Originally uploaded by alelatriller

This month: Working to Succeed

All of us have a desire to succeed at something. Whether it’s personal goals or business goals, we have within us a desire to succeed. The only problem is we sometimes don’t know how to go about achieving the success we desire. Here are some other thoughts on success:

“You can’t shrink your way to greatness.” ~ Seth Godin

“The toughest thing about being a success is that you’ve got to keep on being a success.” ~ Irving Berlin

“Procrastination is the fear of success. People procrastinate because they are afraid of the success that they know will result if they move ahead now. Because success is heavy, carries a responsibility with it, it is much easier to procrastinate and live on the ‘someday I’ll’ philosophy.” ~ Denis Waitley

“Every failure is a step to success.” ~ William Whewell

Brandenburg Gate
Originally uploaded by Wolfgang Staudt

“The boys in the State Department are going to kill me, but it’s the right thing to do.” ~ Ronald Reagan

On June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan spoke these words to his deputy chief of staff while on their way to a speech Reagan was about to give at the Berlin Wall. He had spent the past three weeks being told he needed to tone down his speech. The State Department and the National Security Council didn’t like the initial draft. It was too naive. It was clumsy. It would raise false hopes. It was needlessly provocative. They even submitted their own drafts on the very day he was to give his the speech, omitting one phrase in particular.

Much of their concern was centered around the phrase, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

There are times in our lives (personally or professionally) when we are faced with some tough choices. We can know in our heart what the right thing to do (or say) is, but there is so much pressure to do otherwise we back off. We give in. We give up. We think everyone else is right. We compromise our beliefs. We permit ourselves to believe everyone else that we are being naive. Maybe we are being clumsy. Maybe we would be raising false hopes. Is it really our place to say, or do what we know is the right thing to do?

There have been moments in my life when I have been faced with some very tough choices. Choices that I knew would be life altering, even unpopular. I knew that if I chose to do “the right thing”, I’d find many people wanting “to kill me”, yet I ignored all of the clamouring for inaction and made the right decision. I am sure you have had these moments as well.

Then there have been moments when I was faced with some very tough choices, but for some reason I couldn’t do the right thing. There was a right thing to say, yet I remained silent. There was a right thing to do, yet I remained motionless. I am sure you can relate to these moments as well.

When faced with a difficult moment and we say or do the right thing we are taking a stand for something we believe in. You and I may not have the ability to take a stand that leads to change in the world (as Reagan or other world leaders), but we do have the ability to take a stand and change our life, business, or the lives of our friends and family. Then again, if our belief spreads, maybe we could just change the world.

In September 1989, ordinary citizens took to the streets in Leipzig, East Germany in protest. The police and guards of the wall simply stood by. It wasn’t long before the protesting spread and eventually the Berlin Wall began to be torn down. Families were reunited after decades of separation and old friends were able to come together again. Suddenly those words that caused such debate in the weeks before Reagan’s speech didn’t seem so naive or clumsy. They seemed like the right thing to do.

So what’s my point? Do the right thing. Say the right thing. Tear down the wall. You will never regret it.

Pop!
Originally uploaded by drewmaniac

Allow me to introduce you to a man I simply knew as Brother Frank. He was an older man with white hair, who wore ’70′s era suits, and sported a handle bar mustache. I recall always being excited when I saw he was nearby.

My younger brother and I would always make it a point to follow him and shake his hand. This was because he would always (almost magically) pass a piece of bubble gum into our hand when we shook. You know that hard, stale, and square gum that you could probably buy for one cent back then. He’d ask us how we were doing and we’d tell him we were fine. We were almost always ready to rip the package off that old bubble gum and stick it in our mouths before we could leave his sight.

Brother Frank was a preacher who attended a church my family visited on occasion, some two hours from where we lived. So I did not see him very often. I never had any intellectual conversations with him. I do not know what all of his beliefs were on many issues. We never discussed religion, sports, or the politics of the day. I don’t recall any advice he might have given me at the time. I couldn’t even tell you what his voice sounded like. That’s because he passed away in 1984 (give or take a year or two) when I was only about six or seven years of age.

I still remember his funeral vividly. Though I did not understand everything that was going on, I still remember feeling sadness. I even remember who preached his eulogy. All because on the few occasions that Brother Frank and I crossed paths, he took the time to hand a young boy a piece of bubble gum as he shook his hand.

It was a simple gesture. Simple, but memorable. Or as some would say, remarkable.

What are you doing on a daily basis that is memorable, or remarkable? Are you taking the time to do a little something for someone else? Are you putting out some effort to give to someone else?

You never know when a six year old might be taking note.

The red balloon diaries *1
Originally uploaded by cattycamehome

Sometimes you only get one opportunity to…

• … say the right thing.
• … marry the woman (or man) of your dreams.
• … do the right thing.
• … get the job you’ve always wanted.
• … make a first impression.
• … make your wrong a right.
• … make a lasting change in your life.

Fear of taking a risk will almost always convince us that we have plenty of time. There will be other opportunities. It is safer to do nothing. But, what about those times when your opportunity is now or never? The regret of of not doing anything is almost always greater than the perceived risk of doing something.

Sometimes you only get one opportunity. What are you going to do?

Stripes
Originally uploaded by Painted Jezebel

“Bondage is… subjection to external influences and internal negative thoughts and attitudes.” ~ W. Clement Stone

What sort of people do you surround yourself with? Who do you choose to befriend at work? How do you decide someone is enjoyable to be around? These are all questions that are very important, yet we rarely consider them like we should.

When it comes to life or business, often it’s who you choose to associate with that can determine your success. It is possible for people to be led and for you to lead them out of their negative, or destructive behavior. However it is too often the case that the person doing the leading is the destructive friend or business associate. So what can you do?

Here are just 4 types of people one should try to avoid:

• Impulsive Friends - Those who have a tendency to be impulsive, not really considering their actions or decisions tend to bring with them some dangerous personal habits. They can be really enjoyable to be around sometimes, but those who are impulsive tend to also form poor spending habits. They are reactionary and invest more in emotion (though not always a bad thing) than actually thinking things through.
• Debbie Downers - These are the friends that can turn a perfectly good conversation into a train wreck. There’s always something negative to bring up. You may have something positive to say about someone, or something, and then the Debbie Downer’s of the world bring the word, “but” into the conversation.
• Victims of Life – Have a friend who is always getting the shaft? Does it always seem like nothing in their life goes right? Is everyone always out to get them? Is the system holding them down? Were they born in a circumstance that was impossible to overcome? And most of all, do they always find more time to tell you about it, instead of overcoming their victim status? It’s true that everyone has tough times in life. We all have to endure through rough spots in our careers, personal lives, or even psychologically. The danger we face when faced with difficult moments is giving in to the victim mentality. Self pity is rarely going to help you overcome. It will usually bring you down, and if you have friend who is a victim of life, they will have a tendency to bring you down too.
• Control Freaks - Friends or associates who are only happy when they have complete control can be very difficult to be around. If there’s an idea that is good, it’s theirs and no one else has the ability to come up with their own. When someone with a strong, positive personality comes along they try to suppress them and make them look bad. They are demeaning, demanding, and destructive when the control appears to be slipping from their grasp. It’s sad to watch people (especially in positions of authority) who feel they must always be in control self destruct when things don’t go quite as planned. A true leader doesn’t always have to be in control. In fact, a true leader doesn’t even need to be in control.

This just scratches the surface when it comes to the sort of people we should try to avoid, or will have to deal with in life or work. While avoiding them may not always be entirely possible, it is possible to be aware of them and do your best not to follow their lead.

“I never thought a role model should be negative” ~ Michael Jordan

Schiphol Airport – KLM self service check-in
Originally uploaded by deef37

The airline industry has been receiving a large amount of negative press of late. Most of it has been because of service slashing. By now most have heard of the new charge for checked bags that many airlines are adopting. Many are now charging for the snacks, exit row seating, and other features that used to be free when flying. To a growing number of airlines, service has become a commodity that can be slashed. Anyone who has flown recently can see the focus is rarely on the customer.

Most are pointing to rising costs in fuel, security, and the changing face of the airline industry since 9/11 for these cuts in service. Not only are various perks being taken from passengers, but airline’s staff are also being slashed. This results in long lines and an overworked staff that is almost naturally stressed and unfriendly.

It’s understandable that some adjustments need to be made due to various factors. What isn’t understandable is that customer service is on the losing end of these fixes. If the excuses provided by most struggling airlines for cutting service are justifiable (don’t get me wrong, I believe some reasons are valid problems that require a solution), then how can the success of JetBlue be explained? Or Alaska Airlines? Or Air Canada? They are all operating in the same industry environment. Shouldn’t they be slashing service too?

A recent study by the research group J.D. Power and Associates found that most passengers don’t mind a rise in the cost of a ticket or even other added fees. Most passengers just want some service. What does this tell us? It tells us that if a company wants to raise it’s prices, then offer great customer service. Provide perks. Offer rewards that are worthwhile to frequent fliers. Provide a work staff that is not only friendly and helpful, but large enough to handle the customer volume the company receives.

Why do JetBlue, Alaska Airlines, Air Canada and a small number of airlines continue to receive rave reviews from customers? It’s simple, really. They aren’t service slashing. They focus on their passengers. They provide them with the service they believe they deserve. And in the long run the customers reward them.

Even longer lines
Originally uploaded by minertribe

Customers are a selfish lot. They desire, demand, and even believe they deserve the best treatment. A belief that isn’t unreasonable since they are being asked to spend their money on a product or service they may not even need.

My wife and I recently did some grocery shopping and chose the nearby Wal-Mart to spend our money. Once inside, I realized we were going to be in for a long wait on our way out. The lines were the worst I had ever seen. 32 registers in the store and I counted 10 open on a Saturday night around 7:30 PM. I hoped that they would fix the problem before we checked out (we had a long list of groceries), but we would not be so fortunate. When we were ready to leave, the lines were worse, and they still had 10 registers open. Nothing had changed. The long lines were part of the job, not a problem that required a solution.

Many companies start out with grand intentions and even follow through with great service for their customers for a while. Wal-Mart is an example of this. Sam Walton preached the value of customer service so often, in many ways Wal-Mart couldn’t help but crush the competition.

Allow me to be clear. I am not anti Wal-Mart. I am not some kook who believes they are taking over the world or that they will one day own everything. In fact I believe they are well on their way out. Mark my words. It’s just that this trip to Wal-Mart got me thinking about the life span of companies. Especially the larger corporations. In the end, one question kept presenting itself to me:

At what point does a company decide service is a commodity than can be slashed?

Venture (remember them?), K-Mart, Sears, and again JCPenny have learned or are learning the hard way that when customer service is not the focus the customers leave. They will find another place to go that offers them similar products and services, with a little more focus on the customer.

Wal-Mart would probably argue that they are making significant changes to improve our shopping experience. It’s true they are making some changes. However new uniforms for their associates, cosmetic changes to their stores, and self check out lanes are going to be of little comfort to the customer standing in the long lines on an almost daily basis. Especially when they could purchase the same products somewhere else.

When companies resort to service slashing in the interest of making more money short term, they will almost always lose long term.

Very European
Originally uploaded by drewmaniac

It’s been a few days since I’ve been fortunate enough to wander about these series of tubes. I did my best to avoid the Internets while on my honeymoon. Now the honeymoon’s over. It’s back to work on Monday, and back to blogging now.

While on my honeymoon I took note of a few things (completely unrelated to marital bliss):

• Branson, Mo. is full of marketers who have never heard of permission marketing. Never.
• I had never stayed at a Hilton Hotel. Now that I have, I see what all the fuss is about. Newspapers at your door in the morning, very friendly service, and not to mention the excellent rooms.
• If there are a mass of people (tourists) gathering anywhere (Branson), there will be shady characters (not unlike spammers) trying to make a quick buck. This was evidenced by the abandoned buildings that once housed shows trying to make a killing on the sheer amount of tourists that passed through. Like the one I saw that promised Musical Ducks. Still trying to figure that one out. Who comes up with these ideas? Then there were the countless store fronts selling time shares, promising free tickets to shows, and the list went on and on.
• Silver Dollar City is a rip off. $48 for a single day pass for one adult? I think the kids were around $25 a head. How can a family truly afford to get in? Much less purchase the over priced food or souvenirs?

Some other things I took note of (a little more closely related to marital bliss):

• It’s nice to have someone there with you at any moment. I used to revel in my singleness. Now I’m thinking that my singleness probably made life just a little bit tougher than it really is.
• We’ve already been asked the “When are you going to have kids?” question. Wonderful.
• Breakfast at noon is best.
• Seek out the restaurants that appear to be a hole in the wall. The ones the locals go to on a daily basis. Chain restaurants are boring and predictable. Not to mention not usually very good. We experienced some great Italian dining at a place called Rocky’s. This review on Yahoo! said it all. Looks can indeed be deceiving.
• After a week of relaxation, vacation, and doing whatever I felt like I’m pretty sure work next week will be a brutal wake up call.