How long to speak
Monday, July 30th, 2007When you are given an opportunity to speak, you naturally inquire about who your audience is and prepare accordingly. One rule that many often ignore is to ask the time allotted and stay within it. Better yet is to be a bit shorter than the time allotted. A friend reminds me that you can never [...]
Starbucks strategy
Sunday, July 29th, 2007I am not old enough to drink coffee and if I were, I certainly can’t hang with those who do the bold coffee flavors. I love to smell the roasting beans as it produces the dark water people crave. But it took me a lot longer to find my craving fulfilled at Starbucks. A friend [...]
The Starbucks Straw
Thursday, July 26th, 2007Starbucks is one of the few companies that does not skimp on the quality of their straws. I am sure this was an argument with the accountants in their organization, but thankfully they lost. More money per straw was spent not only to get thicker sidewalls, but the Starbucks green color. Best of all, the [...]
iPhone second edition
Thursday, July 26th, 2007What if Apple were to get six months into their FIVE YEAR exclusive
with AT&T and then announce that they have enhanced their airport wireless capability (equal to the PC wireless card) used in hotels to connect to the Internet. What if they announced that their wireless cards were no longer limited to 200-250 feet [...]
Why the iPhone is not my phone
Wednesday, July 25th, 2007I watched the video feed in January like a child waiting for mom and dad to say it’s time to open presents. Steve Jobs never seems to disappoint when it comes to new product releases. My first computer was a PC; it was the best boat anchor I ever owned. Then in 1987 I bought [...]
No Practice! Game on Saturday
Tuesday, July 24th, 2007The team has mixed talent. Some members have played since they were five. For others, this is their very first season. Your child, who you feel has real potential, has been assigned to a coach who doesn’t see the need for practice. He is a pretty good coach—on game day. It is obvious that he [...]
The unconventional convention report
Monday, July 23rd, 2007Having just returned from the national convention, I thought I would post a “brief report.” You can get the full report from ONE magazine when it is completed. There is always a full-length review section in the post convention issue.
While there are many activities at the convention, it is made up of five primary areas. [...]
What happens when leaders retire?
Sunday, July 22nd, 2007Like a baseball game when a great player retires, watch the retired player, the new replacing player and the observing audience. If the retiring player is truly great, then he will join the crowd in cheering for the new replacement player. If the audience is truly a great crowd, they will be forgiving while the [...]
Questions about the convention
Saturday, July 14th, 2007Questions we ask reveal a lot. Someone tells us they saw an accident on the way home,
we could ask several questions:
“Was everyone alright?”
“Did it slow you down?”
“Did you see any blood?”
The question reveals what we look for when we see such events. We ask similar questions about our national convention. I, like many of you, [...]
Confrontation—the lost art
Saturday, July 14th, 2007Thirty-one years ago, the movie Rocky was released. It is the story of a poor boxer from the wrong side of the tracks who wants to fight the champion for the title. Apollo Creed, the reigning champion, gives a press conference and talks some smack about Rocky Balboa and his inability to be a serious [...]
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