Stuffin' Envelopes

I once worked in an organization where the Vice-President was a fanatic about recognition of employees. Any recognition submission that crossed his desk would be approved without question. The managers in his organization soon realized they could enrich their employees by using the recognition program. Every month, there would be a recognition All-Hands meeting when everyone who had won an award would be recognized in front of their peers. The atmosphere was great for morale, at least initially.

One manager took the company's recognition generosity a little too far. That manager's team was required to submit nearly a thousand applications for collocation space by a certain date and were a little behind. So the manager asked each of his employees to stay a couple hours late one Friday evening to complete the 1,000 submissions and get them in the mail before the deadline. He brought in pizza for them to feed on while they worked. His entire team plus a few people from other teams participated in the work. In all, around 25 people stayed a couple hours late, ate pizza, visually checked 1,000 applications and stuffed them in envelopes for mailing. They knocked the work out relatively quickly.

At the next monthly recognition event, all 25 were recognized for their stuffin' envelopes work with a small monetary award and a crystal trophy referred to as an Excellence Award. When the team's accomplishment was announced, more than a few in the room began to squirm. After all, the description of the Excellence award was that one was given to those who display great innovation, perform in areas beyond their job description, or complete a difficult project with exceptional quality. The team of 25 had not met that expectation. In fact, all they had done was very menial tasks associated to their job.

The misuse of the recognition program actually caused morale to suffer. Those who had won an Excellence award in the past wondered if they really deserved it. Future winners would also wonder if they really deserved it. The act of giving 25 undeserved awards had cheapened the recognition experience and tainted the program indefinitely.

Does this sound familiar? It should. Barrack Obama was awarded with the Nobel Peace prize after serving an astounding 9 days in office. The award committee explained the selection by saying that he earned it by setting goals for the United States that would foster world peace. Setting goals? In the real world of business, setting goals is never rewarded. Meeting goals is however even this should not be seen as extraordinary. We are hired to meet goals set by our leaders.

Does Obama's Nobel award cheapen the prize? You bet. Consider former winners and see for yourself if Barrack's accomplishments measure up. Lech Walesa, Mikhail Gorbachev, Mother Theresa, Anwar Sadat, Menachem Began, Henry Kissinger, Martin Luther King, and Albert Schweitzer are among past winners. These are people who were recognized for accomplishing something significant, not because they set goals for others to meet. To Obama's credit, even he said the award was undeserved. However, you can bet he will use this award to further his world-view agenda.

But we must also remember that Al Gore won the award a couple years ago for promoting his bogus man made global warming rubbish. Barrack's Peace Prize is just another award in a recent series that only serve to cheapen the Nobel for past and future winners.

My 100th Post

I started blogging on June 26th, 2009. I have averaged slightly more than 6 posts per week, so have hit the 100 milestone in 108 days. I really did not expect to a stay with daily blogs this long. I started blogging because I had a few things I wanted to commit to writing - sort of a therapeutic treatment for stress. I have a lot of stress at work, and found that blogging does nothing for that. It does help me reduce stress caused by non-working life - mainly my dissatisfaction with the direction of the American government. I have taken out my aggression on President Obama, those who elected him, Liberals, Democrats and several other nuisances. It makes me feel better and I thank you for putting up with it.

At first, Terri was not supportive of my blogging. I think she feared that I would be sharing all of her personal secrets and short comings (by the way, she has none). Over time, she saw that my posts are more innocuous than harmful. Now she just tells me that I got the dates wrong, which is probably true more often than not.

About a month after I began blogging, I decided to allow Google to place ads on my blog. I harbored no illusions that it would become profitable, and that has become very true. So far my blog has earned me 48 cents. That makes the math pretty easy. Each post is worth about a half cent. If I post 400 times a day, I could make a living at this.

So now I ask myself "Self, do you want to continue?". I think so, but I may start to miss a few days here and there. I find the difficulty in blogging is not the writing. I can crank a couple of posts out over my lunch hour without a problem. The difficulty is finding things that interest me enough to write about. My favorite subjects are the personal and family topics, but my life is not that exciting so that well runs dry pretty fast.

My next favorite topic is to point out the double standards our mainstream media (M&M's) apply to public servants, depending on their ideology. That is a rich source because you can find a good example every day. I suspect that my readers, all 5 of you, bore rapidly when I get on those rants.

My favorite posts so far are:

• Intervention - I thought the premise was clever. Unfortunately a nephew-in-law annoyingly pointed out the factual inaccuracies of the piece which was a buzz-kill. Still I had fun writing it.
• The Geology of my Neighborhood - I just had fun collecting the rocks and researching their origins. It probably bored those who read the post, but still was one of my favorites.
• Don't Use the Customer's Bathroom - By far my most humorous post. I wish I had another 50 stories like that.

Maybe if I cut the volume, I can improve the quality? Nah.

I like to see the comments (very rare lately), so keep them coming.

Chefs were Close

Okay, the Chefs were close to a win Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. But before we get our Super Bowl travel plans made, let's remember how the game progressed. The first 10 points were gifts. The Cowboys turned the ball over to the Chefs in great field position, and the Chefs converted that field position into 10 points - field goal and a very short touchdown drive.

With the score 10-0, 13-3, 13-10, I never even briefly considered the Chefs would win. The Cowboys quickly scored 10 points late in the game to pull to a 20-13 advantage. My belief the Chefs would do whatever it took to lose was validated. Then the unthinkable happened. For the first time in recent history, the Chefs worked a 2-minute drill. With the help of Cowboy penalties, the Chefs tied the game inside of 1 minute left in the game.

WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?

I will admit my confidence in a 1-15 record this year is now shaken. Are the Chefs improving or is Dallas that bad? I don't know. Dallas quickly ended the Chef's hopes of a win by completing a long pass and run for a touchdown during their first possession in overtime. Order was restored to the universe. Will that universal order continue? Next up for the Chefs are the 2-3 Washington Redskins. Could this be the Chef's first win? Washington has already given 2 teams their first and only win of the season. These guys are pretty bad too. But could the Chefs actually win one?

Nah. I'll keep the faith. I believe their perfect season record will continue for a couple more weeks.

Leadership Lessons

I once worked with an organization led by a man named Bob Thompson. Bob was one of the best leaders I have ever crossed paths with. He left the company to become a missionary in a foreign country. Before he left, he shared the leadership lessons he had learned over his career. I have kept those lessons because I believe they are the best set of 10 principals I have ever seen for a leader. I was so impressed by them that I review the list every so often. Bob's "top 10" lessons are:

10. Take the time to write well.

Write early and often. Write for emphasis. Write to say “thank you”. Write to confirm. Write to clarify. Write to praise. Write so people can refer to it again and again. But WRITE WELL. Remember…the BEST speech you ever give will be forgotten by most of your audience within seconds of your finishing. But your WORST writing will live forever.
Your good name will be tarnished by bad writing, so write well.

9. It’s not who you know, it’s what you accomplish.

I don’t believe in networking. I never have. I don’t call people on my Rolodex “to check in and keep my name in front of them,” nor do I appreciate people who do. My outside friends don’t work for Sprint. I was hired at age 27 as a Band 77 (mid-level) manager in Newton, Iowa. The guy who hired me promptly retired. No sponsor. I made division president at age 37. You can do it, too. I got each successive job because somebody in another department saw me accomplish something in my previous job. If you want to get ahead, put your head down, do a great job & accomplish great things. People will notice.

8. Executive leadership is about two things: Direction and Development.

Corollary: What made you successful up to now will get in your way in your executive role. You’re not a DO’er anymore. Chiefly, an executive’s role lies in direction & development. Direction - People need to know where they’re going and why they’re going there.
More on this in a minute. Development - Find the right people. Invest in your people. Listen to them. Teach them. Trust them with important stuff. It pays dividends over and over.

7. Create a compelling picture of the desired future state and describe it to anyone who will listen. A lot.

Once you’ve figured out the direction, get a “stump speech” and give it every time you see a stump with some of your people standing around it. Your stump speech must:
• point a clear picture of where you’re going,
• a plausible path to getting there, and most important -
• it must be a place that people want to go to, despite the comfort of where they are now.

6. Assume you’re in charge and the decision is yours to make unless you’ve explicitly been told “no.”

There is a “world” of difference between this philosophy and it’s opposite: assuming you can’t, unless somebody says you can. Assuming “yes” opens a world of possibilities. Don’t leave a fumbled football lying on the ground. Assume that it was left there for you… pick it up and run with it. Old saying: Better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission, is true. So break the rules. You have my permission.

5. Encourage the hearts of the people you lead - their minds and deeds will quickly follow.

If you’re going after your people’s intellect first, you’re missing the mark by about 18 inches every time. Visibly recognize people’s contributions, a thank you note or public praise
Have fun. Everybody likes fun.
Celebrate success. Even little ones. Wear a lampshade on your head or don a chicken suit.
Love: Your customers, the people who do the work, the accomplishments of the organization
They’ll love you back. It fills your tank to press on. Love ‘em and lead 'em.

4. Strategy without execution is a pipe dream.

The devil is in the details, but so are the rewards. I have never been rewarded for having dreamed up a great plan, even though that’s the part I really like to do. Rather, I’ve been rewarded for executing a great plan. Delivering the results promised. Make a decision and do something. If nobody seems to be in charge, assume you are. Collaborative decision making is best, but if it’s taking too long to get there and you feel you have at least 80% of the information you need, go with your gut and decide. Remember, one of your primary roles is direction. Adopt a long-timer’s mentality. See your plan through to completion where it is producing superior results long after you’re off doing something else. Finish well. Attend to the details. Leave a legacy of success for the next guy.

3. Be positive and optimistic.

No whining is allowed for the leader, especially in public. Optimism multiplies organizational energy. Pessimism, or cynicism (often legitimized as “realism”) drains organizational energy. If you haven’t tried this, you should. People want to follow a leader who believes in what he or she is doing. Don’t you? Give me the unrealistic aspirations of the optimist over the grim litany of the realist any day. Your people feel that way, too.

2. Work is temporary. Family is forever.

Ah, the work/family balance issue. Probably just the regrettable words of an old guy who didn’t spend enough time with his kids, and now they’re gone. Not really. I figured this one out pretty early. Sure I worked a lot of hours, just like you. But I made time for important family stuff. You can too. Put the important family stuff on your business calendar first and build around it. Sometimes you’ll miss an occasional school play or big game, but if you make this a priority you’ll make 80% of them. For my kids, that equated to “Dad was always there.”
There’s always a crisis going on at work. It’s always “crunch time.” There’s always a “big meeting that can’t be missed.” Miss it. We’ll get along without you for a couple of hours or a day. Be there for your family.


1. Integrity matters.

Trust is hard to gain and easy to lose. Once it’s lost, it’s almost impossible to get back. If it feels wrong, it probably is, so don’t do it. Do the right thing every time. Avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Be someone other people respect and know they can count on.

Proverbs 10:9 - He who walks with integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will be discovered.

Just Answer the Flippin' Question!

Weekend news shows, such as Meet the Press, were once programs that interested citizens would watch to get answers on the positions of their leadership and direction of our country. That time has long since passed. Now, it these shows are simply and exercise by our representatives to say what they want to say, or are authorized to say. Moderators ask questions, and the guest use the question to communicate whatever they want to say. It is rare that an asked question ever gets answered.

There are many reasons why news show guests don't answer the question. For those poor souls who give truthful answers, their words immediately become the news reported and dissected by the M&M press for at least 24 hours, and the answeree spends the next month explaining or clarifying their answer. A good example would be former vice-president Dick Cheney. He is naturally a straight-shooting kind of guy. I also suspect that he did not need to clear his comments with anyone before issuing them - especially true since his retirement. For the past several years, anytime Cheney would be interviewed, his comments would be the news for a few days. All because he answered the questions that were asked.

Ninety-nine percent of news show guest prepare for the questions they think they will be asked by rehearsing a set of talking points they want to communicate to the TV audience. It doesn't matter what the moderator asks, their answers will not diverge from the talking points. Presidential debates are very similar. I sometimes think that if asked if their hair was brown, interviewee would answer that regardless of what their hair color is, they like black shoes. It really doesn't matter if they are Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative. THEY ALL DO IT!

So why do the shows? Good question. I haven't seen a single honest answer on Meet the Press since General Powell said he would support Barrack Obama for President. That was over a year ago. I think I will quit wasting my time and stop watching the Sunday Morning News shows. It is a waste of time.

Miranda's Revolution

A week ago last Tuesday, Miranda Lambert released the follow up to her Grammy winning best album "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend". In a prior post, I had mentioned that with another solid effort, she could vault herself into country music's elite. My expectation for this release was high, but Miranda has pulled off another great recording. I can call her Miranda since I have bought all 3 of her CD's, each with a serial number close to 1. Heck, I think that means I practically discovered her.

The Revolution CD contains 15 tracks, many co-written by Miranda and her boyfriend Blake Shelton. Only 2 of the cuts will remind you of wild rocker-girl Miranda. You can visualize her stomping out the tune with her pink guitar, blond hair flailing, followed by destruction of the guitar. The surprise is that most of the remaining 13 cuts are much tamer with an obvious country flavor. Country flavor was sometimes hard to find in her prior releases.

One cut, named Time to Get a Gun, is pure country writing. After telling about her neighbor that had a car stolen out of the drive way, the chorus lyric goes:

It's time to get a gun,

That's what I'm thinking,

I could probably afford one,

If I did just a little less drinking.

I don't care who you are, that's country. The surprise is the song was not written by Lambert. The House That Built Me was, and is pure writing genius. Everyone that grew up in a house will relate to the song.

Revolution is the third CD released by Miranda. It is the best example of her range. She takes you from Miranda the Rocker to Pop to Ballad. Each song is well written and performed. I think this CD will be enough for Lambert to included in any country top 10 list. She has come a long way since her Nashville Star days. If you liked that clip, you like this one also. By the way, Miranda came in third during the first season of Nashville star. Buddy Jewell won.

Smoking

I recently browsed through some very old pictures of Terri and I just after we were married. We both quit smoking years ago, so it was somewhat shocking to see us with cigarettes. It got me thinking about how I started smoking and how the perception of smoking has changed over the years.

I started smoking very early. I was a paperboy delivering the Sunday edition to all customers in a certain apartment complex. I would stash my smokes under a flap of carpet under a stairwell in one building. Every week I would visit my stash for a couple of cigarettes. Obviously I was not hooked since my habit was a once a week vice.

Habitual smoking began once I became a cook at Red Lobster. I was only 17 or so, and most of my co-workers were much older. Mny of them smoked, so they took smoke breaks. I did not smoke, so I did not get breaks. It did not seem fair, so I started smoking and taking breaks. Absolutely BRILLIANT! Little did I know that stupid decision would haunt me for years to come.

Almost as soon as I was hooked, I began attempts to quit. I probably quit a hundred times before I actually quit. One memorable attempt was just after Terri found out she was pregnant with our oldest daughter Lyndy. We decided to quit while on a car trip to Memphis. Bad decision. Nicotine with drawl hit before we reached St. Louis. Two people quitting in the same car for 10 hours is not the best environment for success. We were just outside of West Memphis when Terri could not take any more of my whining and made me stop and buy a pack. She continued her effort to quit and in fact ended her habit on that attempt.

With Terri an ex-smoker and a baby on the way, my smoking habits changed. I no longer smoked in the house. I would only smoke outside, at work or in the garage, and remained under those constraints until eventually completely quitting years later.

Before I successfully quit, I tried every method available at the time. I tried gum, Nicorette, candy, a pipe, and cold turkey. Stop smoking aids only eased the withdrawal, but do not make a person want to quit. Wanting to quit is the key to success. It was not until I committed to quitting that I was successful. I remember the turning point. I had laid off the cigarettes for about a week but was having a massive urge for a smoke. I had just about convinced myself to go to the store for a pack when I stopped, summoned every ounce of will power I had, and forcefully denied the urge. It was the last massive urge I experienced. I continued to get the urge for several more weeks, but the magnitude began to diminish and they were easier to ignore.

Recently a couple of people on my staff were successful in quitting. During their ordeal, I would advise them that today they wouldn't be able to stop smoking for their entire lifetime. They can only stop for today. If they just could make it through today, then they could try again tomorrow. Each day would get a little easier until they wouldn't think about it again. Both stopped. One did so cold turkey. The other stopped with the aide of an electronic cigarette, which he is now addicted to.

These two are now part of the norm. Most people today do not smoke. It has become far to inconvenient and costly. That was not always true. I remember the day when you could smoke on an airplane. Places of business were equipped with ashtrays since most workers smoked.

Terri and I watch Mad Men, a story of Madison avenue advertising firm set back in the early 1960's. The distinction between those times and today could not be more vivid. We almost become offended by the characters who smoke so much and in any situation. And it's just a TV show! It is like our last vacation in North Carolina, a state that is protective and proud of their tobacco crop. We walked through an indoor shopping mall and were surprised at the number of people who carried lit cigarettes. We had not seen that in Kansas City for over 10 years!

Also incredible to me is the cost of cigarettes. When I quit, a pack was less than $2. I see that a pack goes for around $5, even higher in some areas. At a cost of $2,000 per year per pack smoked each day, you could pay for the catastrophic health insurance policy they may need.

Today, smokers are relegated to common ash cans a few feet away from the building they work. I wonder how they stand the zero degree temperatures just for a few puffs on a cigarette. The number of public places that allow smoking is falling at an accelerating rate. That is good. I have heard all the arguments on how smoking restrictions are taking liberties from Americans. I just don't buy it. A smoker's rights end at the tip of another person's nose. Smoking does not only impact the smoker. If it did, then I would agree with the argument.

I have been a non-smoker for a long time and have not had the urge to smoke for years. Yet, I still sometimes smoke in my dreams. It is a weird feeling to find myself in that half awake, half asleep state, feeling guilty that I had smoked, and hoping that Terri can't smell it on me.