How Do You Define Commitment?

How do you define commitment?

Coping with Ketchup: Innovating in a Fast World!
Jim Carroll, CSP

Today, I’m speaking at a leadership meeting for HJ Heinz in Pittsburgh. I wrote this article in 2003, and thought it appropriate to make it available once again!

Go on, admit it: You still set the “upside down” ketchup bottle down cap up.

You’re not alone. Lots of people — adults mostly — automatically turn the bottle so the white cap is at the top — even though it’s been almost a year since Heinz started to offer the new bottle. It’s a pretty good example that when change comes about, there are plenty of people who struggle to adapt.

Of course, we can all be forgiven for an inability to cope with ketchup bottle change because it involves instinct and ingrained behavior.

It’s when we can’t deal with other kind of change — things that you have to control and adapt to — that things go wrong.

SUPERCOMPETENT Key #4: ACCOUNTABILITY

SUPERCOMPETENT™ Key #4: ACCOUNTABILITY
Laura Stack, CSP

This month’s article correlates to the fifth key in my newest book SuperCompetent: The Six Keys to Perform at Your Productive Best (Wiley), to be released on August 9: ACCOUNTABILITY.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Please don’t order my book yet! I’ll soon be announcing a very special BUY day on Amazon and B&N, where ordering will get you hundreds of dollars in free bonus gifts!

Accountability recognizes that “the buck stops here.”

SuperCompetent people mean what they say and say what they mean. They’re authentic, and other people know this and appreciate them for it–and also for their refusal to blame others when unforeseen circumstances trip them up. Their intense focus on their values is borne out in their demeanor and their sense of personal responsibility.

Wingtip of the Week – Love Lifts, Fear Drags

Wingtip of the Week – Love Lifts, Fear Drags
Waldo Waldman, CSP

When you are feeling fearful, full of doubt, and paralyzed, re-focus on what you love. What is it that you are passionate about? Perhaps it is your kids, your faith, the commission check, or your dream retirement home. Hone in on what that is, meditate on it, and let the positive emotion that results shift your mood and lift you up. Then, you’ll be ready for action.

Remember, you can’t take off with your breaks on! Find the courage to release the brakes and push up the throttle.

Action is the enemy of fear and doubt.

What’s Your Tin Can?

What’s Your Tin Can?

Taking a Look Inside a Family Business

Taking a Look Inside a Family Business
Jay Goltz

I have been introduced to a woman named Marilyn Jones who owns Consolidated Printing in Chicago. She has been credited with being a pioneer in the “green” printing industry. As a matter of fact, Debra Jacobson of the Printer’s National Environmental Assistance Center has called her the “mother of the green printing movement.”

Like many things in business, Marilyn’s pioneering came in part by accident. When she started her company in 1973, printing was one of the most toxic industries around. But she became friendly with a customer who owned a vitamin company and who espoused his belief that everything people touch and feel affects their health. Marilyn decided to try to replace the toxic chemicals in the printing process with common household products. There was a lot of trial and error and calling of vendors to ask them if they could try something other than benzene. Long before the green movement took off, this was the start of a 37-year quest to change the industry.

Productivity Minute Video: Prevent Crisis By Planning in Advance: Time Management

Productivity Minute Video: Prevent Crisis By Planning in Advance: Time Management

Laura Stack, CSP

Innovate or Die

Innovate or Die
Darren Hardy

Innovate or die? I know that sounds dramatic. And while you might not physically die, your greater hopes and dreams and your chances to accomplish your big goals will. Innovation has always separated leaders from followers, those who succeed and those who just get by. Innovation is what creates progress, and progress is what advances companies and people beyond the competitive herd of the masses, average and the status quo.

There was a time when innovation seemed to come from the minds of a select few and “special” people, like Franklin, Einstein, Edison, Gutenberg, the Wright brothers. Today, with the speed of progress and the competitive global marketplace, just to keep up, every single person in every position needs to be an innovator, or risk being permanently sidelined.

Workplace Productivity: Tips for Maximum Enjoyment as an Administrative Assistant

Workplace Productivity: Tips for Maximum Enjoyment as an Administrative Assistant
Laura Stack, CSP

1. Don’t take personalities personally.
I have heard many stories from admins whose boss was a grouchy type of person, who say to me, “Oh, he doesn’t like me. We just don’t get along.” When the boss gets a promotion she thought, “I’m going to be left behind.” He said, “Are you kidding? I can’t do anything without you.”
Do not think that just because someone is in a bad mood that it reflects on you, or if someone has a crotchety personality that s/he doesn’t like you. Always be your capable, competent, positive self.

Pat Boone Has an App

Pat Boone Has an App
Jim Carroll, CSP

Does that blow your mind? It should. After all, for some people, Pat Boone could be the most uncool guy around, and yet he has an App with a pretty good rating in the Apple App Store. I think that’s pretty cool.

If it doesn’t blow your mind because you don’t know who he is, then here’s the deal: he’s a singer who sold some 50 million albums during the 50s and 60s. Think Justin Bieber if he was around in 1956.

I learned about Pat Boone’s App when I set out to get my own. Given the nature of my business, I’m a brand, and I’m a big believer that we are rapidly entering the era of the personal brand App. And in fact, the same folks who developed Pat’s App pulled mine together and had it available in the App store within just eight weeks.