People will accept your ideas much more readily if you tell them Benjamin Franklin said it first.
- David H. Comins
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Monday, August 02, 2010
Reality, Restructure, and Resources
Take some time and read John L. Herman, Jr. on the new "3 Rs." A sample of his thoughts:
Look at an intersection. Three restaurants and a gas station. Three office buildings and a bank. Three hotels and a shopping mall. In the next two years demand will correct the excess supply. But, which two will survive and which one will disappear. It won’t be based on who is the best, or who is the most popular. It will be the business that restructures costs, stops wasting valuable cash on marketing, and doesn’t produce at continued losses that may stay alive. While the business owner that keeps giving away product, borrows more to stay afloat, or thinks that tomorrow we will go back to the pace of yesterday…will disappear.
Look at an intersection. Three restaurants and a gas station. Three office buildings and a bank. Three hotels and a shopping mall. In the next two years demand will correct the excess supply. But, which two will survive and which one will disappear. It won’t be based on who is the best, or who is the most popular. It will be the business that restructures costs, stops wasting valuable cash on marketing, and doesn’t produce at continued losses that may stay alive. While the business owner that keeps giving away product, borrows more to stay afloat, or thinks that tomorrow we will go back to the pace of yesterday…will disappear.
Bock on ROWE
Check out the excellent Wally Bock on the Results-Only Work Environment. An excerpt:
Here's what I found researching this issue for over twenty years. When I asked people to describe a "time when it was great to come to work," the answers always included something about control over work life. That's the key issue.
How can we give the people who work in our organizations as much control as possible over their work life?
Here's what I found researching this issue for over twenty years. When I asked people to describe a "time when it was great to come to work," the answers always included something about control over work life. That's the key issue.
How can we give the people who work in our organizations as much control as possible over their work life?
A Small Place in the Woods
I can see the appeal of The EDGE, the cleverly-designed mini-house, as a vacation home. As for its use as a regular residence, an old George Carlin routine came to mind: Where would you put your stuff?
Going After the Small Chores
Instead of The Next Big Thing or Project X or Project Y, devote some time this week, say four hours, to do nothing but little chores.
We often ignore and dismiss them because they are small and yet they can convey potent feelings of guilt if left unattended. Leave a small chore alone for a few weeks and you may begin to regard it as of equal importance to a big chore when it comes to your inability to get things done. You know it is minor, so your reasoning goes, and yet you have not even been able to get that small task done. You are not in control.
And so you'll take the time to go after the small chores. Your time will be especially productive if - as you tackle these chores - you develop systems or bring in some tools to help you become better organized. But make no mistake, unless you do or delegate those tasks, you'll find that the cumulative effect of the small chores is the guilt of not completing a large one.
Drudge
Dated but still interesting: A 2005 interview with the reclusive Internet legend Matt Drudge. My favorite part:
“Hold on, Matt,” I say, “you’re always exposing the private lives of public figures. You can’t go all coy now.”
“I’m not very social. I live on an island in Miami, Florida, and I do my own shopping and pay my taxes,” he says. “And I’m not mean.”
[Execupundit note: There are some public figures whose names could not be improved upon if you wanted the name to summarize a character in a novel. One is Matt Drudge and the other is Al Sharpton.]
“Hold on, Matt,” I say, “you’re always exposing the private lives of public figures. You can’t go all coy now.”
“I’m not very social. I live on an island in Miami, Florida, and I do my own shopping and pay my taxes,” he says. “And I’m not mean.”
[Execupundit note: There are some public figures whose names could not be improved upon if you wanted the name to summarize a character in a novel. One is Matt Drudge and the other is Al Sharpton.]
They Don't Dial 911
Cultural Offering points to a call to arms. Be sure to watch the movie video at Idea Anaconda. Classic politically incorrect advertising.
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