by Tech Support | Jul 28, 2012 | Personal
Jerry would have a breakdown if he thought I was writing an article about him. Fortunately he doesn’t read the newsletter (he says he doesn’t have to because he has the real thing at home) so it will take him a few days to find out. Happy Birthday honey. He’ll be 56 years young tomorrow and the children and I are so happy to him celebrate another year!
You know the saying about “opposites attract”. It’s true in my family. I talk too much and love the limelight. He’s happy to be quiet and just another guy in the crowd. I tell you though, when he speaks, people listen.
If you don’t know this man of mine, but he’s handsome, funny, brilliant (even played four days on Jeopardy in 1990), and he’s the best dad I know. JD and I have been married for almost 32 years. The other day a young woman asked me how we were still “so together” after 32 years. I had to stop and think for a minute and the only thing I could come up with was that we are crazy about each other. The truth is, I’m probably just crazy and JD has a wonderful gift of adaptability! We refer to it as his super power.
I don’t know about you but for me JD is the calm in every storm. I’m definitely that A-type personality and when things look wonky to me, he can paint the best possible picture of any bad situation. Everyone needs somebody like Jerry. And he probably needs me too-his life might be boring otherwise. Whether it’s business or life he’s available. I don’t know how many hours he’s sat and listened to me ramble on about the next big idea but I tell you, it means everything to me to have his support. Oh and he’s a pretty great problem solver too!
JD never blames anyone. He takes things at face value and decides what to do about “that” for him. He’s kind and honestly, in 32 years I don’t think I’ve heard him say a bad thing about another human being. He’s caring and pragmatic. He knows that he can’t save anyone else and that he’s really only responsible for his happiness. I hope he lives a long time-the world is a better place with him in it.
Happy Birthday Babe,
Beth
by Tech Support | Jul 28, 2012 | Leadership
WSJ/Vistage Small Business CEO Confidence Index was 91.7 in July—down from 100, which was the baseline set in June. Below are some key highlights from the July WSJ/Vistage Small Business CEO Survey:
*28% of CEOs say current economic conditions have improved compared to a year ago, down from 37% in June.
*62% of CEOs expect their firm’s revenues to improve during the next 12 months, down from 67% in June.
*46% of CEOs expect their firm’s profitability to improve during the next 12 months, down slightly from 51% in June.
*46% of CEOs expect their firms number of employees to increase during the next 12 months, down from 54% in June.
*36% of CEOs say that they are holding back on hiring because of economic uncertainty.
*31% of CEOs say they are unable to find applicants with relevant skills for their unfilled jobs.
*39% of CEOs believe job openings are holding them back from growth or expansion.
*36% of CEOs offer training to help prospective employees develop the required skills for their unfilled jobs.
by Tech Support | Jul 18, 2012 | Sales
I’m particularly glad when the tollbooth employee loves their job; because let’s be frank, you can tell when they do. I drive through the DFW airport toll booth often. Once in a while, that employee says, “good morning” as I take my ticket in a way that makes a big difference in the day.
Here’s what I mean, when the tollbooth worker genuinely smiles, or wishes me a “good” or even a “blessed” day, it makes me smile. You see, they don’t have to be there; they are there because it is the job they choose to do. The reality (for me) is that I don’t want to work inside of a toll booth; and I’m glad someone else does.
I’m sure I’ve written about this before, but honestly, it is really on my mind this week. I wonder how many people think they “have” to work, go to school, take care of their children, or an aging parent; the reality is, you don’t “have” to do those things. We all make choices and whether we know it the option of doing or not doing something is always there.
You might be thinking, “Beth that’s just not right. I have to pay my mortgage, car payment, or insurance.” Really? I know plenty of people who don’t pay their bills or don’t even have a mortgage. Choices are made every day.
To me, this is a great discussion to have with your staff. No one is making them work for you. Ok, some young people may feel like their mom is forcing them to work. Again, the reality is, everyone can choose not to work. Many things may come from that decision; for example you won’t be able to pay the mortgage, or insurance, or you may need to trade your car in for a bicycle.
Personally, I can get overwhelmed at times and think, oh I have to do this or that. Then I stop and remember why I do what I do. I remember that I do have a choice. I remember that staying attached to the why and not being wrapped up in all the “doing” helps me know that I really choose to do what I want do. I think when you struggle, or if you have friends, family, or co-workers that look trapped in the “have-to” of their life or their job, the best thing you can do is to help them remember why they make the decisions they make. If you haven’t thought about your “why” in a while, maybe today is a good day to stop for just 10 minutes and give it some thought.
by Tech Support | Jul 11, 2012 | Sales
It’s easier to be nice. Some people would disagree. I wonder what you think.
I have a monthly lunch with my friend Susie. Last week it was time to go south of town. We switch off. I live north, whereas Susie lives south. She’s always good to pick some local fare and in Burleson, TX, you can find lots of quaint places.
One of those places is the J & J Oyster Bar. On the drive over I was thinking that it never really matters where we go to lunch. I just enjoy the time I get to spend with Susie. However, Susie knows what a guest service freak I am; and I’m pretty sure she picked this place for that very reason.
We stepped across the threshold of this house, which had been converted into a restaurant. We were barely in, out of the heat, when this sweet voice rang out with 3 simple, very nice words, “hello wonderful people!” I swear I stood a little taller. I know I smiled really big; and Kathy, our waitress and the manager of the facility, matched my smile.
That isn’t all; it gets better. Kathy asked us about our drink needs, and shared that a long island tea was the special for the day. I was tempted but it was still just 11:30 a.m. so I passed! What impressed me is that she made no assumptions about what we would want and sold her product as she explored our needs. Brilliant!
As she returned with our drinks, Kathy suggested that we might like a soup or an appetizer. I ask which soup she recommended. She very genuinely said, “oh that’s hard, they are all so good.” Kathy turned to let us know she’d be right back. In a couple of minutes Kathy returned with a small sample of all 3 soups and 2 spoons. Amazing! She was right, all three soups were delicious. I ordered the gumbo.
I’m going back to this little restaurant in Burleson, TX and I’m taking my video camera. They have an incredible culture of service and it’s very NICE. I think that if you’ve been looking for a core value, “be nice” might be a cool place to start. If you are unsure how to deliver nice, go meet Miss Kathy at the J & J Oyster Bar at 125 W. Bufford St. In Burleson, TX.
by Beth Standlee | Jul 5, 2012 | Sales
On the surface, “is your job fun?” this seems like an interesting question. I bring it up because last week we were in Reno for Bowl Expo. There was a full schedule of education, social events, trade show floor time, and the time that we spent setting the booth up and tearing it down again. Rick, Mary’s husband (Mary is one of our trainers, the book keeper, and my dearest friend) kept referring to the week as Mary’s vacation. Rick was right on one level; Mary was vacationing by being away from all of the responsibility of everything she has to do at home. But the reality is that we sent Mary to Lansing, MI to train on Thursday, the 21st, and she went straight to Bowl Expo and stayed there and worked until Sunday, July 1st. Ok-we played on the weekend but we played very hard and that could be considered work at our age!
We were all having breakfast one morning as we were preparing to work the booth from 10am-5:00pm, laughing about our vacation! With great wisdom Mary spoke up and said, “You know this isn’t like work, it is fun. I always love my TrainerTainment time.” While that may be true Rick-It’s not really a vacation!
This conversation got me to thinking; and I realized that my own husband has always said, “Have fun honey” when I’ve headed out the door to work. I guess that may have started way back when I was a Tupperware Lady. I was going to a party every night, after all! Even today, when I leave the house to go train, Jerry says, “Have fun hon!”
One of our core values-OK the MAIN core value of our company is “Fun Training”. I guess it should be no surprise that I created a company where fun winds up being a core value for me, our team, and the people we serve. We feel like that if people are having a “fun” time during training that the training will have a long lasting impression. Of course that leads us to the “Serious Results” which stands by the “Fun” as a core value. I don’t think you can really have the one without the other.
I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July celebration. Happy birthday to our nation and to my parent’s in-law who share their 79th birthdays (yes they both were born on the same day), with each other and our great nation.
Have some fun in the coming days!
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