Turn a Commodity Into a Valued Experience

Recently I took yet another United flight from LAX to Denver. I was sitting in row 5, right side window, of a Boeing 757. A few minutes before we took off the Captain, Michael J.A. Guymon, walked back from the cockpit and introduced himself to every passenger (in first class). That was a nice change.

Just before the plane pushed back from the gate, Captain Guymon was explaining to the passengers over the P.A. that he had requested, and received permission, to make an "S" turn over the Grand Canyon--something for which he seemed quite excited. He went on to explain that since it was such a beautiful morning, the turn over the Grand Canyon would be a special treat for the passengers.

As were about to leave California air space, Captain Guymon started talking to the passengers about the Grand Canyon and urged everyone to get their cameras ready for the spectacle. Later when we were approaching the Canyon, he was back again chatting over the P.A. about the impending turn he would make.

As we made the right turn, my side of the plane got an amazing view of the Grand Canyon--one that I had never seen prior to this flight. The Captain continued to share interesting details and facts about the canyon. A few minutes later he made the left turn revealing an equally amazing view for the passengers on the left side.

What was the down side for him making this "S" turn? He used some extra fuel, for which United had to pay. But, what was the up side? For every passenger, especially the ones in the window seats, he turned a boring flight, a commodity, into an amazing and memorable experience for the passengers.

When one thinks about this situation, for just a little bit of extra effort, Captain Guymon's passengers received a "once in a lifetime experience" rather than just another flight. In your organization, do you encourage your Captain Guymons or do you beat them into submission to "follow policy" and thereby be mediocre and deliver marginal experiences for your customers?

Vacations; I Say Use Them or Lose Them

Here in California we have a nasty little secret, and perhaps you have it in your state too? We allow most municipal & state workers to bank their vacation days until they retire. Then they can receive a payout during their last year and greatly spike their retirement benefit for life. In my opinion, this is stealing from the taxpayers in three ways.

First, by not taking their vacation time on a regular interval, they are much less effective. The reason for vacation time was not intended for "banking for a later payoff" but rather to offer the employee an opportunity to recreate their mind, to rest and repose, and to recharge their inner battery. The municipal and state workers cannot, I repeat--cannot, be effective on the job and have a higher propensity to make costly mistakes, that will be paid for by the taxpayers, when they forgo regular vacations. Simply stated, the employees are not working at the level for which they are being paid and therefore stealing from the tax payer.

Second, by banking their vacation for the expressed purpose of spiking their retirement, they are again stealing from the tax payer by receiving a higher lifetime retirement benefit then they honestly deserve.

While the first two methods of tax payer theft are epidemic, there is also a third way that many California municipal and state workers are stealing from the tax payers and this is made possible because of different retirement systems. In my county, Ventura, we have an assistant Sheriff that is drawing a retirement from one system (city, where he retired as a chief of police) while at the same time earning close to $200K working for the county immediately following his first retirement, where he will also eventually receive an overly generous additional retirement. In the City of Los Angeles, Councilman Bernard Parks is doing the same thing and monthly raking in an egregious amount of money--thanks to the largess of the tax payers and corrupt actions of state legislators allowing the practice.

Because of the recent California court ruling forcing municipalities and the state to reveal compensation and retirement benefits paid to public employees, unfortunately it is now crystal clear that the sear numbers of those receiving excessive benefits is equivalent to a plague--one that California cannot sustain.

Joan Tezak Commenting on Ed Rigsbee

February is Looking Good

Cigar PEG

I was in Orlando last weekend holding the annual general meeting for the non-profit charity that I run; Cigar PEG, Inc. I went into the weekend with quite a bit of anticipation because of some relationship challenges we had been having with the National Speakers Association; at whose annual convention the charity holds a fund raising cigar party & celebrity auction. I really wasn’t sure if my staff (all volunteer) and supporters were still with me—pleasantly enough, by the end of the weekend it became very clear to me that most are on board. I’m now looking forward to a fabulous party this summer.

Key West Advanced Speaker/Consultant Event

In Orlando, I was quite pleased that Mike Staver, Joachim De Posada, Myra Corrello, and Paul “DrJ” Jacobson were willing to allow me to video their testimonial about their feelings from last year’s event. This advanced speaker/consultant event started as a Cigar PEG activity but has been shifted to a commercial enterprise of Rigsbee Enterprises, Inc.

Member ROI for Associations & Societies

Wow, in less than a month this Linkedin group that I started on MLK Day has passed the 200 member mark. The quick member increase demonstrates to me that there is a huge desire among the professional staff at trade associations and professional societies to do the best job possible of creating and delivering member value—the challenge for these organizations is still, how to determine the yearly sustainable real dollar value/ROI of membership?

Relationship Glue

The Relationship Glue group at Facebook now has over 500 members. I would really like to see this group grow quicker as I believe that everyone needs a little relationship reminder now and then—in both romance and in business. This is a topic that I continually find myself very passionate.

Today

It is a beautiful sunny Saturday in Southern California. I’m heading out to cut flowers for my wife, Regina—getting ready for Valentine’s Day. I’m also excited about having lunch in Los Angeles today with a high school buddy—OMG, this June will be 40 years.

The Nerve to Say, “Get Out of My Rice Bowl”

To whom was this task assigned? You say it was assigned to me? If so, why are you meddling in a task assigned to me? This is a nice way of saying to a colleague, “get out of my rice bowl.” And you are thinking, “That’s what I should say to Jim or Jane.” However, you remain silent.

If the above scenario rings true for you; might I suggest that you answer this next question? What’s the price for not speaking up? Yes, what’s the personal, professional, and organizational price for not speaking up?

“But,” you say, “I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings.” Gosh, you think it is okay for them to put their nose in your business but it is not okay for you to suggest to them that they keep it out? How’s the logic of this working for you? For me, it’s not.

Conservatively, many organizations suffer from 20% productivity losses due to redundant efforts and organizational sabotage. With the above number, you can easily monetize the cost of another person getting into your rice bowl. Do these offenders deserve to squander that much of your company’s resources? I don’t think so.

What’s the personal price you pay for letting others get into your rice bowl?

A. Immobilization; getting nothing else done because of your anger.

B. Resentment; starting to take your frustrations out on others.

These prices are simply too high for any reasonable person. Since you are a reasonable person, what are you going to do?

No, going postal is not the answer. The answer is that you are going to learn how to stand up for yourself and be willing to tell others to get out of your rice bowl. You’ll be so much happier and more productive once you do. You start with admitting that you’ve been weak. People at work call you Matt, and walk all over you. That’s the past, not the future.

1. Say this to yourself, “I’m done taking dirt from one hole and putting it into another, then another, and another.” Excellent! How did that fell? You say it felt good? It’s going to feel even better when you stand up to Jim or Jane and politely tell them to stay out of your rice bowl. Spinning your wheels is just no fun.

2. Now say, “We’re done squandering resources around here.” Yes, when people in an organization are unwittingly conducting redundant activity—resources are truly being squandered. Adding insult to injury; too much opportunity has been lost.

3. Say, “The days of lost productivity are gone.” Rice bowl invaders are saboteurs of all things good in an organization. You want to do better, you want to improve your situation, and you want the madness to stop.

“But,” you say, “Jim or Jane will yell at me if I tell them to get out of my rice bowl.” I guarantee you this, if you do nothing; they will continue to walk all over you. However, if you repeat the three affirmations listed above, several times a day for just one week; your self-talk will change—for the better. It’s now up to you…

Mediocrity; It Drives Me Crazy!

Since I live in a metaphorical glass house, I’ll be the first to admit that I screw up—a lot. And, making a mistake is a far cry from simply being lazy. I’ll never forget the comment that my boss, Ray Kahn, made to me sometime in the late 1970s; “If you aren’t making mistakes, I don’t need you because you are not taking risks. However, if you keep making the same mistakes, I don’t need you because you are not learning.” These are very powerful words, and they have made a difference to me my entire adult life.

It’s Good Enough…

How many times have you heard this one? “It’s good enough for government work.” The government (pick one; federal, state, or local) might be deserving of this; however it need not be applied to your work. Every job has certain acceptable tolerances that are sufficient enough for the product or service to work properly.

What I’m talking about is outside the scope of acceptable tolerances. Is it acceptable for a school bus driver to only take a child half-way home? I don’t think so. So then why might it be acceptable for a worker to do his or her job in a half-ass manner? Do I want to buy a product or service that only does only half of what it is promised to do? Not so much.

I Just Can’t Stay Focused

Why should your lack of focus mean that I deserve an inferior product or service? Lack of focus, if not a medical condition, clearly stems from boredom and apathy. If someone has a medical condition that inhibits their lack of focus, you can be sure that I don’t want them operating heavy equipment or guarding confidential data.

I’m talking about the people that do not like their jobs so they go out drinking every night and stumble into work with cobwebs in their brain. I’m talking about the people that while are at work physically, they are mentally on vacation in Maui . I’m talking about the people that spend so much time with their noses in other people’s business, in the metaphorical “rice bowls” of their co-workers, that they have no time to do the jobs that they are assigned. I’m talking about the people that make the choice to defuse their focus. Who needs them?

The People that Work for Me Suck

I’ll never forget the comment an acquaintance of mine made when I visited his hardware store in my town. He told me that he had awful employees. I asked him who hired these folks and he replied, “I did.” Wow! Isn’t a person responsible for the quality of employees that he or she hires—apparently not—per this guy’s philosophy? My friend Larry Winget says, “If your life sucks, you suck.” Stinging words are they not? But, are the words true? I think they are.

While there are wonderful persons that run businesses and supervise workers, there are a few here and there that need to get fired. I’m not talking about the great leaders but rather the idiots that daily masquerade as decent human beings. I’m talking about bosses that couldn’t find their way out of a paper bag if their life depended on it, yet they are responsible for others. Bosses like this bring the worst out in themselves and the people they supervise. These bosses are truly deserving of an old fashion tar and feathering party.

What Does It Matter?

If you have given up on life, it doesn’t matter—just fake a back injury and live on welfare the rest of your life. Or, as I’ve heard it said far too many times; just get a government job. However, doing at the very least a good job and better yet a great job should matter to every American. The days of US nomination in industry are long gone. There is competition, for your job, scattered among the far corners of the globe—it matters!

Perhaps one of the reasons that Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great did so well is the fact that Americans love their heroes? I completely believe that it is the mandate of any employer to create an environment of success in which their employees can succeed. And it is the responsibility of every American worker to excel to their highest lever—otherwise don’t whine when jobs are sent off-shore or illegal aliens are hired because they will work for nickels rather than dollars.

What does it matter? It should, and must, matter a lot. If it doesn’t matter, what kind of a crap-hole country are we leaving to our children? It matters to me.

Personal Freedoms and Social Engineering Through Taxation

Personal Freedoms
If your rights stop at my nose, and my rights stop at yours, then why do we have so many "nanny laws" in the USA? I always wear my seat belt because I think it is a good idea, not because the State of California says that I must. Nonetheless, the State does say that I must. I do not ride a motorcycle, however I would prefer to decide if I need a helmet. I could go on but you get the idea. Do the state and federal legislators think I need a baby sitter? Or have they become addicted to the opiate of lobbyist dollars and have sold out my freedoms to special interest groups?

Social Engineering Through Taxation
Is it really fair for the various states and federal governments to discriminate against its citizenry? You would most likely say no. However, do you mind the obscene taxes on alcohol and tobacco? Is that not discrimination? Just by virtue of the increased taxes on these items, the governments are taking away my personal freedoms. Legislative bodies are perhaps afraid to say, "You cannot have this." but are emboldened to tax the hell out of these items. Where does the proverbial "slippery slope" begin and end here? If government really needs the money, then make street drugs legal and tax the hell out of them. Sorry, the street gangs and lobbyists would not like that idea.

If you are excited about nanny laws and social engineering through taxation; this is your time. If not, what do you plan to do about it?