Please Dispose of Properly and Promptly

Seems that at one time or another we are all prone to hang onto things that have outlived their value of relative contribution. Perhaps it is sentimental reasons or we feel that the thing we are holding on to will resurrect into something that will make a meaningful contribution.

Golf clubs are that way. Every golfer worth their equipment-investment-salt has several golf clubs that are not in use but they hold onto them and naively believe that one day, a great golf light will shine and illuminate the true value of these relics.

Computer equipment is very much the same. Almost every business has, in a storeroom or closet, the following: old computers, monitors, printers, keyboards and cables that they look at with an investment eye, when the reality is that these items are essentially worthless, as time and technology have passed them by.

For some illogical reason the golfers can't bring themselves to discard the old clubs and the business person can't watch as old computer equipment is hauled away. The emotional separation is just too painful.

Holding on too long, for the wrong reason, is never a good idea. The best plans are more often than not altered and when that happens you may be faced with discarding something that previously held value. Change is unavoidable and allowing yourself to be flexible and focused will aid considerably in your quest to accomplish the tasks at hand. Change may render something obsolete that you or others sincerely believe is something you can't do without. Typically a closer evaluation, from a distance, will help you make the right decision. If you are too close to the forest, it is often said, you may not see the trees.

We all make a way, eventually. The end result may or may not be as initially intended but you can be better prepared emotionally to adapt if you understand that value attached to certain components may well decrease. Should that happen it is a good idea to let it go and make a way.

But do not act in haste. You must make sure that the time to discard has come or you may experience a less than desired outcome or even worse, an outcome that is counterproductive. Look before you leap into the discard bin.

Make It Take It Break It

When analyzing the generational transfer of "ideas-concieved",  "plans-initiated", "significant-accomplishments" and "success-manifest" there is a rather predictable transfer of "It."  This is as true in business and organizations as it is in families.

The first generation in this saga has great original ideas and endeavors to work a plan and modify the plan as circumstances and discoveries dictate in order to make "It" work. This generation views success through the lens of how the idea can be integrated into a working model achieving the desired outcome. They are moved to action and don't allow failures, of which there are likely many, to get in the way. These hearty individuals are fully committed to "The Idea". The monetary success and recognition are quiet often the result and not the sole motivation. They Make "It!"

The second generation assumes the success of the momentum created by the first generation and become caretakers, often not willing to risk the status quo. They keep doing things the way they observed the first generation doing them and do not consider that what they are actually witnessing is the cumulative result of ups and downs. Their journey is considerably less challenging and this can result in a lack of innovation and desire to improve. Their rewards are those they inherited with a minimum of effort and therefore they gradually become adverse to breaking a sweat. The inherited success becomes less stable because their thinking is not as passionate or as focused the thinking was with the first generation. They Take "It!"

The third generation ambles onto the scene having never been in a position of making things happen. They don't value the "how" as much as they value the "what". What they are getting is far more interesting than how they got it. When there is a bit of rough water in the inherited successes, they have no idea how to respond. Things not only don't grow, they begin to erode. The slide continues day by day and when they look up, they find themselves so far from where they need to be that irrational behavior takes over and they begin to jump from bad idea to bad idea. They Break "It!"

Wherever you are in your professional pursuit take time to consider the others that have come before you and how they overcame, through persistence and hard work and by making not only smart choices but hard decisions. You can take credit for your accomplishments and be proud of the things you achieved. But don't get so wrapped up in basking in your glory that you lose sight of the glorious things that happened long before you arrived on the scene. Make "It" better, don't Take "It" for granted or Break  "It" to pieces.

Thanks for Your Help, "No Problem"

Obviously when the employee saw me walk in the door they said to themselves: "Here comes trouble." How do I know this? Because, after our business was concluded and if they had done a satisfactory job,  when I said thank you, they responded; "No Problem."

They didn't say "no problem" because I was potentially a problem, they responded that way because they were in robot mode and really didn't think about any meaningful and unique response like; "You are welcome Dennis, we appreciate your business Dennis and hope to see you again soon." This may be a direct result of not really caring all that much about me as an individual, even though, I can assure you, it means a lot to me. I was in their particular business to do business with them and have a direct impact on the success of their business that I intentionally chose to do business with. I am loyal to those businesses that I choose to do business with, as long as they meet my expectations and until they treat me like everyone else. Not that I consider myself to be a special customer and demand special attention, I simply demand that I be treated as Dennis and not Jane Doe-Customer!

Walter Cronkite worked for United Press International as a young reporter. After a while Cronkite felt all of his stellar and hard worked merited a raise in pay. He took this "unique" idea to his supervisor and during his justification statement Cronkite stated that he had worked hard and his $125.00 weekly salary just wasn't very much money to him. His supervisor listened and responded by stating that Cronkite had indeed done a fine job and even though $125.00 weekly was not much money to Walter, it was to UPI! You see, Cronkite was looking through a one-way lens and everything reflected back to his individuality and not the greater picture of those with whom he was in business with. His motivation was all about Walter.

Make your motivation about helping others as individuals. The people you interact with may in fact be problematic, but until you walk in their shoes, don't make judgments. If there is a problem be a part of the solution and don't use the over used phrase "no problem" it is indifferent and insulting.

Simply Complicated

There is too much misguided effort and energy in the business and organizational world today that is looking for a problem to solve. Typically one would accept that there is a problem and then set in motion a plan to get the right players involved to clearly identify the cause and logical solution, all within a specified time frame. The next logical step would be to implement changes in processes, people or behaviors directed at making things simply work better, while keeping everyone informed.

Ross Perot started Electronic Data Systems (EDS) on a shoestring and with only a small amount of money. EDS grew into a monster of a success story and was later sold to General Motors (GM). Part of the purchase agreement included a place for Ross on the GM Board of Directors. The relationship didn't last very long. When Ross resigned from the board of GM a reporter asked him about the experience his response was direct and simple. He stated; "At EDS when  we see a snake we get a stick and kill it, at GM, when they see a snake, they form a committee."

People love to justify their existence by adding layers and layers between the folks actually doing the work and the decision makers. This happens far too often, especially when companies or organizations grow quickly. This phenomeon becomes a run away train. Once the complications of too many layers set in, because of too many cooks in the kitchen, it takes forever to get back to the simplicity of just getting the job done. The challenge of detecting all of the issues that are causing problems and making declarations based on fact and not opinions, becomes daunting and the detectives are likely to encounter man-made obstacle after obstacle and if they are not focused and supported, will be lead on a wild-goose-chase. They become understandably confused and dazed and get nowhere.

What often happens in this consuming and expensive environment is that some very good and dedicated employees and customers get run over or left behind and find themselves in a foreign place where they are expected to fend for themselves. When it comes to customers, there is no better example of this than the automated phone systems with computer generated operators. People doing business with people have paid for the right to deal with people.

Life is simply not that complicated but given the opportunity, and sufficient number of misguided people, I assure you it will quickly get that way!

Disruption Intrusive Trespasser

Face-to-face is without any doubt the most impactful process for accomplishing almost anything worthwhile.  Especially when real people are deeply involved and meaningful relationships must be cultivated and fostered. Face-to-face is also the riskiest and most uncertain in the beginning.

The best professional and personal relationships are built and maintained in person.

When you begin the face-to-face ongoing process of building relationships you are very likely going to be branded as a disruption, or intrusion and possible trespasser. This is a normal reaction from folks who have other issues to deal with and really don't appreciate the value you represent. Yet!

The most damaging response you can have to the negative reaction you are likely to encounter is to take it personally and possibly respond badly. People know when you are sincere and when you are not. There is typically nothing personal involved, other than your precieved value or, more precisely, lack of. The people you are face-to-face with early in the process, did not plan on investing any of their valuable time with you or anyone else they don't have a productive relationship with. They are too busy dealing with other more important matters and would appreciate it if you would just move on. You should be ready to do so and then, come back!

During the early stages of the relationship building process, you must anticipate this unwelcome reaction and be prepared to make whatever progress you are allowed to without becoming so annoying that you are not welcome back. Your goal is to develop a solid and mutually beneficial relationship that will endure based on commitment and value. The way you accomplish this goal is to first make clear the fact that you are sincere and are there to help and offer realistic solutions once problems are identified. Your solutions are backed up by your firm commitment to get to know the right people and the issues before you make any recommendations and to politely move on if you cannot positively contribute.

The Plaque, "What's up with that doc?"

Fredrick Bean Avery, better known as, Tex Avery is internationally recognized for his ground breaking creative ideas in animated films or "cartoons" as his work was commonly referred to. Tex was born in Taylor, Texas February 26, 1908. Tex worked for Warner Brothers and Metro Golden Mayer where he created or improved such delightful characters as: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig. He made Bugs Bunny more memorable by adding; "What's up doc" to Bug's  frequent dialogue. He was especially proud of enhancing the viewer experience by having the animated characters speak directly to the audience and thereby greatly improving the experience, leaving a lasting impact.

The City of Taylor held a Tex Avery Day during at which the unveiling of the Tex Avery official State of Texas plaque was unveiled. The city has placed the plaque in a high traffic area for all to see, learn from and enjoy.

Tex did not embark on his remarkable career to get a plaque. He did what he did because he loved it and he wanted to make a difference. Surely, Tex failed more than he succeeded, as most successful people do, but his passion kept him headed in the right and ultimately very successful direction.

You cannot get caught up in doing things just for the external rewards. If you do you will surely lose sight of what your efforts and accomplishments will ultimately contribute to. Whatever you do, do it with a sense of contribution and desire to make a difference. The impact, positive or negative,  will have far reaching benefits that will aid others. Even if you do something wrong, you will be credited with teaching others what not to do and in the end, that may be more important that teaching others how to do it right. Others will not make the  same mistake because you indirectly taught what not to do. There is indeed an up-side to every down-side.

Plaques are nice but they are not necessary to prove that your and your activities made a lasting impression. Plaques are not why Tex did what he did. He did it because he loved it and aspired to be great. The results speak for themselves, the plaque is merely icing on the cake.

The Fight We Won

The small hard lump just under the right side of my chin was diagnosed on three separate occasions, within a six-month period, as simply a swollen gland likely caused by allergies and such. The diagnosis was logical since I was visiting the doc to get some relief from the symptoms associated with a recurring sinus infection or an allergic attack. Shortly after the third diagnosis, I called the doc and said we need to revisit this issue as I felt there was something much more than just a swollen gland. She agreed and sent me on to a general surgeon who took one look, felt around the area and stated that he would not make any attempt to correct the issue. He sent me directly to the Ear Nose and Throat Doc.

The Ear Nose and Throat doc preformed a thorough exam and requested a needle biopsy. As he and I were waiting in the exam room for the technician to come in and do the biopsy, I asked him what his gut told him. He said; "My gut tells me you have malignant cancer." His thirty plus yeas of experience, my age and gender and the reality that this was more common that one might think, led him to that conclusion and he was right.

The diagnosis of stage four squamous cell carcinoma (described by my doc as a garden variety of cancer) was a bit unsettling as you might imagine. My tonsil proved to be the primary source of the cancer. 

The experience that followed is too detailed and vast to share in this brief space and that is good since having the disease is not what this is about, it is about winning the fight. It is mostly about teamwork. I was blessed to have a great team of doctors and an unstoppable advocate. My advocate was and is my wonderful wife, Norma. She is the strongest, make that toughest, person I know and during this fight she proved that time and time again. When she asked questions, she got answers! In fact, because she was so intimately involved in the fight, the medical professionals began asking her questions about how I was doing and quit asking me!

After a tonsillectomy (OUCH!) the implanting of a feeding tube, seven hours of neck surgery (modified radical neck dissection) eight chemo therapy treatments, forty radiation treatments and seven-months off of work we steadfastly continued the process of winning the fight, day-by-day. Eight years have passed since my last treatment and we are victorious. We won!

This is not about me. This is about facing a tough situation head on, the team members that were engaged and the collective winning of the fight. Whatever you are facing, you are not and should not not face it alone. When you are facing a tough fight, look around and rally the troops. We won together, because we fought together and we continue to win together and you can too!