Quotes from "Success Built to Last"

"I found that people who are always worried about the next move in the chess game of their life never quite get at that move."

"What makes Builders (entrepreneurs) different has to do with having a Thought Style that moves them from negative emotion to constructive action quickly. It's what they eventually choose to do rather than how they feel about their recovery."

"Builders harvest failure. They turn their thoughts to understanding what happened so they can drive even faster without future wrecks."

"Enduringly successful people have concluded that their commitment to the service of others is also in their self-interest...They don't believe that the choice is between serving a cause OR serving themselves. They choose both."

"Enduringly successful people have found that the answer to their life's purpose is buried not in the passionate love or pain alone, but in the struggle over both together, working in strange harmony."

- please click the following link to purchase "Success Built to Last"

Think Tank 3, NYC

Think.
Plan.
Do.

- Think Tank 3 (447 Hudson St.)

Is making your office energy efficient, cost efficient?

A show I watch on MSNBC called Your Business had a segment this weekend with the founder of Green Order, Andrew Shapiro. Green Order shows companies how making your office more energy efficient is actually cost efficient. Some of the items they discussed were:

* Hybrid Solar Charger (by Solio) - Solar charger for for cell phones, MP3 players and GPS (learn more)

* Solar backpack - Energy cells in your backpack energize your mobile media (learn more)

* CFL Light Bulbs - Everyone seems to know that CFL light bulbs last 10 x longer then normal light bulbs but most people don't go out and buy them. If you haven't please click the following link to learn more about CFL light bulbs.

* Indoor plants help clear air of pollutants...

* Cellulose tape doesn't use petroleum...

* Use unbleached coffee filters (learn more) or buy a gold coffee filter that requires no filters.

* Ask your utility company for an energy audit. They are usually free and can help save you lots of money.

* Get off junk mail lists...

* Use paper more efficiently by setting your printers to print double sided.

* Want some more ideas on leaving a smaller carbon footprint? (click here)

The American Shopper -

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"Research shows that two-thirds of Americans consider companies' business practices when deciding what to buy..."

"In today's cause-conscious era, nearly 90 percent of of US consumers say they would switch from one brand to another if the other were associated with a good cause."
(2007 Cone Cause Evolution Survey)

This bodes well for animal friendly companies and you can click the following link to view some resources on animal friendly products and services.

Next Generation of American Workers, the millenials -

60 minutes had an interesting piece recently on what they are calling the millenials (watch video), the next generation of americans about to enter the work force. The overriding theme of the piece was that this next generation, overall, cares most about themselves and are very sensitive. As Marian Salzman, an ad agency executive at J. Walter Thompson, said:

"You can't be harsh. You cannot tell them you're disappointed in them. You can't really ask them to live and breathe the company. Because they're living and breathing themselves and that keeps them very busy."

The end result is that corporate america is scared witless about this next generation in the workforce and I think they should be. But the theme of the 60 minutes piece seems to be that this will be bad for the american economy. I'm not so sure about that...but even if it's true, might this new generation lend to happier and more fulfilled lives? And might this new generation be forcing corporate america to take a second look at how they treat their workers? Look at the new breed of companies like google, starbucks, zappo's. They are the anti-walmarts and might even be forcing walmart to improve their employee benefits which they have said to be doing lately.

I watched the 60 minutes piece with one of my walkers who is a part of the millenials. He put his head into his hands on repeated occasions through the piece and at the end, not surprisingly, he was blown away. He felt the piece had embodied his generation better than anything he's ever seen. His reaction seemed to imply, as the piece might to some, that this next generation will be soft. Will they be soft or maybe just work less but more effectively? Countries in Europe who work 1/3 less than we do had economies that thrived as much as ours did in the boom of the clinton years. And they were home on fridays and work actually promoted social lives a little bit more than hawaiian t-shirt fridays.

There will always need to be pen pushers or laborious jobs but maybe the next generation of companies will be in environments where you are rewarded and appreciated for whatever job you hold. It might also be a generation that moves even more towards small business and as a small business owner I think this would be a great thing. Might our economy suffer with less of a corporate dominated culture?

Possibly but when corporate greed is associated with everything from environmental to social and even political illegitimacy, it sounds like a better alternative to me. Smaller companies where you can concentrate on your customers, employees and product more without worrying about your public stock or downsizing to keep investors happy can only lend to happier workers and customers.

CRAZY CUSTOMERS vs. good ones

Almost every job I've been involved with has dealt with the public. Sometimes this has been face to face and other times over the phone but it has always been in high volumes.

I've grown to look at the population like this:


* 25 percent of the public is very detailed oriented, friendly and polite. When they raise a concern or problem with service they will do it respectfully and calmly. Their point is resolution and it's not an ego trip. If you return their respect and show concern and action to their problems everything will be ok.

* 50 percent of the public does not really keep track of the services and goods they are spending their money on. They do not check their online banking statements, do not know the rates of their products, etc.. The majority of this group are again friendly and very easy going. They will sometimes call you out the blue because they are so surprised by the their past bills but again, most of them just want a fair resolution.

* 15 percent of the population also does not keep track of their financial situations but once they decide to they will call you up and act as if you've been scamming them. This is the most dangerous group because if your billing practices are not sound you both will really get an earful but also might issue a refund purely based on an angry client and not factual information.

* 10 percent of the public are just crazy! They are overly neurotic about every last detail but on top of that are irrational in your dealings with them. I would tread lightly around this contingent of the population. Those who do not value your product, try and get you to change your business plan to suit them and are emotionally draining, will in the long run lose you money.

As you can see in my look of the population, the majority of people / clients out there are wonderful, respectful people. That 10-15% of the public who are irrational can be very taxing to the point where you think everyone sucks and everyone is crazy! But I would recommend looking at things in percentages. Having a maximum allowed percentage of acceptable loss, of turnover, of crazy clients, etc., will help you visually see and control the culture of your company experience.