Grassroots Innovation

Thanks For That

2011-12-10T06:37:00.001-05:00

Ye gads! This picture was taken at Erie Community College in Buffalo, NY

Signs of the Apolcalypse

2011-11-27T19:39:00.001-05:00

At GoDaddy.com, a domain website, it costs $6.99 a year to have a .org domain name.

It costs $99 a year for a .XXX domain name.

WTF

2011-11-27T19:11:00.001-05:00

According to the U.S.-based International Cruise Victims Association, 165 people have gone missing at sea since 1995, with at least 13 this year alone.

They don't list that in the brochure.

Note:
1. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2040248/Why-165-people-gone-missing-cruise-ships-recent-years.html#ixzz1YhHg3dEK

Putting Down The Suck

2011-11-15T19:58:00.001-05:00

I'm in the process of re-reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey.

There's a lot to like about this book. One of the messages that is currently resonating with me is the attitude of "There's a lot of suck in the world if you choose to carry it."

The one thing that the book lacks is an explicit declaration that "putting down the suck" takes practice and time. and that in the mean time you need to persevere because there is a better end.

It's sort of like being shown pictures of the promised land but not being able to afford the tickets yet.

Count De Monet

2011-09-15T19:45:00.000-05:00

Bank CEOs testifying before Congress

There are lots of people who make more money than I do. They have fancier houses and take nicer vacations than I do. They also tend to have a lot more power at work. They can promote people, banish people, or just generally get what they want.

You would think with all their power and money they would be some of the people that I most respected.

I don't.

I respect the guy that takes time every summer with his Dad to volunteer in the kitchen at the local church camp cleaning dishes. I also respect the guy who leads his son's scout troop to make model rockets and boats. The following folks also make the list: the guy who helps his neighbor replace his well pump, the guy who helps a colleagues family escape the worst of the flooding because the colleague is out of town, and the guy who is helping to refurbish the Catholic youth center.

Mentoring is often considered to be an active verb. Someone is purposefully sitting down with you and offering advice. But it's also passive. It's looking around you and figuring out who you want to be like and then trying to do that.

I try to be like the guys I respect.

Count De Monet

Rich, powerful guy wants your respect. But I don't want his. It's those other guy's opinions that matter to me.

Books the New Film?

2011-09-13T19:04:00.000-05:00

Quick guess which store this was from.....

If you guessed Barnes and Noble, you win!

I am surprised that more people are not talking about this. It's obvious that they don't think there is any money in physical books.

Doing It Right

2011-09-02T14:41:00.002-05:00

Champions are champions not because they do anything extraordinary but because they do the ordinary things better than anyone else. - Coach Chuck Noll

Nine times out of ten you can get away with half assing it. Normally it doesn't matter and if it does people don't care enough to follow up.

But it's that tenth time that will get you. The tenth time it matters. If it's not right that tenth time it causes problems and you lose credibility.

There is no other option than to take the time to do it right.

Big News

2011-08-03T19:42:00.000-05:00

Today one of Apple's contract manufacturer's announced that they are going to use more robots in there Chinese facilities.1

"'Workers' wages are increasing so quickly that some companies can't take it longer,' said Dan Bin, a fund manager at Shenzhen-based Eastern Bay Investment Management, which invests in technology and consumer-related shares in China and Hong Kong."

Nothing is static.

China, once the endless supply of free labor is pricing itself out of that market. Meaning they'll have to start producing products for themselves.

Huge challenge for them. Huge opportunity for the rest of us.

Notes:
1. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/01/us-foxconn-robots-idUSTRE77016B20110801

Whale Fact

2011-08-02T19:28:00.002-05:00

Things that quite possibly only interest me......

Movie ticket prices have risen every year for the past 17 years. Since 1999 they've risen 1.5x inflation.1

Notes:1. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/01/business/media/as-ticket-prices-rise-theater-audiences-shrink.html?_r=1

Inspirational Friday

2011-06-24T12:00:00.000-05:00

"The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place... and I don´t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently, if you let it. You, me or nobody, is gonna hit as hard as life. But ain't about how hard you hit... It's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward... how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That´s how winning is done. Now, if you know what you worth, go out and get what you worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers saying: You ain´t what you wanna be because of him or her or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain´t you! You´re better than that!"

Random Comment

2011-06-23T16:33:00.004-05:00

I was reading a US based website which was talking about swimming when I ran across random Russian comment guy.

Whaaaa?

Team Work

2011-05-26T19:43:00.002-05:00

What's the difference between a work group and a team?

Shared sacrifice.

When it's worth it to each individual team member to give something above and beyond of themselves because they didn't want to let the other guy down. Then you have a team.

Otherwise is a collection of people each contributing just enough to stay out of trouble.

The Race

2011-05-10T19:09:00.003-05:00

Making People Change

2011-05-05T19:51:00.003-05:00

John Maxwell has said that there are three times that a person can change: 1. When they hurt enough they have to, 2. When they learn enough that they want to, 3. When they receive enough they are able to. 1

Other than that they are going to operate on auto-pilot.

What this means is that people can change, but they themselves have to want to.

You, in the short term, aren't going to do it for them.

It stands to reason then, that if a person's behavior is regulated by their own choices, when a person says or does something that hurts others that they don't have a problem with you, they have a problem with their own heart.

Why does this matter to business?

Business is of the people, by the people, and for the people. Try creating a successful business without a successful culture. Try to build a successful culture without addressing human behavior. Try addressing human behaviors without addressing the human heart.

Note:
1. http://johnmaxwellteam.com/timing/

Whale Facts: College Tuition Addtion

2011-04-21T07:04:00.002-05:00

Only 37 percent of student borrowers who started repaying their loans in 2005 were able to fully pay them back on time.
College seniors who graduated in 2009 had an average of $24,000 in student loan debt, up 6 percent from 2008.
Total student debt is estimated at about $896 billion — more than the nation’s credit-card debt.
Meanwhile, default rates have been rising, to 7 percent, for the 2008 fiscal year, the latest period for which data is available, from 5.2 percent in the 2006 fiscal year.
For profit colleges make up about 12 percent of the nation’s college enrollment, and get a quarter of all federal student aid — but they account for almost half of all students who default.

Notes:
All data from

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/education/16loan.html?hpw

New Digital Cotent Model?

2011-04-17T06:57:00.003-05:00

The folks over at Tri Magazine have launched a new publishing model: Good content, for free, only on-line.

The payout for them is that you have to look at their ads while reading.

5 years ago this wouldn't have worked, but with the advent of tablets these guys are the new thing,

Punch In The Face

2011-03-08T19:32:00.002-05:00

I'm dealing with an organization on an issue I've been trying to resolve. It's been a lot of back and forth, but the latest go-round was me getting a punch in the face.

Thanks for that.

I would love to fight this. And I think I would win. I have the ability to work harder and fight longer than them.

But why? Right now, my reason is that they are a bunch of jerk-faces. Not a good enough reason.
It's not a big enough why.

Everything has a cost. Redemption of perceived slight is not a good enough reason.

Who knows how this turns out? The key thing is the deliberate application of resources. Working towards the thing that you want most.

From The Bad Design Files

2011-03-05T06:56:00.000-05:00

Really America? Just because they sell cookies with pizza doesn't mean that you have to buy it.

What I've Noticed: Parking Lot Food

2011-02-20T08:13:00.002-05:00

More and more lately I've seen parking lot food. These trailer stands often affix themselves in the parking lot of a local store and offer the convenience of getting some food on the way back to your car.

I don't see how parking lot food can be that good for you, or how going through the drive-thru can take too much time, but there sure seems to be a lot of these things.

We Are All One

2011-02-19T09:27:00.003-05:00

I came across the above web page the other day. Speak Spanish, Chinese? No problem.

Do we start to see customer service centers for hire that speak the local language?

Link: http://www.itwplastics.com/

Sign of The Times

2011-02-05T19:47:00.002-05:00

It's one thing to talk about how we need to be competitive with China. It's another thing to do it.

Here's a company called the Rodon Group who comes right out and claim that they are competitive against the Chinese. No small feat. (notice the competency in robotics.)

It's heartening to see people getting it done.

Whale Facts

2011-02-03T19:44:00.002-05:00

Things that quite possibly only interest me....

The top five days for pizza? Super bowl, Halloween, the day before Thanksgiving, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.1

Notes:
1. http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2011-02-01-super-bowl-pizza_N.htm

Innovation Doesn't Mean Good

2011-01-22T07:50:00.004-05:00

When you get invited to a State dinner for Chinese leaders you matter.

With actions speaking louder than words, it seems that all of the collective populist talk about bank reform may not really come to fruition.

Innovation isn't always good. The Bankers created all types of Innovative products that they could buy and sell to each other and ended up almost tipping the system.

New isn't always better. Better is better.

Whale Facts

2011-01-20T19:35:00.002-05:00

Things that quite possibly only interest me....

The average U.S. household has 2.5 TV sets.

The average American watches 35.6 hours a week of TV. That's 5 hours a day.

Kids 2-11 watch 25.8 hours a week while adults over 65 watch 48.9 hours.

Source: The Big Picture

Clever Marketing

2011-01-16T07:07:00.002-05:00

Here's a clever marketing tag that a company called Pearl iZumi, a maker of performance sports wear, puts on their clothing.Notice the little guys on the left and right side of the card. (Red circles) Do you see how the guys on the left are doing ok, but the guys on the right look like they are going really fast? That just happens to coincide with the "Select" brand being mentioned on the left side of the card and the "Pro" brand being on the ride side of the card.

The implication is that the fast people use the Pro version.

Neat. Who doesn't want to consider themselves fast?

Why The US Meltdown is Better Than Eurpoe's

2011-01-13T20:27:00.005-05:00

Here's a neat article about the meltdown in Europe from the NYTimes. The oddly parallel, has to be somehow related to the one in the States, meltdown.

Link

The gist is that Europe is not like the States because they don't have a central authority that can dictate taking from the rich and giving to the poor.

It turns out that when you have a singular currency with no central governing body this can really, really suck.

I promise to stop writing so much about the economy. Really, I do.

A Look At the Economic Future?

2010-12-26T08:35:00.000-05:00

From the NYTimes on 12-23 about Prichard, Alabama:

This struggling small city on the outskirts of Mobile was warned for years that if it did nothing, its pension fund would run out of money by 2009. Right on schedule, its fund ran dry.

Then Prichard did something that pension experts say they have never seen before: it stopped sending monthly pension checks to its 150 retired workers, breaking a state law requiring it to pay its promised retirement benefits in full.

Yesterday the DrudgeReport ran a headline that said Debt: $13,868,461,000,000, Population: 308,745,538. That's $44,918 per person in America. For my family of four I owe $179,674. I don't have the money.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T06:00:00.001-05:00

Saying Yes Means You Have To Say No

2010-12-23T08:22:00.003-05:00

Heard a good one the other day, "When you say yes to one thing, it means saying no to something else."

You have to be careful with your commitments. Not keeping them means that you lose credibility. Keeping them means that there may be some unintended consequences such as missing something that you actually find more important to keep the original commitment.

For me that means Wife, Kids, Work, Health. These are the things that I must schedule for in 2011. If I can fit the other stuff in them 'yea for me', other wise 'oh well.'

Applying this concept at the organizational level is nothing more than Jim Collins' hedgehog concept. Simply put the hedge hog concept is the ability to consistently be deliberate in the simple policy of doing great business. The business has a laser focus on what it is going to do and therefore knows what to say yes to and what to say no to.

If your business cannot create a list of things that it has said "no" to, then it is not focused enough.

Easy to say, hard to do.

But It's Rated Triple A

2010-12-16T19:03:00.002-05:00

It turns out that after 6,000 blind taste testings it's possible to conclude that “individuals who are unaware of the price do not derive more enjoyment from more expensive wine.”1

There are two conclusions to this. One, if the big jug o' wine with the screw top tastes good to you drink it. Two, just because Moody's says it's good doesn't make it so. The corallary to this is that if you don't fully understand the fundamentals don't buy it.

Notes:
1. http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/freakonomics-radio-do-more-expensive-wines-taste-better/?hp

At Least Drunken Sailors Spend Their Own Money

2010-12-10T13:50:00.004-05:00

First off, why is so much time being spent in an "innovation blog" about the deficit? Actually the two are closely related on many levels. The simplest level being that money is needed for innovation.

The federal government is borrowing money and spending it. They are going to have to pay that money back. Governments only get money from one place, their people. In order to pay all this money back, the Government is going to take the money from us. When we don't have any money we can't invest in any innovation. So you see, those who care deeply about innovation need to care deeply about our debt.

So, having established the fact that the Federal Deficit is a big deal, and knowing that we are deep, deep, in debt can someone please explain to me how we can lower taxes (not allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire is in effect a tax cut) and extend unemployment benefits?

Point. Set. Match.

2010-12-05T09:20:00.002-05:00

“Many bought into the idea that America could go from a technology-based, export-oriented powerhouse to a services-led, consumption-based economy — and somehow still expect to prosper,” Mr. Immelt said in a typical speech last year before the Detroit Economic Club. “That idea was flat wrong.” He added: “Our economy tilted instead toward the quicker profits of financial services.” - Jeffery Immelt, CEO of General Electric

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/business/05ge.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&hpw

Parsing The Cacophony

2010-11-14T07:54:00.005-05:00

NPR had the new editor of Newsweek on last Friday. Tina Brown made an interesting comment when she said we live in a world with "more information and less meaning."

This struck me.

To try and understand today's world one of the things you have to do is understand what's fundamentally different about us today versus a thousand years ago. By the way, politics is not one of the those things. Our connectivity is. The ability of anyone to communicate a message, is fundamentally different today.

The implications of "more information and less meaning" are profound. First and foremost, the people who are able to create meaning (be it at work or home) are going to be more valuable than those who don't. A corollary to this is that people will always be willing to pay for meaning (context) while they won't necessarily be willing to pay for information.

Secondly, the world has become noisier because there are more channels to listen to. This doesn't mean the world is becoming more complicated, people often confuse the two. Since there is so much information the people who are going to come out on top are the ones that know how to tune out and focus on the task at hand.

Third, people still matter. The fact that people still have feelings (both consciously and unconsciously) has not changed by the introduction of technology. Knowing how to interact with people will continue to be a winning skill.

Fake It Till You Make It

2010-11-09T20:02:00.001-05:00

Trick Play Touchdown - Watch more Funny Videos

Whale Facts

2010-11-08T20:06:00.002-05:00

Things that quite possibly only interest me......

Ru-Roh Raggy
In 2010, China auto sales surpassed U.S. sales for the first time.1

Speaking of Dogs
Americans enjoy 150 million hot dogs each July 4. 2

Will There Be Anyone Left To Be Prepared?
The Boy Scouts of America, long an icon of wholesomeness in a simpler America, has seen its membership plunge by 42 percent since its peak year of 1973, when there were 4.8 million scouts. In the last decade alone, membership has dropped by more than 16 percent, to 2.8 million. 3

Notes:
1. http://www.cnbc.com/id/38053642
2. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/07/04/us/AP-US-Hot-Dog-Contest.html?_r=1&hp
3. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/31/us/31boyscouts.html?_r=1

Borrow too much and make too little and voila! You're done.

2010-10-28T19:46:00.003-05:00

Can democracies survive themselves? When the choices become really tough can we pick the right leaders or will we pick the ones who tell us what we want to here? Does it have to get worse so that the only other option is up?

(The title of the post was a comment made by Chuckie V)

Bad Design Files

2010-10-25T19:47:00.004-05:00

The other day the Italian design firm Aviointeriors announced a new airline seat. (See above).

Really?

At what price does this seem like a good idea for an hour? Two hours? Seven?

Why not cut the charade and go with something like below?

What Do You Do When You Can't Win

2010-10-14T19:34:00.001-05:00

See, here’s the problem with only talking about winning or losing (or profits). Where do you go when you can’t win no matter what you do?

The Buffalo Bills are 0-4 so far this year. It’s clear that they are not winning. It’s also known that the only important thing in the NFL is winning.

So, where does the team go?

Seriously. When a team is not winning despite everything that they try to do, where do you go?

This is danger in only focusing on winning and losing (or profit and loss). When you don’t win, despite doing everything that you know how to do how to do prevent becoming paralyzed by frustration?

The secret, the way out in this situation, is instead to talk about continuous improvement.

Everyone can get better than they were before. Every team can eliminate mistakes.

By focusing on continuous improvement you keep everyone engaged because there are clear, definable, things that each person can improve upon. There are specific things that you can do. These individual improvements compound each other into drastically improved team improvements.

The team may or may not improve enough to win a game, but they can improve.

You can’t control whether you win or lose. What you do control is your actions and with enough hard work and perseverance and time that translates into winning.

Bad Design

2010-10-06T18:57:00.002-05:00

What could possibly go wrong?

From the NYTimes:

Tennessee is one of four states, along with Arizona, Georgia and Virginia, that recently enacted laws explicitly allowing loaded guns in bars. (Eighteen other states allow weapons in restaurants that serve alcohol.)1

Notes:
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/04/us/04guns.html?hp

Seismic Shift in Health Care

2010-09-30T04:39:00.004-05:00

The Wall Street Journal reported the following today:

McDonald's Corp. has warned federal regulators that it could drop its health insurance plan for nearly 30,000 hourly restaurant workers unless regulators waive a new requirement of the U.S. health overhaul.1

It seemed obvious that if your workers could get free care from the government, then why should the company shoulder the cost? As a result, companies would just dump the health care costs. The point that government funded health care is better or worse, cheaper or more expensive, is moot for this discussion. The point is the transition from private to public funding.

What wasn't expected was that it would be so public, and so blatant.

There are two major results of this. First, major political topic going into the mid-term elections. Two, companies now have political cover to do the same. They can say, "We didn't want to, but the business fiscal reality forces our hand."

Note:
1. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703431604575522413101063070.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection

The Glyde Cycle

2010-09-27T20:28:00.001-05:00

OK, Maybe I've Got Time For Just One More

2010-09-17T04:24:00.004-05:00

On average, every month, an airline pilot is found to have more than the legal amount (0.04%) of alcohol in their blood.1

There are a lot of amazing questions that this statistic conjures up. The biggest one is why is the legal limit not 0.00%. At what point did having any alcoholic drinks before you fly become OK?

Note:
1. http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2010-09-16-drunkpilots16rw_ST_N.htm

Thnks Internets

2010-09-11T14:43:00.003-05:00

God bless Al Gore for inventing the internets. It sure makes life easy.

Had the old leaky faucet problem today. Now, I have no idea how to fix a leaky faucet. But, for the $100 bucks I save I am more than willing to learn.

Enter the internet. Now I am that old, but I do remember a time before the internet. If you wanted to do it yourself you had two choices. Talk to the guy at the hardware store, or get yourself a book. The problem in each instance is that while these resources can help with generalities, they are little use with your specific problem. The result is that it takes longer to fix your particular problem.

Not really anymore.

Just type "leaky moen faucet" into youtube and you get directed to an exact video as to how to fix your faucet. How to remove the cap, remove the retaining pin, and even how to take out the 1225 cartridge.

The internet is a wealth of detailed specific information. Information that will fix your problems. The business that get this will figure out a way to have people pay for this information. I would have gladly paid $20 for today's video if it was guaranteed to fix my problem. It's the guys that are still giving it away for free that are going to have a hard time of it.

The Next Norman Rockwell

2010-08-28T15:13:00.001-05:00

Michelle Sidles is the next American Norman Rockwell.

I'm not kidding. She's that good.

I Like to Ride My Bicycle

2010-08-25T18:01:00.002-05:00

I like to ride my bicycle.

I like to ride my bicycle in road races, typically at the end of a swim and a bike.

I like to ride my bicycle and go fast. The data says that people on bikes with good aerodynamics are able to go faster for the same power output.

Getting a good fit, the general convention says, is crucial to feeling comfortable while aero.

When you surf all the internet forums the purists would have you believe that the geometrical fit is so important, and so nuanced, that only the true of heart and brilliant of mind are able to successfully fit a bicycle. The rest of us need to go to the pros.

The problem with that is two fold. First, the pros would like to be paid. Second, nobody cares more about me and my bike fit more than me. Since bike fitting is so hard are they willing to endure multiple iterations with me in order to find speed nirvana?

So I did what any good engineer does and surfed the internet for research and prepared myself for months of calculations and experimentation in the pursuit of speed.

Because I am thorough I also went to my local bike shop armed with my new internet knowledge in order to discover the final pieces I needed.

His advice? "Just throw some cheap aero-bars on your bike and go."

What?

We're not going to calculate my hip angle and try to optimize my saddle and stack height for the optimized balance of power and aerodynamics?

It seems that the original intent is moot.

With a road bike the geometry is such that you can not really get aero. You get pseudo areo. Psuedo areo means that you throw some cheap aero bars on and go.

The moral of the story could be, "Just Do It." But that implies a willful disregard for caution. I've seen many a career blown up by "Just Do'n It."

The true moral of the story is Conventional Wisdom isn't always right and that The Fundamentals Are always right.

In this case if you want to go faster. Peddle faster.

Just Say No

2010-08-16T19:32:00.003-05:00

The neat thing about getting older is that you can begin to see patterns.

When someone wants you to do something, that you know from experience is stupid, you learn to say "No".

This is because you have learned that saying "No" is far less painful than the experience of doing something stupid.

The New Normal

2010-08-11T04:33:00.003-05:00

We were all hopeful that after the disastrous economic pull back that there would be a speedy recovery.

Well, it seems that this is not the case as Federal Reserve officials announced a debt buy back plan to help further stimulate the economy. Debt buy back plans are what companies do to lift their stock price when they don't know how else to lift their stock price.

Debt buy back doesn't work.

There are a couple of interesting points about the Fed announcement. First, it was a Fed announcement and not a White House announcement. It's almost as if the White House is looking to distance itself from the economy. It can't

Second, there is no easy way out of this tough situation. The entire economy was over capacitized to meet a false demand that was built on debt. What we went through was not a normal business cycle speed bump. It was a near collapse of the system. To get better the economy has to be retooled because the basic driver of growth (demand) is gone.

It will all work itself out over time, but it's not going to be fast or easy.

Whale Facts

2010-07-17T05:47:00.003-05:00

Things that quite possibly only interest me....

I Just Want To Say One Word To You. Just One Word. Sunglasses.
Most of the world's sunglasses are made by one company, Luxottica. They make a gross profit of $0.64 per dollar of revenue.1

But Daddy, This School Has A Pool With A Swim Up Bar
On average, spending on instruction increased 22 percent over the decade at private research universities, about the same as tuition, but 36 percent for student services and 36 percent for institutional support, a category that includes general administration, legal services and public relations, the study said.2

The alternate title for this snippet was, "But Are The Graduates 22% Smarter?"

It's What You Do When No One Is Making You
“It's not the will to win, but the will to prepare to win that makes the difference.”

— Paul William “Bear” Bryant (1913-1983)

Notes:
1. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704518904575365362932852610.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_personalfinance
2. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/education/10education.html?_r=1&hp

Hampton Inn Eats

2010-07-10T05:55:00.004-05:00

When I travel I like to stay at the Hampton Inn. The rooms are clean and nice, but one of the best perks is the hotel galley.

Here's the one in Durham, NC. They serve a "hot meal" for dinner. In this case it was cordon bleu nuggets, corn, and a salad. I just had a salad and called it good. Never left the hotel.

Did I mention that they had beer on tap and that the staff will come up and ask if you would like a refill?

Good looking salad and veggies! Best part? It's all included in the price of the room, which is a competitive price.

Best Salesguy Quote Ever

2010-06-29T17:01:00.002-05:00

"Black and white, that's such an engineering thing. There is no black and white. Not until you've exhausted all the other colors of the rainbow." - Sales Guy

Don't Forget

2010-06-27T19:48:00.000-05:00

Long Term Impact of The Great Recession

2010-06-19T07:36:00.004-05:00

The interesting part of anything is when it translates from idea to action.

The Financial Times had an interesting article yesterday (Link, free registration required) about how things are changing in America as a result of the financial meltdown.

There were a couple of bombshell things that the article mentioned. First, in Illinois and and San Diego pension benefits are being renegotiated. This is a bombshell, not only because it's breaking an implicit promise, but for the facts that a once sacred taboo has been broken. Second, in Seattle, financial planners are steering people away from tax deferred products, the idea being that taxes are going up in the future so better pay them now then pay more later.

The impact of the recession we just went through is profound and permanent in many ways; the new normal. What's just beginning to unfold is what exactly this means to you.

Are You A Todd?

2010-06-09T18:21:00.001-05:00

Who knows who Todd is, but obviously he's someone they trust when all Hell breaks loose.

The Rule of Three

2010-06-03T18:33:00.003-05:00

It utterly blows my mind how easily some people give up. If it's not moving the peg from this hole to that one, screw it! It's too hard!

If you are going to fail. Fail trying.

The people that make the big bucks do so because they are the best problem solvers (also known as people who deliver results).

Next time, when faced with a new challenge, try three things (three anythings!) before asking for help or saying it can't (or shouldn't) be done.

How You Know When You Need to Improve Your Product

2010-06-02T19:18:00.004-05:00

When there is a two page forum discussion about this...

and the discussion is whether the yellow poof is better than a shower poof from Walmart. That's when you know your product could be better.

(The topic is about a water bottle that mounts on the front stem of the bike. The yellow thing is supposed to allow you to refill the bottle and not have it splash on you during the ride.)

Here's a link to the discussion.

Leadership

2010-05-24T19:08:00.005-05:00

When you boil it all down, leadership is simply context setting. It's helping the team to define "the where we're going" and "the how we're going to work with each other to get there".

The steps to implement such a context are simple.

1. Assess the situation
2. Create a plan of action
3. Implement the plan
4. Preform the required actions needed to stay on track

Rarely are things this simple in the work life.

There's lots of things that can, and do, go wrong but one of the most common mistakes has to do with step #4.

Lots of times people will agree to a plan #2 and then completely ignore their commitments when it comes time to contribute in step #3.

This leads to step #4 when someone has to address the situation. A good leader has the ability to discuss this difficult issue openly with the person while maintaining respect for the individual.

A great leader has the ability to have the team discuss this difficult issue openly with the person while maintaining respect for the individual.

When I've watched the good and great leaders in action, they all have the ability to openly discuss very difficult topics in a manner that is honest and respectful.

This is tough to do because it requires a mastering of your own need for instant emotional gratification.

Whale Facts

2010-05-17T19:06:00.003-05:00

Things that quite possibly only interest me...

Going Global
There are nine Asian players on the PGA Tour this year, and 59 on the LPGA circuit, up from a total of five Asians on the two tours 15 years ago.1

What's Everyone Doing with The Benjamines?
The Fed chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, is quoted as saying, “‘We estimate that as many as two-thirds of all $100 notes circulate outside the United States.” There are, he said 6.5 billion such bills in circulation now.2

Who Cares, The Healthcare is Free.
In America, more than a third of the adult population is now obese (obesity being defined as having a body-mass index more than 30). This is nearly three times as many as in 1960, and half as many again as in 1990.3

Holy Crap! They Can Do That?
The commission then used GPS data, collected in every cab, to review millions of trips in New York City and found a huge number in which the out-of-city rates had improperly been charged, officials said.4

Notes:
1. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703465204575208270307899864.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsFifth
2.http://norris.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/who-needs-a-100-bill/
3. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704423504575212281013855148.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_lifestyle
4. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/nyregion/13taxi.html?hp

Trek Gets It

2010-05-13T18:01:00.006-05:00

The number of people who participate in Triathlons is growing. In 2006, 921,000 Americans participated in at least one triathlon. In 2007 that number jumped to 1.1 million.1

At the same time the number of female participants has increased from from 27% in 2000 to 38% by the end of 2008.

To participate in a triathlon you need a bike.

The bicycle manufacturer Trek, is targeting the female audience through the sponsership of a women's only race series. (This is a compliment to their women's only line of bikes)

Move to where the food is.

Notes:1. http://www.usatriathlon.org/about-usat/demongraphics

Pimping

2010-05-05T19:18:00.003-05:00

I'm pimping for Team Hole In The Wall.

Team Hole In The Wall is summer camp for very sick kids. It's a place where kids who don't get to lead normal lives get to have a normal camp experience.

Now, you'll notice that I don't have any ads on this blog. Nor do I get free swag in exchange for puff piece reviews. For better or worse you get my direct, biased, opinion.

I'm willing to look past this for the kids.

If you donate cash to the camp via the my official camp donation page I will give your item prominent space on this blog and I will only pontificate positively about the product. The only caveat is that I will note that this is a "Pimping For The Team Post." (Small letters, at the bottom, no one will really notice.)

The offers good from now until August 7, 2010. After that we're back to the old salty ways.

Taking a Beating

2010-05-05T18:54:00.003-05:00

I'm a big fan of Steven Covey and his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is a masterpiece.

But what I didn't realize until much later in life is that the principles listed in the book, and the other books in it's genre, are not all inclusive.

For example, nowhere, and I mean nowhere, does that class of literature talk about perseverance; the ability to marshal on despite the odds.

Life is not fair. Bad things happen to good people.

What separates the good from the great is their response to adversity. Coach Mike Krzyzewski has said that adversity is something to go through, it's not a destination. A boss of mine once said, "I can take a beating better than most."

If you want to be great you have to be willing to do the things that other people aren't. You have to be willing to show up and work long after the experience has lost it's fun.

Innovation Requires Detail (2)

2010-05-01T06:20:00.004-05:00

Here's another example of how innovation requires detail. If you don't understand root cause then you are just guessing at a solution.

Nomacorc, a plastic cork company, employs 5 PHD's. According to the Wall Street Journal

The 5 PHD's do nothing but study the impact of oxygen levels in wine—and how that is influenced by different types of corks. This growing trove of intellectual capital isn't restricted to cork technology. The company studies the shape of bottle necks—where subtle differences can mean tiny variations in the amount of air that gets inside. They even study how far corks should be inserted for maximum benefit. The company recently launched a side business selling German-made equipment that vintners can use to measure oxygen levels in wine.1

Oh and by the way, business is booming. Natural cork once held 97% of the market. Synthetic corks now accounts for 20%. Normacorc itself churned out 1.4 billion.

An interesting aside about detail. If now one can produce it, it doesn't exist.

Notes:
1. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304172404575168120997013394.html?mod=WSJ_hp_editorsPicks

Neat Idea

2010-04-27T05:11:00.000-05:00

Make to order doughnuts. Brilliant.

The underlying doughnut is stock and comes out of this automated gizmo.

The doughnut is than hand dipped to order (like an ice cream cone).

In fact, you can get one with ice cream.

And they have a ton of flavors.

Most Stressful Jobs In America

2010-04-25T17:20:00.005-05:00

The most 10 most stressful jobs in America, according to CNBC.com are:

1. Firefighter
2. Corporate Executive
3. Taxi Driver
4. Surgeon
5. Police Officer
6. Commercial Pilot
7. Highway Patrol Officer
8. Public Relations Officer
9. Advertising Executive
10. Real Estate Agent

What's interesting is what doesn't make the list:

+ American Serviceman
+ Astronaut
+ Coal Miner

Whale Facts

2010-04-20T05:01:00.000-05:00

Things that quite possibly only interest me....

The Check's In The Mail
As Americans turned more and more from paper to electronic communications, the number of items handled by the post office fell from 213 billion in 2006 to 177 billion last year. Volume is expected to shrink to 150 billion by 2020.1

But Social Security Will Be There
29% of those who have already retired have saved nothing at all to support themselves, while only a third have saved at least $50,000. To put this in context: A retirement account of $50,000 will provide a 65-year-old man with an annuity of just $4,000 a year.

33% of current workers have saved $50,000 or more, and nearly a third haven't saved a dime. Forty percent of workers aren't saving at the moment.2

And You Can Take A Cruise
CRUISE SHIP Yields—the amount they make on each passenger—are down about 15% this year amid a broad drop in consumer spending.3

Notes:
1. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703312504575141932505872768.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsSecond
2. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704349304575115780466873958.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_personalfinance
3. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703735004574574173333119560.html

Inevitability

2010-04-17T04:55:00.002-05:00

“The arithmetic is, unfortunately, quite clear,” Mr. Bernanke said. “To avoid large and unsustainable budget deficits, the nation will ultimately have to choose among higher taxes, modifications to entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare, less spending on everything else from education to defense, or some combination of the above. These choices are difficult, and it always seems easier to put them off — until the day they cannot be put off any more.”1

Mr. Bernanke is the Head of the US Federal Reserve, the guys who print the money and regulate the banks.2

Notes:
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/08/business/economy/08fed.html?hpw
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Reserve

We Are Experiencing Heavier Than Normal Volumes

2010-04-14T19:44:00.001-05:00

The crack staff at Grassroots is still on the job. However, comma, things are hectic. Lots of good stuff still to come! Be back next week.

Really?

2010-04-07T19:33:00.003-05:00

Slower spending by households could limit the vigor of the economic recovery and put a greater burden on businesses and government spending to drive a rebound.Lower consumer borrowing carries both benefits and risks for the economy.1

Note to self: When the economy is 70% driven by consumer spending their is no burden on business to the government to drive the economy. They can't drive the economy.

Note:
1. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303720604575169764274908690.html

Keep It Simple Stupid

2010-04-05T18:33:00.002-05:00

People can tend to over-complicate things. The new shiny thing has got to be better than what they already have.

With Triathletes they like to buy really expensive bikes to make them go faster.

In reality, knowing how to use the bike that you already have puts you farther ahead.

And you don't look so silly.

Innovation Requires Detail

2010-04-01T07:35:00.000-05:00

To truly be the best at something a company must understand the details better than anyone else.....in the world.

For example Proctor and Gamble know that the men on average take 150 strokes per shave. That they need to pull through 10,000 to 15,000 beard hairs and that those hairs are 50% more coarse than a woman's hair.1

When you understand things at such a finite level you understand cause and effect and can therefore manipulate the variables to create the desired outcome. When you don't understand you are just guessing.

Notes:
1. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704337004575059760286648800.html
2. Image credit: http://www.davidkrutpublishing.com/3914/wc-monotypes

Whale Facts

2010-03-29T07:25:00.000-05:00

Things that quite possibly only interest me....

Think Small
From 1992 through the beginning of the latest recession, companies with fewer than 100 employees accounted for about 45% of net job growth, according to Labor Department data.1

Do They Mention That Upfront?
50% of people who had gastric bypass surgery regained the weight in two years.2

Yeah for Engineers
Not only do engineering majors earn the most, but the field is expected to grow at a fast clip over the next eight years with 178,300 jobs added by 2018.

Still, even specialized, in-demand graduates like engineering majors are finding it difficult to find employment in this economy. NACE found that only 42% of engineering majors found jobs in 2009, versus 70% in 2007. 3

Notes:
1. http://online.wsj.com/articl/SB10001424052748703502804575101214031697940.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsTop
2. http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1902
3. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703625304575116170339369354.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_careerjournal

Ink Jet Printing Explosion

2010-03-27T07:16:00.003-05:00

There's no doubt about it. There's a revolution going on in the home printing industry and it has nothing to do with consumers wanting to print more. It has everything to do with consumers having to print more.

More and more the cost of hard copy information is being pushed to the consumer. Exhibit A is an e-mail that we received from summer camp.

In it are 5 forms, 9 pages, that need to be printed and returned.

This ends up having huge implications in the printing industry. The big printing publishers lose volume the home printing guys pick it up. That is until the electronic information becomes permanent and portable while still electronic.

Neat Idea

2010-03-22T18:29:00.002-05:00

There's a dirty little secret in bike cycling. When you ride for long periods of time (bike riders will bike between and hour and eight hour for their long rights) your naughty bits get, at best, squished, and worst case numbed.

Enter the ISM.

These guys have figured out a bike seat that maintains the blood flow where it's recommended that you maintain blood flow.

What's interesting to me is that this type of design has not gone mainstream. This is most likely due to the fact that a majority of riders do not ride anywhere long enough to become that uncomfortable and therefore their current seats are good enough

Innovative Basic Training

2010-03-16T04:48:00.003-05:00

One of the best thing about the American Armed Services is that they are not afraid to learn.

Learning organizations are rare because, by definition, the things that you did before aren't good enough. The good organizations know that this fact is independent of the quality of their people and are willing to make improvements. The bad organizations intertwine past performance with leadership ability and therefore are unwilling to admit past mistakes.

The U.S. Army is an example of a learning organization. Today's NYTimes article reports that the traditional 5 mile run and bayonet drills are gone and have been replaced by sprint and body core drills that are meant to better represent actual combat skills.

Notes:
1. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/03/16/us/AP-US-New-Basic-Training.html?_r=1

Bad Design Files

2010-03-11T20:53:00.000-05:00

How often does the lens cap get replaced up there?

Neat Idea

2010-03-09T20:50:00.000-05:00

Make it exciting......

This sign is outside a kitchen remodeling shop that I drive by everyday. They could have said "Open House 3-22" and I wouldn't have noticed.

Instead, "Only 13 days left" means I have to hurry and figure out how to get a babysitter.

Whale Facts

2010-03-06T07:27:00.003-05:00

Things that quite possibly only interest me....

33 Years of Unbridled Growth
New York City could be facing a loss of about 8,500 teacher jobs out of a total of 80,000. The last time the nation's largest school system laid off a teacher was 1976.1

Simple Enough: The Money is Not There
Social Security's annual surplus nearly evaporated in 2009 for the first time in 25 years.2

Like Government, Like Constituent?
So many people now dip their balance below zero that banks generated an estimated $20 billion from overdraft fees on debit purchases and A.T.M. transactions in 2009, according to Michael Moebs, an economist who advises banks and credit unions.3 (By the way, these fees came in a era when consumer spending was drastically falling.)

Notes:
1. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703315004575073561669221720.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsTop
2. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-02-07-social-security-red-retirements_N.htm
3. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/your-money/credit-and-debit-cards/23fee.html?hp

Innovation Methodologies

2010-03-03T20:07:00.003-05:00

The first image is looks like any traditional gym in America.

The second picture is of something, well, different. It's a picture of the Human Performance department of BASICS Sport Medicine. Link

The difference between the two pictures? In the first picture, you do the exercise prescribed by that piece of equipment. In the second picture you push, pull, and put things around in different ways.

In the first method you have a listed, disciplined process that, if followed, will deliver results.

In the second method you have an infinite number of options that if coordinated well and followed diligently will lead to extraordinary results. It's also the higher risk option because there's a greater degree of difficulty.

It feels a lot like the choices in Innovation.

ideaconnection Gets It

2010-03-02T19:26:00.002-05:00

The folks at ideaconnection have a very cool newsletter that you can get for free by going here.

Bad Design Files

2010-02-27T08:23:00.003-05:00

I found this on my credit card statement yesterday, it's a new feature:
Apparently, I can save money by paying more than the monthly minimum.

I'm pretty sure that the new credit card law made them list the payoff time for the minimum payment. To be helpful the credit card company shows how I can save by paying off more than the minimum balance.

What they don't show is that if you pay off the entire balance today I can "save" $2,766.97 in interest payments.

Instead of trying to squeak more money from the customer for the same service, why isn't the credit card maker finding new markets that have higher margins?

Don't Mess With The Whales

2010-02-24T20:37:00.003-05:00

A special addition of whale facts; a feature of things that quite possibly only interest me.

A Seaworld trainer died today when a Killer Whale attacked him.1

In 2006, a Seaworld trainer was attacked. He had been attacked two other times.

In 2004, yet another Seaworld trainer was attacked.

Sometimes the messages in life need to be taken seriously. Don't mess with killer whales.

Notes:
1. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704240004575085841459502312.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsThird

Drew Boyd Gets It

2010-02-22T19:55:00.001-05:00

Drew Boyd, a working guy at J&J, gets it.

Link

The Corporatization of Local Sports

2010-02-20T07:15:00.003-05:00

There's a new trend emerging in local sporting events. Corporatization.

In the past local road, triathlon, or adventure races were put on by the local promotion company. You'd see a flier at the local store and decide last minute to show up with cash and enter the race. If you were lucky you would get a bagel at the end.

Sure there were always the "big" races, events like the Boston Marathon, but a vast majority of events for the average duffer were simple home grown affairs.

Not anymore.

It started with the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge which is a 5K race that companies enter teams in.

From there it's grown to a Marathon Series (The Rock "n" Roll Series), a Triathlon Series (The Amica 19.7 Series), and an Adventure Racing Series (The Warrior Dash).

What's heartening about these trends is that they are evidence that innovation is alive and well in America. Where there is opportunity, capital will flow, and businesses will be created.

Innovation Zen

2010-02-18T20:56:00.003-05:00

God Bless The Greek Debt
Maybe if we watch them implode it will spook us enough to do something about our bills.1

You Might As Well Try
"It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all. In which case, you fail by default." - JK Rowling

You Might As Well Try II
A life spent defensively, worried, is to me a life wasted…life, to me, is a series of false limits and my challenge as an athlete is to explore those limits.- Lance Armstrong

Notes:
1. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=atayGT7Y7Jbk

Best of 2009

2010-02-15T09:06:00.000-05:00

January
F-22 Too Much of A Good Thing
When technology overshoots need

February
Details Matter
Who's egg is it anyway?

March
Coach Everyone
The great get the best from everybody

April
Innovation Requires Super Smart Guys
The really big problems require the smart folks

May
Whale Facts
Things that quite possibly only interest me

June
Just Do It
Reduce organizational friction

July
Yuck: The Economy Part II
Everything is different now

August
You Cannot Outsource Responsibility
You sold it, you own it.

September
Tractor Time
You need to check your position

October
Thank You, Captain Obvious
The Wall Street Journal Catches Up

November
Block and Tackle
Keep it simple

December
Unflappability
Fake it till you make it

This Could Change Eveything

2010-02-12T09:34:00.000-05:00

Be Vertically Integrated?

2010-02-10T09:22:00.005-05:00

ArcelorMittal is the largest steel maker in the world. Usually a manufacturer is subjected to the volatility in the raw materials used in the produciton of their product, in this case iron ore and coke.

That is unless you own your own mining operations.

From today's Wall Street Journal:

For the most part, steelmakers are expected to pass on higher iron ore and coal costs [in 2010] to consumers including appliance and auto makers. Some steelmakers, notably ArcelorMittal, U.S. Steel Corp., and Russian steelmakers, own their own iron ore and coal reserves. ArcelorMittal's iron ore mines can supply about half of its needs, while it can produce about 15% of its coal requirements.

As a result, its costs will fall relative to other steelmakers that have to buy more iron ore and coal, but it will sell its steel at about the same price, resulting in higher profit margins. "The future is looking more positive for ArcelorMittal. It will earn extra margin," said Thorsten Zimmermann, metals analyst for HSBC Bank PLC.

ArcelorMittal is expected to report Wednesday that it swung to a profit in the fourth quarter of 2009, with analysts' earnings estimates averaging about 40 cents a share. A year ago, the company lost $2.63 billion in the fourth quarter 2008.1

So what happened to the nuggetization of everything? Aren't we just supposed to just buy the components and then assemble them?

It turns out the answer is not necessarily.

Charles Fine, author of the book Clockspeed got it right when he summarized that value chains undulate depending on the market forces; oscillating between vertical and horizontal integration.

Notes:

1. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704182004575055450914638726.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_business

Whale Facts

2010-02-09T19:35:00.002-05:00

Things that quite possibly only interest me....

If a company splits in the woods is it still synergistic?
Today, the combined values of the companies [AOL and Time Warner], which have been separated, is about one-seventh of their worth on the day of the merger.1

But It's Only the 8th Highest Rate in the World
Scots aged 16 and older drank an average of 12.5 quarts of pure alcohol each in 2007, the equivalent of 42 bottles of vodka apiece and the eighth highest rate in the world (In England, the figure was 10.5 quarts per capita).2

Because Drunk, Stupid, and Awake is Way Better
Buckfast Tonic Wine, The drink is 15 percent alcohol by volume, proof, a bit stronger than most wines. Also, each 750 mililiter bottle contains as much caffeine as 8 cans of Coke. In a survey last year of 172 prisoners at a young offenders’ institution, 43 percent of the 117 people who drank alcohol before committing their crime said they had drunk Buckfast. 2

Still Going The Wrong Way
The federal government is expected to borrow $1.6 trillion this year, or about $15,000 for every household in the country.(3)

Notes:
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/11/business/media/11merger.html?hp
2. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/world/europe/04scotland.html?hp
3. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704022804575041461919200320.html?mod=WSJ_hps_sections_personalfinance

Why I'll End Up Paying For E-Mail

2010-02-05T19:45:00.002-05:00

E-mail is free, information is not. Information is costly to obtain.

More and more business transactions are taking place online. It's not just ordering figurines from Amazon.com anymore. Things like banking, insurance, registrations, and unemployment all take place via e-mail.

So, all of the information that you need to run your life - your account number, your payment receipts, etc - resides in those e-mails.

With the "free" e-mail all of those e-mails are on someone else central server somewhere. Should they choose to shut you out, your hosed. Controlling your information becomes valuable.

It then becomes worth it to upgrade your e-mail account to one where you can download the e-mail and thus take control of your information.

Yesterday's Innovations

2010-02-04T19:44:00.000-05:00

2010-02-03T20:35:00.003-05:00

A lot of business people think that he who shows emotion first loses. The thought behind this is that those who are emotional aren't acting consciously, rather, they are unconsciously reacting to their emotions and are therefore unreliable. Weak. Prone to error.

The problem with this attitude is that you can overlook the human element. The part of us that makes us human. Passion, emotion, heart; they matter. A lot.

AMEN

2010-02-03T12:09:00.000-05:00

Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers does a good job describing what it takes to be successful; hard work, smarts, and luck.

But there are other key factors that most people overlook.

Specifically, according to some research published you should also be able to:

* Listen to others
* Follow the steps
* Follow the rules
* Ignore distractions
* Ask for help
* Take turns when you talk
* Get along with others
* Stay calm with others
* Be responsible for your behavior
* Do nice things for others

Sometimes easier said than done.

Back

2010-02-02T20:04:00.003-05:00

It wasn't so much having to re-image the machine. Or wasting the time on the phone with the tech center in India. Or having problems with recovering the files from the back up hard drive.

No, the special joy was the upgraded virus protection causing the machine to crash. The proverbial cherry in the aged Manhattan so to speak.

Regardless, Grassroots is back.

We will not longer click on links sent to us; not even funny links from our friends at Christmas time that have our heads pasted on dancing elves. Because as funny as the laugh is, it's not worth days on end of getting back to even.

Technical Difficulties

2010-01-30T05:47:00.003-05:00

The crack staff here at Grassroots has run into one buzz saw of a computer virus. There have been calls to India, image reformats, and a whole host of other fun stuff. As a result we haven't been able to make any updates.

Regardless, we haven't gone away, we're just trying to get back to where we started.

Neat Idea

2010-01-20T00:48:00.001-05:00

They're starting to put advertisements on those disposable hotel keys

From The Bad Design Files

2010-01-18T12:46:00.001-05:00

How often is the lens cap replaced on the ceiling projector?

Being on the "A" Team

2010-01-16T07:24:00.004-05:00

The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are stronger at the broken places. - Hemingway

Life forges you. The experiences that you have, and your reactions, define who you are.

In the world of work, the people who are on the "A" team have are there because they have defined themselves by the way they have managed the problems at work.

They are the people who adopt a Cortez like only-one-way-forward approach during a crisis.
The only option they see is to remain calm, carry on, work a ton of hours, and be a part of the solution. (Note: The context for this conversation pertains to work situations where there are no personal life or death scenarios. Obviously in those situations different solutions may apply.)

It is important to understand that this approach does not guarantee success because fate has a way of setting the context so that success is not possible. But, how would you want to fail? By giving up or by knowing that you did everything that you knew how to do at the time?

Also know that being on the "A" team is not for everyone as it requires significant personal sacrifice. You don't work 40 hours a week. You don't get to sit on the couch after dinner. You don't get to be at home every night. You don't get to mope and complain.

Know these things if you seek to be on the A-Team.

Change With The Times

2010-01-13T12:17:00.002-05:00

or the Times change you.

According to the Wall Street Journal.1

In the last two years 7.2 million jobs were lost.

One in three jobs, or six million total, have been lost in manufacturing since 1997, the last year the sector posted job gains.

Construction, with 1.6 million job losses in the last two years, accounts for about 20% of all jobs lost in this recesssion.

Finance has lost 548,000 jobs.

The number of people working in record shops is 36% less than two years ago. 23% less for people working in directory and mailing list publishers, and 46% less at photofinishing establishments.

Link:
1. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126325594634725459.html

Inspirational Sunday

2010-01-10T09:41:00.001-05:00

Leaders can paint a compelling view of the future, but first you have to believe it yourself.

Whale Facts

2010-01-07T21:05:00.003-05:00

Things that quite possibly only interest me.....

Don't Expect Others to Be Empathetic or
Why First Impressions Matter

A recent analysis of psychological studies with nearly 8,000 participants concluded that people are twice as likely to seek information that confirms what they already believe as they are to consider evidence that would challenge those beliefs.1

But It's Not Like They Have a Budget Shortfall Or Anything

New York’s Medicaid program, totaling about $44 billion, is the most expensive in the country and larger than the budgets of 42 states.2

And It's Not Even Illegal or
Forget Gangster, This Is How WE Roll!

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that pensions at the companies, United Airlines, US Airways, Polaroid and Reliance Insurance, were underfunded by more than $11 billion when the companies turned them over to a government-backed insurance fund. The report says executives at those four companies and six others that abandoned their pension plans took in a total of $350 million in pay and perks in the years leading up to the bankruptcies.

Notes:
1. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703811604574533680037778184.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories
2. http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20100104/NEWS01/100104020/1003/State-watchdog--Freeze-salaries--cap-school-spending--eliminate-pork-
3. http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2009-11-18-pensions_N.htm

Can I Get An Amen?

2010-01-06T19:02:00.002-05:00

From Wayne Goldsmith at SportCoachingBrain.com

Systems do not create winners. They produce consistency. They provide opportunity. They provide a measurable quality control framework. They provide high quality environments for training and competition but systems by themselves do not create winners;
The winners in all the high performance sports systems around the world for the past fifty years have been athletes, coaches, managers, teams, researchers, scientists and leaders who have thought and acted differently – who have been unique but who have had the good sense to tap into the opportunities provided by the high performance sport system.1

via The Triathlon Book

Talk about stunning clarity. If I had a stone tablet, and knew how to engrave it, this is what I would put on it. Working harder doesn't guarantee success. Working hard and smart does.