Date 08-10-2008.
All of it in one way or another a part of my lifetime and not an analytical study of the way that business has changed but a comparison that is not at all hard to follow or see. What happened to our country now seems to be subtle changes that occurred as the years passed by.
Always a reason behind a wage difference always because of the area of the country or because of the actual company I was working for.
Basically it has all boiled down to the ultimate understanding that it was just the standard of living country wide had taken a turn for the worse and no one, definitely not me?wanted to admit it or look at it.
Yes, beyond my capability to actually crunch numbers and really see what was happening somehow the American way of life has changed and it is harder than ever to do what needs to be done financially.
Beyond my want to know at all of what has really happened, and understand it. Because the country that I grew up in, the country that was so fair to all was slowly changing. So much that it wasn't really noticeable immediately and if you were too busy trying to make ends meet possibly you didn't even think about it or find it unusual or sad. It really is sad, but real.
Unions can't make it anymore. Why? Because we as Americans will not pay the price of labor unions and don't have to because unions no longer make a difference. Our government says that we can unionize and yet it will allow the companies that have had unions for many years to bail out on pensions that were part of union agreements and contracts. What good is unionizing when it means nothing?
What once was not the norm is now. Women have worked for decades at destroying the American family as it once was and now just as men did before us we compete with one another and with them too.
We for the most part took the original American Dream and turned it into a self serving egotistical attitude and had no real idea of when we had it all.
We as women went past the wife and mother aspect of being female and ran to the far side of the businesses and corporate offices out of some depraved kind of jealousy and why I have no idea.
I know that at this point we are far beyond being able to turn around and go back. I know that many would without a second thought throw me to the dogs for even mentioning it.
Still there was a better time and place for all of us and it isn't going to be easy to find a place like that in the future.Families that always relied on each other for emotional support now rely on each other to make ends meet.
Families that had a bond of love that nurtured our young people to great achievements and discoveries have turned into families that have a bond that is produced by basic needs.
The college graduate of today is now in a situation many times of having to look back at a generation that seriously lived beyond its means. At the same time there are those who for one reason or another found a place in society that allowed them to enter a comfort zone that is now turning into a place of uncertainty and the worry of yesterday coming back to haunt the future is real.
Generations that lived through the Great Depression knew how to live without. Our government for how many years now has told us that there is no recession, no depression and that our country is on a firm footing.
In my lifetime I remember someone?saying that we would retire in our fifties, that we would have more time to spend at home?a four day work week. Is it my imagination or part of a novel I read in my school days?
It did not happen and no one seems to know why.
A time when there was a bread winner in a family and one person could financially support a family.
Did we use it all up? Did we somehow over do it? What went wrong with the country and where did all of the dreams of retirement, educational superiority of our country and the research and discovery so important to our country and our tomorrows die?
The comfort zone is fading away and now the political arena challenges anyone who listens to find a side and take the walk to the extremes that are a regular part of the country that I grew up in.
If not for the belief that something bigger than all of us is out there I would say that there is no hope that it will get better.
Doom and gloom is a terrible thing especially for the privileged who have no idea of what it is to do without.
Has our generation primed our children to believe that there will never be a time when we will live through another time in this country where more will be living in poverty than during the Great Depression?
I remember someone?way back saying that the United States was on the top.
Have we thought seriously of how it would be if history were to repeat itself and another depression fell upon us?
Life has been good for many. Life has been hard at times and rewarding at other times. Many of my generation grew to be far wealthier than their parents could have imagined and yet is that wealth a temporary haven that will dissolve and turn into nothing more than a memory of what was?
Is it our government, our society, our morals or the cycle of life that will return us to where we came from?
Julie Pierce has worked in the retail sector for more than thirty years. She has been a union member of the UCFW Union and the afl-cio more than once and has worked for more than one large retailer during the course of her career.
She attended Gulf Coast Community College, Panama City Beach, Florida, in the nineties in the pursuit of a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications.
Some of her work has been published during the eighties and nineties in various editorial pages of newspapers in the state of New Jersey and Florida. She also did some work as a community reporter for a weekly newspaper in Panama City Florida.
milan...........
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
Positive Mental Attitude
Date 07-10-2008.
Look at this glass on the table in front of you. Is it
half-full or is it half-empty?
Now, do you realize that it is entirely for you to decide
what the answer to this question is going to be.
The choice is yours.
So, the very same reality can be seen in totally opposite
ways: in a positive way, and in a negative way.
And there is always a positive side to any thing, any
situation, any event, any person.
Look at the world in a different way. Try to find out that
positive side. At first, you might literally have to dig
it out, but after some time, it automatically appears to
you. In fact, you eventually only see the good side.
Everything is beautiful, "everybody's beautiful, in their
own way", as the song goes.
So we invite you to try our 3-step positive mental attitude
formula.
In any situation, however apparently bad:
1. Keep cool and coolly examine the situation. Turn it
upside down, inside out, downside up and outside in.
2. Suddenly you realize it could have been worse. Find out
how and why it could have been worse.
3. Finally, the good side of it will just appear to you.
This can happen gradually or in a flash. It all depends on
parts 1 and 2.
Soon you'll see all things and all people in a positive way
What you call "failure" is in fact simply a new opportunity
to try again and do better than if you had "succeeded" in
the first place.
Now, have you noticed that a rich person has more of a
chance of getting a bank loan than a poor person? In other
words: you must have money to be given MORE money!
In the same way, if you are a "happy person", you'll get
MORE happiness.
As the great American poet Theodore Roethke said:
"The right things happen to the happy man"
Don't worry, whatever type of person you are, you can
easily turn yourself into a "happy person".
I can almost see your wry, "easier-said-than-done" smile.
But please, just try our 3-step formula and soon, very soon,
in fact much sooner than you think, you'll take up a sturdy
and radiant Positive Mental Attitude to life and THAT is
the only key to wellness, happiness, and a longer life.
Drawing from his 30-year experience as a translator, teacher,
traveler, musician, writer, deep multicultural awareness plus
worldwide ancient spiritual traditions, A.M.Sall helps people
"turn all their living days into quality time". Visit his self-
development community at: http://www.health-beauty-wellness.com
Free sign-up for lifelong membership. You'll be glad you did!
milan...........
Look at this glass on the table in front of you. Is it
half-full or is it half-empty?
Now, do you realize that it is entirely for you to decide
what the answer to this question is going to be.
The choice is yours.
So, the very same reality can be seen in totally opposite
ways: in a positive way, and in a negative way.
And there is always a positive side to any thing, any
situation, any event, any person.
Look at the world in a different way. Try to find out that
positive side. At first, you might literally have to dig
it out, but after some time, it automatically appears to
you. In fact, you eventually only see the good side.
Everything is beautiful, "everybody's beautiful, in their
own way", as the song goes.
So we invite you to try our 3-step positive mental attitude
formula.
In any situation, however apparently bad:
1. Keep cool and coolly examine the situation. Turn it
upside down, inside out, downside up and outside in.
2. Suddenly you realize it could have been worse. Find out
how and why it could have been worse.
3. Finally, the good side of it will just appear to you.
This can happen gradually or in a flash. It all depends on
parts 1 and 2.
Soon you'll see all things and all people in a positive way
What you call "failure" is in fact simply a new opportunity
to try again and do better than if you had "succeeded" in
the first place.
Now, have you noticed that a rich person has more of a
chance of getting a bank loan than a poor person? In other
words: you must have money to be given MORE money!
In the same way, if you are a "happy person", you'll get
MORE happiness.
As the great American poet Theodore Roethke said:
"The right things happen to the happy man"
Don't worry, whatever type of person you are, you can
easily turn yourself into a "happy person".
I can almost see your wry, "easier-said-than-done" smile.
But please, just try our 3-step formula and soon, very soon,
in fact much sooner than you think, you'll take up a sturdy
and radiant Positive Mental Attitude to life and THAT is
the only key to wellness, happiness, and a longer life.
Drawing from his 30-year experience as a translator, teacher,
traveler, musician, writer, deep multicultural awareness plus
worldwide ancient spiritual traditions, A.M.Sall helps people
"turn all their living days into quality time". Visit his self-
development community at: http://www.health-beauty-wellness.com
Free sign-up for lifelong membership. You'll be glad you did!
milan...........
Saturday, October 4, 2008
The Top Five Reasons Strategic Plans Fail
Date 05-10-2008.
"Most great plans aren't. They are just nice, high-level ideas."
That's how one of our survey respondents answered our question, "What are the top three obstacles that prevent great plans from reaching effective implementation?" Despite the universal chatter around the need to be "strategic", and the untold hours spent developing strategic plans, it appears that they don't work nearly often enough. And based on the spirited responses we got from the generous folks who answered our survey, it seems that many have been involved in a strategic plan that failed. Of course, we all know it's not YOUR fault!
If it's any consolation, even the big boys can't seem to get it right. Many more than Ted Turner are disappointed in the results from the AOL/Time Warner merger strategy. Arthur Andersen had a great strategy, except for the one little loose thread that allowed the entire company to unravel. And what happened at Kmart, Xerox, and Polaroid? These are organizations that all had the wind at their backs at one time or another, and now you have to wonder if their management could lead a dogsled team to a meatpacking plant.
OK, so no need to affix blame; let's focus on fixing the problem! The purpose of the survey was to identify key contributors to strategy failure so raised awareness could guide our clients to proactively avoid them. What follows is a recap of the responses from the top five categories (in no predictable order, I'll warn you!), along with excerpts of quotations that help clarify the points speedier than a bullet on amphetamines. These five categories reflect the most popular -- although not necessarily the most significant -- responses we received, out of approximately 25 categories. Their pervasiveness certainly warrants our attention. By addressing these five obstacles, you can expect to more successfully implement the plans you devise and participate in, even if a past experience felt more like a do-it-yourself mugging.
Communications
The number two response to our question about strategy failure should be familiar to all: Communications. Since we can't get it right at home -- with one in two U.S. marriages ending in divorce -- what makes us think we're going to get it right at work?
Poor communications seems to take many forms. Apparently, some groups like to develop strategic plans, and then hide them under a rock. But they don't do it on purpose. "The failure to communicate the vision and strategic objectives to stakeholders" may mean that the developers of the strategy aren't getting out enough information for folks to understand what they're supposed to do with it. "New initiatives or objectives are outlined but not communicated throughout the organization as to how the new objectives should look and feel, what steps to take, time-frame, etc." "Poor communications among team members responsible for decisions in implementation. Expectations and opinions are not shared openly, thoroughly, and effectively."
"Every tactical action supporting the strategic objectives needs to be included in an overall communication plan so that the strategy is reinforced." There's an interesting idea: an overall communication plan. Other responses also indicate that lack of communications routinely allows plans to die out after their launch. "No regular internal press to generate momentum." "Lack of better marketing efforts." Apparently all goes quiet, kind of like a mausoleum after the entertainment goes home. This contributor didn't hold anything back: "The communication sucks! Organizations become introverted in their communication strategies, whether the group is a large company or a small team."
Communication is also much more than words and pictures. Communication is also delivered through demonstration. "The management team does not follow the strategy themselves." We all know about the hypocritical "do as I say, not as I do" admonition. What does that scream about the value of the strategy? That behavior will raise eyebrows faster than a cook who won't eat his own cooking!
Leadership
Which brings us to leadership, which was the fifth most popular category. From these responses we can learn that leadership is much like fly-fishing -- when you're up to your waist in it, it's suddenly much harder than it looks! "Most leaders grossly underestimate what it takes to lead effectively." "Failing of leadership starting and ending at the top." "Lack of a true motivating leader." This contributor offered some specificity: "Weak leadership. This results in improper resource allocation, lack of buy-in, poor follow-through, inadequate checks, misaligned goals/ strategies/ actions, inefficient rewards and punishments, cover-ups, etc."
This respondent noted that there was enough blame to go around: "Not a lack of leadership from the main person in charge but from either a lack of ability or the lack of 'willingness' from other personnel who are needed to step up and truly lead the effort to bring the strategies from paper to production." The message here is that we are all called to lead from wherever we are, even if we're not at the top.
Not all management teams are blessed with skilled leaders. "Management team and/or owner not experienced/skilled enough to carry out the strategy." Some have titles associated with leadership, but not the authority: "No assigned champion/true owner of each project who has the authority to implement." I was taught that you must delegate authority at the same time you delegate responsibility. Lastly, we have leaders who are just plain stubborn, kind of like a mule with a good parking space at the mall: "...'rogue' links in the management chain that distort the plan to suit their OWN vision, thus subverting the directive from the top without authorization." Now I'm thinking fly-fishing is actually easier.
No Plan Behind the Idea
The third most popular category is named, "No Plan Behind the Idea," captured in this summary: "Most great plans aren't. They are just nice, high-level ideas." Those of you that have attempted to execute plans that were as thin as the soles on Newman's shoes may easily relate to this: "'Strategic initiative?' No, it wasn't 'strategic' and it wasn't an 'initiative'. Calling something a strategic initiative doesn't make it one."
It seems that many of our strategic planning sessions stop halfway, before there is a plan. "Very little planning, if any, goes into the implementation process." "Undeveloped intentions." Maybe you know some of these people: "Frequently the person with the great idea is not an execution giant." While no one is advocating using masking tape on a paint-by-numbers picture, how about this example of how to do it right: "the Microsoft of today NEVER rushes in ... they wait to see how things shake out, steal some early ideas, perfect them, then smash everybody they can and conquer the world."
Inquiring minds want to know what a strategy document is really for. "A strategy document almost NEVER actually states what is to be done from day to day and a way for employees to track their actual progress. Most strategies stop at the 'conceptual stage' rather than actually give very SPECIFIC tasks to be done." "Concept not cascaded throughout the organization so that individuals know how it applies to them and their job." "Unable to break the project down into doable actions." If all this sounds like a lot of work, perhaps this says it all: "Ideas are easier to talk about than do."
Passive Management
In fourth place is a category I call "Passive Management." This is characterized by assuming that things will run themselves after we get them started, which is about as likely as being hit by lightning while being eaten by a shark. Instead, I suggest that implementing strategic plans is more like keeping plates spinning atop a number of pointed sticks. If we don't put forth a regular effort to keep them spinning, the plates will fall down and the sticks will end up in uncomfortable places. "When the implementation phase begins there is not enough follow-through -- or follow-up for that matter -- from senior management." "Poor and inexperienced management to execute the plan."
Notice the subtle difference here from leadership. While leadership is expected to communicate the vision and support it with demonstrable actions, management is expected to know how to execute the individual tactics. "All talk and no action, failure to assign and hold individuals accountable for delivering on the assignments." "No one takes total charge and follows up when someone doesn't meet commitment dates." "The objective ... is written down on paper ... and nicely filed away." Here is what seems to be missing: "... this is the objective, this is how we're going to get there, here is your part in the plan and you will be held accountable."
Like leadership, management is not easy either: "It takes a special person to be able to define strategies and to plot out and manage others in how to achieve those strategies. Most fail because they assume their team has the wherewithal to pull it off and they therefore do not manage the process." I must say, I was surprised to learn that people want more management -- at least where implementing strategic plans is concerned!
Motivation and Personal Ownership
Our last category is actually our first category. This most popular category of Motivation and Personal Ownership contains responses focused on the question, "What's in it for me?" This is not to imply that we're all a bunch of selfish, greedy, self-serving individuals -- although recent headlines could certainly make that case successfully! -- it's really that people are looking for the meaning in what they do. In other words, they want to show up for more than just a paycheck. People want to build something, make a difference. "Don't understand the purpose, goal is minimized, vision disappears. No enthusiasm to make it happen. The bottom line, how will it affect ME?"
More effort is needed to help people understand how getting behind the company's goals can support their personal goals. "The I/me mentality that is so prevalent today. If it works for me -- it works for me! Let everyone else deal with it." "You must have some kind of desire or necessary will to implement the plan. You must have some kind of image of the outcome." The message here is that you -- personally -- must desire the outcome. Perhaps that lack is what causes, "lack of buy-in from the entire group." "Typically the initiative fails because the people responsible for implementing it are not convinced of its value."
What are the symptoms when there is no motivation/personal ownership? "Employee resistance." "Lack or no sense of urgency." "Inability of individuals to view strategic planning an important and exciting part of their job." "Lack of employees' support." "Lack of better sales efforts." "Lack of initiative at the lower levels of implementation, the 'front lines'." "Lack of ability to arouse enthusiasm." In summary is this prediction: "The project will never succeed if there is no emotion or passion involved."
Conclusion
Pay attention to Motivation and Personal Ownership, Communications, No Plan Behind the Idea, Passive Management, and Leadership, and you'll be ahead of the strategic planning game. These observations and insights can help you improve your success rate with implementing strategic plans, so it doesn't feel like doing the splits over a case of dynamite.
If you have had "great plans" fail -- I've lost personal count! -- take what we have learned here and embrace a new plan for those "high-level ideas." Let's also learn from Napoleon Hill: "The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail." Braced with this knowledge, you'll do clearly better this time, and without need of bullets or amphetamines!
milan
"Most great plans aren't. They are just nice, high-level ideas."
That's how one of our survey respondents answered our question, "What are the top three obstacles that prevent great plans from reaching effective implementation?" Despite the universal chatter around the need to be "strategic", and the untold hours spent developing strategic plans, it appears that they don't work nearly often enough. And based on the spirited responses we got from the generous folks who answered our survey, it seems that many have been involved in a strategic plan that failed. Of course, we all know it's not YOUR fault!
If it's any consolation, even the big boys can't seem to get it right. Many more than Ted Turner are disappointed in the results from the AOL/Time Warner merger strategy. Arthur Andersen had a great strategy, except for the one little loose thread that allowed the entire company to unravel. And what happened at Kmart, Xerox, and Polaroid? These are organizations that all had the wind at their backs at one time or another, and now you have to wonder if their management could lead a dogsled team to a meatpacking plant.
OK, so no need to affix blame; let's focus on fixing the problem! The purpose of the survey was to identify key contributors to strategy failure so raised awareness could guide our clients to proactively avoid them. What follows is a recap of the responses from the top five categories (in no predictable order, I'll warn you!), along with excerpts of quotations that help clarify the points speedier than a bullet on amphetamines. These five categories reflect the most popular -- although not necessarily the most significant -- responses we received, out of approximately 25 categories. Their pervasiveness certainly warrants our attention. By addressing these five obstacles, you can expect to more successfully implement the plans you devise and participate in, even if a past experience felt more like a do-it-yourself mugging.
Communications
The number two response to our question about strategy failure should be familiar to all: Communications. Since we can't get it right at home -- with one in two U.S. marriages ending in divorce -- what makes us think we're going to get it right at work?
Poor communications seems to take many forms. Apparently, some groups like to develop strategic plans, and then hide them under a rock. But they don't do it on purpose. "The failure to communicate the vision and strategic objectives to stakeholders" may mean that the developers of the strategy aren't getting out enough information for folks to understand what they're supposed to do with it. "New initiatives or objectives are outlined but not communicated throughout the organization as to how the new objectives should look and feel, what steps to take, time-frame, etc." "Poor communications among team members responsible for decisions in implementation. Expectations and opinions are not shared openly, thoroughly, and effectively."
"Every tactical action supporting the strategic objectives needs to be included in an overall communication plan so that the strategy is reinforced." There's an interesting idea: an overall communication plan. Other responses also indicate that lack of communications routinely allows plans to die out after their launch. "No regular internal press to generate momentum." "Lack of better marketing efforts." Apparently all goes quiet, kind of like a mausoleum after the entertainment goes home. This contributor didn't hold anything back: "The communication sucks! Organizations become introverted in their communication strategies, whether the group is a large company or a small team."
Communication is also much more than words and pictures. Communication is also delivered through demonstration. "The management team does not follow the strategy themselves." We all know about the hypocritical "do as I say, not as I do" admonition. What does that scream about the value of the strategy? That behavior will raise eyebrows faster than a cook who won't eat his own cooking!
Leadership
Which brings us to leadership, which was the fifth most popular category. From these responses we can learn that leadership is much like fly-fishing -- when you're up to your waist in it, it's suddenly much harder than it looks! "Most leaders grossly underestimate what it takes to lead effectively." "Failing of leadership starting and ending at the top." "Lack of a true motivating leader." This contributor offered some specificity: "Weak leadership. This results in improper resource allocation, lack of buy-in, poor follow-through, inadequate checks, misaligned goals/ strategies/ actions, inefficient rewards and punishments, cover-ups, etc."
This respondent noted that there was enough blame to go around: "Not a lack of leadership from the main person in charge but from either a lack of ability or the lack of 'willingness' from other personnel who are needed to step up and truly lead the effort to bring the strategies from paper to production." The message here is that we are all called to lead from wherever we are, even if we're not at the top.
Not all management teams are blessed with skilled leaders. "Management team and/or owner not experienced/skilled enough to carry out the strategy." Some have titles associated with leadership, but not the authority: "No assigned champion/true owner of each project who has the authority to implement." I was taught that you must delegate authority at the same time you delegate responsibility. Lastly, we have leaders who are just plain stubborn, kind of like a mule with a good parking space at the mall: "...'rogue' links in the management chain that distort the plan to suit their OWN vision, thus subverting the directive from the top without authorization." Now I'm thinking fly-fishing is actually easier.
No Plan Behind the Idea
The third most popular category is named, "No Plan Behind the Idea," captured in this summary: "Most great plans aren't. They are just nice, high-level ideas." Those of you that have attempted to execute plans that were as thin as the soles on Newman's shoes may easily relate to this: "'Strategic initiative?' No, it wasn't 'strategic' and it wasn't an 'initiative'. Calling something a strategic initiative doesn't make it one."
It seems that many of our strategic planning sessions stop halfway, before there is a plan. "Very little planning, if any, goes into the implementation process." "Undeveloped intentions." Maybe you know some of these people: "Frequently the person with the great idea is not an execution giant." While no one is advocating using masking tape on a paint-by-numbers picture, how about this example of how to do it right: "the Microsoft of today NEVER rushes in ... they wait to see how things shake out, steal some early ideas, perfect them, then smash everybody they can and conquer the world."
Inquiring minds want to know what a strategy document is really for. "A strategy document almost NEVER actually states what is to be done from day to day and a way for employees to track their actual progress. Most strategies stop at the 'conceptual stage' rather than actually give very SPECIFIC tasks to be done." "Concept not cascaded throughout the organization so that individuals know how it applies to them and their job." "Unable to break the project down into doable actions." If all this sounds like a lot of work, perhaps this says it all: "Ideas are easier to talk about than do."
Passive Management
In fourth place is a category I call "Passive Management." This is characterized by assuming that things will run themselves after we get them started, which is about as likely as being hit by lightning while being eaten by a shark. Instead, I suggest that implementing strategic plans is more like keeping plates spinning atop a number of pointed sticks. If we don't put forth a regular effort to keep them spinning, the plates will fall down and the sticks will end up in uncomfortable places. "When the implementation phase begins there is not enough follow-through -- or follow-up for that matter -- from senior management." "Poor and inexperienced management to execute the plan."
Notice the subtle difference here from leadership. While leadership is expected to communicate the vision and support it with demonstrable actions, management is expected to know how to execute the individual tactics. "All talk and no action, failure to assign and hold individuals accountable for delivering on the assignments." "No one takes total charge and follows up when someone doesn't meet commitment dates." "The objective ... is written down on paper ... and nicely filed away." Here is what seems to be missing: "... this is the objective, this is how we're going to get there, here is your part in the plan and you will be held accountable."
Like leadership, management is not easy either: "It takes a special person to be able to define strategies and to plot out and manage others in how to achieve those strategies. Most fail because they assume their team has the wherewithal to pull it off and they therefore do not manage the process." I must say, I was surprised to learn that people want more management -- at least where implementing strategic plans is concerned!
Motivation and Personal Ownership
Our last category is actually our first category. This most popular category of Motivation and Personal Ownership contains responses focused on the question, "What's in it for me?" This is not to imply that we're all a bunch of selfish, greedy, self-serving individuals -- although recent headlines could certainly make that case successfully! -- it's really that people are looking for the meaning in what they do. In other words, they want to show up for more than just a paycheck. People want to build something, make a difference. "Don't understand the purpose, goal is minimized, vision disappears. No enthusiasm to make it happen. The bottom line, how will it affect ME?"
More effort is needed to help people understand how getting behind the company's goals can support their personal goals. "The I/me mentality that is so prevalent today. If it works for me -- it works for me! Let everyone else deal with it." "You must have some kind of desire or necessary will to implement the plan. You must have some kind of image of the outcome." The message here is that you -- personally -- must desire the outcome. Perhaps that lack is what causes, "lack of buy-in from the entire group." "Typically the initiative fails because the people responsible for implementing it are not convinced of its value."
What are the symptoms when there is no motivation/personal ownership? "Employee resistance." "Lack or no sense of urgency." "Inability of individuals to view strategic planning an important and exciting part of their job." "Lack of employees' support." "Lack of better sales efforts." "Lack of initiative at the lower levels of implementation, the 'front lines'." "Lack of ability to arouse enthusiasm." In summary is this prediction: "The project will never succeed if there is no emotion or passion involved."
Conclusion
Pay attention to Motivation and Personal Ownership, Communications, No Plan Behind the Idea, Passive Management, and Leadership, and you'll be ahead of the strategic planning game. These observations and insights can help you improve your success rate with implementing strategic plans, so it doesn't feel like doing the splits over a case of dynamite.
If you have had "great plans" fail -- I've lost personal count! -- take what we have learned here and embrace a new plan for those "high-level ideas." Let's also learn from Napoleon Hill: "The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail." Braced with this knowledge, you'll do clearly better this time, and without need of bullets or amphetamines!
milan
Sunday, September 14, 2008
RELAX AND RECHARGE
Even if you are behind on your bills and you cannot find a job needed to support your family, it is important to take time out for regular rest and relaxation. You will not find a long-term successful person who does not schedule regular time for rejuvenation of their mind. Even on the seventh day, God rested. At a minimum, you need to unplug at least one day each week. Have you ever pulled into the parking lot at Chick-Fil-A for a chicken sandwich on Sunday afternoon, only to find the doors locked and the lights off? That is because Chick-Fil-A owner Truett Cathy knows the power of the undeniable law. No matter what, each Chick-Fil-A employee has a minimum of one day off each week. One of my coaches, Preston, is known to regularly visit a lake near our office, or even his neighborhood pond, just to think.The specific day of the week does not matter as much as the fact that it needs to occur. Even the FAA requires commercial pilots a minimum of 24 hours off duty within any consecutive seven day stretch. During your rest, your mind must go elsewhere besides your troubles. One of my clients is facing bankruptcy and foreclosure. The most important thing she needs to do right now is to take twenty-four hours to herself to rest and recharge completely.The law of attraction states that you are what you think about. In other words, if you are focused on your debt, you will always be in debt. If career issues have you trapped in worry, you will always have career issues. Habakkuk 2 talks about writing down your goals so you can focus on them and carry them out.Spend at least two weeks each year on vacation at a minimum. Last year my family and I spent that time in France, Switzerland and Italy. This year we will be in California with family. The location and money spent does not determine the outcome. You can camp in the nearest wilderness or hit a trail for an extended backpacking trip. Trust me; the ideas will be free flowing during this time.Eat lighter foods, more often. Stress eating is a problem in North America. People make fun of how much food I eat. I’m usually eating something, but it tends to be lighter foods. My metabolism is always working and greasy food is not weighing my body down. It is a big reason for my high energy level. Focus on fruits and vegetables.
nine steps to investing in annuity schemes
As inveatment in annuities is an excellent way of saving for retirement. Annuity savings assure future security and have no limitations of time or investment extent.Annuities give an assured payback to the investor and are of different types according to the payout options and duration. Payment options are decided on by the investor and the accrued money can be taken in time of great need. Annuity investments can be bought jointly and the beneficiary will be covered even after the demise of one of the investors.Annuities are a great investment, however, the US Securities and Exchange Commission hosts in depth information so that investors can make educated investments; see: http://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/varannty.htm.Annuities have different disbursement options: Life annuity is one where the investor will receive payments until death; Life Annuity with Period Certain is one which pays for a fixed period of time even after death to the joint owner or beneficiary; Life Annuity with Amount Certain is one where instead of the number of years the payment will be made until a fixed pre-determine amount is reached; Life Annuity with Joint Survivorship is one where the beneficiary/survivor will get payments indefinitely when the investor dies.Here are a few expert tips:1. Study different annuity plans and make a note of what you are looking for. There are different annuities depending on their payout options and durations. Know what an "immediate or deferred plan” is and what "fixed or variable" plan entails.2. Ask whether there are any in built costs charged by the annuity plan. Many plans charge an annual or entry fee.3. Determine whether you will lose any money if you decide to stop investing in mid-way.4. Calculate what amount of money earned will be paid out as taxes on income. Or what will happen if you defer tax payment until withdrawal.5. Learn all about payout options. Most annuities have five payout options: Life Only, Certain and Life, Fixed Period, Fixed Amount, Joint and Last Survivor.6. Study the health and reliability of the company that has floated the annuity scheme. Find out the credit rating of the company as it will reflect the financial health of the company. A credit rating is an independent assessment of a company's ability to pay claims on time and meet all other financial obligations.7. Use the services of an experienced investment agent. An agent will help you understand the annuity schemes terminology and aspects like estimates, projections, and guarantees.8. Avoid listening to unwarranted advice to replace an annuity you have chosen with another. Think losses before you get swept away by a clever sales pitch.9. Determine your risk element. In annuities you must know what the investment risk is. Find out whether your risk is low or high. The more aggressive a fund the higher is the risk.Annuity schemes are popular and the earlier the investment begins the greater the benefit for the investor.
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HEALTH & FITNESE-MEDITATION
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Meditate Like A Zen Buddhist Monk In Minutes With Holosync By : Michael McGrathBack in the late 1980s a man named Bill Harris created a very unique self improvement program that offered effortless personal growth by merely listening to some recordings through stereo headphones. He called his product Holosync and promised that it would create almost miraculous results from its use.
Meditation Is Usless! By : Michael McGrathThe title of this article may seem a little strange. How can I say meditation does not work when there is a vast amount of research which seems to show that it does?
Binaural Beats And Holosync - Do They Work? By : Michael McGrathThe truth about the effectiveness of Holosync and the binaural beats technology upon which it is based!
The Right Way of Touch : Touch Meditation By : Vijay RaisinghaniWe can develop a relationship of love with our body using a Beautiful Tantric Meditation called Touch Meditation or Sparsh Meditation. Each session of Touch Meditation takes us for a trip to heaven, the heaven which is our own body. Little did we know that watching our own body could be such a rewarding experience.
Meditate Like A Zen Buddhist Monk In Minutes With Holosync By : Michael McGrathBack in the late 1980s a man named Bill Harris created a very unique self improvement program that offered effortless personal growth by merely listening to some recordings through stereo headphones. He called his product Holosync and promised that it would create almost miraculous results from its use.
Meditation Is Usless! By : Michael McGrathThe title of this article may seem a little strange. How can I say meditation does not work when there is a vast amount of research which seems to show that it does?
Binaural Beats And Holosync - Do They Work? By : Michael McGrathThe truth about the effectiveness of Holosync and the binaural beats technology upon which it is based!
The Right Way of Touch : Touch Meditation By : Vijay RaisinghaniWe can develop a relationship of love with our body using a Beautiful Tantric Meditation called Touch Meditation or Sparsh Meditation. Each session of Touch Meditation takes us for a trip to heaven, the heaven which is our own body. Little did we know that watching our own body could be such a rewarding experience.
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