ROME
3/22/2013
3/05/2013
Resilience
Amazing how impactful to an organizations success a lack of management and a breakdown of employee loyalty can have. This is in terms of the customer base I service with the products and services I sell. Chapter 13 and a setting sun on another dream for an American entrepreneur.
9/21/2011
A Whisper to a Scream
The first few drops preceding a summer rain storm in the north east are often times heard before seen or felt. Densely packed leafy trees invite the falling water scouts to perk up our ears as they race to earth pinball style. It's often only upon tuning to our awakened senses of the increased humidity, darkened skies, and textured colors of impacting rain do we scoot to cover or toss on a coat sheltering ourselves from the impending natural shower.
A keen observer, however, open to all their senses knows the army is coming from the shifting winds, darkened skies, sticky skin and scent of moisture even before the clouds above consider tossing down their musicians to tap out a tune on the trees below. The simplest moments stitched together empower awareness to see the whisper become the scream, to enjoy the notes played upon the leaves as those early droplets dance to the ground before they actually begin their song.
Simple elements of being in the moment are easy when we are on Walden Pond, but amidst Modern Multitasking Mania how do we retain the ability to connect the whispers that often lead to screams, both good and bad? Instead of hearing, smelling, seeing and maybe even touching indicators of the quickly approaching drench we carry multiple what-if protectors that numb owning the responsibility of moment by moment stitching. A buxom blond, or befuddled comb over city slicker forecasts for rain and without even acknowledging that they are right less than 50% of the time we rush to grab our jackets, umbrellas and plan routes for wet travel.
Some feign surprise when the sun shines all day and we are left shuttling our accoutrement's back to where we could have left them had we done our own evaluation using the tools at our disposal. Yea, it's nice to see Doppler radar on the 42" plasma, but how about reconnecting with the senses that every lesser intelligent beast possesses on our planet when rain is about to come...Dogs know, cats know, cows even change the direction they face when wet weather approaches.
Why have we collectively negated owning those moment by moment evaluations of our chosen environment, our chosen life? Not sure about the societal tendancies for this. Maybe it has to do with the exponential population growth in the past 40 years.
Maybe the disconnect is due to the explosion of information sharing that is mostly incomplete, like the weather persons view of how the day may unfold, or may not. I can only guess.
What I do posess is the ability to own my stitching efforts. Own being in the moment. Own my decisions. Own the impact of those decisions. Own the outcomes whether a whisper or a scream of my stitched together moments. It is through this life long ownership that I will always maintain control, not of the world around me, but rather how I respond to the world and apply myself to any given situation as my own.
A rain drop hits a leaf and I am surprised by the gentle popping sound it makes. Well, if I chose to not pay attention to the darkening sky, and rising stickiness on my skin then the surprise is welcomed, and embraced. If, however, I get irritated that the rain is coming and my preparation is poor, then shame on me for not hearing a whisper to a scream.
8/15/2011
Change whispers
First whisper of change comes with a sense of unease, followed by indifference, then resistance, ultimately defiance, which inhibits teamwork and joy in ones work. The whisper that finally becomes a bellow leads to full scale action. A necessity of change not only for the welfare of one, but for the welfare of all within ones impact crater.
Robert Burns wrote,
"The best laid schemes of Mice and Men
oft go awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!"
He wrote those lines as part of a poem that flowed from his powers of observation after destroying a mouse nest while plowing a field. What's this got to do with change? Well, I say bad move on the mouse....It resisted acknowledging the changing environment that it's home was built within and paid the price. Farmer Burns destroyed it, and then the mouse had to move as a result of destruction; unprepared, ill equipped and probably at great cost to it's family.
Not changing for the welfare of a dream is a lesson worth experiencing. The mouse had to of seen the field under construction but obviously enjoyed being so close to the food and the water. Well, young tailed rodent, unheeded risks to live the dream led to your demise.
The metaphor here, on a personal level, is tied to taking the risk of breaking my three quantifiers tied to a dream job or career.
Great product-easy to investigate
Great customer base-one builds within the career one chooses selling the product that was investigated.
Great leadership-is least likely to change just because one loves what one does---high risk when it does not meet the litmus test.
Enter at ones own risk and with eyes wide open when a scheme is laid out that goes against ones instincts. Be ever observant of ones self so when the need for change wafts by in the shadows it is quickly partnered with to preclude the wasted time traveling the path from unease to defiance.
Defiance has passed, change is embraced, and now the litmus test is back in action. Who shall I bring value, passion, loyalty, commitment, sacrifice for the risk of reward to next?
...tbc...
Robert Burns wrote,
"The best laid schemes of Mice and Men
oft go awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!"
He wrote those lines as part of a poem that flowed from his powers of observation after destroying a mouse nest while plowing a field. What's this got to do with change? Well, I say bad move on the mouse....It resisted acknowledging the changing environment that it's home was built within and paid the price. Farmer Burns destroyed it, and then the mouse had to move as a result of destruction; unprepared, ill equipped and probably at great cost to it's family.
Not changing for the welfare of a dream is a lesson worth experiencing. The mouse had to of seen the field under construction but obviously enjoyed being so close to the food and the water. Well, young tailed rodent, unheeded risks to live the dream led to your demise.
The metaphor here, on a personal level, is tied to taking the risk of breaking my three quantifiers tied to a dream job or career.
Great product-easy to investigate
Great customer base-one builds within the career one chooses selling the product that was investigated.
Great leadership-is least likely to change just because one loves what one does---high risk when it does not meet the litmus test.
Enter at ones own risk and with eyes wide open when a scheme is laid out that goes against ones instincts. Be ever observant of ones self so when the need for change wafts by in the shadows it is quickly partnered with to preclude the wasted time traveling the path from unease to defiance.
Defiance has passed, change is embraced, and now the litmus test is back in action. Who shall I bring value, passion, loyalty, commitment, sacrifice for the risk of reward to next?
...tbc...
4/17/2008
Daily World
Disclaimer….nothing in this daily update may even come to reality….or….it may already be reality….or it might become reality with time, more thought, and discussion with the team…Disclaimer
Daily report-1
Communication
Proposition. How do I manage the perception of broken communication regarding updates and team direction? Solution. A daily update of thoughts, possibilities and concepts to create awareness of what has been, currently is, or could become. The potential for a dead end is real, as is the potential for some thoughts that will not become any more than just that, thoughts.
Proposition. How do I manage the routine implosion of emails. Intent, perceptions, and the potential for threads to get way off target before the root of the first email even gets addressed has been very real since early in the birth of our store. Solution. Let’s limit all emails to those that ask a question with only a numerical answer, a yes answer or a no answer. If a sentence involves the ingredients that could lead to misinterpretation then that means a phone call or in person visit is prudent. I think this would lead to more personal interaction resulting in better resolution to all our situations that require problem resolution.
I think if I can facilitate daily updates of observations, directional insights, and other areas that will impact future decisions there might become awareness that I don’t make decisions in the dark, quite opposite actually. I make decisions based on repeated observations tied to the wisdom that is garnered from those around me and my own base of experience.
Teamwork
Teamwork from my perspective relates to the ability of a group to do more collectively than the sum total the individuals efforts. I expect team members to voice opinions but upon doing so acknowledge that once a direction is taken that support is rendered for that direction.
Teamwork only happens with trust, shared responsibility, sacrifice, and acknowledgement that what is best for the team is more important than what is good for the individual.
I am at a loss at the conclusion of today’s session regarding how to better build camaraderie than to put together these observations and thoughts in an effort to show complete desire to make all our interaction better than what it is now.
Proposition. Group interaction will spur group communication, which will invoke trust and ultimately a strong team. Solution. Weekly meetings will be a reality. The time will fall between Monday and Thursday given Friday through Sunday are busiest of times at the store and in the field.
Processes
Proposition. The end result of our journey to a team of booking coordinators and event facilitators will empower all of us to balance life and pursuit of professional development at Sports Basement. Solution. I will keep the direction as clear as possible given the inherent challenging nature of change.
I always take a moment and reflect on day to day efforts with my eye on the long term ball which is to have a team working together for the success of the store by bringing as many new customers through the door from all walks of life within the communities that surround our location.
Personnel
There are changes that have occurred. ML is a coordinator who is hourly compensated covering triathlon and back country. She works parallel with PM. DH is a coordinator who is hourly compensated covering PT/Chiropractic. DH is managed by BB, reports to BB, is rated by BB. BB is overall responsible for success not only in her channels but also those of DH’s , PT and Chiropractic. BR is Event Lead, responsible for developing the concept of event facilitation through the remainder of this quarter so that by 3rd quarter the coordinators have complete confidence in the execution of their booked events without having to attend the events in person.
Supplies
Proposition. Convergence of suppliers will streamline expenses and reduce the burden of supplying events. Solution. Costco is a great option. Tying the employee food order into the event supply order has been a thought on my mind for months, but have not had the opportunity to act upon it. Now that we have Ben in place the process can get engaged for possible execution.
Paperwork
Next round of expense reports are due on the 3rd of May. The deadline for this round was today.
Performance
Proposition. The team is performing well despite the interpersonal havoc that occurs on a daily basis. Solution. Keep working potential solutions to the interpersonal challenges and at the same time keep eye on the performance ball, one and all. This means that everyone needs the opportunity to see daily sales reports, tied to our codes in the system.
Proposition. Awareness of daily sales will allow individual awareness of efforts within channels.
Solution. Every week use the newest, simplified tool to account for our contact lists and our customer tracking to raise awareness of the team status. We will open every weekly meeting with this, and then go into the review of upcoming weeks events followed by an open dialogue about whatever needs to be discussed given the state of the store on that given week.
Disclaimer….nothing in this daily update may even come to reality….or….it may already be reality….or it might become reality with time, more thought, and discussion with the team…Disclaimer
Daily report-1
Communication
Proposition. How do I manage the perception of broken communication regarding updates and team direction? Solution. A daily update of thoughts, possibilities and concepts to create awareness of what has been, currently is, or could become. The potential for a dead end is real, as is the potential for some thoughts that will not become any more than just that, thoughts.
Proposition. How do I manage the routine implosion of emails. Intent, perceptions, and the potential for threads to get way off target before the root of the first email even gets addressed has been very real since early in the birth of our store. Solution. Let’s limit all emails to those that ask a question with only a numerical answer, a yes answer or a no answer. If a sentence involves the ingredients that could lead to misinterpretation then that means a phone call or in person visit is prudent. I think this would lead to more personal interaction resulting in better resolution to all our situations that require problem resolution.
I think if I can facilitate daily updates of observations, directional insights, and other areas that will impact future decisions there might become awareness that I don’t make decisions in the dark, quite opposite actually. I make decisions based on repeated observations tied to the wisdom that is garnered from those around me and my own base of experience.
Teamwork
Teamwork from my perspective relates to the ability of a group to do more collectively than the sum total the individuals efforts. I expect team members to voice opinions but upon doing so acknowledge that once a direction is taken that support is rendered for that direction.
Teamwork only happens with trust, shared responsibility, sacrifice, and acknowledgement that what is best for the team is more important than what is good for the individual.
I am at a loss at the conclusion of today’s session regarding how to better build camaraderie than to put together these observations and thoughts in an effort to show complete desire to make all our interaction better than what it is now.
Proposition. Group interaction will spur group communication, which will invoke trust and ultimately a strong team. Solution. Weekly meetings will be a reality. The time will fall between Monday and Thursday given Friday through Sunday are busiest of times at the store and in the field.
Processes
Proposition. The end result of our journey to a team of booking coordinators and event facilitators will empower all of us to balance life and pursuit of professional development at Sports Basement. Solution. I will keep the direction as clear as possible given the inherent challenging nature of change.
I always take a moment and reflect on day to day efforts with my eye on the long term ball which is to have a team working together for the success of the store by bringing as many new customers through the door from all walks of life within the communities that surround our location.
Personnel
There are changes that have occurred. ML is a coordinator who is hourly compensated covering triathlon and back country. She works parallel with PM. DH is a coordinator who is hourly compensated covering PT/Chiropractic. DH is managed by BB, reports to BB, is rated by BB. BB is overall responsible for success not only in her channels but also those of DH’s , PT and Chiropractic. BR is Event Lead, responsible for developing the concept of event facilitation through the remainder of this quarter so that by 3rd quarter the coordinators have complete confidence in the execution of their booked events without having to attend the events in person.
Supplies
Proposition. Convergence of suppliers will streamline expenses and reduce the burden of supplying events. Solution. Costco is a great option. Tying the employee food order into the event supply order has been a thought on my mind for months, but have not had the opportunity to act upon it. Now that we have Ben in place the process can get engaged for possible execution.
Paperwork
Next round of expense reports are due on the 3rd of May. The deadline for this round was today.
Performance
Proposition. The team is performing well despite the interpersonal havoc that occurs on a daily basis. Solution. Keep working potential solutions to the interpersonal challenges and at the same time keep eye on the performance ball, one and all. This means that everyone needs the opportunity to see daily sales reports, tied to our codes in the system.
Proposition. Awareness of daily sales will allow individual awareness of efforts within channels.
Solution. Every week use the newest, simplified tool to account for our contact lists and our customer tracking to raise awareness of the team status. We will open every weekly meeting with this, and then go into the review of upcoming weeks events followed by an open dialogue about whatever needs to be discussed given the state of the store on that given week.
Disclaimer….nothing in this daily update may even come to reality….or….it may already be reality….or it might become reality with time, more thought, and discussion with the team…Disclaimer
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