There are no shortcuts on quality

Posted on March 13, 2011 by David

Nothing against other countries, but it is evident to me that the quality of workmanship of buildings and other structures played a HUGE role in how so many people survived the catastrophic earthquake that hit Japan recently. There were no shortcuts, no cheap materials, no skirting of building codes.

I’m not minimizing the losses. I cannot begin to know what it feels like to experience what the millions of people Japan have been through or will face in the coming weeks.

If you’ve watched the videos, have you noticed how the people just knew what to do when the earthquake hit? Most of them ran outside, stayed low to the ground, some even laying down. Do you know what to do in case of an emergency?

A new normal is being defined for people in Haiti, Chile, New Zealand and now, Japan.

Whatever your plan is, don’t skimp on quality. Or your plan just might crumble under the stress and strain of everyday life.

Day 13 – No shortcuts.

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Posted in 31 Day Challenge, Commitment, Overwhelming, Performance, Quality, Remarkable | 2 Comments

Forethought or afterthought

Posted on March 12, 2011 by David

Your choice.

Either plan and prepare ahead of time, or wonder what went wrong after the fact.

There is an old Norwegian proverb that says, “The afterthought is good, but the forethought is better.”

Are your employees considered an afterthought? If a decision has been made within your company, are your employees among the first to hear about it? I’m not saying they have to be involved in the decision making process. Are you communicating with them?

If not, no matter how good your intentions, they are an afterthought.

And you might have succeeded at alienating your front line employees.

Shouldn’t you have thought that decision through?

Day 12 – Are your employees a forethought or afterthought?

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Posted in 31 Day Challenge, Employees, Encouragement | 5 Comments

Tangent – Personal Health

Posted on March 11, 2011 by David

It's complicated.

Taking a little detour for personal reasons.

Today marks 7 years since my open-heart surgery. Thanks to being aware of some of the symptoms, it was taken care of before something more serious developed. Two blocked arteries could have led to a heart attack or something even worse.

The focus on your job, your customers, or your business cannot overshadow dealing with health issues. If you ignore your health, it may get to a point where it overtakes you. Then you won’t have to fuss over customers, your business, your family, or anything else.

And that’s just a tad bit selfish, dontcha think?

Day 11 – Don’t neglect your health.

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Don’t give up the fight

Posted on March 10, 2011 by David

Are you ready for a fight?

Are you ready for a fight? We’re not talking a hockey game here.

Every day is a struggle. Some days you come out smelling like a rose and some days you smell like the fertilizer.

But if you are fighting, it means you haven’t given up. Every customer, every sale, everyday . . . it’s a fight.

Don’t give up. If you do, the fight is over.

And the enemy wins.

Day 10 – Don’t give up.

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Do you share triumphs and tragedies?

Posted on March 9, 2011 by David

Highs and lows

How often do you share triumphs and tragedies? Maybe tragedies is too dark of a word.

How about peaks and valleys in your business?

You don’t have to give out the details of every penny made or lost. But do your team members know where you stand as far as making a profit?

But what if you just had your best month ever.? And there were a few people who were key players in the game. You owe it to them and to your business to recognize and reward those employees who are exceeding the average. I was telling everyone about our month. This includes managers at other stores, friends who asked about the business, and our guests who want to keep us around.

By including them into our family, we share a lot and that includes triumphs and tragedies.

Day 9 – Share Triumphs and tragedies

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