strategic planning: innovation: management:success

THERE IS MORE THAN ONE WAY TO KILL A MOUSE

When stuck looking for a new solution to a persistent problem, look for a novel approach. Here’s an example of collegiate ingenuity.

BEER INDUCED CREATIVITY

The fraternity poker game participants were locked in mortal combat as Tom staggered into the dining room (a.k.a. the poker emporium). Tom was fresh from his self-described part-time job (6 hours of sitting at a nearby tavern letting patrons buy him drinks while he scooped loose change off the bar). He made a few boisterous comments and then disappeared as quickly as he came in. The poker game renewed its heated intensity. Everyone assumed Boston Tom was in dreamland hitting home runs over the Green Monster at his beloved Fenway Park.

About 45 minutes later, a huge glass breaking sound arouse from the kitchen down the hall along with a loud blood curdling chant, “I got him, I got him!” It was Tom celebrating his trophy kill. The poker throng rushed into the kitchen to see an industrial sized jar of peanut butter smashed on the floor. In the gooey brown glass encrusted pile was a dead mouse. The slain rodent had been the bane of the kitchen for several weeks. A problem solved with a truly creative approach.

Tom’s mind, purified by massive quantities of Olde Pub, had conjured up an inventive solution. Since a mouse hole was under the cabinets, Tom’s plan called for an attractive pile of cheddar cheese to tempt the varmint. Then Tom patiently sat in the corner on the cabinet with the gargantuan jar of peanut butter and waited for the mouse to take the bait.

Few people appreciate the stamina that “hops” must provide. Despite his apparent condition when he came home, Tom sat patiently until the rodent went for the tasty snack. Demonstrating an uncanny sense of dexterity, Tom hit his target “dead on” (pardon the pun). The pledges would clean up the untidy mess tomorrow. It was now time for a tribal celebration with the beverage that made it all possible. Cheers!

Moral: Never underestimate the Power of Beer! The Elixir of the Gods.

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: true selfishness

By Bob Martin

Advertising’s Acceptable Lie

Truth in advertising is one of the most important rules in business. It’s what drives the ridiculously long disclaimers in automotive advertising and the list of discouraging side effects when the pharmaceutical companies hock their latest medical miracles. I don’t know about you, but every time I hear the side effects of some of these meds, I wonder if the ailment isn’t better than the cure.

So, I enter my favorite fast food restaurant and order that perfect cheeseburger pictured so deliciously over the counter. I take my treasure to the table and unwrap my sandwich to  find a squashed bun, most of the melted cheese sticking to the wrapper, catsup all over the place and a pickle stuck to the underside.

What happened to my picture perfect meal?

Food advertising is one of the few areas that can get away with picturing the impossible… the perfect sandwich. The difference between the picture and the product that just spent 45 seconds in Skippy’s hands is a lot of work and a little magic. That sandwich was under the guidance of a “food stylist” and a professional photographer. It probably also spent a few hours on a computer in Adobe Photoshop. Remember the incredible photo of the refreshing milk being poured over Kellog’s Corn Flakes? Did you know that milk was mixed with Elmer’s Glue to make it look thick and refreshing.

We all know that the picture is never what the food looks like, but it’s OK. We accept it. And surprisingly, we even understand it.

I went to a restaurant and saw pictures of some homestyle meals taken by the owner. It didn’t look great and when it came out looking exactly like the picture, I was disappointed. Strange isn’t it? I don’t know what it was, but I somehow felt a rule had been broken.

If your product is food, spend the time to make it look right. Don’t falsify the product, but make it look as good as possible within reason.

Remember… false advertising can be the death of any business, but putting your product in the best light is acceptable.

Next week… A camera doesn’t make you a photographer.

Truth in advertising is one of the most important rules in business.

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.

music & arts: classical music lessons

TED.COM – BENJAMIN ZANDER ON MUSIC AND SHINING EYES

Cant see it? Get FlashPlayer, or view at TED.com

DON’T BE AFRAID – CLASSICAL MUSIC IS YOUR FRIEND

Benajamin Zander’s discussion on how we ALL can appreciate classical music will leave you walking away inspired and motivated. He walks us through a piece of Chopin and illustrates how tuned our ears really are, regardless if you are a musician or not. All the while revealing qualities about leadership and how vital enablement really is. Try taking Benjamin’s concluding remarks to heart and I guarantee your day will be turned around for the better. His charisma is magnetic and his genuine nature is full hearted.

Did you ever notice the conductor of an orchestra never makes a sound?

Nick has been a sound engineer for 7 years and currently works for Raven Sound in Erie,PA. Raven engages with classical music through the works of the Erie Philharmonic and Bemus Bay Pops Orchestras.

strategic planning: innovation: management:success

MOVEMENT HAS IT’S OWN BENEFITS

“I used to think I was indecisive, but now I’m not so sure.” Does this describe your organization and how it deals with change? One could make a pretty compelling argument that General Motors suffered from this type of malaise for decades. Whether it is too little or too late for GM is certainly up for debate. But you have to respect their recent proactive course of action. The former giant is now in the role of the underdog but at least they are doing something. Commitment and execution are excellent attributes to embrace.

“Indecision may or may not be my problem.” -Jimmy Buffett

I heard a story years ago about a mule that was placed in a field with two equally attractive piles of hay on each side of him. Unable to decide on which heap of nutrition was most attractive, the mule instead died of starvation. Faced with a similar dilemma many a teenage boy has spent his prom night alone because he waited too long to decide which cute girl he wanted to invite. Inaction it seems is not a very productive decision.

Yogi Berra expresses the task well: “When you come to the fork in the road, take it”. Our collective challenge is to do something and do it with commitment. There is a fine line between a healthy analysis of a situation and the fear of making a decision. It’s your call!

Business like life consists of many decisions but that is what gives life its rich and dynamic nature. The process of living is a call to action. Just Do It!

How long a minute is depends on which side of the bathroom you’re on. -Ballance’s Law of Relativity

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/

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/

Consciousness: inspiration

NOTHING MORE TO SAY

I can only wonder what it will take to melt our hearts…to make us realize our oneness…to make us want to participate in creating a world of love for all.

If the angelic voice of this messenger, and the words of his song do not do it…there seems to be little more to say.

Listen to the juvenile voice of Declan Galbraith from England, as he asks us all for answers to the most important question of all time…

Tell Me Why…click photo to hear his plea…

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.CorporateMindShift.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.

law of attraction: responsibility

ESTER AND JERRY HICKS – FEBRUARY 19TH – ONLINE WORKSHOP

One of the first teachers on the concept of the Law of Attraction is Abraham, a channeled consciousness, presented through Ester and Jerry Hicks. Although my jury is still out on the idea of channeling, I do find the wisdom and messages shared here to be very good. I have concluded it does not matter whether I believe in channeling or not, I do believe in the message these people are bringing to the world, however they access it.

I have followed the journey of the Hicks as they carry their message of hope and guidance for some time, and find them to be very ethical and responsible teacher

SESSION COMPLETED

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.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.

enlightened orgs: kiva

NOT JUST CONTRIBUTING, BUT CONNECTING

Introducing Kiva.org, a Web 2.0 company focused on connecting generous contribution with the creative potential of those living in poverty. Kiva’s mission is simple: “to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.” I had the pleasure of listening to Co-Founder Jessica Flannery speak this past weekend at Jubilee in Pittsburgh. Her speech offered two valuable insights:

1) A glimpse of hope - the poor of the world have the talent and creativity to become self sustaining…all they need is a boost in the form of capital
2) Advice – on how to realize the dream of any company, Kiva’s Story has something to offer to all of us.

FROM $14,000 TO OVER $60,000,000 IN LOANS

Kiva has its roots in the same soil as many other non-profit and charitable organizations…a person or people have a dream to make a difference.  Basically, one small loan to a Ugandan start up blossomed into this immense global network of micro-financers.  Read more about how Kiva works here.

SUCCESS IN ANY BUSINESS

Co-Founder Jessica Flannery is a very passionate person whose enthusiasm has aided in the growth of Kiva over the past few years. But enthusiasm was not the only way Kiva has come to be where it is.  Check out this Poptech interview with Jessica Flannery and you will see what I mean.

Can’t see it? Get FlashPlayer, or view at Poptech.

ENLIGHTENED ORGS BUSINESS PRACTICES

• JUST START – You may never have perfect information, just start! When you make mistakes, look to Jessica’s next piece of advice
• ITERATE – Learn as you go and be prepared to do another version…another iteration. Don’t view mistakes as failures, view them as opportunities to create the next iteration.  Every step is an iteration rather than a failure and retry.
• “CO – CREATION” of content – Kiva.org is filled entrepreneurs stories, loaner stories, and new logos created by the kiva.org loaner groups.  The site is not just owned by organization but by everyone.
• BRAND OPENNESS – People have created Kivapedia’s, Kiva Video Channels, even an office on Second Life. Kiva lets anyone to re-create the brand in a new way. By allowing everyone to have creative control over the brand, so much more has been created than originally concieved.
  
  
  The power of creativity isn’t necessarily within the organization, but through the new and fresh eyes of others.
• KNOW YOUR MISSION – Jessica mentioned in her speech at Jubilee, Kiva had an offer of $10 million dollars from a large company, but they didn’t want to follow through with the connection. Kiva is not only about the financing, it is about bringing people all over the world together and gain vested interest in each other….Kiva turned down the $10 million.

KIVA.ORG – “THE WORLD’S FIRST PEER TO PEER MICROLENDING WEBSITE” - CHECK IT OUT!

Along with a receiving a BS in Marketing at the University of Pittsburgh, Nick enjoys spending time with service and Christian organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, an organization focused on themes of learning, creating, building and serving. Does anyone want to start a community on kiva?

Work Hard, Take it Easy

Nick Corsi

Inspiration: Jubilee

INSPIRATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONFERENCE WITH A UNIVERSAL HUMAN MESSAGE

I never thought attending a Christian conference would present me with such an abundance of culture and progressive thinking. This weekend started out with a talk by Gabe Lyons, co-author of the book “unChristian,” describing perception research into how the world views Christians. This research was conducted the same way a company conducts market research to understand brand perceptions, awareness, etc .

His research suggests, among other things, that people perceive Christians as having lost touch with culture and creativity – they are sheltered…out of touch with reality. These opening remarks began a weekend of inspiration, insight, and an exposure to some remarkable individuals who prove such an argument couldn’t be more wrong.

THE ULTIMATE FOCUS…THE HUMAN MESSAGE

How will you use your God-given talents, abilities and opportunities to cultivate learning, creating, building, and serving? And…how can you accomplish these goals in such a turbulent world?

In light of the wealth of information provided to me, here are a few of the highlights accompanied by links that will expand upon anything that you may find interesting.

Along with the Homepage, Jubilee offers a wonderful Blog with pictures, video and profiles of speakers and events.

ENLIGHTENED ORGANIZATIONS…AND THE PEOPLE BEHIND THEM

I eventually will write multiple blog posts about this weekend. Specifically about the Enlightened Organizational practices I saw in the likes of keynote speakers:

• Jessica Jackley Flannery, co-founder of kiva.org and – Featured Here on poptech.com

• Bill Strickland Creator and Founder of the Manchester Craftman’s Guild – Featured Here on ted.com

These two organizations take a completely different look at SOLVING poverty through the enablement of individuals and cultivation of their talents.  Look for posts under the “Enlightened Organizations Best Practices” column in the next two weeks for a more detailed glimpse into the great work of these two individuals.

CREATIVITY AND CULTIVATION

Andy Crouch, author of the book Culture Making, took a look at the creation of culture in a new way.  He broke down the pieces of a “good story.” A piece of literature, music, film or TV show that really makes us view the world differently and offers enjoyment needs to be rooted in the “form” rather than the content.

Too often creators get caught up in the characters, location, and specific scenes rather than the timeless human themes that all of us can identify with. Going back to the simplicity of human emotion through the rising and following action of a story is just one of the ways culture can be created.

He brought the discussion back to Christianity, and the perception that Christians can’t create good culture, because they supposedly denounce anything with themes such as sex, violence, and profanity.  He argues that we shouldn’t get caught up in these petty matters of content, but rather, focus on the form…the true meaning behind the story…the ultimate ‘home-hitting’ takeaways.

The session was brought to a close with a discussion on simplicity.  Culture doesn’t need to be something completely brand new, but rather RETRIEVED and remade.  Sometimes the same 4 simple chords that have been played in music FOREVER, can be seen and used differently to create something never heard to the human ears.

The focus of Andy’s work:
We, as Christians, spend too much in these postures with respect to culture: condemning, critiquing, copying, consuming, rather than CREATING AND CULTIVATING. For more on his work and ideas check out his site.

MORE INSPIRATION
This conference is geared towards college students, many of whom are attending, among other schools, Carnegie Mellon, and the University of Pittsburgh .  These students are not studying theology; they are studying business, science, technology, art, music, literature, mathematics, economics, anthropology, philosophy…and the list goes on. Although this gathering incorporated a lot of worship, it is really about something much more.  It is about us as humans, regardless of your belief, realizing that we need to roll up our sleeves and get to work on this world.  We need to recognize that we have a lifetime ahead of us; of learning, creating, building, and serving.

It’s time to take the talents given to you and put them to use…

What will you do with your talents?

AN ASIDE…

This post hardly sums up the thoughts,prayers, ideas and insights that encompassed the weekend. Please feel free to click the links, and check out the the keynote speakers and musicians. Send comments about other inspirational experiences, religious or non-religious.  And as always, as a sound engineer…I can’t let down the fact that I love any opportunity to witness live production.

Along with a receiving a BS in Marketing at the University of Pittsburgh, Nick enjoys spending time with service and Christian organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, an organization focused on themes of learning, creating, building and serving.

Work Hard, Take it Easy

Nick Corsi

music & arts: The Ongoing History
By Nick Corsi

What is alternative rock?

I have always been a big Alternative Rock fan. What is alternative rock? Well, you could categorize it using a number of sub-genres such as grunge, punk, indie, hardcore, metal, or any off-shoot that isn’t completely mainstream. The last 40 years have provided an explosion in the amount of genres rock n roll has to offer. Classifying, categorizing, and placing different artists in the proper labels is incredibly difficult. But I know a guy who can give you a little help if this is something you want to tackle…

The History of … The Ongoing History

The short of it goes, Alan Cross was working at the Canadian Radio Station 102.1″ The Edge” in Toronto around 1992.  An idea had arisen for a project that would make sense of this of the grunge and other alternative rock movements of the early 90s.  Alan Cross, being the recently graduated history major was appointed the task, to do research, and prepare a one hour radio program that incorporated a thesis driven history as well as playing the accompanying music.  To date, the Ongoing History of New Music has over 500 episodes and according to their website, it is syndicated on nearly all of Canada’s rock music radio stations. Read a great overview of the show here, from the transcript of the 500th Ongoing History Episode.

Whats on the show?

The show is typically one hour long and from the beginning selects a specific topic to focus on. It is NOT a talk show, it is a very well thought out and scripted lecture that is pre-recorded and then aired. Some shows have multiple episodes in order to fit all the information in.  Alan digs through music databases of all formats, and being a self-proclaimed music geek tends to find a lot of rare, unreleased and exclusive live recordings of some of the most popular as well as the most unheard of alternative rock bands and artists.  Any given episode picks one band, album, artist, concert, movement, geographical location, music ideology, sub-genre, anniversary, top-10 list, etc, and provides a fascinating stories and unheard analysis for the everyday alt-rock fan.  Alan also breaks down many trends in the music industry such as formatting, promotion dynamics, concerts, culture movements, producing, band naming, music collecting, music playing technology, underground secrets and a lot more.

Alan unpacks many issues involving the music business.  Some particular shows you may want to check out while visiting the site are “Industry Definitions”, “Technology Update”,”Why Performers Hate Record Labels”, and “Why Things Are The Way They Are”

Great Sunday Morning Enjoyment

On my favorite radio station FM96 from London, Ontario, The Ongoing History typically plays a new episode and a repeat on Sunday mornings.  You can always check out and listen to  and read the transcripts of past shows all the time on Ongoing History of New Music Home Page. I strongly encourage even the non-alt rock listeners to take a listen, the connections from genres rock past to rock present may surprise you.  What could be better than listening to cool music and learning all at the same time right? Enjoy!

Nick Corsi lives in Erie, PA and works for Raven Sound as a sound engineer.  He is receiving a BS in marketing from the University of Pittsburgh as well as a history minor.  His past posts have all been rooted in the synthesis of two topics. Combining and exploring two influences in one’s life can open up a whole new door of possibilities.  Take music and take history and you can open up a can of worms in terms of the possibilities. What two things can you combine?

Work Hard, Take It Easy

Nick Corsi