Retail settings make it easy to

cherry-pick examples . . . but

the dynamics are the same in

every business and profession.

This really happened less than 24 hours ago

in a well-known U.S. resort town:

Checker at major-name crafts store cash register rings up $9.99 for a roll of artist’s tape (similar to masking tape, but pulls apart easier and leaves no surface marks (even on paper or cardboard) when it’s removed.

Customer: “Excuse me, but that price should be $6.99. It says $6.99 on the shelf.”

Checker: “Sorry, it’s $9.99!” (She takes the twenty-dollar bill on the counter, puts it in the register, slaps down a ten-dollar bill and a penny, throws the tape in a bag and quickly moves to start ringing up the next customer.)

Customer (to the checker): “Listen, I just told you that the price sign says that this tape is $6.99, not $9.99 and I want my $3 back. On top of everything else, even $6.99 is a rip-off, and if I didn’t need it now, I’d never pay that price, let alone $9.99. If it’s $9.99, why does it say $6.99 on the shelf?” (The checker nods and turns back to wait on the next customer)

Customer (now becoming annoyed and louder): “Excuse me, but I just told you that I want my $3 back, and all you can do is nod at me? Please call the store manager.”

Checker: “You’ll have to wait, Sir; I’ve started the next customer here!”

Customer: “Listen to me: Call the store manager NOW!”

Checker (on loudspeaker system): “Manager to register six!” (three minutes later, the manager shows up)

Manager (to checker): “What’s up?”

Checker (pointing with her thumb): “He says this tape is $6.99, but it’s $9.99 on the scanner!”

Customer (interrupting their exchange): “You’re the manager?” (Manager nods) “I picked this tape off the shelf and the shelf had a sign on it that the price is $6.99. Now your checker who, besides being rude, took my money and charged me $9.99. If this tape is $9.99, then your sign is wrong and I don’t want it for $9.99. Either I pay what the sign says or I want my money back.”

Manager: “Gimme the tape; I’ll go check it out!” (Then to checker: “I’ll be right back, but don’t ring anybody else up ’til we get this straight!” The line of now disgruntled customers grows and no one is around to handle the other registers. The checker hums, stares out the front window, and drums her fingers on the register. The manager walks to the shelf in question, which is all the way to the back of the store, and returns four minutes later to a huffing-puffing crowd of customers waiting not so patiently in line.)

Manager (speaking only to the checker): “He’s wrong! The price is $9.99 the way you had it!”

Customer: “Excuse me! First of all, would you please speak with meand not the checker? I am starting to get very annoyed here. The sign back there said $6.99 not $9.99 and I either want this tape for $6.99 or my money back. If I can’t get either, you can be sure of having a major problem for false advertising.”

Manager: “Sir, the tape you purchased is $9.99. It, and a few others, must have been put on the $6.99 shelf by mistake. There are $6.99 tapes back there.”

Customer: Great! I’ll go get one of those. I suggest you not hold up this line any longer.”

Manager: “Sir, that’s our decision, and we’ll wait for you to get back here.

Checker (after customer returns with a $6.99 tape): “We have to start this all over again, so give me back the $10.01 and I’ll give you back your $20 and then I’ll have to get the manager back here to approve the initial over-ring before…”

Customer (turning to walk out): “Screw it!”

Funny? Maybe if you’re reading it. Not funny if you’re the customer, or someone who’s waiting in line. Not only should the checker be fired on the spot, or at least put on probation, the manager needs a “straighten up and fly right!” warning (and both obviously need training). Every customer is always right all of the time, no exceptions, ever!

You own a business, and don’t agree? Bite the bullet and move on, or sell the business. By ALWAYS following the customer is right guideline ALL of the time, you will lose something sometimes, but the reputation you gain will more than compensate for the losses. People do business with businesses that consistently demonstrate respect and authenticity, that do what they say they will do.  

Surely, you know what SHOULD have happened in the incident described. Of course the checker and the manager were both at fault, but what could they have done differently? What would you have had them do? How would you have fixed the problem? How would you prevent it from happening again? Is YOUR business the next example?

Every dissatisfied customer tells ten other people about his or her bad experience, and each of those ten tell ten others. Can you afford 100 negative impressions? (And of course each of those hundred tell…)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

www.TheWriterWorks.com  

302.933.0116 or Hal@BusinessWorks.US  

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You,

 “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson] 

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

 Coming soon to your  

expanding consciousness

. . .Two of the world’s three 

most important words!

Besides “Please” (which does not have a special day devoted to it), “Thank You” may be the world’s most important words because –in every language and every neighborship  in every country– they make people smile inside.

You can prove it to yourself just by thinking for a minute that it’s Thanksgiving time: 

• the general business climate begins to relax
• our thoughts turn to family — our “family-families” of course, but it’s also an appropriate time to take stock in and remember our “business families” as well.

And while we’re on the subject of thankfulness, let us not forget all our military and “first responder”  (police and fire and EMS) families. They are, after all, the ones who have given us the freedom and the opportunities to choose and achieve, who make it possible for us to pursue new horizons, and ways to grow our business interests, which support our families.

“Thank you for your service to our country!” with a sincere handshake and straight look in the eye addressed to the occupant of every passing military uniform or veteran hat is a rewarding and meaningful practice all year, 24/7. “Thank you for your service to our community!” is an equally important expression of appreciation to local, county, and state first responders.

If these are not routine practices

for you, try them out this week!

I had the pleasure for a number of years of serving as management consultant to H&H Swiss, a precision metal manufacturing company in Hillside, New Jersey. It was the company’s tradition to send out Thanksgiving cards to customers and friends every year instead of Christmas cards. Their mailings expressed timely thanks for business friendship, and never got lost in the “holiday shuffle.”

With most of us looking forward next week to the annual trekking or hosting of our assorted dysfunctional “family-families,”  it may be appropriate to pause to appreciate not just all the good food and relationship renewals, but also the accomplishments of our “business families.”

Remember that special favor

someone did for you

 this past year? That extra

effort you were too busy

to acknowledge?

No, you needn’t start doling out cash bonuses, or even turkeys. But you might want to hand out, instead, your sincere appreciation for those special contributions of time and commitment that surfaced within your “family-family” as well as your “business family.”

Go ahead. Take the risk. It’s a reasonable one.

Let each person know how much you genuinely appreciate her or him going the extra mile. Nothing to lose. Everything to gain. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

302.933.0116    Hal@BusinessWorks.US  

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You,

 “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson] 

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

Do All Web Designers, Editors,

SEO “Experts,” Digital

Managers, and Webmasters 

Own Stock in Optical and

Eye Surgery Centers?

Speaking of Eyes, here are a few I’s for you — just in case you’re looking for good “I” words to characterize the work performance sections of your resumes (which I hope for your short-term well-being that you have up-to-date!).

Let me not beat around the bush.

Here’s my Top 20 List of Words to describe the efforts(?) of those of you who appear to be part of the vast sea of non-communicative business (and especially BIG -time Corporate) websites:  

Irksome. Irritating. Infuriating. Insulting. Invidious. Inconvenient. Incompetent. Irrational. Insolent. Inapt. Impudent. Immature. Insouciant. Inflammatory. Incorrigible. Implacable. Inconceivable. Idiotic . . . Ignoramus Internet Imbeciles!

And that’s just the I’s.

I dare you to tell me the last website you visited that was physically readable. It’s bad enough you’ve butchered the English language and that you remain out-of-control-convinced that all of humanity speaks only via txtmsg language, now we all read your proudly-designed sites, and need glasses.

Do you really think that:

type this size

. . . is for normal, healthy eyes? And then you have the audacity (we’ll leave the I’s behind for awhile; I like “audacity”) to do the damn type in gray, and Italicized, no less?

like this

What are you all nut cases?

Did you ever consider that site visitors become prospects and prospects become customers and customers’ purchases of the products and services promoted on the site are what pay for your existence?

(Oh, and please don’t start telling me about ways to adjust my screen size to accomodate your lack of customer service and marketing savvy!)

Sometimes, I might expect to see some brand new business attempting –with, obviously, the communication expertise and guidance of one of you– to spout its message with a touch of class that no doubt came from having once visited a high-priced attorney’s office where everything is gray, including the invoices. But I’ve come to expect better from long-established enterprises.

Or, well maybe I’ll give you the benefit of doubt, maybe it’s just that if you use .6 and .7 font sizes, you figure you can get more stuff on a page and jam it into little corners so you can design Internet castles in the air with all that leftover space. And, shoot!, if you make it gray and hard to read, nobody can criticize your attempts at copy content without having to visit their ophthalmologists, right?

What touched off this avalanche? Check around a few corporate giant sites, especially pages with unimportant junk — you know, things that just don’t mean anything, like instructions, or policies, or payment terms. I have.

In fact, I’ll return to the A words for long enough to say that it is beyond ANNOYING to find evidence of work done by people who really should know better (and who are typically commanding huge fees) that fails 100% to communicate. And somewhere up there is a boss who clearly hasn’t a clue about how to be a leader, who has let droves of techie superstars commandeer their own marketing programs.  

So, in case you’re still reading this (and with apologies for catching up the more honorable among you in my wrath), I have this to say to you:

Don’t give up your day job!

~~~~~~~~

www.TheWriterWorks.com  

302.933.0116 or Hal@BusinessWorks.US

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You.

 “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson]

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

PULLING TEETH!

BANGING HEADS!

LOCKING HORNS!

Find yourself doing much of that lately?

Maybe it’s the economy?

When times are tight, people get tight.

When people get tight, they can get worried.

When people worry, they can become defensive, aggressive, manipulative, territorial, and often, job-threatened.

Reaching agreement becomes increasingly challenging, and sometimes it feels close to impossible. It can be especially problematic when working with volunteer groups. http://bit.ly/bLAB9s

When your business or key issues come to a grinding halt, you can:

1. Draw Straws
2. Flip a Coin
3. Go Bonkers
4. Call in the Police

5. Work it Out (Recommended)

Working it out, for two people –as those who are married, engaged, courting, living together, or partnered know all too well– means that someone must give up something.

Working it out for three or more might also mean giving stuff up, but more likely –if it’s to be any kind of meaningful reconciliation of divergent thinking– some type of collaborative compromising of interests is generally desirable.

Reaching consensus involves a synergistic process. It means that everyone within the group (team, task force, department, division, company) must agree at least somewhat with the resolve or conclusion or direction reached. Note “somewhat.”

Consensus-seeking can be a very effective leadership/teamwork method of problem solving because it inherently prevents any one person from “winning” a “competition.” Everyone involved must be able to agree that she or he can live with the way things are worked out.

http://bit.ly/c1DUbg

As a device for settling disputes, consensus-seeking flies in the face of traditional American brainwashing to win at all costs. It is (sorry, football fans) not the case that there always needs to be a winner and loser, and that there is no such thing as second place.

For those deep, dark, impulsive, no-constraints,

take-off-the-gloves moments,

go for a referee or umpire.

(You can also always call your Mother-in-law!<) 

For issues that will impact working (or living) together, consensus-seeking leaves all involved parties with some worthy scraps to cling to, allows everyone to save face, and usually prompts a process or procedure or product or production (ah, communicative benefits of alliteration!) to occur that is both measurable and accountable. Because it’s a group-effort pursuit! 

As leader/facilitator, Pfeiffer and Jones suggest in the University Associates Structured Experiences for Human Relations Training, you need to establish consensus-seeking “rules” to help ensure productive results by employing the following guidelines: 

• No averaging,
• No “majority rule” voting.
• No “horse-trading.” 

                            http://bit.ly/bmoP3Z                                       

You need to influence group members to avoid arguing in order to “win” as an individual. Seek instead the best collective judgment of the group as a whole. Conflict on ideas, solutions, predictions, etc. should be viewed as helping rather than hindering the process.

Problems are best solved when individual group members accept responsibility for both hearing and being heard. Tension-reducing behaviors can be useful as long as meaningful conflict is not “smoothed over” prematurely.

The best results flow from a fusion of information, logic, and emotion (feelings). Need a little coaching help? Call me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

www.TheWriterWorks.com  

302.933.0116 or Hal@BusinessWorks.US  

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You,

and God Bless all of our U.S. Troops and Veterans.

 “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson] 

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

If your marketing has gone 

online-exclusive, your business

 may very well fold in 24-36 months!

Ah, but there’s still a chance to save yourself from killing yourself.

• FIRST: Get rid of the person who talked you into putting all your marketing eggs in one Internet basket. Even if it’s family, begone with him or her . . . as well as his or her ideas, which are costing you money, wasting your time, and depleting your energy!
• SECOND: Recognize that, in spite of whatever sales spiel you were fed by that person (or agency or group or team) that you listened to, the whole world –and your target market specifically (unless it’s 110% techie products or services)– has not (N~O~T) stopped reading newspapers, magazines, and direct mail!
• THIRD: The whole world –and your target market specifically– has not (N~O~T) stopped watching TV and listening to radio, or shut their eyes down while passing billboards. They have not stopped reading brochures, or responding to special sales and promotions, news releases, and coupons. They have not even (Aaargh!) stopped responding to telemarketing.

If you think for one minute that your entire universe of customers and prospects is maniacally text-messaging and spending every living moment on Twitter and Facebook and YouTube, you are sorely mistaken.  

And anyone who might have bamboozled you into thinking those things is much too short-sighted (and evidently too immature) to take responsibility for moving your business forward.

DO NOT abandon traditional marketing and think that it will be compensated for by a full-commitment plunge into online vehicles and media efforts.

Your website is important. Depending on the nature of your business, your engagement with social media is important. But anyone with even a little marketing savvy and training knows that these are simply ingredients in the total mix.

If you are not using every possible, affordable opportunity to market your business right now, you might as well open your window and throw the money out that you have been spending!

(Ah, and don’t pretend that online stuff is free . . . dig out that old magnifying glass and start discovering those hidden expenses! Prepare to be surprised!)

While most small and medium size businesses appear to have engaged so-called “Web Editors” or “Community Managers” or “Digital Marketing Managers,” fewer than 30% are reported to have a “Marketing Manager.”

Sadly for those misinformed business owners who dominate the 70%, these numbers should be the exact opposite!

Those who pretend to be business experts because they have some computer expertise will be the downfall of many well-intentioned but pathetically uninformed business owners.

“Web” and “Digital” people tend to know nothing of (and care less about) traditional marketing media, and so automatically discard traditional marketing management approaches they think are limited, but which are not!

                                                                                            

Even the teeny-bopper market that most uses handheld electronic devices (and most text messages one another), continues to watch TV and go ton the movies and visit arcades and read magazines and newspapers and attend sporting events and concerts, and open mail addressed to them.

It may appear to be all about hi-tech and emails and the like, but –even this market– indulges in traditional media. How can you confirm this? Run some quick and cheap focus group studies.

But, oh, your “Web Editor” might not know about how to do a focus group study because that requires traditional marketing experience. Okay, focus group some txtmsgs and see what you get!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

www.TheWriterWorks.com  

302.933.0116 or Hal@BusinessWorks.US  

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You!

 “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson] 

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

Adapted from an original archived blog post on this site…

WHY DO YOU THINK U.S. MILITARY

When expectations

breed disappointment

(and they always do!),

expectorate them!

Better yet, when you see planning start to cross that ever-so-thin line into expectations a little too often, you may want to consider working harder to not have any expectations to start with.

They overwhelm and underwhelm at the same time. They are the stuff that emotional upsets, frustrations, and another “ex” word –exasperations– are made of.

Dwelling on the past and worrying about the future are self-imposed, self-destruct avenues (sometimes “erringly” made into missions!). Herein lies the key to big-time sales! 

Most people can see that dwelling and worrying are not healthy pursuits that can lead quickly to far worse consequences than a headache. But few seem to realize that expectations can be just as damaging to one’s well-being.

Expectations can quickly lead us out of the present moment. Anything that takes our minds off of our work when we are at work and “on the job,” can be a genuine (and sometimes permanent, even all-pervasive) threat to productivity.

Lost productivity = Lost revenues = Lost profits.

. . . an increasingly difficult path to reverse

in an increasingly difficult economy.

Staying tuned-in to each passing “Here and Now” moment as it occurs may not always be easy, but it is always a choice. So why choose misery?

It’s been said that Einstein only used 10% of his brain. Where does that leave the restof us? Scientists further make a strong case for humans who could use 100% of their brains being able to separate molecules and walk through walls.

Hmmm, that conjures up a thought or two. Presumably, if we could live in the present moment every moment, we would never have illness or accidents.

Well, that sounds great, and knowing it’s a choice thing really rubs our noses in it, doesn’t it? But as truth will out, consider that being in the here-and-now as much as we possibly can, offers us greater protection from accidents and illness.

Imagine the implications and possibilities for business. For leadership. For teamwork. For building long-term business relationships?

I don’t know about you, but it seems (and, personally, has proven time and again) worth the effort to minimize expectations by increasing focus on the present moment. The potential rewards far outweigh the expenditure of effort.

Where to start? Try some of the direct links noted throughout this post, and punch words into the search window! Because they are generally more diligent and and constantly active than other senses, be aware that staying tuned-in has more to do with what you take in through your eyes and ears than anything else — except, most assuredly, your breathing. take some deep breaths.

Of course, suddenly smelling a dead skunk, or touching something hot or cold or sharp, or experiencing a great or foul taste can all have a jarring effect. But touch, smell, and taste generally need to be triggered for us to start paying attention. Bottom line: work at sharpening all of your senses.

Realize that you can stay alert without having expectations. You can anticipate without having expectations. You can be prepared without having expectations. And, get this: you can even expect something without having expectations! Give that one a little thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

931.854.0474 or Hal@BusinessWorks.US

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You.

 “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson] 

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

From chewbones

to getting fixed,

puppies and entrepreneurs

have a lot in common.

Having spent most of my business coaching, consulting and writing career with a dog under my desk, and most recently my beloved golden retriever who hung out there for 13 years before heading off to be with the others ahead of Barnegat, it’s been a very long time since Kathy and I have been confronted with raising a baby puppy. And this one (“Breezy”) is an entrepreneur! 

What makes me say that? He (“Breezy”) is independent, takes reasonable risks, resists authority, has a burning desire to achieve, and is constantly thinking about ways to make his ideas work! 

For us, Breezy made the reality hit home that raising a puppy is a whole lot like starting a new business. There are ups and downs and sideways movements. And adjustment stages. Both (entrepreneurs AND new puppies) need constant attenti0n, need having fresh water accessible, proper nutritional balance, minimal government interference, and need initially to be kept on a leash.

And as for leadership? Check this leadership thinking!

Still need more convincing?

They both play hard and sleep hard.

And what’s the equivalent of a: Breeder? Groomer:? Trainer? Vet? Getting all the necessary “shots”? Being a loner or part of a pack?

Aren’t new business owners as quick as puppies to commandeer squeaky toys, and earn treats?

Ah, yes, and the famous “Dog Whisperer”! Is there a “People Whisperer”? or “Entrepreneur Whisperer”?

Maybe there should be! I can think of a great many entrepreneurs who would have loved to have an authority whispering guidance in their ears. The entire experience –starting a business, raising a puppy– is like getting back to basics. Too often, both puppies and new business owners get ahead of themselves.

They whack out schedules and get too crazed to function productively. Someone needs to rein them in. It’s worth noting here that this is not generally considered much of a relationship-solidifying role for most entrepreneur spouses. Either don’t marry one, join ’em if you can’t lick ’em, or stay out of the way and get used to keeping yourself busy.

With puppies, cuteness makes up for lots of unproductive and disruptive behaviors. Cuteness may also carry some entrepreneurs great distances, but quick paper-training and house-breaking will take both puppies and entrepreneurs a great deal further in both family and public acceptance as well as in goal pursuits. It is generally true that people appreciate regularity over cuteness.    

# # #

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Hal@Businessworks.US   302.933.0116

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

A good boss never needs 

 to thrive on emergencies.

Being prepared to respond to instead of react to emergency situations is the mark of a true leader. Just because you know CPR doesn’t entitle you to run around trying to stir up heart attacks. There is much to be said for running a business on passion. The mark of business greatness has more than once sprung forth from enthusiasm and commitment and high energy levels.

Henry Ford. Thomas Edison. Bill Gates. Steven Jobs. Andrew Carnegie. Mary Kay Ash. Frank Perdue. Oprah Winfrey. Walt Disney. Charles Schwab. Meg Whitman. Jeff Bezos. Add your own ___________.  

How many are or were full-time firefighters? Zero. How many could mobilize an effective strike force to handle sudden major upsets? All of them. While I believe it helps, one need not have been a Boy Scout to “Be Prepared.” One simply needs to be able to quickly sort through and prioritize options, mobilize and motivate others, and be willing to step up and take action.

Sometimes, of course, real life physical emergencies require taking action first.

It’s that little extra dose of instinct and clear-minded judgement that frequently makes the difference between –both literally and figuratively speaking– a saved life, a recovered fumble, a thwarted robbery, a prevented assault, or a ducked knockout punch.

Okay, you shrewdly suggest, then let me just work at developing my instincts and ability to judge people and situations clearly. Then I can go smooth sailing, downhill, in cruise control. (Oh, that it should be that simple!) Yes, that is indeed an admirable direction to pursue. And even partly attaining those qualities will take you far in most leadership circles.

But YOU are the key to YOUR success. For you to grow your sense of composure and self-control, which open the doors to instinct and judgement development, you need to become the world’s greatest student of your SELF! You can’t even begin to think in leadership terms –emergencies or otherwise– without first knowing yourself and understanding what makes you tick.

It might help to make a list for yourself of 

all the ways you can learn more about you

. . . and start tackling one item at a time.

From experience with many business and professional practice owners and managers, I can tell you with great certainty that just three weeks of solid commitment to do one thing each day to learn more about yourself will make you a stronger, happier, more effective leader.

Why wouldn’t it? After all, the more you know about you, the easier it is to figure out others. The easier it is to figure out other people, the easier it is to motivate and inspire them. The more you can motivate and inspire others, the greater the leader you become. Over-simplified? Nope. But it’s not easy either, unless you choose for it to be. Leadership is in fact, a choice!

And handling emergencies is a routine function for a strong leader… but it’s always a good idea to keep a fire extinguisher handy, just in case.   

~ ~ ~

 302.933.0116 or Hal@BusinessWorks.US  

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You.

 “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson] 

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

Tired of Reality?

Ache for Fake?

Comes a time for every professional practice and business owner or manager to step up into the world of make-believe, and take a brain break from daily work realities and nightly reality TV.

I’m not talking a week in the islands or weekend at Disney World or some quality after-dinner minutes with kids or pets. These are all wonderful brain breaks recommended for every working human.

No, I’m talking about introducing a new ingredient in your daily schedule. You already read, right? But do you read right?

Are you filling your head with world news, industry news, market news, balance sheets, income statements, cash flow analyses, and all those advice articles: “How To Be A Better Leader”; “Saving Your Business From Financial Collapse”; “Why Motivating Customers AND Employees Is Like Juggling Seagulls”?

Ah, and even in the car, and late night TV, is it more business news?

Are you getting like one of those Washington DC-area C-Span junkies?

There is more to the world and more to your life than that. There is also more to your business than what you absorb from dwelling on business. And what might that be? Try INNOVATION!

Innovation doesn’t happen when you lock yourself up in a closet for a bunch of hours and suddenly come sweeping out with the magical answer (Note this analogy, those of you who retain creative services, which involves the same dynamic).

Innovation, it should be said, ONLY STARTS with a good idea. Ditch-diggers can come up with good ideas. For innovation to set in, you need a brain break!

Innovation means taking an idea

all the way through to fruition.

It requires comprehensive analysis of the product or service, the market, the competition, the creation and production options, the developmental costs and timelines, the human and operational resources needed, and so on and on, up to the point of launch countdown, and projections that go beyond that.

To foster and nurture innovation and innovative thinking requires a different mindset than is typically engaged on any given workday. The kind of free-spirited thinking that you evidenced when you started your business or professional practice or managerial job.

That attitude is not born of trade journals, online and traditional business media sources, or the rest of what you do every day!

Innovation comes about

from a mental shake-up!

It surfaces when you challenge yourself to look somewhere else besides the worlds of reality that cling to your shirtsleeves 5-7 days a week.

Yes, indulge yourself with travel and friend and family visits, and playing with your kids or pets (or the neighbor’s kids or pets). Take more photographs. Paint. Draw. Write. Get out of the rut.

One of the best ways to take this daily journey to increased productivity and innovative thinking is to do more reading — but not business stuff. Stop choosing excuses. Replace some of that reality overload with visits to fantasyland.

Go buy two FICTION books that look interesting to you. You might even find it surprising that you really CAN enjoy a novel. Set aside 20, 30, 60 minutes a day for it!

Anything from comics to Nelson DeMille’s serious humor stories, or Annie Proulx’s probes into America’s heartland, to Harry Potter books (you thought these were just for kids?), Richard Russo’s and Kent Haruf’s mainstream Americana stories, or a good mystery or suspense thriller. Just NOT business. And NOT nonfiction. And shelve the biographies and memoirs.

Your head needs to swim in make-believe. 

Do this conscientiously for just three weeks — your business cannot help but grow quicker and more brilliantly. Dangerous side effects: Your family, friends, and associates will actually enjoy being around you more. And (Aha!) less stress ( !) and new leadership opportunities!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

931.854.0474 or Hal@BusinessWorks.US 

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You.

 “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson] 

Make today a GREAT day for someone!