Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. — Aristotle
Money Management expert, Dave Ramsey has given valuable advice to entrepreneurs looking to get their feet wet with a new business idea. According to Ramsey, too many talented individuals fail in this effort because they act too hastily. To all you big thinkers, Ramsey suggests to start working on it part-time, after coming home from work. Taking on part-time work in addition to a full-time job can be a challenging and tiring task, but according to Ramsey, it is much easier than losing everything to an idea that didn’t work out. Eventually, once you begin generating steady income sufficient to cover your bills, then it’s time to begin considering making it a full-time job. Remember: some of the best multi-million dollar companies started out in someone’s garage!
What has your experience been with acting upon a new business venture? I would love to hear from you. As always, remember to encourage excellence!
Suzanne
For direct access to Forbes.com’s article on Dave Ramsey’s insight, click below:
Kennesaw, GA- Some tough love advice from New Zealand for young people. Go make something happen today. Encourage Excellence!
Northland College (NZ) principal John Tapene has offered the following words from a judge who regularly deals with youth.
Always we hear the cry from teenagers ‘What can we do, where can we go?’
… My answer is, “Go home, mow the lawn, wash the windows, learn to cook, build a raft, get a job, visit the sick, study your lessons, and after you’ve finished, read a book.”
Your town does not owe you recreational facilities and your parents do not owe you fun. The world does not owe you a living, you owe the world something. You owe it your time, energy and talent so that no one will be at war, in poverty or sick and lonely again.
In other words, grow up, stop being a cry baby, get out of your dream world and develop a backbone, not a wishbone.
Start behaving like a responsible person. You are important and you are needed. It’s too late to sit around and wait for somebody to do something someday.
Folks who know me, also know I can be a little eccentric, absent-minded, and sometimes in a world of my own. Encouraging Excellence is a motto that was embraced by me to keep others positive and myself focused on the big picture of what we can accomplish if we put our minds and hearts into making a difference. Here is an article about the daily routines of some highly accomplished people as they made their impact on the world. You will enjoy reading about some of the weird things these famous people would do.
A friend of mine sent me this recent quote that really hits home on how we gather information and make decisions. Let me know what you think about it.
“You have to self-train, you have to read, you have to study. You can’t expect to be spoon-fed anymore. The world is moving too fast to spoon-feed the information. You earn your success in life.”
— Ian Brooks, European head of innovation at Hewlett-Packard, as quoted by Computerworld UK Oct 4, 2013
Remember to encourage excellence in others today….
Using customer satisfaction surveys are all the rage these days and the folks at Harvard who study these things determined that using just a few very concise questions were enough to get to the heart of a solution. The same goes with our own lives. Once we know our core principles, we can continually ask ourselves, “is what I am doing right now getting me closer to my goal(s) or further away?” Wow, how would our lives change if we asked that one simple question over and over as we go about our daily lives? Think about it.
Remember that encouraging excellence in others is a very worthy effort by all of us.
Despite America’s less than ideal economic state and an average unemployment rate of 7.8%, the United States department of Labor has reported that each month over 2 million Americans are voluntarily leaving their jobs. The U.S. Department of Labor has classified these unemployed individuals as the “Quits”: employed individuals who leave their jobs on their own accord without a fallback plan. The bureau has furthermore reported that this number continues to grow and will not be declining anytime soon.
A recent study by Accenture reports that 31% wish to be their own boss, An additional 31% feel a lack of empowerment, 35% leave due to internal politics, and 43% resign due to a perceived lack of recognition.
As I reviewed these stats, many of the percentages seemed to overlap one another. In the context of a job fair, if we sat the 31% who were affected by a lack of empowerment at the same table as the 43% who resigned due to a lack of recognition, I think these people would have many of the same things to talk about. In essence, they lacked a healthy sense of identity in their workplace.
Countless numbers of research studies have yielded a variety of factors that may contribute to this debilitating lack independence. My shortlist comes down to two factors: 1) A lack of employee focus and 2) Poorly structured organizations.
I think the first category speaks for itself. We’ve all heard the phrase “the customer is always right”. In fact, it’s not unreasonable to argue that anyone with experience in the fast food industry has likely formed a deep-seated aversion to the concept, altogether. Unfortunately though, in the context of a company’s relationship with its clients, this is typically a wise ideology to follow.
But what about the larger network between managers, customers, and the hardworking employees who make the magic happen? In the overall scheme of things, “putting the customer first” while overlooking the worker bees can lead to an unfortunate sense of employee neglect.
The solution? Companies who establish a reasonable balance between customers and their employees will foster a more successful and productive business.
Successful managers should also keep in mind the importance of staying objective. Let’s face it, we are all human beings and most likely resonate better with some than others. That doesn’t necessarily mean we dislike the others, we just have less in common with them. From a managerial standpoint, however, the fact that you work for the same organization is enough to have in common. For a number of reasons, managers need to act and socialize differently than their subordinates. Namely, they need to pay close attention to the amount of “down time” they spend in people’s offices- this is important! You are not at a cookout or on the golf course, and your behaviors may need fine-tuning.
As difficult as it may be, a good manager does not “gravitate” to only a certain few offices to chat during down time. Is “small talk” OK at our jobs? Absolutely! In fact, it is encouraged in moderation in order to maintain a healthy working environment. Yet, before you accept that higher-paid managerial position or a promotion to such a level, think about what you should do when you get the urge to socialize during the workday. A reasonable goal may be to walk around to all of your subordinates’ offices once a day in a casual, non-work related manner and spend a minute or two just to see how they are doing. Of course, it may not be possible to achieve this everyday, but bear in mind how much this is done every week and take action to keep this at a healthy balance. Conversation topics may vary, but the time spent in offices should not. Is this tedious? Yes, it is! However, it comes with the territory when accepting a managerial position!! So, before you accept that higher paying role, think about your social habits from a leadership standpoint. There’s no shame in staying at the subordinate level if you don’t think you’re up to the task. A worker-bee can hang out with whomever he wants!
The second factor, a poorly structured organization, can do just as much if not more damage to the overall employee persona. While a company’s inadequate focus on its employees might result from a manager’s need to simply re-prioritize tasks or modify his social work habits, a ineffectively structured organization may derive from your boss’ boss or even higher. When one person is expected to manage 12 – 15 employees on a daily basis, these subordinates are bound to feel overlooked or under-worked. With only 8 hours in the average workday, a possibly well-intentioned manager has no choice but to follow the priority chain when it comes to delegating work. The result? Under-stimulated employees!
How can this be changed? To begin with, managers need to speak up!! Managers should take time to schedule meetings with their bosses to discuss reassignments. Consider promoting qualified individuals to management to even out the numbers. Formulate a plan and stick to it.
I challenge all of those in management positions to try these techniques. I believe it will lead to happier employees, a more successful company, and an ultimately reduced turnover rate!
As always, remember to encourage excellence with everyone you meet!
For Forbes.com’s article on reducing company turnover, click here:
I have posted various blog entries in the past highlighting the focus of customer service as the pinnacle to marketing success within small and large corporations. However, I’d like to be bold enough to perceive the issue through a larger, often unspoken lens: Christianity.
The separation of church and state has taken public schools and companies to a place of such neutrality that we have become not only unbiased, but often desensitized to the relevance of Christ in all avenues of our lives, including school, work, and our children’s extra curricular activities.
Most publicly owned companies have slowly morphed into a perspective of viewing Christ as “the elephant in the room”, when even though He is felt in our hearts and daily actions, He is neatly tucked away for fear of offending others.
Let’s take a look at another company who does the opposite.
Since opening its doors to customers, Chick-fil-A has established its principles on the practice of Christianity. Some marketing professionals might view Chick-fil-A’s decision to close on Sundays as “foolish” by losing a full workdays’ worth of business.
However, compared to the 50% annual turnover rate of the average American corporation, Chick-fil-A maintains an astounding 3% yearly turnover rate.
Dan Cathy, President and COO of Chick-fil-A, has maintained that it was an easy decision to stay closed on Sundays:
“Jesus Christ did not die for a company, He died for individuals, personally.” Thus, by centering its establishment on Biblical principles and acknowledging the Lord in all ways, Chick-fil-A has found success.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”– Matthew 6:33 NI
I believe that Chick-fil-A has it right. They are doing exactly what we are taught in the book of Matthew. Seek ye FIRST (not second, third, or somewhere in between 5th and 10th, but First) the Kingdom of God.
What are your thoughts on Christ in the business world, and all other avenues of life? Have you experienced different results when adhering to Matthew 6:33 in your career? I would love to hear from you. God bless!
Atlanta- While attending a NetApp executive briefing today in Atlanta, I caught myself daydreaming about how senior leaders can apply the Pareto Principle, or 80/20 Rule to make important organization decisions.
Using these 5 questions as guidelines, what key decisions can help your organization become more agile?
1. Improve employee productivity by eliminating or at least reducing activities that do not touch the customer.
2. Seek ways to reduce time to market bottlenecks in the supply chain. Study your “from Quote to Cash” decision tree to reduce complexity.
3. Be relentless to improve quality. Remember to focus on speed and simplicity.
4. Be able to quickly recover from unforeseen events. Don’t wait for a disaster, predict it.
5. Apply risk management and leverage proven architectures instead of implementing “cutting edge” technology that has not had time for the production bugs to be worked out yet.
How you apply 80/20 thinking? List the activities to be addressed, stack rank them and focus on a laser on the top 20%. Knock those activities out and then re-sort the remaining items on the list.
Let me know how it goes.
Remember to encourage excellence in everyone that you interact.
For a more detailed video segment on the 80/20 principle, click here:
Click below for Forbes.com’s approach to the 80/20 concept in the business realm:
Forbes.com has published information on the most recent scam targeting those who are traveling on business or pleasure. In the latest hotel scam, travelers receive a phone call from an individual claiming to be from the front desk. Typically, these calls arrive at odd hours, so the traveler is usually groggy and not fully alert when answering the phone. As part of the hoax, the scammer claims that the computer at the front desk has crashed and they have lost their credit card information. It’s also common for the scammer to simply claim that there has been an “error” processing the travelers’ credit card information. The caller will then read back four random numbers to “confirm” the last four digits of the card. When the cardholder does not recognize the numbers, he is then asked to read the entire 16 digits on his card. The caller will never address the traveler by his name, because he obviously does not know it. As a final tactic, the hotel guest is asked to “spell” his name, giving the caller all of the information he needs.
In each scenario, the traveler is put in the vulnerable position of having to give out his personal information over the phone. Once the caller has this information, it is only a matter of time before he is out on a shopping spree (your “treat”).
Katherine Hutt, director of media relations at the Council of Better Business Bureaus, states “We believe the scammers direct-dial the rooms so they can call in without going through the hotel switchboard.”
So how can we protect ourselves from this latest scam on hotel guests? First and foremost, it is never wise to give out your personal information over the phone to a stranger. If receiving this type of call when staying in a hotel, the traveler should refrain from providing this information over the phone. With any financial discrepancy, it’s always better to go down to the front desk to resolve the issue in person.
Please share any other tips you may have on avoiding travel scams!
For direct access to Caroline Mayer’s article on the latest travel scams, click here:
Neuroscientist Susan Greenfield has researched the long- term effects of social media in the context of today’s businesses. In her novel, 2121, Greenfield argues that one of the most obvious “red flags” when it comes to hiring new college graduates is their dependency on social networking sites. In essence, this generation has become emotionally stunted as a result of the hours spent online. Interestingly, Greenfield believes that the social media revolution has reconstructed the brains of this generation to resemble those with Autism. Without any form of non-verbal communication on sites like Facebook or Twitter, expressions of body language or tone slowly become overlooked.
“The human brain is only good at what it rehearses,” Greenfield remarks. “If you’re not rehearsing interpreting voice tone and body language, then you aren’t going to become very good at it. All those skills are vitally important. Until now, they’ve been our human birthright.”
Greenfield is suggesting that non-verbal communication is something that we must continue to practice, otherwise it will be forgotten.
When it comes to social media addiction, Greenfield worries that the Facebook-generation has become so used to seeking approval through idealized, rehearsed images of themselves that they no longer have the ability to be authentic.
“I’m not saying that we should ban [social media]. They’re part of the warp and weft of 21st century life. Very few people would deny anyone just a bit of chocolate,” she laughs. “But no one would recommend a diet just of chocolate.”
With the clear benefits that social media marketing has on small and large businesses, sites like Facebook and Twitter should not be banned in the business realm. However, many corporations are taking measures to block employee access to such sites, in an effort to focus on interpersonal skills through face-to-face conversation.
Have you noticed a difference on how the younger generation perceives and uses social media sites? In what ways have you seen the effects of social networking hinder the productivity and overall image of a business?
For access to Emma Byrne’s article on Forbes.com, click here:
Money Management expert, Dave Ramsey has given valuable advice to entrepreneurs looking to get their feet wet with a new business idea. According to Ramsey, too many talented individuals fail in this effort because they act too hastily. To all you big thinkers, Ramsey suggests to start working on it part-time, after coming home from work. Taking on part-time work in addition to a full-time job can be a challenging and tiring task, but according to Ramsey, it is much easier than losing everything to an idea that didn’t work out. Eventually, once you begin generating steady income sufficient to cover your bills, then it’s time to begin considering making it a full-time job. Remember: some of the best multi-million dollar companies started out in someone’s garage!
Bryan E. Wilson 