What do the following Hollywood superstars have in common?

ANSWER: They all began their film careers at the bottom as “extras.” They started at the entry level of their chosen field and earned stardom which many would describe as “overnight success.” For the majority of those listed above, that “overnight success” took years and, in some cases, decades. They gained knowledge and experience, sought mentors, learned the rules of the game, and demonstrated perseverance against all odds.

The same scenario has been witnessed in most every field of endeavor … politics, sports, manufacturing, sales, military, finance, technology, health care, and the list goes on. This path to foundational strength is essential for success in today’s very competitive and ever-changing environment. And yet, sadly, it’s seldom discussed, much less encouraged, in high school and/or college classrooms across the country.

By the time an entry-level employee reaches his/her career battlefield today, most employers assume this traditional work ethic is well understood and about to be eagerly executed. Sadly, that seldom, if ever, occurs.

At a time when employment is difficult to secure, far too many applicants are ill-equipped to compete. When can we expect to see the re-emergence of the traditional work ethic that built this great country? I’m afraid it’s going to take a concerted effort by many — parents, teachers, employers, mentors, and leaders in every field. Until that happens, we will continue to struggle.

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.

Sports analogies have forever been utilized to prepare those in business for the competitive challenges evolving from global chaos. And for good reason. Where better to learn of the decisive impact of teamwork, motivation, communication, etc. and its influence on successful outcomes … for both individuals and organizations alike.

Sunday’s Women’s World Cup soccer final provided many lessons for those not only involved in the sports world but for anyone in the business world as well.

Let me be direct. Consider the following facts:

• This was Japan’s first appearance in the final of a major tournament!
• Japan had not beaten the Americans in their first 25 meetings!
• Japan suffered a pair of 2-0 losses to the U.S. team in warm-up games a month prior to the World Cup.
• Throughout the tournament, the Japanese teammates poignantly reminded the world that they were playing for their battered country, still reeling from the devastation of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami where nearly 23,000 people died or were reported missing.
• Several of their key players had considered skipping the World Cup this year as a result of the disaster. They changed their mind only at the last minute.
• They were hoping their success could provide even a small emotional lift to their nation.
• After each and every game, the team unfurled a banner which read: “To our Friends Around the World — Thank You for Your Support!”
• They paraded the banner prior to Sunday’s final as well. After the game, they unfurled another banner which read: “Champion — the First Asian country to win this title!”
• The odds were against them. Everything they read and heard predicted a U.S. domination of the final.
• They came from behind twice before winning this crucial final.

A closer study of this unique Japanese team will provide volumes on the subjects of teamwork, motivation, pride, determination, and focus.

Another valuable lesson appeared at the close of the game. While the U.S. team played a good game, they were beaten. Plain and simple. And they were shocked and devastated as their hopes for a Final World Cup victory were crushed. And yet, in the chaotic turmoil immediately following the end of the game, I watched several of the U.S. players approach their opponents with congratulatory hugs, handshakes and kind words … at a time when they probably would have preferred to be alone in their locker room drowning their sorrows. That says a great deal about the integrity and class of those young ladies. They served as a fine example for the millions around the world viewing this event. They’ll be back and they’ll be successful once again!

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’m the first to admit that today’s fast-paced world leaves very little time to stay abreast of what’s happening in the news.

However, know this! Leaders in every industry find time to do so. They either make time in their schedules to do so by delegating and empowering others to deal with less important tasks, OR they have someone to monitor current events and keep them informed. They’ve made a conscious decision that there is tremendous value in observing life outside our own realm.

We have one client that has actually created a team of three talented employees who do nothing but monitor the news, determine what can be learned from what’s happening, consider how their organization can benefit from adopting and/or adapting concepts and then making it happen.

Now, I’m certainly not suggesting that you copy other people and businesses. What they’ve done simply may not apply to your needs and goals. However, you can certainly use their accomplishments to stimulate your own thinking in new directions.

Many of today’s successful and accepted products and services were inspired by observing totally unrelated influences:

• Zip lock food-storage bags
• Pet-grooming shops
• Fed-Ex
• Henry Ford’s assembly
• Motown
• Velcro
• Camouflage
• Liquid Paper
• Snow shoes

The list goes on and on.

At a time when the economy, for so many reasons, has closed or down-sized more businesses than ever before, I’ve witnessed many organizations growing and prospering because they’ve followed the simple formula of Looking, Learning, Thinking and especially DOING!

In the past two weeks, the news has reported many examples of what I’m talking about:

Airline Industry

The airline industry reports $3.4 BILLION in bag fees over the past year! Not only is that up 24% over the previous year, but it’s also a major reason the industry made money after three consecutive years of losses. I’m not happy with the fees myself, but it’s a fact that this idea saved a floundering industry.

Southwest Airlines

At a time when everyone seems to be “waiting it out” in hopes that things may someday change, Southwest Airlines purchases AirTran to become the nation’s first megasize, low-cost airline. “Calculated” risk has often been the decisive factor in achieving success while others flounder.

Target

Target initiates an aggressive “full speed ahead” campaign at a time when the retail industry remains dormant and very cautious. Target is currently remodeling more than 400 stores, opening smaller urban stores to ward off the assault of the many dollar store chains, planning to expand to Canada, and totally overhauled its website … soon operating independently of Amazon. Target is also expanding its fresh food offering as well as adding a new higher-end clothing line and expanding its housewares line. Target is approaching today’s soft economy by taking action while so many of its competitors “play it safe.”

McDonald’s

Did you ever think you’d enter a fast food restaurant to find fire places, free WiFi, comfortable faux leather couches and chairs, or large flat-screen TVs? That’s all part of a $1 billion+ make-over that McDonald’s has planned for more than 14,000 of its U.S. locations. McDonald’s is even doubling the number of its drive-thrus. “McChanges” may just be the word to describe this ambitious game plan for the home of Ronald McDonald and his friends. By the way, this strategy was inspired by observing the emergence of the Apple stores. The CEO pointed out that “entering a new Apple store makes you feel as though you’ve actually entered an IPad and never want to leave. We want our customers to feel the same about their visit to any McDonald’s location.”

Do you see a common thread among these examples? Daring leaders in successful organizations are opting to “take action” to strive, survive, and succeed in one of the worst economies this nation has ever witnessed.

I’m not suggesting that you duplicate any of the efforts mentioned above. I’m suggesting that you watch these organizations closely to see what works and what may not work. Note their creativity, strategies, daring, and precise planning efforts. Then create a powerful strategy for yourself. “Sitting and waiting” is no longer a feasible strategy … it’s a “death wish.” Do something!

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.

If you’re a regular reader of USA Today, you’re more than likely familiar with its Snapshot Surveys. Some are simply humorous and others are useless trivia tidbits. However, every once in a while, you can find a survey that is informative, useful and even sometimes perplexing. I found one in today’s paper that was somewhat puzzling to me. I’m certain the figures were accurate; I’m just not sure why!

This particular survey was conducted by the Society of Human Resource Management. Human Resource professionals were asked what most concerned them most about their younger employees.

• 55% — Inappropriate clothing
• 54% — Poor work ethic
• 38% — Excessively informal language behavior
• 38% — Need for supervision
• 38% — Inappropriate use of/excess reliance on technology

I had to re-read this list several times to believe it! Apparently our younger generation is out of control, hopeless, and simply can’t be reigned in. Personally, I would be ashamed to admit that I was having to deal with any of the above issues!

The behaviors listed above are NOT the problems of today’s younger workforce. In fact, today’s young workforce is as creative, diligent, and productive as any in our history. Full responsibility for each of those behaviors lie solely with the leadership of any organization. Those conditions will NOT exist in any environment that focuses on CULTURE.

Three simple steps will insure that the above conditions will never exist in your organization.

• Expectations must be clearly established concerning accepted behaviors and performance of every member of the workforce.
• Accountability at every level must exist to insure that all established expectations are met by everyone in the organization.
• Consequences, as rewards and/or discipline, must be applied fairly to everyone based on their performance and execution of expectations.

How much more simple can it be? Time and time again, we have learned that organizations that faithfully practice these three strategies seldom, if ever, have to deal with the concerns listed above by Human Resource Professionals.

However, very few organizations have established and continue to maintain these simple but critical practices. How does your organization fare? If your workforce was asked to rate, on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being fully enforced, each of those three practices, what results would you see? Are you satisfied with those results? You might want to give this issue some serious thought!

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 title of today’s article is exactly what I want to say to so many business owners, C-Level Leaders (CEO-CFO-COO-CRO, etc.) and Board Directors!

I’m so tired of seeing so many companies downsize, reduce employee levels, and even go out of business … for the wrong reasons!

• Yes, the economy is at an all-time low!
• Yes, competition is tremendous!
• Yes, we have no leadership on Capitol Hill from either party!
• Yes, clients and customers have less to spend and are more demanding than ever!
• Yes, it’s challenging to find good employees!

HOWEVER, while every one of the above conditions can be crucial to the success of any business today, the two most obvious reasons for failure are not on that list!

1. Poor leadership!
2. Poor customer service!

While many will immediately dismiss these two elements for any number of unsubstantiated reasons, it takes only a moment to discover credible evidence to the contrary.

Let me give you an example that most of us have witnessed in our own communities. Best Buy vs. Circuit City.

Consider the following data:

• Both stores were usually located within a mile of one another.
• Both stores appeared very much the same inside and outside.
• Both stores served the same customer base.
• Both stores hired from the same potential employee base.
• Both stores carried pretty much the same product lines.
• Both stores charged relatively the same prices as they both price matched.

Consider this data and you can pretty much eliminate the majority of the initial reasons listed earlier for the failure of businesses today! Based on this data, how do you explain one company “busted” while another “boomed”?

As the world watched the demise of Circuit City, a large number of magazines wrote articles suggesting why this may have happened. Time Magazine was one of many that discovered the obvious. Here are a few of its findings:

1. Circuit City stopped selling appliances. (poor leadership and poor customer service)
2. It didn’t move as aggressively into gaming as it should have. (poor leadership and poor customer service)
3. It missed out on big in-store promotions with thriving companies like Apple Computer. (poor leadership and poor customer service)
4. Circuit City neglected to improve its Web presence, just as online retailers like Amazon.com were hitting their stride. (poor leadership and poor customer service)
5. Circuit City laid off its highest-paid hourly employees, including salespeople, and replaced them with cheaper workers. That same year, the CEO received $7 million in compensation. (poor leadership and poor customer service)
6. Circuit City became complacent — a fatal mistake in the fiercely competitive and fast-evolving business environment. (poor leadership and poor customer service)
7. Circuit City’s most obvious failing was its customer service. A quick Web search on “Circuit City complaints” would bring up hundreds of thousands of entries. (poor leadership and poor customer service)

I could go on and on, but at this point anything I might say would be redundant.

Sit down with your Board if you have one, your leadership team, and even your employees to discuss the obvious facts listed above. It doesn’t matter if you own one location or close to 600 like Circuit City. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been in business for less than a year or more than 60 years as Circuit City was at the time of its closing.

Apply this information to your own current situation and create an action plan to eliminate negatives and create and/or accentuate the needed positives you may discover.

You can do very little to impact or change the many excuses companies are using for not doing well today.

However, you can do a great deal to enhance the two areas which are most critical to your success … Good Leadership and Good Customer Service! Will you?

If you’d like some assistance, we travel all over North America assisting our clients in their enhancement efforts in both critical areas! Call us at 1-800-886-2629 today!

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 suffer from no illusion that I’m about to introduce you to some innovative strategy that will suddenly change your life. We’ve had at our disposal for generations a powerful tactic which can immediately reduce stress and redirect our lives in a more positive direction.

I’m certain at this point you’re probably thinking something like: “If that’s true, why don’t more people do just that?” Well, if I had the answer to that one, I’d be signing copies of my best seller in the lobby of New York City’s Barnes and Noble. In fact, that’s the million-dollar question in today’s chaotic world. Why don’t more people make an effort to enhance their lives when it costs nothing more than a mental re-frame of the way we think?

Let me share an example. I recently flew from Detroit to Miami to present a keynote presentation for a long-time client. As usual, this was one of those flights that are so common place for me. In the row ahead of me, across the aisle, was an elderly couple traveling with two, yes two, miniature dogs in cages which fit under the seats ahead of them. Directly in front of me was a couple with a young child who was peacefully sleeping as the plane took off.

Minutes into the flight, the two dogs began barking at each other for some reason. I don’t think they stopped until we landed in Miami. Two minutes in the air and the barking dogs woke the young girl in the seat in front of me and she began to cry. I’m sure she was attempting to drown out the annoying sounds of the barking animals.

Moments later the pilot blessed us with a dual announcement:

1. the Wi-Fi connection wasn’t working on this particular flight
2. we were heading into a storm front and would be experiencing some rough travel conditions ahead.

At this moment in my typical flight, I’m usually asking myself, “What else could possibly go wrong?” … which creates a negative attitude, which soon leads to a migraine headache. The perfect addition to barking dogs, a crying child, no Wi-Fi and a bumpy ride!

Well, over the years I’ve learned how to manipulate my re-frame abilities and search for a more positive mind-set. In doing so, I suddenly recognized the following facts:

• I’m sitting in a comfortable seat in a metal tube 50,000 feet (almost 10 miles) in the air with more than 200 fellow travelers!
• I’m traveling at more than 700 miles an hour! On the ground I’d get a speeding ticket for anything over 70 mph!
• Outside the plane the temperature is 35 below zero! I’m perfectly comfortable in the plane in shirt sleeves.
• I’m going to arrive in Miami in just three hours. If I were to drive the 1,411 miles non-stop, it would take me close to 24 hours!

Realizing the enormity of where I am, where I’m going and what I’m doing, I think I can weather the challenge of the barking canines and screaming youngster. I can live a few hours without my computer, and I have a seat belt to make the ride a lot smoother. I simply insert my dependable ear plugs, adjust my therapy neck support pillow, recline my seat, close my eyes and welcome the embrace of the Friendly Skies!

THAT’S a re-frame and every one of us are capable of doing the same thing whenever we choose. The question lies in why more of us don’t do it more often! Think about it. It’s YOUR choice!

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.

Like more than 110 million others, I watched Super Bowl XLV (#45) unfold on the Texas gridiron of Cowboys Stadium Sunday. News of this battle dominated our media for the week prior to the game and most of the day Sunday.

I played football in high school and in the military. I later coached the game and announced from the booth. In my current role, I’ve had the opportunity to work with two professional football teams. I’ve been an avid fan all my life so I thoroughly enjoyed the Big Game.

However, I found myself moved mentally and emotionally by several events other than the game itself.

1. As always, the commercials were phenomenal … creative, humorous, and even touching at times. Of course, they should have been as the advertisers were paying $6 million per minute to share them with viewers!
2. The entertainment was sensational from start to finish. Lea Michele, of “Glee” fame, kicked things off with a touching rendition of “America the Beautiful” followed by Christina Aguilera’s moving version of the “National Anthem.” In the excitement of the moment, Christina missed a few words but recovered quickly, finished with heart like the pro she is, and was thrilled to discover that many missed the mis-que and others didn’t care. Exquisite camera work and uncanny timing captured respectful tears flowing from the eyes of an emotional player during her performance.

Expectations had to be high for the halftime performance with names like Slash, Usher, and The Black Eyed Peas, and apparently they were met, judging by the audience reaction. The performance provided big names, great music, unique outfits, and terrific high-tech choreography by hundreds of extras.

The game itself couldn’t have offered much more in the way of excitement, execution, and edge-of-your-seat outcomes. The game went down to the last 30 seconds, providing fans of both teams with the anxiety only a tried and true fanatic could appreciate.

I mentioned earlier that I was mentally and emotionally moved by several events other than those I’ve mentioned. While there were several, they each had to do with the human aspect of Super Bowl week and how the entire country seemed to be focused on football and the celebration of the upcoming competition. We heard very little about the negativity that has plagued us for what seems forever. No one was debating healthcare or watching the unemployment numbers. You heard little about mortgages, the value of the dollar, terrorist attacks, trade balances, immigration, inflation, or politics. In fact, just prior to the game, conservative newsman Bill O’Reilly interviewed liberal President Barack Obama, and both were not only civil but actually friendly to one another … despite predictions to the contrary.

Though fierce competition was evident at every turn, it was apparent that everyone was good-natured about the upcoming game and everything involved with it. Everything else seemed to have been relegated to a back burner, at least for a short time, while people chose to focus on something more enjoyable. Stress levels were reduced, smiles and laughter increased, and it seemed nice to have something positive to look forward to.

When you think about it, all of this was a matter of choice on the part of each one of us. Maybe we should strive to choose more positive thinking, speaking and interacting a bit more often. Choice is one of the few things we do control. We choose where to place our focus. Maybe it’s time to examine our current choices and make an effort to create a few more “Super Bowl weeks” just a little more often. We’d all certainly benefit from it. Let’s start today!

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.

Can you imagine seeing a banner, boasting this message, flying over the main entrance to your local theater, hotel, hospital, bank or retail store? … Or maybe a TV commercial or a giant billboard declaring the “death of the customer”?

At first, that image may sound absurd … but is it really that far fetched? You may not see that message displayed as described above, but you’ve got to admit that it’s been amply declared by so many businesses across this nation today.

Think about it …

• Video rental stores generate a significant portion of their profits from late fees!
• Gifts and discounts are offered to new customers while withheld from long-time customers who have proven loyalty!
• Credit card companies approve rather than decline over-limit transactions and then charge the customer fees!
• Cellular providers lock customers into lengthy contracts rather than creating loyalty through good service.

The examples are never-ending, but the fact remains that customers today are shown less respect and appreciation than ever before. Ironically, this abuse is occurring at a time when competition is fierce and the business community is feeling the severe ill effects of today’s economic downturn.

If anything, there should be an increased focus on providing better customer service today than ever before! And yet, the level of good customer service continues to decline in most every industry.

A recent survey revealed a variety of reasons (excuses) for this growing trend—most of which were unacceptable and several which were simply too stupid to print here.

Apparently, employers aren’t providing expectations, guidelines, or training in the area of quality customer service.

Those who think they can’t afford employee training in these critical areas will soon face a harsh reality. They can’t afford NOT to prepare their staff to leave an indelible impression on potential and existing customers, even in today’s fast-paced, technological environment.

We’re experiencing an increase in requests for customer service seminars and customer service keynote presentations. Apparently many have learned that good customer service translates into repeat business, an increased bottom line, and your economic survival.

Your competitor may very well be one of those who have made this commitment to providing better service. Can you say the same?

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 just finished a book, Delivering Happiness, by Tony Hsieh (pronounced SHAY) who happens to be the 24-year-old multimillionaire CEO of online shoe and clothing shop Zappos.com. We’ll be posting the book review in the very near future.

However, in reading the book and doing some additional research on the author, I discovered something rather baffling about the human psyche. Actually, I’ve witnessed this anomaly for years, and yet it continues to mystify me.

After my recent research, I’m ready to place Tony Hsieh into a unique category with some pretty impressive company. That category would include such notable characters as: Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Jack Welch, Jim Collins, Lee Iacocca, Meg Whitman, Peter Drucker, President Obama, Ross Perot, Rush Limbaugh, Barbara Walters, Sam Walton, Stephen Covey, Tony Robbins, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, and Wayne Dyer, to name just a few.

Have you determined what these people have in common? It has nothing to do with career choices, religious preferences, political beliefs, age, color or creed. It’s true, they’re all educated, experienced, talented, accomplished, creative and outspoken. However, there’s something else.

In the arena of public opinion, each of those noted above fall into one of two categories. They are loved or despised (viewed with contempt)! It’s true. Very few, if any, would say they simply like these people. Each of them fall very solidly into one category or the other.

Sadly, there’s a major drawback to pigeonholing people. Let’s take a look at a harsh reality. Pick someone from the list above that you truly admire. If you’re like the majority of people in today’s society, you will have an inclination to believe everything that person says and does.

Now choose a name from that list that you might despise. In this case, you will have a tendency to believe absolutely nothing that person says or does. Therein lies the problem.

• We must strive to change our thinking here.
• No one is always right.
• No one is always wrong.
• The same holds true for religions, political parties, and business organizations.
• There may be a great deal to learn from someone you may not admire or agree with.
• And you shouldn’t necessarily believe and/or agree with everything simply because you hear it from someone you do admire and respect.

Take the case of Tony Hsieh. Here’s a young man with an impressive background, successful track record, and a creative mind who has created an empire built on great products, good prices, and an unequaled culture of customer service.

My research revealed that he has a fantastic following of employees, vendors, clients and business professionals who wholeheartedly believe in Tony, his philosophy, and everything he’s accomplished. They believe he’s a charismatic leader who has his best days ahead of him and, in the meantime, can do no wrong.

My research also revealed a good number of people who view this young man as a flippant, self-centered, cult leader who came from an extremely privileged background which paved his way to a snooty high school and then on to Harvard. Therefore, his entire career was handed to him on a silver platter. He’s too close to his employees and treats them all as though they were fellow partygoers.

My point is this. I believe there may be some truth in both sides of this story … as there is in so many other scenarios in today’s world. Our challenge is to look at every person and organization we come into contact with and seek out the useful information which may assist us in achieving our personal goals. Most everyone has something to offer us. We must not turn a deaf ear to this information because we don’t approve of the source.

On the other hand, don’t make the sometimes fatal mistake of believing that someone is 100% correct on every issue for the simple reason that we approve of the person and/or organization as an infallible source.

Look for the good, ignore all else. The value you’ll receive will be priceless.

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.