Wednesday, October 28. 2009Leadership and Change - Not all Change is Good!
It is easy to confuse leadership with the concept of change. Sometimes people over emphasize change as the path to success and that good leadership will be the champion of change. Change is a tool - nothing more. Sometimes change can be for good - sometimes for bad. The real issue is leadership. Given the right leader, people will follow that individual to the gates of hell. If - and I do mean if - he or she is the right leader, that person will also bring the followers back from the brinks of hell AND they will be successful in their objectives. Do not be confused by people that espouse change. Learn to discern the correct path from the wrong path. A true leader embarks on the correct path regardless of the desire to continuously implement change.
Copyright 2009 - Jim Lindell Wednesday, October 28. 2009Inappropriate times to Text - For fun
I just twittered about a Police officer texting while riding a Segway and realized that I was too critical. People have just not learned where it is appropriate to text. So as an aid to society, I am compiling a list of inappropriate times not to text others. Everyone is aware of the consequences of texting while driving a car (train or plane). I will highlight some of the often overlooked items:
1) While sitting on the toilet - do you need a picture or do I have to explain this one? 2) while landing the lunar module - duh, no cell towers! 3) while being intimate with your significant other! I bet you want a picture - it is hard enough to get the correct symbols for emotional content. Heaven forbid you get the wrong combination and your partner finds out - Warning! Will Robinson Warning! (exception 1 - if your partner is texting also, it is OK; exception 2 - if you are texting each other, it is not OK) 4) while running a chainsaw - too difficult with work gloves. 5) while water skiing - it detracts from your attempts to look good. 6) while eating any sticky foods - the damnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn keys might get stuck. 7) while skydiving - the force of the wind might slam the device into your face. while playing Rugby - results in too many knock ons. 9) while at a Rugby party - you never want to miss any part of a Rugby party. Besides God gave you two hands, both equally equipped to hold a pint. 10) while in Church - unless you are texting God. (Please if you have God's address, please advise via text; also, it is perfectly acceptable to respond to any text message at anytime from God) 11) while scoring a TD on Monday Night Football - Yes T.O. that means you (However, if you can tweet "I Scored", consider how it will give the NFL commissioner something to do!) 12) while hang gliding - you may drop it on the head of a native who thinks that it is a gift from God. Thereby declaring all communication forever forward must be by texting. We have too little conversation as it is - SHUT THE DAMN THINGS OFF!!!!!! If you have any other inappropriate times to text, please respond to this with a comment, THANKS! Copyright 2009 - Jim Lindell Wednesday, October 28. 2009Pulse of the Economy
Pulse of the Economy:
Consider the two following pieces of information. The first is forward looking, the second is a current perspective. Future Durable Goods Orders in U.S. Rise for Fourth Time in Six Months By Shobhana Chandra Oct. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Orders for U.S. durable goods rose in September for the fourth time in the past six months, a sign factories are helping ring in an economic recovery. Current AAR Reports Weekly Rail Traffic Down Year Over Year 22 Oct 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information contact: AAR Communications, 202-639-2100 Holly Arthur [email protected] Lauren Sandberg [email protected] AAR Reports Weekly Rail Traffic Down Year Over Year Following is the weekly chart that AAR creates. Check out their website it is a great place for Railroad information. AAR.ORG weekly rail traffic week 41 I have created the concept of the BS, MS, BS, MS indicator. In essence it reports the transportation of goods through our system. If the economy recovers we will see evidence in the rails, sea and trucking industries. The Acronym stands for Buy Sh*t, Move Sh*t, Build Sh*t, Move Sh*t (again). Note that the rail report text indicates that in comparison to last year, this weeks traffic is below that of last year. It also mentions that last years week was the very first week where traffic dropped off. They are being good stewards of the data when they suggest that trends may appear up but only because last year was so bad. Keep in mind, however, that this week is below last years level. People are unemployed, they will not be purchasing goods, the 8 cylinder consumer engine is firing on 3 cylinders, employers have further plans to cut workforce levels, credit continues to be difficult to obtain. I am glad that there is an increase in bookings. I do not believe that we are "out of the woods" or that our economy is not in significant danger. Copyright 2009 - Jim Lindell Wednesday, October 28. 2009What is Important in Life?
Recently, I had to pull a boat lift out of a lake in Northern Wisconsin. Unfortunately the waders would not protect me so I went into the water in my swimming suit. The outside air temperature was 30 degrees F. In a couple of minutes I turned beet red. I quickly hustled out of the water and went inside to warm up. Yes it was dangerous. I also had to pull the dock out of the water - at least I could use the waders. My boys and my nephew were there to help me. As we got ready to pull out the dock, there were light snow flurries. I called the boys out to the end of the dock and told them to stand still and enjoy the serenity. At that point in time, there was no other place like that. In the midst of freezing weather and bone chilling water, it was the ideal peaceful place to be.
Each of us have the opportunity to enjoy wherever we are at any given moment. The ability to become at peace at any given time and any given situation is a fantastic gift. The difficult economic times provide a unique opportunity to focus on what is important in our lives. The greatest wealth that we possess is our spirituality, our family and our friends. It is not in our possessions. Learn contentment in all stages of your life. Copyright 2009 - Jim Lindell Sunday, October 25. 2009Business Culture is like a Music Group
Every company develops its own business culture. There is no wrong culture, nor is there a right culture. It simply is. The problems come into play when business culture is inconsistent or incompatible either externally or internally.
I believe that it is easier to use an illustration to demonstrate business cultures. Consider the following image: Business Culture is like a Music Group Now picture your culture. If you had to compare your culture to the four groups above, which would be the best fit? • Is your culture more like a symphony or orchestra? Is there a conductor who orchestrates everyone’s movements? Is there set music where everyone knows their part? Improvising is frowned upon, discouraged or even punished because it is outside the norm? Again – each culture is fine by itself depending on the environment it chooses to do business in. Conflicts arise when business cultures change their identity on a temporary basis. Conflicts also arise when external cultures interact? Conflicts can also arise when different levels of the company operate as different cultures. Have some fun. Try to identify your business culture as one of the music groups above. List out your cultural preferences and identify the culture of your significant business partners. I am willing to bet that recent conflicts stem from cultural differences. By the way if it is not due to business culture then it is most likely due to individual style or type differences. You can even see the music analogy work for individuals – Heavy Metal; Drivers - Orchestra; Analytical – Jazz; Expressive – Folk; Amiable. © 2009 – Jim Lindell Friday, October 23. 2009The Real Value Chain - a/k/a the Pinky and Brain Planning ModelThe Real Value Chain - Pinky and the Brain Planning Model This chart highlights what I have labeled as "the real value chain". All of the significant value within our lives initiates in the dream process. For example, where we are today originated itself in the dream process. We dreamed the following: how I am going to be different, or how I will improve myself, or what person will I select as a spouse or partner, or what business will I go into, or what career will I choose. In our chart above, Brain is always contemplating how he can take over the world. After the dream happens, a vision will typically take place. Imagine that the dream is to be a successful business person. The vision might then be crystallized into, “I will be a partner in a CPA firm.” With our cartoon characters above, at the start of every episode, Brain tells Pinky the same thing - "Pinky, tonight we will try to takeover the world." Once the dream and vision are established, the next step is to create a mission statement. The mission statement will help provide a practical guideline and inspiration for what is to be accomplished. Pinky and the Brain decide in this episode to create Christmas toys that will be used to hypnotize the world population. They plan how they can get the toys (through Santa's distribution channel!) to everyone. The goals will outline the steps to accomplish the mission. In the chart, Pinky and the Brain are impersonating reindeer. As the goals are being executed progress can be reviewed to determine if course corrections are necessary. If everything has gone according to plan, then it will be successful. In this episode, Brain has a change of heart based on Pinky's letter to Santa Claus and decides to change the plan from world domination to world peace. Unfortunately, they were not successful to their original plan. However, every episode also ends with the reminder that tomorrow night they will try to take over the world again. It is a fantastic example of holding and reinforcing a vision. Sometimes in business we make things waaaaaay toooo complex. The best learning tools are often the simplest. So there you have it. Complex strategic modeling that cost large corporations hundreds of thousands of dollars outlined by two cartoon characters. Have at it Strategic Planners!!! Copyright 2009 - Jim Lindell Tuesday, October 20. 2009Turnaround a Company, Turnaround a Government
There are 4 specific steps to turnaround a company in trouble. They are:
Step 1 - Raise Cash Step 2 - Raise Prices Step 3 - Discontinue unprofitable products / product lines Step 4 - Cut Costs The concept is to take the necessary steps to help a company survive troubled times. Let's contrast this with the steps the government has taken during the recession: Step 1 - Spend Cash Step 2 - Raise Taxes Step 3 - Create unprofitable programs Step 4 - Increase expenditures It is a little easier to see the contrast when you line up the two methodologies next to one another: Comparison of Company Turnaround to Government Turnaround Step 1 - Businesses are conserving cash - the government is spending (Whose money are they spending? The taxpayers money.) Step 2 - Businesses are having difficulty with current prices - let alone increasing prices. However, as a result of all the spending, the government will have no choice but to increase or raise taxes. Step 3 - Businesses jetison unprofitable products or divisions. The government protects the Status Quo and promotes waste and ineffeciencies. Step 4 - Businesses cut expenses - the government increases expenditures. Now, I understand the role that the government is trying to play. There is a significant reduction in spending and they are trying to take up the slack. This might work if they actually had the resources to pay for it. Unfortunately, government spending will have to come back out of the taxpayers. This is the old rob Peter to pay Paul scenario. The problem is, Peter is out of cash too! I am afraid that this ends like a game of musical chairs - are you sitting down? Copyright 2009 - Jim Lindell Tuesday, October 20. 2009Chicago City Managers to take Pay Cut - NOT!
Oct 19, 2009 11:58 am US/Central
Daley: City Managers To Take Nearly Five Weeks Off Thousands Of City Workers To Take 24 Unpaid Days In 2010 CHICAGO (CBS) ― Faced with a $550 million budget deficit, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley on Monday said that all non-union city workers would take nearly five working weeks of unpaid leave next year to save the city money. Tough times, call for tough decisions and Daley and the City are dealing with them as they see fit - no problem there. It is the concept of taking a pay cut that I believe is misleading. When you reduce someone's pay and still require them to work the same amount of time, then you have a pay cut. When you reduce someone's pay AND reduce an equivalent amount of time, the worker has been put on a reduced work schedule but still gets paid the same rate. There are many for profit companies that implemented true pay cuts as opposed to work schedule reductions. By the way, I keep looking for a corresponding cut in Federal workers compensation (Congress). Did I miss that? Copyright 2009 Jim Lindell Monday, October 19. 2009Finding a Job During the Recession
This is a difficult time as many individuals have lost their employment. I regularly counsel people on how to find a new position. After a while, I realized that it might be easier if I put my suggestions in written form and made them available to any interested party. So here you have it - Find a Job During the Recession Please click on the link and you will receive a free copy of the guide. You also have permission to freely share and copy for non-commercial purposes providing the entire document is provided and is unaltered.
Copyright 2009 - Jim Lindell Sunday, October 18. 2009Educate ourselves to save our children
This entry is written by Joan Jensen. Her son's name is Mack and this is her message to all of us. Mack was part of our Wisconsin Select Rugby Squad. Pay attention - this is heartfelt and crystal clear - Jim Lindell
I am writing with the hope of bringing more awareness to an activity that seems to be on the rise among tweens and teens. Some of the names this activity goes by are: Choking Game, Pass-out Game, Space Monkey, Suffocation Roulette, Scarf Game, The American Dream, Fainting Game, Purple Hazing, Blacking out/blackout, Dream game, Flat Liner, California Choke, Space Cowboy, Airplaning, Purple Dragon, and Cloud Nine. This "game" is a dangerous and addictive activity that older children and early adolescents sometimes play to get a brief high. They either choke each other or use a noose to choke themselves. After just a short time, children can pass out, which may lead to serious injury or even death from hanging or strangulation. I was not aware of this type of activity and didn't notice warning signs, until July 10, 2009, when my husband discovered our 17-year- old son Mack, dead in his bedroom. Mack Jensen Mack was a bright, articulate, honors student; a fit and very active young man, who worked hard and participated in many activities including band, swimming, wrestling, football, rugby; he also hunted and fished and played lots of chess with his dad. He was very open with both of us and had friends all over the state. He had teachers, coaches and adult friends that he talked to often. He knew how to have fun and wasn't a risk-taker or an over-achiever, but a very competitive young man. We talked to him often about having so much on his plate and asked if it was ever too much; he said that he was having fun and would back off if things got to be too much. My son was enjoying a great life and looking forward to so much more. Being a typical 17-year-old, Mack was very confident and in part, that is what killed him. I think he thought that this activity was a game and not dangerous; a quick little high without using drugs or alcohol, and no one would be the wiser. Words cannot describe the devastation to his family, friends and community. Here are some warning signs that someone is playing the choking game: Parents, please learn more about this and talk with your kids; coaches talk with your young athletes; administrators please train staff, teachers talk with students; pastors/priests get the word out to your congregations; kids, please talk to your friends, classmates and anyone you know and continue to TALK, TALK, TALK about this terrible activity that is called a "game"; it can be brain damage, serious injury or death in disguise. Other resources for more information: http://www.stop-the-choking-game.com/en/home.html or http://www.cdc.gov/Features/ChokingGame/ or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fainting_game Joan's personal wish - If I can spare anyone else the profound sadness that I am experiencing over the death of my son through awareness, it would be a ray of hope for me and my family. I would appreciate if you could forward this letter. Help me to catch people’s attention. Feel free to share this letter with your family and friends and have them pass it on also. Wednesday, October 14. 2009Negotiation - Real World Observations
Although everyone has negotiated, not everyone has been trained in negotiation styles. It is easy to miss the underlying style and its implication. Consider the following chart.
4 Negotiation Styles Win-Win Collaborators These are the individuals that want what is in the best interest of both parties. Paramount to the decision is to improve both parties position and to preserve the relationship of both parties (or their stakeholders). Win-lose Bullies This is when one party to the negotiation has a distinct advantage in the negotiation and has no problem with taking advantage of the other party. This is best used when the 2 parties will never negotiate again in the future because one party (and their stakeholders) will lose and reflect negatively on the "winner". Lose-win Doormats Doormats will make unilateral concessions to appease the other party at all costs (even to their personal detriment). The most daily example of this are the caring mothers across the world who place the needs of their children above their own needs. Lose-Lose Politicians Politicians are most interested in reaching agreement. However, they will reach agreement to the detriment of both parties. They are not interested in results, they are interested in touting that an agreement has been achieved. This brings us to the lessons for today. Our politicians have exhibited two of the profiles above as they relate to the recession. 1) When TARP was passed, the politicians were acting in the lose-lose mode. They made an agreement when many of them never read the document. By the way if any management team or their Board of Directors passed significant policy statements without reading, they should be terminated. 2) Just today we saw the evidence of the Win-Lose Style in "Health care legislation back behind closed doors" (Oct 14, 7:54 AM (ET) By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR) There was no victory lap either for Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus of Montana. "The bottom line here is we need a final bill, a merged bill, that gets 60 votes," he said. "Our goal is to pass health care reform, not just talk about it." The goal for Max is to pass health care reform. The Democrats will do whatever it takes. All of our representatives should be operating in the Win-Win box. When they spend most of their time in either the bully or politician styles of negotiation the agreements achieved are not in the best interests of our country at large. © 2009 Jim Lindell www.thorstenconsulting.com Sunday, October 4. 2009Unemployment 17% and Rising
On Friday the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the employment report for September. It continues to be a bleak picture. The official unemployment (U-3) is 9.8%. The reported total unemployment (U-6) is 17%.
September 2009 A-12 Shadowstats.com believes that even the U-6 number is under-reported. Their alternate method reflects current unemployment reporting methodology adjusted for SGS-estimated "discouraged workers" defined away during the Clinton Administration added to the existing BLS estimates of level U-6 unemployment. Their current estimate is in excess of 20%. Regardless, we have a lot of people out of work. This does not bode well for a consumer driven economy. Also to note from the BLS report was the following: Employment in transportation and warehousing continued to trend down in September. The number of jobs in financial activities, professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and information showed little or no change over the month. In previous posts, I have commented on the transportation of goods as an economic indicator. A continued cutback in transportation mirrors the reduced transportation traffic. © 2009 – Jim Lindell Thursday, October 1. 2009The Happy CPA – ISTJ, the Unhappy CPA – ENFP or INFP
Hear ye! Hear ye! This entry is dedicated to the Accountants of this world. If you have never completed a personality type profile, I encourage you to try the Myers-Briggs test at http://www.humanmetrics.com/#Jung%20Myers-Briggs
The typical profile for an accountant is an ISTJ (Introvert Sensing Thinking Judging). In my seminars across the country I have found that approximately 75% of the accountants follow this trait or have 3 of the 4 characteristics. Here is the interesting part – any time that I have run into an INFP or an ENFP, I have asked them “Do you like your job?” In all cases they say “no” or that they have modified their job to fit their personality type. The lesson? If you are an accountant and you are an INFP or ENFP, I am willing to bet that there is a better profession or opportunity for you. If this is you, feel free to give me a call and we can chat. © 2009 – Jim Lindell Thursday, October 1. 2009Making Decisions – Listen to your Inner Voice
In the business world, there have been times when I have struggled with a decision. Normally, it is very easy for me to make a quick, decisive decision. I have then been amazed, when on occasion, that I have second guessed the original decision. Here is what I have learned. Deep down, I wanted to choose the other direction, but for some reason chose the other option. I also noticed that there was a “little inner voice” that had counseled against the chosen alternative. Now, I embrace the inner discussion and listen very closely. I listen for the “inner voice” attempts to rationalize a particular decision. The rationalizations are pointing out the direction that I really would like to follow. Instead of struggling over the decision, I embrace the direction of my inner voice. Does this mean that I always make the correct decision? NO! However, I am more comfortable with my decisions and am more accepting of the results – positive or negative.
Next time you are presented with options that require a choice, listen to the arguments that your inner voice makes. That voice will provide the roadmap for your decision. Follow that direction! One exception to this philosophy is to recognize when your inner voice is directing you to do something that does not align with your personal values. If your inner voice is directing you to do something that conflict with your personal values, tell your inner voice to “go jump in the lake” and then do the right thing! © 2009 – Jim Lindell
(Page 1 of 1, totaling 14 entries)
|
Jim LindellJim Lindell is a National Speaker, Author, and Vistage Chair. He is motivated by helping others improve their lives and businesses.
He is President of Thorsten Consulting Group, Inc. Order Jim's book - "Controller as Business Manager". controller as business manager - jim lindell - thorsten consulting group QuicksearchArchivesCategoriesSyndicate This BlogBlog AdministrationNetworked Blogs |