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Is It Just Me? Harry K. Jones on 18 Apr 2008

Are We Going Crazy?

Every now and then I read something in the newspaper that leads me to believe that I’m being “punked.”

The following comments recently appeared in The Washington Times. I had to verify it via a number of other resources. Let me remind you that this is another decision that was suggested, agreed upon, and carried out by the people that WE have sent to Washington, D.C. to represent our best interests. You may have to read it twice to believe it!

Passport“The United States has outsourced the manufacturing of its electronic passports to overseas companies — including one in Thailand that was victimized by Chinese espionage — raising concerns that cost savings are being put ahead of national security, an investigation by The Washington Times has found.

Lawmakers said they were alarmed by The Times’ findings and plan to investigate why U.S. companies weren’t used to produce the state-of-the-art passports, one of the crown jewels of American border security.
 
Officials at GPO, the Homeland Security Department and the State Department played down the many obvious concerns, saying they are confident that regular audits and other protections already in place will keep terrorists and foreign spies from stealing or copying the sensitive components to make fake passports.”

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

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Is It Just Me? Harry K. Jones on 11 Apr 2008

Can We Afford a Penny?

Motivational speaker Harry K. Jones has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management.Some things are so simplistic they become too complicated to comprehend. I often find myself just shaking my head in total bewilderment. This happens most often with governmental issues. I’ve been watching this particular situation for quite some time now, and it continues to worsen. See if it makes any ¢ENTS to you.
 
Last year, I read an article proclaiming that the cost to produce a U.S. penny had risen to 1.23 cents per coin and the cost to produce our nickel rose to 5.73 cents per coin! Please take just a second to reread that sentence and see if you can stop your shaking your head as I did.

Wait … it gets even more preposterous, if that’s possible. Today, I read an article in the Chicago Tribune that the soaring cost of zinc, copper, and nickel as well as processing, labor and transportation costs has once again increased those cost numbers! It now costs the U.S. Mint 1.7 cents to make each penny and 10 cents to make a nickel! The dime and the quarter are still worth more than their cost of production — the dime costs 7 cents to make and the quarter checks in at 10 cents — but that could very well increase if the globe commodities surge continues.
 
PennyYou’d better sit down for this one. The Mint is one of the few government agencies that makes a profit! The Federal Reserve, which distributes money to banks, pays face value for coins. If a coin costs less to manufacture than the face value, the Mint makes a profit. Last year, the Mint’s coin-making profit was $730 million. Mint officials estimate the added penny and nickel expenses will reduce the Mint’s profit this year by $45 million. Officials report that Congress is unlikely to consider changes, given that the Mint is still making money on other coins.
 
The head of the U.S. Mint is scheduled to address a change in the composition of coins on Capitol Hill next week, but one lawmaker has already suggested another plan: scrap the penny altogether. An intense debate is anticipated as this subject has generated a great deal of controversy within the beltway.
 
Wouldn’t you really enjoy sitting in on that exchange of cerebral verbiage? What is there to discuss? Our government is currently spending MORE to make the money than the money is WORTH? How long can this phenomenon continue before a Congressional investigation reveals still another addition to our already gargantuan budget deficit? And the Beltway Braintrust wonders why more people vote for American Idol than they do for the President of the United States.

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

Is It Just Me? Harry K. Jones on 10 Mar 2008

Additional Obvious Questions

Motivational speaker Harry K. Jones has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management.There are far too many questions out there in our everyday routines that need to be asked. I’m not talking about questions that will end wars, abolish poverty, cure all diseases, or eliminate the world’s problems. I’m talking about the questions that drive us crazy due to their simplicity and the questions that absolutely no one seems to be able to answer. Just about the time I think I’ve heard them all, I come across a new supply. Check these out.

  • Why is it an American citizen will cross the ocean to fight for democracy but won’t cross the street to vote in a national election?
  • If a train station is where the train stops, what is a work station?
  • What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
  • How do “Do not walk on the grass!” signs get there?
  • Why do the tennis shoes I need today go on sale next week?
  • Why do sick children recover miraculously when the pediatrician enters the treatment room?
  • Why do refrigerated items that we use daily gravitate toward the back of the refrigerator?
  • Why do emergency bulletins never interrupt a commercial?
  • Why do the doctors who keep you waiting the longest have the dullest magazines?
  • Why is it nothing you order by mail ever looks as good in the picture as it does in the catalogue or online?
  • Why do you always find someone home when you dial a wrong number?
  • Why do you never have the exact change when you get to the toll booth that requires exact change?

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

Is It Just Me? Harry K. Jones on 11 Feb 2008

Even More Obvious Questions

Motivational speaker Harry K. Jones has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management.There are far too many questions out there in our everyday routines that need to be asked. I’m not talking about questions that will end wars, abolish poverty, cure all diseases, or eliminate the world’s problems. I’m talking about the questions that drive us crazy due to their simplicity and the questions that absolutely no one seems to be able to answer. It seems like there’s no end to these questions as I discover new ones constantly.

  • What if there were no hypothetical questions?
  • Why is it that when you’re driving and looking for an address, you turn down the volume on the radio?
  • If they wanted us to eat it, then why would they name it succotash?
  • Why is it if there are only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers?
  • What don’t we have a constitutional amendment that declares anything said in a campaign commercial to be under oath?
  • Why does a friend or family member say “Yuck! This is awful!!” and then tell you to try some?
  • Why is it that the chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpeting/rug?
  • What was the best thing before sliced bread?
  • Why do we say something is out of whack? What’s a whack?
  • When you open a bag of cotton balls, is the top one meant to be thrown away?
  • Why don’t sheep shrink when it rains?
  • If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

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

Is It Just Me? Harry K. Jones on 11 Jan 2008

VETTE-tacular vs. Feasible

Every now and then I come across something that simply doesn’t make any sense at all. I can deal with that. After all, that’s life. What really bothers me is the fact that I seem to be the only one who doesn’t get it. Everyone else will see it, hear it or read it and never say a word. I don’t understand that.

For instance, General Motors just shared an unusual announcement with the world. It was in all the newspapers and magazines, on TV and radio, and, of course, all over the Internet. Everyone on earth seemed to accept it at face value, and I still don’t understand it. Let me share the news with you and see what you think. However, before doing that, please consider the following facts.

  1. More Horsepower = greater amount of gas guzzled.
  2. The average speed limit in the United States is somewhere between 55 and 70 miles per hour.
  3. Considering today’s economy, money is somewhat tight for the average American.

2009 Corvette ZR1Now consider GM’s latest news release. The fastest, most powerful and most expensive Chevy Corvette ever will roar to life at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month. Boasting a 620-plus horsepower V8 engine, a speedometer that tops out at around 220 mph and a price expected to be around $100,000, the 2009 Corvette ZR1 is being marketed as the ultimate Corvette.

Now review the three facts I shared earlier as you attempt to answer the following questions:

  1. Can anyone afford the gas required to operate this monster?
  2. Where will you drive this Vette at 220 miles per hour?
  3. Who can afford a car payment equivalent to a house payment?
  4. How many of those “supercars” do you think they’ll sell?
  5. Is it just me?

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

Is It Just Me? Harry K. Jones on 05 Nov 2007

Dire Need for Leadership

Motivational speaker Harry K. Jones has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management.Some people have an uncanny knack for good timing, and Lee Iacocca certainly falls into that category. I’ve reviewed his latest best seller, Where Have All the Leaders Gone?, on our web site and shared a few excerpts from those pages here on our blog. I think his choice of a title has really seized the attention of many in today’s chaotic environment. We’re reminded daily in the media that his rhetorical question is becoming more applicable every day and the answer to that question is alluding us more and more at the same time. The examples are ceaseless and many are reaching the level of being hard to believe. For instance:

Headlines and news reports revealed that screeners at many of the nation’s busiest airports failed to find fake bombs hidden on undercover agents posing as passengers in numerous tests. Screeners at Los Angeles International Airport missed 75% of simulated explosives and bomb parts that were hidden under clothing or in carry-on bags in more than 70 tests! That means that 3 out of 4 potential terrorists made it safely through security and onto planes with their bombs. Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport wasn’t much better as screeners missed 60% of hidden bomb materials in the 75 attempts that were made there! While this is obviously frightening to anyone who hears it, it’s also rather ironic.

On my recent trip to Seattle, I set off the alarms as I attempted to board my flight and was required to go through the apparatus a second time. Again alarms. I was taken into another line to be searched more extensively. It was quickly discovered that a package of chewing gum in my jacket pocket set off the alarm due to the foil in the package. There’s a valuable lesson to be learned here. If you ever see me on an airplane, you can rest assured that asking me for a stick of gum is a legitimate waste of your time and energy. However, there a 75% chance that you’ll be sitting next to a terrorist with sufficient materials in his/her carry-on luggage to construct a bomb! Go figure! Lines are longer at every airport in the nation. New technology is being developed regularly. More money and training is being provided for screeners. Passengers are undergoing more and more scrutiny than ever before, and yet we’re asked to accept a 75% failure rate. “Where Have All The Leaders Gone?”

Here’s another example which leads me to believe that we’re becoming apathetic to the lack of leadership in this country. I was struck with a chilling revelation while watching a recent Presidential Debate on television. As the commentator was introducing the candidates, he made certain he included their current or past occupations. Hearing this information about this particular party immediately prompted me to research the opposing party as well. A quick tally of results revealed that of the 16 current candidates (8 from each party), we have:

  • 1 Former Mayor
  • 2 Former Governors
  • 1 Current Governor
  • 2 Former Senators
  • 5 Current Senators
  • 5 Representatives

Irony was obviously evident as I remember reading that the most recent confidence rating for Congress dropped to 14% … the lowest in the history of the Gallup Poll! Consider the significance of this revelation! Many of those responsible for the lowest approval rating in the history of the Congress are among those who are currently competing for the highest office in the country! The winner will, in essence, become the most powerful leader in the world. Consider that person’s track record.

It was very interesting to hear those candidates involved in the televised debate rant and rave about the current conditions in our country. Everything seems to be in dire straights including the economy, immigration, the tax structure, trade balance, the energy crisis, health care, education, social security, Iraq/Iran/Russia/China, the mortgage crisis and anything else you might want to add to that list. In watching this debate and the previous debate of the other party, I couldn’t help but wonder if those involved as well as those of us watching realized that the majority of these “voices of wisdom” in the debate are members of the do-nothing Congress which recently produced the lowest confidence rating in history. If leadership existed in the Congress, the above conditions wouldn’t be at such a critical level. They’re all very quick to criticize but slow to act if they act at all. And we’re being asked to choose our next President from among these ranks! What can you possibly expect in the future?

By the way, we’re not discussing political parties here. We’re discussing leadership, and I must admit that both parties are fiercely competing for the title of Most Incompetent! I repeat, “Where Have All The Leaders Gone?”

“By not demanding accountability, you fail to protect your people from their own incompetence.”

~ General Norman Schwartzkoph

We see the same examples in the business world today at a time when we certainly can’t afford it. At a time when leadership, mission, vision, beliefs and values should be created, shared, and supported at every level of the organization, we see less evidence of that than ever before. I shudder when I hear leaders say they lack the time, resources and/or funds for that kind of focus in these competitive times. The obvious rebuttal to that statement is that if you don’t find the time, resources, and/or funds for that focus … you simply won’t be around to worry about competition. It’s always interesting to observe that the most successful organizations in every industry never hesitate to focus on these critical aspects of success and share them with staff members at every level. Others will never learn.

Into which of these two groups does your organization fall?

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


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Is It Just Me? Harry K. Jones on 10 Oct 2007

Lost Luggage Figures Continue to Soar

Motivational speaker Harry K. Jones has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management.Last month I wrote a column about the sad state of affairs when it comes to lost luggage (”Limp the Unfriendly Skies“). We received a nice note from one of our readers asking if the situation was really that bad. In that article I was sharing figures from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics—I wasn’t sharing my own opinion on the subject. I couldn’t do that as it would be unsuitable for print. My luggage was delayed, damaged, lost or actually destroyed in 11 of my last 15 flights. That’s not only extremely annoying and disruptive but also quite expensive as the airlines are currently at the point where they simply find an excuse not to reimburse you or they do it at a rate of 5% of the true value. They don’t care. They have nothing to lose. What are you going to do about it—hire yourself a lawyer to pursue the situation at a cost of one hundred times the value of your bag? The airlines are well aware of your choices and simply smile as you fill out your claim.

As I mentioned, that previous article was written two months ago. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics just released their latest figures which relate to the month of August. I could never figure out why they’re always two months behind but I guess it’s rather obvious that it takes that long to count the high number of bags in question.

In reviewing the most recent figures, I’ve got to surmise that Ripley wouldn’t believe these figures, and I’m certain he wouldn’t publish them in his famed “Believe It Or Not” annual publication.

The number of bags lost or delayed by airlines continues to climb, with a daily average of 14,089 in August, according to Washington’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics. That’s a lot of bags! However, keep in mind that the number listed is a daily average! That means that for the 31 days of August, airlines combined experience and talent to lose or delay 436,759 bags! Come on! What are they doing … digging holes at the end of runways and simply bulldozing the luggage into the craters as it comes off the plane? That’s four hundred and thirty-six thousand, seven hundred and fifty nine bags! You have to send people, in great numbers, to training seminars on luggage destruction to attain those kind of stats!

It was the worst month for baggage-handling since the one-time meltdown in December 2004. US Airways was the worst offender on record.

With teamwork, focus and determination, I’m quite certain that record will more than likely be broken as we approach the holiday seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Of course, we won’t know that until we see those figures in the spring of next year … at which time it will appear to be old news and therefore we won’t care!

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

Is It Just Me? Harry K. Jones on 01 Oct 2007

More Obvious Questions

Motivational speaker Harry K. Jones has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management.There are far too many questions out there in our everyday routines that need to be asked. I’m not talking about questions that will end wars, abolish poverty, cure all diseases, or eliminate the world’s problems. I’m talking about the questions that drive us crazy due to their simplicity and the questions that absolutely no one seems to be able to answer. An even greater mystery appears to be the fact that the majority of us have simply stopped questioning the obvious.

  • Why is it that to stop Windows, you have to click on “Start”?
  • I wonder who discovered we could get milk from cows, and what on EARTH did he think he was doing?
  • Why do they call it “chili” if it’s hot?
  • If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done?
  • What do people in China call their good plates?
  • When they first invented the clock, how did they know what time it was to set it to?
  • How can there be self-help “groups”?
  • Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
  • How do you know when you’re in the middle of nowhere?
  • Why do “tug” boats push their barges?

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

Is It Just Me? Harry K. Jones on 10 Aug 2007

Limp the Unfriendly Skies

Motivational speaker Harry K. Jones has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management.Newsweek Magazine reports that in the first quarter of this year, only 71.4% of U.S. flights arrived on time, and 19,260 passengers were involuntarily bumped! FlightStats.com reports that in July alone, 16,988 flights were canceled — up 54% from July of last year. As if that weren’t bad enough, more baggage was lost, damaged, or mishandled last year than at any time in the history of aviation!

However, fear not, these negative stats should not discourage you. After all, you’ll always have the following fringe benefits of air travel to look forward to:

  • Higher prices
  • More airport construction
  • Longer security lines
  • Overbooked flights
  • More canceled flights due to weather
  • Missing pilots and crew members
  • Rude, sarcastic gate agents
  • Less baggage allowed on flights
  • More baggage lost as we add what we used to carry on to what we expect to lose below
  • Fewer seat choices or additional cost for a choice in coach
  • The privilege of being shoe-horned into the middle seat, sandwiched between the last two passengers you would choose to sit with if you had the choice
  • Being assigned the seat directly across from the bathroom that seldom works, allowing you to personally meet and greet the majority of your fellow prisoners
  • No magazines, pillows, or blankets
  • Backing away from the gate precisely on time to hear your pilot announce that you are currently 48th in line for takeoff
  • Landing at Gate 1 in Terminal A to discover your connecting flight is awaiting you at Gate 75 in Terminal F … and realizing that you have 12 minutes to make that connection
  • Tremendously long layovers OR two-minute sprints to your connecting gate
  • Jumping on a moving sidewalk that doesn’t
  • Rushing to your favorite rental car agency to find 65 people got there before you, they’ve lost your reservation, or the only car left is a Super Hummer and local gas prices just passed $4 per gallon
  • Slower shuttle buses and fewer taxis

Unfortunately, the majority of American flyers lack an efficient alternative to the unfriendly skies. When was the last time you traveled a l-o-n-g distance by car, bus or rail? Have a nice flight. It can only get better … I hope!

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

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Is It Just Me? Harry K. Jones on 03 Aug 2007

Is It Just Me?

Motivational speaker Harry K. Jones has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management.IS IT JUST ME?
EDUCATION OR IGNORANCE?

I’ve been very fortunate to have spoken to audiences on more college and university campuses from coast to coast than I can recount. I’ve spoken to high school students, college students, administrators, business groups, and public groups. I’ve spoken to audiences with advanced degrees as well as those who were thrilled to have achieved their GED.
 
I am and always have been an advocate of life-long learning. I’m proud to have passed that philosophy on to my children and grandchildren and I hope to tens of thousands who have attended my seminars and keynotes over the decades. Anyone who’s familiar with our web site and/or blog is aware of the fact that I strive to learn at least one new fact every single day of my life. In fact, I now pass those facts on to others via our blog.
 
I recently learned another apparent truth, which I believe I’ve suspected for years but have finally resigned to accept as a reality: Education DOES NOT necessarily equate to intelligence or wisdom.  The acquisition of wisdom requires a person to be open to input and feedback in their daily lives. As Henry Ford said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”
 
Over the years I have met a large number of people who have earned more degrees than I can comprehend. I envy their accomplishment. I respect them for their efforts. However, I feel sorry for them IF they become closed to input and feedback in their daily work lives because they’ve learned so little. I say that because of what I have observed of these people in the reality of the workplace. They are not open to change. They feel no need to continue their education as technology enhancements continue to bombard us daily, new techniques and strategies are introduced regularly, new products and services are continually updated, and the world becomes flatter as reflected in our daily newspapers and emphasized in The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman. However, these people apparently think they already learned all there is to learn. They scorn ideas and concepts that have stood the test of time as being outdated, and they close their minds to anything that might appear as new and/or different. They don’t read books, magazines, or newspapers and don’t even bother to monitor television or the Internet from time to time in search of new discoveries. They’re very closed-minded and often attempt to intimidate those who may disagree with them.
 
Don’t misunderstand. I’m not describing everyone who has achieved educational excellence. Not by any means. I have also worked with individuals with advanced degrees who thrive on and take pride in their efforts to continue their education in as many arenas as possible. I know people with Ph.D.s who have invested a great deal of time, energy and money to attain this lofty goal that so many aspire to achieve. Upon achieving this objective, they have no inclination to abandon their desire for life-long learning. They encourage and assist others to do the same. They may not always agree with but are always open to new information involving any development. They view life as a learning experience and love every moment of it.
 
In either case, success has little to do with education or the academic degree that reflects that accomplishment. It has everything to do with the philosophy of the person involved and how they chose to utilize that education. In the first scenario, I question if the person has learned anything other than facts and figures. In the second scenario, this person has developed the ability to rise above his/her circumstances to view the larger picture. They have obviously converted their education into the wisdom it takes to lead their organization, country, family, team, church, neighborhood and themselves to the greatest heights of success. They don’t view life-long learning as a burden but rather an exciting and challenging opportunity they eagerly seek out. They stand head and shoulders above the first scenario participants who are not open to input and feedback in their daily lives
 
Then there are those on the lower end of the educational spectrum: high school dropouts, those with nothing more than a GED, those who barely graduated from high school, college drop-outs, and those who barely made it through the lowest levels of higher education. Many of these people have accomplished nothing and will continue on that disastrous path.
 
Even more of those in that group have overcome their lack of education to climb to great heights of achievement. Today they’re demonstrating great leadership in military services, Fortune 500 companies, politics, various entrepreneurial areas, communities across the nation, and any number of other leadership roles. Leadership authority John Maxwell recently revealed:

  • More than 50% of all CEOs of Fortune 500 companies had C or C- averages in college!
  • 65% of all U.S. senators came from the bottom half of their school classes.
  • 75% of U.S. Presidents were in the Lower-Half Club in school.
  • More than 50% of millionaire entrepreneurs never finished college!

Members of this group are always open to new ideas, respect age-old concepts that continue to prove viable, are open to change, read as much as they can, question those who have more experience, seek out mentors, welcome new technology, monitor news resources constantly, take risks, leap from their current comfort zone, and continue to smile in satisfaction as they strive for life-long learning.
 
In short, it’s not education that is so important. There are many highly educated homeless people, prisoners, and unemployed in this country today. On the other hand, there are many uneducated people in these same categories.
 
Conversely, some of the most successful people in every area of achievement would not be there if it weren’t for their excellent educational history. A good education is invaluable today and should be supported and promoted to every young person in the nation as an essential step to achieve their aspirations.
 
Then there are those who have not been fortunate enough to have acquired a higher education for any number of various reasons. However, they have enjoyed tremendous success by capitalizing on so many other valuable assets at their fingertips … the most obvious being that of life-long learning.
 
So again it’s quite obvious that an education is nowhere near as crucial as what you choose to do with it. I proudly salute those individuals with advanced degees who choose to use their education as a stepping stone to a life-long crusade of learning. Sharing that praise are all those who have overcome their lack of education to reach great heights while continuing their informal educational pursuits.
 
When you go to work tomorrow, survey those within your work environment. You’ll quickly recognize each of the personalities I described above. Which are you pleased to work with? Which are you proud to call a teammate? Which contributes to a positive work climate, productivity, and results? Which will help your organization grow and compete? Which are you?
 
For those of you with children today, please plant that seed of life-long education deep in the psyche of their minds and hearts. It is truly the key to their success. 

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

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