 billion … up $11 billion since last year. His fortune has doubled in the past two years.

The man on the left, of course, is Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates who is currently worth $58 billion, up $2 billion from last year, placing him in the position of the world’s third richest man. Gates would have been perhaps as rich–or richer–than Buffett had Microsoft not made a recent unsolicited bid for Yahoo!

Warren Buffett, admired and respected by many in the business world, is indeed unique among today’s investors and leaders. To learn more about “why” this is true, check out one of our most recent book reviews The TAO of Warren Buffett or his captivating bio at Little-known Facts about Well-known Leaders – Warren Buffett.

For example, Buffett recently issued a challenge to members of the Forbes 400 richest Americans list, saying he would donate $1 million to charity if the collective group (or a significant number of them) would admit they pay less taxes, as a percentage of income, than their secretaries.

A leader of this caliber should be in Washington, D.C. where he’d really shake things up.

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational 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 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

I often wonder if we live on the same planet or in the same dimension as those within the beltway in Washington. Don’t they have access to the same newspapers and magazines that we do? Do their TVs have no news channels? Do they not visit the areas they represent? Do they not hear from those they supposedly serve?

I’m constantly hearing the top leadership in the nation, from both parties, tell us that “We are not in a recession!” or “Thing’s are looking up!” or “It’s only a matter of time” or “Elect us and we’ll change things!”

If you have eyes and ears, it doesn’t take long to discover that few people in this country agree with these claims. Let’s take a look at a few of the situations which may contribute to these feelings:

• The most recent AP poll declared that “81% feel America is headed in the wrong direction!”
• Detroit’s own home town newspaper recently produced a glaring headline that dominated much of the front page. It read: “Auto Sales Plunge to Worst in 15 Years!” 

Major Job Cuts Continue

Airlines

Northwest Airlines says that it’s cutting an additional 2,500 jobs; Delta Airlines is cutting 4,000 jobs; Continental will cut 3,000 jobs; United Airlines is trimming 950 pilots; Air Canada is cutting 2,000 jobs; Air Tran is cutting 300 flight attendants and 180 pilots, ATA announces 260 job cuts, and Frontier Airlines cuts 600 jobs. Can you imagine how difficult it will be for these airlines if times gets tough?

Siemens

Many people have heard the name Siemens but few realize how much it impacts our lives here in the U.S. The Munich-based conglomerate is improving America’s infrastructure through technology and innovation in medical, power, automation and control, transportation, information and communications, lighting, building technologies, water technologies and services and home appliances. Siemens employs 70,000 employees in the U.S. and 400,000 worldwide. In a bid to streamline its operations and deeply cut costs, Siemens plans to cut 16,750 jobs, accounting for 4.2% of its workforce worldwide. The industrial conglomerate said the cuts would include 12,600 administrative jobs as well as 4,150 positions at other units.

Steve & Barry’s

Here’s a discount retailer that took the world by storm just a very short time ago. It arrived on the scene with a storybook history offering customers from coast to coast quality products at tremendously discounted prices. Steve & Barry’s offered several lines designed by such celebrities as Sarah Jessica Parker, Amanda Bynes, Venus Williams, Stephon Marbury and the WWE. Industry experts said the “perfect storm” of a poor economy, razor-thin profit margins, growing too fast too quick, and too many celebrity relationships combined to cause this unexpected calamity. The company, with 275 stores in 40 states, opened 10 new stores this year and had plans for at least 10 more in the near future. To learn more about Steve & Barry’s storied beginning, simply click on Little-known Facts about Well-known Businesses – Steve & Barry’s.

Starbucks

Here’s another shocker. After years of ambitious expansion, the coffee retailer plans to close 600 U.S. stores, most of which were opened only in the last two years. Starbucks says it will try to place affected employees in neighboring coffee shops.

Rite-Aid

The third largest drugstore chain in the U.S., operating more than 5,000 stores in 31 states with 116,000 associates, Rite Aid announced that it will be closing 28 stores and re-evaluating dozens of others that aren’t earning their keep. This action comes at a time when Americans are used to seeing Rite-Aid seemingly open a new location on every corner.

Foot Locker

With income down 78% last year, this gigantic shoe retailer is running for the hills. Formally known as the Venator Group, it evolved from merger of the F.W. Woolworth CO. and Kinney Shoes. It operates 3,785 stores in 20 countries. After announcing the closure of 274 stores last year, Foot Locker recently added an additional 140 stores to that list.

Disney Stores

The Walt Disney Co. announced earlier this year that it was assuming management of 220 Disney Stores in North America that had previously been run by Children’s Place. It plans to close 98 of those U.S. stores and two in Canada.

Linens ‘N Things

Employing 7,500 employees, the #1 large-format retailer of home textiles, housewares, and decorative home accessories in the U.S., boasts 571 stores in 47 states and six in Canadian provinces. Earlier this year it announced a Chapter 11 filing followed by plans to close 120 underperforming stores.

All I can say is that it’s a good thing for these companies that we’re not in a recession. Did you note a hint of sarcasm there? We’ll all be better off when leaders in key positions stop denying the current crisis and start taking action to address it.

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational 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 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

I recently made the challenging trek to Lost Wages, Nevada (also known as “City of Lights” – “Glitter Gulch” – “Sin City” – “The City That Never Sleeps” – oh, and Las Vegas) to speak at an annual meeting. It was 110 to 112 degrees every day! New casinos were going up everywhere. There was no sign of recession or depression anywhere.

I’ve been coming to Vegas for decades, and while it looks different every time you get off the plane, some things simply never change. This town is full of gambling devices … roulette wheels, crap tables, slot machines, and wedding chapels!

I personally don’t drink or gamble and seldom have time to make it to pool side at these events so I skipped the obligatory “Cooks’ Tour” … getting baked in the sun, stewed at the bar and burned at the crap tables!

One of the challenges for anyone flying from east to west is the time change. It’s interesting to leave Detroit at noon and arrive in Vegas at 1 p.m. It certainly doesn’t feel like a mere hour of flight time and, of course, it isn’t. The non-stop flight is actually 4 hours and 11 minutes, which feels more like 4 days and 11 hours. Add the hour you must arrive early prior to the flight, another hour for the usual delay and the eternity between touching down and actually arriving at your gate, and you’re pushing close to 7 hours.

I learned long ago to come prepared by bringing my laptop and the enormous stack of magazines and newspapers I review weekly to keep current on business news, political situations, and world events. However, on this particular trip I think I may have overdosed on negative news. In the future, I think I’ll be limiting myself to just a few sources a day. Here’s some of what I learned on this trip.

12,000 Laptops Lost Each Week! (624,000 Per Year!)

A new study by the Ponemon Institute estimates that about 12,000 laptops are lost every week (based on interviews with officials at 106 American airports). That same study revealed that half of all the business travelers surveyed said they fly regularly with important information on their laptops. Most of them—more than two thirds—don’t use any type of security system in the event that laptops are lost or stolen. Eventually, one of those laptops is going to be loaded with our Social Security numbers and names. I wonder what they do with all those computers?

Growing Trend

The Wall Street Journal reports that many small towns and community colleges are switching to four-day workweeks in an effort to help employees cope with the rising gasoline prices and could soon be joined by some larger local governments. Expect to see this trend become the norm if something isn’t done about oil prices.

Waterless Washing Machines?

BusinessWeek reports that researchers at Xeros, a British company linked to the University of Leeds, have developed a machine that washes a regular laundry load using as little as one cup of water, about 1% of the 10 to 15 gallons a typical washer requires. The machine uses tiny plastic chips and a bit of detergent to rub dirt from clothes, which emerge virtually dry—and extremely clean. According to research, washing machines in Britain alone consume about 120 million gallons daily, enough to fill 145 Olympic-size swimming pools!

Bye-bye, Billy

In one of the most carefully orchestrated transitions in corporate history, 52-year-old Microsoft Chairman William H. Gates, third richest man on earth, walked away from his day-to-day duties at the company he co-founded. He plans to spend more time working on philanthropy. He will continue to play a key role in Microsoft’s biggest long-term technical bets.

Going to the Dogs

Real estate baroness Leona Helmsley apparently earned her famous nickname, “The Queen of Mean,” by the way she treated her staff. However, following her death, she left instructions that her estate, estimated to be up to $8 billion, be spent on the care and welfare of dogs. The Humane Society of the U.S. and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said they will be suggesting programs for applying the funds in the most productive method.

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