Consciousness: true selfishness

By Bob Martin

THE CAR DEALER & TV

Years ago I represented a Chevrolet car dealer. He was reasonably successful, but wanted to take the dealership to next level and he hired me to accomplish this. One of the things he wanted to do was sell Chevets, a good solid second family car. It’s low price made it a great car for the blue collar family.

I produced a nice TV spot featuring the car and proceeded to map out the running schedule for the ads. When I presented the budget to the dealer he immediately threw out all the 11:00pm news spots. I protested, but he wouldn’t budge on the ads.

THE SCHEDULE WAS PRODUCING RESULTS, BUT NOT TO THE DEGREE I WAS LOOKING FOR.

The second flight was presented for approval and again the 11:00pm news spot were eliminated. Frustrated, I finally asked why he wouldn’t let me run the late news spots. He looked at me and told me that he and his wife went walking every night between 11:00 and 11:30pm. He wouldn’t be able to see his spot. I told him that I didn’t care if he ever saw his spot. In fact, if he was frequently seeing his spot we had a problem. He wasn’t the audience I was trying to reach. I wanted blue collar families not the Corvette crowd that he represented. He never relented and after awhile I resigned the account rather than argue with him constantly. Eventually he went through two more agencies and finally went out of business.

The point of the story is make sure you match the right product with the right audience. This means occasionally checking your ego at the door. Without the right match, you won’t see the results you need.

Next week … What is your USP?

Make sure you match the right audience to your product!

Bob Martin is principal of Martin Creative Consultants, providing advertising consulting and services to manufacturing and retail businesses. His MCC VoicePros division creates  audio voiceovers for radio, TV, internet ads and presentations.

strategic planning: innovation: management:success

SEVEN QUESTIONS FOR YOUR PLANNING MODEL

Technology and alternate ways of doing things are always in a state of flux. Whether it’s outsourcing some of your operations or looking at techniques that aid your decision process, it’s important to keep emerging tools and practices on your radar screen.

One example is the evolving nature of financial planning and analysis software that transcends beyond traditional spreadsheet tools. Do you ever wish you had a crystal ball to aid your business decision process? Would you use such a tool if it was available? With operations becoming more and more complex, having the ability to anticipate, analyze and assess alternate strategies BEFORE committing valuable time and resources is becoming vital.

“Anyone who says businessmen deal in facts, not fiction, has never read old five-year projections.“-Malcolm Forbes

Does your current financial forecasting model provide answers to these  SEVEN TYPICAL INQUIRIES?

1) What will happen to profitability, cash flow and our line of credit if the new product launch takes nine months rather than three? (How will we deal with such a delay?)

2) What are the principle activities that drive our business model, how do they impact our operations and how well do we know the inter-relationships involved? (Can activity based costing, planning and management put us back in control?)

3) What is our contribution margin percentage, how does it affect our break-even point and would we be better off with more automation that reduces our variable costs? (Do we really understand our product and service cost relationships, how they behave and how sensitive they are?)

4) What if we acquire the market leader in our southern territory, what synergies can we anticipate from the deal and how would that impact the EBITDA valuation of the combined entity? (Does the deal make sense given the current asking price?)

5) What if new technology and specific training can increase the productivity of our sales team by 35% what will that do for our staffing levels, our travel budget, and most importantly our bottom line? (Can we evaluate this alternate scenario with a few simple clicks?)

6) What if we drop the sales price of our flagship product by 20% how many additional units will we have to sell to increase our profits by $500,000? (Can we dramatically expand our market share by passing on manufacturing efficiencies to our customers?)

7) What are our key performance measures and can we view them as an interactive dashboard and test the validity of our assumptions? (Can we do the “smell tests” so important to effective financial planning?)

These are just a few examples of decision alternatives that confront today’s managers. The old analysis tools were good but the newer tools enable more strategic decision making. Financial tools that were only available to very large organizations are now becoming economically affordable to mid-size and smaller operations.

Your job is to pay attention to the emerging tools that leverage your ability to understand, manage and control your operation. Listen to your peers, read general and trade magazines, have a technology mentor and keep your pulse on what is developing. Your future will be the better for it.

“In baiting a mouse trap with cheese, always leave room for the mouse.”  Saki (Scottish Writer)

Greg Pashke , CMC is  President of Pashke Consulting and provides business mentoring, strategic and tactical planning, and financial modeling services. Greg is a big proponent of The One Page Plan approach to managing the day to day performance of an organization. It’s simplicity in action. He is committed to continuous learning and skill development. Greg’s mantra is “to get a lot done & have a lot of fun”.
Website: http://www.pashkeconsulting.com/

Consciousness: true selfishness

By Bob Martin

A CAMERA DOESN’T MAKE YOU A PHOTOGRAPHER

I hear the same comment over and over…”I can take the product shot. I’ve got a digital camera”.

A few years ago, I was walking through “Ace Bargain Center”. Ace was a combination of connecting buildings that went for an entire city block. This store had every kind of used merchandise you could possible imagine. It was like an indoor junk yard (but clean and safe). As I was walking by one of the rooms I noticed that it contained all the materials for a complete operating suite; gurney, cabinets, lights, autoclave and even some surgical utensils. I realized that for the paltry sum of a couple of thousand dollars, I could set up my own operating room. I would have the equipment. The problem was, equipment doesn’t make you a surgeon, talent does. The same thing goes for photography.

A GOOD PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER IS MORE ARTIST THAN PHOTOGRAPHER.

A pro realizes the effect of lighting, positioning, backgrounds and even the image your product conveys. Lots of people can take “good” photos with a digital camera and they can be the hit of the picnic, but the professional photographer takes it the extra mile to make your product shine.

You’ve put a lot of time into developing your product and you’re proud of it. Put your best foot forward and show it in the best possible way. I think you’ll find that most photographers can work wonders and are a lot less expensive than you’d think.

Another tip: Don’t dictate to the photographer, let him ask questions and give you his best possible recommendations. If you let an artist use his vision, chances are you’ll get something much better than you had hoped for. In my 35+ years of experience, it’s worked every time.

Next week: The Car Dealer and TV.

Always let the artist make the suggestions!

Bob Martin is principal of Martin Creative Consultants, providing advertising consulting and services to manufacturing and retail businesses. His MCC VoicePros division creates audio voiceovers for radio, TV, internet ads and presentations.

strategic planning: innovation: management:success

LIFE IS EVER CHANGING & DYNAMIC

Do you remember the challenge, the fear, and the thrill of learning to ride your bike as a child? Do you remember how proud you felt when you finally got the upper hand on gravity? Didn’t you feel like standing on your handle bars and screaming “I’m King of the World!” You had acquired the “art of balance” to keep your peddling in a mostly forward, albeit erratic, direction. Life was grand.

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you need to keep moving.“-Albert Einstein

Well, balance remains a big part of our lives. It just takes on different forms when we grow up. I emphasize the art of balance since feeling might be more relevant than logic in determining the current state of balance in our lives. Although it’s a personal process and a private journey, here are a few questions to kick-start your assessment:

First, what does your gut tell you? Are the various components of your life in balance? Do you work to live or live to work? Are you becoming multi-dimensional or one-dimensional?

At Work:

• Is there a good balance between the various components of your business? If one sector is leading can the others keep up?
• Is there a good balance of skills within your management team? Do you encourage your team to continually learn new skills to expand their talent set?
• Do you seek and encourage alternate points of view to balance your perspective before reaching a major decision?
• Do you periodically assess both the strengths and weaknesses of your organization?
• Do you routinely seek feedback from your employees, your customers, your suppliers, your advisers, and the other stakeholders in your organization?

At home & everywhere else:

• Do you experience regret for not spending more time with your family?
• Are you “missing in action” from too many important family functions?
• Is religion and/or spirituality a part of your life?
• Do exercise, health and nutrition have a role in your routine?
• Are you a contributing part of the community in which you live? Is giving back part of the equation in your life?
• Are you developing and learning each day? Are your horizons growing or shrinking?

Remember, we thrive best when our lives are in balance and we generally know when things are out of kilter. We all experience periods when our lives are out of balance and we know it, but life’s circumstances dictate that reality for the time being. We can only change when we have the opportunity.

The challenge is to keep “the art of balance” on your radar screen as you navigate through the shoals of life.

“Love, work and play are the great balance wheels of man’s being.”  Orison Marsden

Greg Pashke , CMC is  President of Pashke Consulting and provides business mentoring, strategic and tactical planning, and financial modeling services. Greg is a big proponent of The One Page Plan approach to managing the day to day performance of an organization. It’s simplicity in action. He is committed to continuous learning and skill development. Greg’s mantra is “to get a lot done & have a lot of fun”.
Website: http://www.pashkeconsulting.com/

It's in the eye of the beholder

What do you see?

strategic planning: innovation: management:success

OUR PERCEPTUAL BIAS

Do you tend to see what you’ve always seen? Do your past experiences prevent you from seeing things from a fresh perspective?

Beware: limited perceptions can create some powerful mind traps. They become subtle tendencies in the way we view the world and can impede our ability to find creative solutions to problems and opportunities.

Let me share a few related stories from Robert Pirsig the author of the philosophical masterpieces Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and Lila.

“For every fact there is an infinity of hypotheses.” -Robert Pirsig

THE PLATYPUS: THE LIMITATION OF CLASSIFICATION

In Lila, Pirsig recalls how early zoologists classified animals who suckled their young as mammals and those that laid eggs as reptiles. This simple split into two possible worlds worked extremely well until someone discovered the humble platypus who laid eggs like a perfectly good reptile but after the eggs hatched, suckled their young just like a perfectly good mammal. The reaction of the scientific community was to describe the platypus as a strange and unusual freak of nature. But the platypus had been laying eggs and suckling their young for millions of years before scientists deemed it illegal. The lesson here is that our classification systems and/or our natural predispositions can be extremely self limiting. Don’t create your own platypus with limited thinking. Be open to more possibilities. As Paul Simon observed, “there are 50 ways to leave your lover” so there are probably a few different ways to view what happens around you.

THE SOUTH INDIAN MONKEY TRAP:

This Pirsig example in Zen, describes how monkeys can be trapped by their own value rigidity. A coconut is hollowed out and chained to a stake. A hole is made on the other end of the coconut and rice is placed inside as bait. The hole is big enough for the monkey to get it’s hand in but small enough that the monkey can’t remove it’s hand when it’s formed a fist around the rice. The monkey has the ability to free itself from the trap at any time by simply letting go of the rice. But the desire for the rice is so strong the monkey traps itself. Does this remind you of any time when customers, suppliers, service providers or even your organization acted in a similar illogical fashion?

Years ago, provocative basketball star Dennis Rodman made a few disparaging remarks about the ability of Larry Bird implying that he had no real talent and was the most over-rated player in the game. When, then Utah Jazz coach Frank Layden was asked about Mr. Rodman’s remark, he replied “we’ve got to get him a better seat because he’s not seeing the same Larry Bird that I am.” Sometimes it’s a good idea to change our seat so we can gain a different perspective.

In summary, our perceptions and their rigidity limit how we view and perform in the world. Keep your eyes flexible and wide open.

It’s better to know a lot and say little, I think, than know little a say a lot.” -Robert Pirsig

Greg Pashke , CMC is  President of Pashke Consulting and provides business mentoring, strategic and tactical planning, and financial modeling services. Greg is a big proponent of The One Page Plan approach to managing the day to day performance of an organization. It’s simplicity in action. He is committed to continuous learning and skill development. Greg’s mantra is “to get a lot done & have a lot of fun”.
Website: http://www.pashkeconsulting.com/

Consciousness: true selfishness

By Bob Martin

DON’T MAKE THEM LOOK FOR YOU!

About a year ago, I saw a great pizza shop ad on the back of a newspaper tab. It was full color, full page and it looked great. The ad actually made me hungry for pizza, so I decided to order. There was this great effective ad, but no phone number or address. I had no idea where the shop was. My resolve was to order from a competitor.

THIS AD WAS A TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY.

It made you go “looking” for the business and as we all know, consumers are too lazy to go to that much trouble. Hundreds of dollars down the drain not to mention the sales potential.

Don’t make your potential customers look for you. Make sure every print ad has your phone number for additional information and your address so we know where you are. I even encourage clients to use “landmarks” as a reference i.e. “across from Walmart” or “next door to Acme Motors”. The easier it is to find you, the more likely potential customers will be willing to come in.

Remember, without your address or phone number you’ve lost the “call to action” needed to motivate your client.

Next week… “Advertising’s Acceptable Lie”.

Make it easy for your customers to find you!

Bob Martin is principal of Martin Creative Consultants, providing advertising consulting and services to manufacturing and retail businesses. His MCC VoicePros division creates  audio voiceovers for radio, TV, internet ads and presentations.

strategic planning: innovation: management:success

WHAT YOU SCORE CAN IMPACT HOW YOUR TEAM BEHAVES

Does your score keeping drive desired performance? Or does it produce individual and group behavior that conflicts with your primary goals and objectives? Finding the right metrics is not always an easy task. Be aware of the pitfalls that can happen if they are not the right ones.

People can and do change their behavior when they are measured, but it’s not always in the desired direction. Let me share with you a few related stories I’ve heard over the years:

“Tell me how you’ll measure me and I’ll tell you how I’ll behave.” -Famed management guru Eli Goldratt

THE RUSSIAN NAIL FACTORY

In the days when the Russian economy was centrally managed from Moscow, a soviet bureaucrat was sent out to instruct a “nail factory manager” on its production goals for the next year. In his innate wisdom, the bureaucrat told the plant manager that his performance would be based on the tonnage of nails produced. After the bureaucrat departed the plant manager thought a bit while enjoying his daily vodka. The next morning he informed his staff that they would now be making railroad spikes.

A year later after Russia had enough rail spikes to last 1,000 years, the bureaucrat returned determined to rectify his mistake. His new instructions were that plant performance would be based on the number of nails produced. Again, the plant manager pondered his goal over a few glasses of vodka. The next day he informed his staff that they would now be making thumb tacks. The moral here is make sure you anticipate how specific metrics might change behavior and to watch things closely whenever you make a significant change in your measurements.

THE MILITARY SUPPLY MODEL

A new base commander in the Mediterranean area was assessing the status of his new assignment. One of his early directives was to order a detailed inventory of the base food supplies. To his amazement he discovered they had a three year supply of canned asparagus in the warehouse. The commander called in his food service manager and instructed him to drastically reduce the supply of asparagus. Over the next month, the service men had asparagus omelets for breakfast, asparagus soup for lunch and a side of asparagus with every dinner.

The men were a pale shade of green by St. Patrick’s Day. Well, the inventory did go down and now all seemed right with the world. But alas, systems often betray their users! What the base commander didn’t know was that part of the reporting routine was to send a food consumption list to the European regional supply depot. A bubbling future General looked at those consumption reports and exclaimed, “WOW, those guys love asparagus” and then he doubled that amount for an expedited shipment to the base. The moral here is to know who else might be using your information and what they might do with it.

In summary, key performance metrics are great as long as they don’t drive behavior in the wrong direction. Make sure you score with metrics that work as intended!

“Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.” -Mark Twain

Greg Pashke , CMC is  President of Pashke Consulting and provides business mentoring, strategic and tactical planning, and financial modeling services. Greg is a big proponent of The One Page Plan approach to managing the day to day performance of an organization. He is committed to continuous learning and skill development. Greg’s mantra is “to get a lot done & have a lot of fun”.
Website: http://www.pashkeconsulting.com/

Consciousness: inspiration

CANADA’S OBAMA MANIA

Barak Obama made Canada his first international state visit and that pleases this country. Our population is small but we are the largest trading partner of the US. Protocol suggests each new US President will visit our country first, since we are its closest, most stable neighbor. But giving Canada that honor has not always been the case, as when George Bush chose Mexico for his first state visit.

Some media think Obama has an even greater adoration factor in Canada than in the US. His espoused social values are in alignment with those of Canadians but does adoration equate to an ability to govern?

WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU

What do you think is the state of consciousness of the administration in the US?

Our consciousness is reflected through our thoughts and feelings. We believe, from study of quantum energy and consciousness, that the energy emitted by our thoughts and feelings or our consciousness, makes us like little radio stations. Energy follows thoughts and feelings. We send out a signal and we attract back at the same frequency. If we are in a consciousness of Anger, we will be amazed at how many things happen in our day to generate even more Anger. Does the consciousness of a country or its leadership determine its relationship with others in the world? Does it shape foreign or economic policy?

Our Body Conscious Guide is a list of states of consciousness from lowest energy to highest energy. It can serve as a road map to understand our consciousness and the impact our consciousness is having on results. It is a valuable tool for communication and change, and it can serve as a directional guide for making MindShifts.

Observe the Body Conscious Guide. What is  your perception of the state of consciousness of:

1.  George W. Bush  – and the global community during the past 8 years
2. Barak Obama -  and the consciousness of the global community at this time.

Share your thoughts with us.

CONSCIOUSNESS DEFINED

Let’s make certain we have common terms by taking a look at dictionary definitions of consciousness. Here are some of the ways we relate to the term:

• the thoughts and feelings, collectively of an individual or of an aggregate of people
• the moral consciousness of a nation
• awareness of something for what it is; internal knowledge,
  
• consciousness of right and wrong doing
• philosophy, the mind or the mental faculties as characterized by thoughts, feelings and volition.
• to raise one’s consciousness, is to increase one’s awareness and understanding of one’s own needs, behaviour, attitudes especially as a member of as particular social or political group
• being totally  awake and responsive to ones environment.

We love to hear from you..share your thoughts in our comments section.

BLESS BLESS
JUDY BERG

Organizational Behaviour Consultant
author: Imagine Your Soul Abundant: Attracting Success, Fulfillment and True Happiness
more about: www.theconsciouscorporation.com www.soulabundant.com
Judy’s book can be ordered from her website www.soulabundant.com. Special prices for bulk orders upon request. Seminars and retreats customized to the needs of your group or organization.

corporate mindshift: management

ICELAND 3 MONTHS LATER

This tiny island of  fewer than 300,000 people was the sacrificial canary in the coalmine for the global economic collapse just 3 short months ago. The Icelandic economy, laden with overseas debt of more than 10 times GDP, was the first to collapse in what will most likely be a global domino effect from the credit fallout, despite huge bailouts.

SO WHAT IS A GUY GOING TO DO?

You have lost your life savings, your job and possibly, your home…what comes next?

This story is near to my heart because of my Icelandic roots…and my grandfathers story.

THE LAST DEPRESSION

My grandfather, John Rognvaldson, father to 8 children, and an immigrant from Iceland, was living in Winnipegosis, Manitoba during the depression. He was a self-taught carpenter, blacksmith and all around master craftsman, who built his home using his own blueprints, without the aid of post-secondary architectural training. His primary income came from the construction of large commercial fishing vessels that he built for the commercial fisherman on Lake Winnipegosis.

One day, in the 1930’s, his shop was filled with 3 vessels ready for launch but a fisherman does not launch on a Friday. Over the weekend, the shop caught on fire and everything was lost. Because of the blacksmith equipment in the shop, he was unable to afford insurance.

At 60 years of age, with no money and children still at home to feed, he had to start his financial life over.

ICELANDIC INGENUITY

Icelanders are an incredibly resourceful and multi-talented group. I guess, when you have such a small population on an isolated island, you learn to be adept at many things.

My grandfather heard about a contest run by the Womens Auxiliary of Manitoba to encourage cottage industry as a means for families to make an income during the depression. Recalling the design of a spinning wheel his mother had brought from Iceland, he borrowed some carpentry tools from a friend and proceeded to design a wheel for the contest. John won the contest and his wheels were marketed through the T.Eaton catalogue.  The Rognvaldson wheel became known amongst spinners as the Cadillac of spinning wheels. Today, my father, Doug,  is the lone surviving member of the family who still totally handcrafts this wheel.

ICELAND TODAY

Icelanders are taking a similar path to rebound from the devastating impact of their economic collapse.

Helga Jona, owner of a craft supply shop called Nalin in Reykjavik, is finding her business is exploding. She says Icelanders are returning to their traditional crafts as a way to survive. Shops that had previously carried imports from Europe are now carrying new Icelandic arts and crafts… and the tourists are buying in large quantities.

“And in a sense, the financial collapse has gotten young people busy,” Ms. Eysosdottir says. “They have realized that they can’t just be on Facebook all day; that if they want to survive, they’re going to have to use their creativity and start making things to sell.” – Rabeika Messina, Christian Science Monitor, March 6,2009

WILL THE REST OF US BE AS RESILIENT AND AS RESOURCEFUL?

(note: Bless Bless is a traditional Icelandic salutation)

BLESS BLESS
JUDY BERG
If you know a company that is making a Mindshift towards serving humanity while still turning a profit, we would like to know about them. Let us know by contacting::
attractingsuccess@soulabundant.com... or leave the information in the comments section of this post.

Organizational Behaviour Consultant

author: Imagine Your Soul Abundant: Attracting Success, Fulfillment and True Happiness
more about: www.theconsciouscorporation.com www.soulabundant.com
Judy’s book can be ordered from her website www.soulabundant.com.  Special prices for bulk orders upon request. Seminars and retreats customized to the needs of your group or organization.

strategic planning: innovation: management:success

COMPETITORS  SHARPEN YOUR FOCUS

A few years ago I remember watching the on again, off again, on again, launch status of  the space shuttle Discovery over the July 4th holiday. Having grown up in the 60’s I still marvel at each launch and think of the millions of events that take place with each flight.

In recent years it seems NASA has been dealing with an increasingly skeptical public and vocal policy opponents who want to severely limit or eliminate NASA’s future projects.

Maybe I’m in the minority but I’m nostalgic for the excitement, optimism, and commitment that President Kennedy triggered in America in 1961 when he challenged us to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade. What a vision and what a mission! And what an exhilarating time for every citizen of the country to witness and enjoy the patriotic pride of the remarkable progress towards the achievement of that lofty goal in July 1969.

“When you reach for the stars, you may not quite get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either.” -Leo Burnett

WHAT PRECIPITATED KENNEDY’S CALL TO ACTION

But if it wasn’t for a little Soviet satellite called “sputnick” it might never have happened. America was complacent and smug in the 1950’s with our assumed “scientific superiority” over the Russians. Sputnick was a wake-up call of immense proportions. It was our old friend COMPETITION calling us to action. And act we did.

Today, I’m concerned we are in a mood similar to the 50’s. We are not compelled to action because of an increasing complacency and a lack of national conviction for space. The best thing for NASA and the entire space program would be for the Chinese to embark on an aggressive space exploration initiative like a flight to the moon to plant the Chinese flag. Then things would change and in a big way.

The compelling point is not to underestimate the power and value of competition in our organizations and in our lives. Competition simply makes us better and raises the bar of our performance. Just like Annika Sorenstam and Tiger Woods have elevated the games of their golfing peers. That’s what competition does!

Competition is definitely more friend than foe. I remember a story about when Walt Disney would give tours of his operations and during those tours the “story boards” of the projects his cast members were working on were highly visible. When asked about whether he had concerns that Disney’s ideas could be compromised or stolen he chuckled and remarked how his team at Disney could create faster than anyone could copy. How’s that for an attitude towards competition? What’s yours?

“There can be no progress if people have no faith in tomorrow.” -John F. Kennedy

Greg Pashke , CMC is  President of Pashke Consulting and provides business mentoring, strategic and tactical planning, and financial modeling services. Greg is a big proponent of The One Page Plan approach to managing the day to day performance of an organization. He is committed to continuous learning and skill development. Greg’s mantra is “to get a lot done & have a lot of fun”.
Website: http://www.pashkeconsulting.com/