The Sanford Berenberg Experience

Message of the Day - Persistance, Dedication & Focus and you can break a world record!

2012-02-12T18:06:00.000-08:00

Good Morning,

In the world of Scottish Highland Games there are, like most sports, world records and heroes. One hero of the sport is Kerry Overfelt, or ‘KO’. KO is a three-time US National Champion in the Scottish Highland Games, and has been actively preparing and participating for many years. A few weeks ago, KO broke a world record in one of the events, the 42 pound weight for height, where he effectively threw a 42 lb block of steel 22 feet over his head, clearing the bar. KO has had injuries over the years due to this extreme sport and has persisted with a dedication which at times seems unnatural. He is focused and he puts his energy to meet his goals.

The following video records the event of KO’s record.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDqf0ZgKOE4&feature=youtu.be

The sport may not be glamorous to some, there may not be thousands of screaming and adoring fans in the bleachers, but it is achieving a goal and a dream which this man has earned the respect of so many others. What’s more is KO spends a lot of his time helping others. He knows life is more than just himself. He is an inspiration through and through.

I have started exercising daily, and by that, I mean more than letting Bo, my 100 lb Pit Bull – Lab drag me around the development for 15 – 20 minutes every morning. I have started using the Tony Little Free-Style Gazelle. I put in about 15 minutes every day (okay, usually 6-7 days a week). I am following an exercise program created by Dr. Covert Bailey (his real name) in his book ‘Fit or Fat’.

So far, I have been at it for over four weeks now. While I have begun to see some changes (smaller gut, etc.), it is slow going. All the same, it is important to take these small gains and turn them into fuel to keep going.

While I have dreams of getting fit and even trying my hand at some of the Scottish Games, my challenge has been being persistent and remain focused. There is a lot of exercise equipment in my house which is not getting much use and I hope to change that…again.

I know that unless I stick with it, I will remain out of shape. I know if I keep with it, I may never win any awards for fitness and health, but I will have a healthier, and happier life because of it.

Like all things, when we persist, when we remain dedicated and when we keep focused, we can improve our game on so many levels.

The harder we work at something, the better we will do. It is a simple fact.

If we wing it, unless we are really good at what we do, folks will know. If we put a lot of time and effort into something, unless we are just downright inept at it, folks will know.

My goal is not to break any world records, but to follow simple plans to improve my health through a better diet, better supplements, and regular & consistent exercise.

What are your goals?

If you remain persistent, dedicated and focus on achieving your goals and dreams, it will help you excel and maybe even break a world record or two?

Keep it up. And if you have not started, NOW is as good a time as any.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

Message of the Day - Reduce Stress, Stop Doing What You Hate (restrictions apply)

2012-02-08T03:58:00.001-08:00

Good Morning,

It was Sunday morning and I had overslept and missed my regularly scheduled Bible study class. The previous night was a late night with the Scottish Society Burns Night Gala, and me getting home sometime near midnight. Way passed the bedtime of someone who likes to be in bed by 9:30 or 10 the latest. Anyway, the night before I got to know the Pastor of another church who attended Burns Night and who invited me to their service. Since that was about two hours later than my normal 9 AM class, I decided to drag my sorry butt out of bed and get ready.

I was joined by some friends who normally attend that church. During the service I tried to put a little distance between me and others as we sang. We sang hymns that I am not familiar with. So coupled with my lack of familiarity and my hideous singing voice (don’t try to make me feel better, I know my singing voice is atrocious, and I am okay with that), I realized that this was just another thing that I am not good at.

Like working on cars, I have to be very careful not to mess anything up or I would have to add to the number of mad dashes I’ve made to the auto repair shop to fix the mess I made as well as the original problem.

There are just things that I am not good at.

And there are things that I do pretty well.

And there are a few things that folks think I am the Bee’s knee’s (I believe that means something good).

In some recent reading I came across ways to reduce stress in life by doing more of the things that we are good at, and less of the things that we are not. That when doing the stuff that we struggle with or have a hard time with, the frustration at our poor execution causes us stress. It makes it difficult for us to enjoy the effort.

I don’t mind singing, knowing that to whom I am sing to enjoys it. The folks around me, not so much.

That to make our lives more enjoyable, and less stressful, we need to focus our time and efforts in areas where we have more talent, skill and get more enjoyment from what we do.

As a test, look over those things that you like to do and those that you hate. Which do you do better at? Which do you perform better? Which do you finish without any loss of life, or threats of loss of life?

If our lives are getting too crazy and frustrating, one tip is to focus our time and energy on those things we do well at, that give us enjoyment (with the caveat that they are legal, ethical and within your budget, and no, I am not going to lend/give you money).

When working in teams, and families are teams, or should be, we can shift duties and activities so that those folks who enjoy certain tasks can do them and hand off those they don’t. It may never end up with everyone doing everything they love, like cleaning toilets or cat boxes, but it may result in everyone doing less of the things they are not so good at and cause them stress.

At your job, instead of stopping doing what you hate (you need to work to get paid), work with your boss to change your role and responsibility if there are activities which you struggle with and drain you. You may be surprised that they already know your strengths and struggles are more than happy to help you become a more effective team player.

It might be worth it to take a look at what you can divest to reduce the stress in your life.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

Message of the Day - Killing Customer Loyalty

2012-01-29T17:10:00.001-08:00

Good Morning,

A few months ago my family moved from on cell phone provider to another. Now all of our services are with AT&T. As expected there was the cancellation fees from the other provider, but the amount of those fees and the treatment we have had from that company since our move has been nothing less than horrific. The painful time is exacerbated by phone reps who keep giving us different information, and setting expectations which are not being met. At one time I had a call escalated up about four levels to a manager who called me back. While he apologized for the treatment of a customer who has always paid on time, had a few upgrades, he said that there was little that he could do, as it was the system they were bound by, and the expectations of what we could expect, like all of the other phone reps, has failed to occur.

I was not going to write about this experience, when on Sunday, a member of my bible study class told me about an experience he had with a financial firm he was moving his funds out of for a similar consolidation. The company not only treated him poorly, but lost funds on purpose to hurt him on the way out. He had to threaten legal action and reporting the company to the SEC before it was made right.

In both cases, these companies have lost customers for life. No matter how much money we could possibly save going back to that other provider, it is just not going to happen unless they make it right, and per the many different levels of management and representatives I spoke with, it is just not going to happen.

Why do companies do this? Is it greed? Is it stupidity? Is it just bad business?

In our economy there is very little room for savings, rather, the competition across the globe has forced companies to get leaner and meaner. Eventually the only differentiator between them is their customer service.

In a training on personality types I once learned that someone’s true personality or leadership style is best seen in how they react under pressure. That the nice facades are lost under trying situations. You see what people truly think and feel. Companies seem to be the same way.

All the niceties of treating a customer well when they are being wooed are worthless when after they leave, they are treated like dirt.

It should be like the State Farm commercials where the company is nice to the customer after they leave and open to letting them back.

As consumers today tend to move about, it is a chance for companies to bring them back with good customer service, especially when the customer leaves.

Treat them well when they leave and you have a better chance of getting them back. Treat them like garbage and you can pretty much say goodbye to that customer ever again. Oh, and those who they reach out to and share their tales of woe.

This also works on the levels of friendships and families. End a friendship or relationship in a harsh and mean way and you could find that these people will never be back. And if that is a good thing, great, but if not….

It all comes down to treating people with respect.

Respect everyone, no matter the situation, no matter how you feel or what they have done to you or your organization. You can respectfully fire a customer or an employee, or you could be mean and cruel about it.

Since we are all interconnected with everyone else, we tend to run into the same people again and again, in different capacities.

For example, I was at a Boy Scout training on Saturday, as I am an Assistant Scoutmaster for a local troop. At the vendor room (Mid-Way) was a table for the Louisville Zoo, manned by the President of the Docents. He also happened to be the President of the Louisville Pipe and Drum Band. I knew him because I am also the President of the Louisville Scottish Society. And as the Chairman of the Customer Contact Center Network, we recently had a speaker who donated part of his speaking fee to the Louisville Zoo. Talk about being interconnected.

And as we are interconnected, the poor treatment people or companies give to each other can have exaggerated impact well beyond the simple act we thing should mean nothing.

Something to think about.

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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Message of the Day - A Dichotomy in Learning

2012-01-27T18:01:00.001-08:00

Good Morning,

Most people will tell you that learning is a good thing. Well, I would like to think that all people would consider learning a good thing, even if it is only for themselves (with exception to evil geniuses).

Yet, there are times that learning is shunned, blocked and attacked.

I want to let that sink in for a moment.

There are people & organizations who will attack you for learning, or for even attempting to learn.

Let me walk you through this.

There is basically two types of learned material.

1. What you did not know before.

2. A correction or update to what you knew before.

That is, we either learn something new, or we find out that something we thought we knew before was not entirely accurate, up to date, or relevant in today’s world.

So why would anyone attack these?

Part of it is where we learn. For example, many people learn from the mistakes they make. Or, better, learn from the mistakes that others make.

What if told you that there were organizations where mistakes were simply not allowed.

That instead of learning from mistakes, people had to ensure they were perfect each and every time, or else. In that situation, not only are people deprived of learning on how to do things better, they live with the stress of a tightrope walker without a net.

In some arena’s people are held accountable for what they believe, and are considered fickle of they ever change.

In the world of politics, candidates are attacked for changing their minds. That, if they find out that they did not have the full information, they are called to the carpet for changing their minds. In cases where people waffle, it is important to call them on it as it is an indication on how they will lead. But when someone learns something new, they should be praised on learning, and not forced to hide it or worse ignore it.

In other areas there are those who need to be right that they fight anything which may indicate that they could be wrong. That learning something new, if it disagrees with their current believes just must be wrong.

Knowledge is a living, breathing entity. It grows in all directions. We learn more about our past, our present and our future every day. Some of these new concepts are new facts found from past truths, which we can now see more clearly than in the past. You know, like how bran is healthy for you, so eat a lot of it, except that now bran is not that good for you, so don’t eat that much of it. Maybe next year, bran will be back in. Stay tuned.

Learning is good, and it helps us all get better.

We should refrain from allowing those who would stifle learning by outlawing mistakes or failure, holding people accountable to their beliefs no matter what, and those who must be right at all costs…lighten up, perfection is far from readily being available.

When we learn and grow daily, we improve ourselves and we improve our organizations and we improve the lives of those around us.

How could this dichotomy of learning ever be a bad thing? (with the possible exception of the evil genius who learns how to take over the world).

Enjoy (unless you are a mad evil genius bent on taking over the world)!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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Message of the Day - Serendipity with a Cell Phone

2012-01-21T10:56:00.001-08:00

Good Morning,

This Saturday morning, it was another day to sleep in, well, at least a little. Another day to rest, to recoup from a busy week. This Saturday, a day to enjoy a Christmas present from our daughters, in a breakfast with my wife at Cracker Barrel.

I don’t know why I grabbed my Bluetooth headset when we headed out. I did not plan on calling anyone that morning and certainly, most of the folks who call me are still generally sleeping at that time…the ones without dogs who remind them to wake up early, even when the alarms are turned off.

Karen and I had a delightful breakfast and as we were perusing the country store part of the restaurant, when I get a call from Kirk Weisler, my friend and mentor (www.kirkweisler.com). I was happily surprised as I had not spoken to him in about a year.

I was even more surprised when he told me that I called him several times earlier that morning, you know, I pocket-dialed him. Turns out, I did not turn off my headset (it has an on/off switch, which works really well, when….you remember to use it… ) I am not sure how my cell phone and headset sorted through my contacts and chose to call Kirk out of the nearly 1,000 names.

One of those mysteries of life. Or maybe it’s not a mystery at all.

Anyway, we caught up and shared where we were, what projects we were working on and it was an uplifting, albeit, unplanned conversation.

One of things I shared was that my life had become more hectic, more work at work, more organizational stuff, more family stuff, and my writing has suffered, in that I used to write 4 messages a week, now I am lucky to get out 4 in a month. I had planned for a second book to be ready by this time, and it is still in the basic draft of sorted emails.

Kirk reminded me that he enjoyed my emails and how they help him and others. That made a big difference. Following on the footsteps of another email recipient who told me the same thing, I realize that I need to continue.

The little things in our lives, those weird coincidences, having an idea to do something, and then seeing something totally random with the same thought. Turning on a radio and hearing a song whose words match your thoughts.

Serendipity, the finding something enjoyable when you were not looking for it, like words of support and affirmation from a loved mentor coming when you need them most.

An unplanned phone call and an injection of morale boosting confidence received from a man who knows how to make a difference. Thanks again Kirk!

Time get cracking again!

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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Message of the Day: "Orders Be Damned!"

2012-01-16T17:47:00.001-08:00

Good Morning,

Those who know me know that I have a tendency to be unconventional, out of the box…very out of the box…thinker. This different approach to life is both a blessing and curse in that I can often see things that others miss and at the same time there are things right in front of my face which I can be oblivious to. And to those of you who have often showed me what was dangling in plain sight, I thank you. (no matter how much I may have grumbled at you at the time).

One thing that I have noticed and is that when we look at rules we each see them differently. Some see rules as the unchangeable path that must be taken and there are those who look beyond the letter of the law to the spirit. That is, we look at why the rule or law was made and what would constitute the following of it, or achieving the goal.

Currently I am listening to a historical novel called ‘To Try Men’s Souls’ by Newt Gingrich and in one part Thomas Paine (if you don’t know who he was, Google him), was walking into Trenton, NJ with orders to cross into Pennsylvania and go to Philadelphia. A curmudgeon of a solder on duty stopped him and asked him for his orders, which Tom did not have, as they were given to him verbally by General Washington, and what regiment he was with. Tom’s regiment had long since disbanded months ago. The soldier on duty was going to arrest Tom Paine as a deserter without so much as thinking through the situation. For example, why would a deserter fall in with the Army? Etc.

It made me think of the folks I have encountered through my life who also sticklers for the rules. And yes, I know there are times where rules are to be followed without question, when failure to do so could cause life or limb. But, in the many cases when following the rules with blind faith actually causes more harm than good.

When people are given rules to follow, they should be allowed to understand the why the rule is in effect, or otherwise they are to work more or less like automatons. And in that case, those jobs will be going overseas as managers can train automatons in just about any country for less money than in the USA.

People thinking beyond the basic rules to the why they are important and then allowing them some wiggle room to be creative in accomplishing those goals would make a company or organization more productive and I dare say more successful.

A former boss wanted all of his staff to work like entrepreneurs where each customer was not the company’s customer, but rather that employee’s own customer. That they should work to provide satisfactory service, but yet, not so much by being a robot, but taking initiative when needed and going the extra mile. Those who embraced this methodology would consistently get better customer satisfaction scores and perform better, knowing the meaning to their job and what difference it makes.

If we are looking to improve ourselves, then we must be willing to look beyond the rules of the day and see what is truly needed and wanted. And managers, if you want a crackerjack team of top producing entrepreneurs, you need to relax your grip and allow your people some freedoms to see beyond the black and white of rules and policy, while not letting them get too loose. You will have to find your balance, but if you at least give it a try, you should see some improvement. You know, after the initial shock of shaking things up.

Please realize this is not a call for anarchy, rather a call to allow us to improve ourselves, our teams, our organizations and our world by making each of us a better person. Something that is a lot harder to outsource or offshore.

Seth Godin says it best in his book “Lynchpin: Are You Indispensible?” (http://www.amazon.com/Linchpin-Are-Indispensable-Seth-Godin/dp/1591843162) how and why to take ourselves to the next level within the organizations we work with.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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Message of the Day - Yes Virginia There is a Santa Claus, he is You.

2011-12-29T19:15:00.001-08:00

Good Morning,

As mentioned in prior posts I like watching the Norad Tracks Santa website which shows Santa’s progress of delivering gifts around the world (my favorite video is the 2006 promo showing Santa getting a fighter escort http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPoCtPmjqEc). This site shows how interconnected we all are around the world and how Santa Claus and Christmas represent a time for celebration, reflection, a time for giving and being thankful.

At work on Christmas Day, when talking about Santa’s progress (there is an Android app for it you know) one of my co-workers smirked and said: ‘You know Santa died a long time ago’. Getting beyond the jokes, jabs and other flavors of comments, I responded “No, Santa is alive and well”.

I shared how Santa is alive and well in each and every one of us. That we can see it all around us, as we each have an opportunity to be Santa for someone else.

Then one of my coworkers shared that their daughter and her husband are just starting out and had a medical issue requiring some medical treatment, resulting in a $700 bill which they could not afford. A few days later a cashier’s check arrived in the mail from some unknown source for $700.

They may not know who sent it, but I do. It was Santa.

I shared that story with a teller at my bank later that week and she told me about a lady who went to a K-Mart and paid off the Christmas layaways for all the customers of that store. That is, all but one penny for each. When the customers came to pay off their layaways and found the balance to be only one cent.

They didn’t know who gave them that gift, but I do. It was Santa.

At the office I told people that each and every one of us can be Santa. I asked if anyone participated in an Angel Tree program getting a gift for some family or person they did not know. Several said yes. I said “You are Santa to that family or person”.

By our actions to help others, we become Santa. We may not be ole jolly Saint Nick, with a faster than the speed of light sleigh, 9 reindeer and an army of elves making gifts in a northern factory, but we can make the difference in the lives of others just the same.

While Christmas may be over for this year, the generosity of a giving spirit does not have to go into hiding for another year.

We can be Santa all year long. And it does not have to cost us much in time or money.

· Pick up a package of diapers or baby formula and drop it off at a women’s shelter or clinic.

· Bring some gently used winter clothes to a shelter or other collection point.

· Contact a local church and see what they are collecting to help others (supermarkets often have great sales, like 10 for $10 on common items).

· Pay the barista at your favorite coffee shop for another coffee and ask them to gift it some unsuspecting customer and maybe you can start a day long pay it forward marathon where it seems like Santa just showed up for each and every person.

· Contact the Ronald McDonald House and volunteer to clean up and prepare a meal for families experiencing tough times with ill children.

· Go to a nursing home and hang out with some amazingly cool people who have fantastic stories just waiting to be shared.

· Add your idea or what you did here…

Each time we help another we are Santa.

And the more Santa is out and about helping others, our world become that much of a better place to live.

So yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, he is you.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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Message of the Day - Character in Action

2011-12-26T08:19:00.001-08:00

Good Morning,

I have read many books, earlier this year I surpassed 500. Many of these books are in one way or another about leadership and or leaders. If I were to guess, it would be some 100 books relating to leadership. At this point some of the leadership books I read are not very memorable, that is, it’s something I have read before, in some cases, many times. Due to this I have tried to change my search for new leadership books to be more focused on the lives of leaders and accomplishments of organizations.

My current read is by author Donald T. Phillips, with Adm. James M. Loy, USCG (Ret.), who also wrote a wonderful book called “Lincoln on Leadership”. I have also read Mr. Phillip’s book, ‘Founding Fathers on Leadership” which also help spark my interest in our founding fathers. In internet searches I found another book by the same author called “Character in Action: The U.S. Coast Guard on Leadership” (http://www.amazon.com/Character-Action-Coast-Guard-Leadership/dp/1591146720). The title intrigued me and I put it on my wishlist on Amazon. Thanks to an early Christmas present from my buddy Kiwi, I ordered it and five other books off my wishlist (I love buying used books with Amazon Prime!).

So I started diving into Character in Action and was grabbed from the get go. If reading this book does anything for you, it will give you a new profound respect for the U.S. Coast Guard. The book ties together leadership lessons with real life stories of Coast Guard operations to give more depth to each lesson.

One of the most compelling factor I found in the book is the Coast Guard’s bias toward action. The USCG trains their people not so much for possible situations, rather they train for what they do on a daily basis. They are a small organization with a smaller budget and have had to do a lot with a little and have found what works and keeps the entire organization moving.

So how does an organization which is more likely to act than not, which has less resources than many would consider necessary have so many successes?

They train their ranks to think for themselves. No so much what to think, but rather to review a situation, weigh the outcomes and make a decision. They push the decision making down to the front lines. So much so, the top brass focus their efforts on supporting their field commanders, not the other way around.

The organization partners with anyone and everyone who can help them. In these partnerships, the USCG takes the back seat and often does not get credit for successful operations. They are more concerned with the success than the credit. Due to these longstanding and strong relationships, in times of need, their friends and allies are almost always there to help out.

The USCG gets their new members into the field as soon as possible and has them doing important work immediately. They also share the importance of the work so that everyone knows what is at stake. They help provide guidance along the way to ensure both successful performance of duties and the continual growth of their staff.

I could go on and on, but I must tell you that this leadership book is one of the best I have ever read. Being a fan of Alexander Hamilton does not hurt either. If you were not aware, he created the precursor to the coast guard, called the Revenue Marines, in 1790. There is a lot of tradition in the USCG and this book shows it loud and clear.

The Coast Guard have a great model on leadership, and I hope to bring some of it to my company and organizations I work with.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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Message of the Day - Express Yourself as Yourself

2011-12-22T17:39:00.001-08:00

Good Morning,

My current read is “Trout on Strategy” by Jack Trout (http://www.amazon.com/Jack-Trout-Strategy/dp/0071437940/). He with his former partner, Al Reis, authored such marketing greats as ‘Positioning’ and ‘Marketing Warfare’, which is my favorite marketing book. In this book, Jack Trout recounts much of the information that he has previously written and compiled into a book pulling together the best method of laying out strategies for success.

While this is a marketing book, the principles within it work all areas of life. This is true because of how pervasive marketing, itself, is.

Anyway, some of the material is on simplicity and some on clarity where the points brought out are to convey our message with both simple and clear language. That we should communicate in one manner in all situations. For example, how we talk is how we should write.

Please don’t confuse this one method of communication with a monotone person or someone who only knows one volume…too loud.

In essence we should be ourselves as we speak, as we type and as we text or any other form of communication.

Conversely, we should not spice up our language with fancy words to impress others, as it often both backfires and confuses (folks don’t understand and they end up not being impressed).

As our most basic form of communication is our speech, we can use that as a basis for other forms. For example:

When we send a message, send it like we would speak it.

When we make a presentation, lay it out as we would speak it.

Changing our goals from giving an impressive presentation to one that is readily understood and flowing naturally can have a much better impact than that of trying to do something over the top.

Besides, if we end up impressing others with our over the top performances, it is only a matter of time until they see the true us.

So why not just be ourselves and express ourselves as ourselves?

Sounds simple enough!

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

Message of the Day - Perseverance and Luck

2011-12-18T16:50:00.001-08:00

Good Morning,

At the end of my latest dental checkup, the dentist entered the room and after looking at my teeth he smiled and said I was lucky.

Seven years after losing my front eight teeth my remaining teeth were still doing well. In other words, I get to keep them for another four months until my next check up.

About seven and a half years ago, after starting to see my dentist, he noticed something wrong with my teeth and recommended I get tested for diabetes by my primary care physician. The tests showed I was a member of club. Maybe it was all those Mountain Dew Code Red’s I loved to drink all the time. Anyway, the diabetes had somehow caused the bone around my front teeth to go away. I was told that it was only a matter of time until the rest would have to be pulled. That was in December, 2004.

So now, each morning, either home or away, I spend a lot of time working on my dental hygiene. Flossing, proxy brush, wet brush (using the tooth brush with only water), then with tooth paste and finally the gum stimulator.

I probably spend more time on my teeth than many do on their hair.

It is with this continued diligence that my dentist says I am lucky.

I believe it is a combination of diligence and luck, but without the diligence, the luck would most likely be of the bad variety.

By putting in the extra effort and consistently doing more, I have changed the odds against me.

This same approach to life can also work in other areas as well.

The harder we work, the more consistently we work harder, the better we will do, and the ‘luckier’ we will find ourselves.

That is, we will be able to capitalize on opportunities due to our preparation and practice, that would have not been open to us otherwise.

By stepping it up and keeping constant effort, we can improve the chances of our success in all endeavors.

In a word, perseverance creates success and capitalizes on luck.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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Message of the Day - Responsibility for Decisions

2011-12-11T04:30:00.001-08:00

Good Morning,

I must warn you, this message has a little, ok, a lot of passion in it.

In leadership we make decisions, and these decisions can and often do have effects which extend beyond the scope of the situation the decision was made for. And as leaders, we need to understand this and be responsible for our decisions and those who feel the change.

In many cases, decisions are made for business reasons, to save a company, to help a customer, to appease the stakeholders, etc. In some cases, these decisions are made due to ideological reasons. This is more highly prevalent in non-profit and government sectors.

When the decision costs jobs, and depending on in what venue decisions are made, lives, we need to be accountable for those decisions.

Why is that job being lost, why is the life being sacrificed?

As leaders we need to answer these questions, and these answers must be well founded or there can be heck to pay.

This morning, as I was walking Bo, the temperature was in the mid teens. The coldest day so far this fall. And as I walked I thought about a shelter I heard about in New York who took people off the streets in whether like this. That this shelter is Christian and as part of their caring for those they took off the streets included teaching the Bible. The New York Government decided to pull their funding from this shelter because of the way they help people, specifically because of the use of the Bible.

This was an ideological decision, and I can understand that constituents of state of New York may not approve of this type of care.

Yet, there was a bigger part of this decision which really bothered me.

No other shelters were set up to compensate for the reduced capacity of these shelter. That the people who were out on the streets had one less place to go because of this decision. That people could die in the cold (and it gets COLD in New York, I lived there for 33 years).

Because of an ideological decision by the government, people could die. That makes those who made the decision accessories to whatever befalls those who would have had a place to be warm and well fed and now have to stay on the streets.

What do we tell the families of those who die because this decision? The money pulled should be given to either create a new shelter or expand an existing shelter, so as to not allow people to get sick and die.

That decision was irresponsible.

We, hopefully, will never have to make decisions which have such repercussions, but as leaders we may never get that chance to live and work in completely sterile environments where our decisions have no further impact than the people in front of us.

The challenge as leaders is to think a bit longer into our decisions and try to understand what impact they will have before we make them.

And as leaders, we must take responsibility for the decisions we make.

We can and should learn from each situation, to help us make better decisions as we go forward.

Remember, our responsibility as a leader starts when we take on the role, and often does not end, even after we leave the position, as the decisions we make why being a leader often last longer than we do.

Something to think about.

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

Message of the Day - Causitive Living

2011-12-04T18:05:00.001-08:00

Good Morning,

As a kid I remember the Space Invaders video game which first came out in the arcades and then on Atari. The invaders, in a neat formation, started their march slowly to the side and then down on space closer to your base and then marched to the other side. Back and forth, closer and closer. Then to add another level of stress, the invaders sped up as they got closer or the fewer of them that remained. And, of course, when you clear a level, the next level is just that much faster.

When you play that game, or any game with the same ‘speed up’ concept, you have to match that speed with a focused plan of attack. When you have the system down, that speed becomes manageable.

I remember staying with my uncle and aunt in Brooklyn, NY one weekend and as we were preparing to go out for some visits, sightseeing, lunch and dinner, a friend of my uncle and aunt’s came over. He laid down on the couch and started playing Space Invaders. When we returned about eight hours later, we found this friend, still on the couch, still playing Space Invaders. More than that, he was playing that same game.

The increased speed of the attackers had become routine to him, and he just handled it in what seems like a monotonous focused manner.

Our lives are like those games. They are speeding up with all of our time-saving tools, increases in technology and how our society just embraces these changes, which causes all of society to pick up pace just like those Space Invaders making the step down closer to your base, and picking up the pace in the process.

We are doing more and more, and have less time for a lot of what we consider important to us. We do so much more each and every day, yet we often feel like we have done nothing by the end of the day.

Part of this is the lack of focus on what are the priorities in our lives.

In that focus, we have to do two things well if we want to take back control of our lives.

The first is obvious, but still very hard to accomplish. We need to stop doing those things that just sap away our time. For me, it is at night, before I go to sleep, I go the web and check Fox News or CNN just one more time to see if there is anything new going on in the world since the last time I checked 10 minutes prior. Or, it’s visiting YouTube to find and watch a video of some comedy routine or music video from the 1980s. And what do you see when you look at these sites? Other videos you ‘might’ be interested in. Next thing you know 30 minutes is gone, which I could have used to get more beauty sleep. And boy do I need that!

We all have things we can stop doing which we know are a waste of time.

The second is not so obvious. This is to stop doing those things which we like to do, which we need to do. In my current read ‘Simple Life’ by Thom and Art Rainer (http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Life-Time-Relationships-Money/dp/0805448861), the authors talk about how we need to thin down all the things we are currently doing, often which are ones we like to do. That we need to make tough decisions on not doing things which can sap our time and impact our lives while giving a less of a return our efforts.

The key point is that in stopping doing these items, these things are nothing bad. Like helping out in a charity event. That is a good thing to do. If you have five events you are doing and little time to spend with your kids or your job is being impacted, then one or two of those charity events may need to be handed off to someone else or even dropped.

So how do we decide which good items in our lives we should stop doing?

There are many ways, and one that I prefer is to look back at our core values. What is it that makes us us? And then look at our activities and rank them by how closely they align with our values. Then drop the ones which have the least alignment.

If everything you do is aligned to your values, then look at your current needs, and reassess under the lens of current needs.

To help us live better lives, we need to live more causatively. We need to divest ourselves of the bad behaviors.

And if that does not give us enough time back, we need to dig deeper.

To focus our efforts on only the key activities which support our values and look to drop others.

It could give us a lot of time back throughout our days, weeks, and so on.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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Message of the Day - Not an Island

2011-11-27T18:10:00.001-08:00

Good Morning,

This past weekend, besides taking time to be thankful for many of things that I am blessed to have in my life, I found some surprising, to me at least, things about myself.

On Friday, I started sewing some patches on a new Adult Leader Boy Scout Uniform shirt I purchased close to a year ago, but had not fully prepared. I had already put on two patches, one of them was sort of crooked, but passable. I found the guide showing where each patch went and started adding a square patch on the arm just under one of the other patches.

I lined up the patch and used pins to hold the patch in place as I sewed it on.

This was nothing new to me, I am an Eagle Scout and have sewed patches on uniforms off and on for the last 30 years or so.

Well…first I miscalculated how much thread I needed to go all the way around, even though I thought I premeasured. Then with the second set of thread, I sewed the arm to the back of the shirt. Finally when I fixed all the mistakes and with my third length of thread I finished the job and it only took the better part of two hours (with the standard distractions).

Looking in horror, the patch was cockeyed. And not by a little, some eighth of an inch off, very noticeable.

After saying a few choice explicatives I threw in the towel. I cut the thread I sewed on the patch on (what a mess) and then proceeded to pin on all the other patches that were to go on the shirt. The next morning, I dropped the shirt off at a local tailor and paid him to put them on for me. I know it will look great.

It was not a difficult task. It was not something I had never done before. Heck I did some of it last year with better results.

Why was I unable to do a seemingly simple task like I could in years past?

Besides the obvious ‘goof-ball’ answers you are all thinking, there is a deeper reason.

As we age, we change.

I remember when I was in my mid-twenties, I was asked by a 70 year old co-worker, to help do some plumbing work under his house. He was great at all sorts of work and I wondered why he did not crawl under his own house to change the elbow.

As I did the job and crawled out, his wife was there and as my coworker looked on embarrassed, she said, ‘sometimes you have to admit that you can no longer do some work’.

While I am not 70, yet, I am getting older. Had I rolled up my sleeves and spent another four or five hours sewing on patches, I may have done a better job, or I might have thrown the whole lot of fabric into the garbage.

Sometimes we need to step back and acknowledge we are not an island. That we need help.

It is a humbling thought, but one that will save us a lot of stress and grief…. And in my case, embarrassment.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

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Message of the Day - Leadership Yarn - Leadership Lessons from the Boy Scouts

2011-11-20T17:59:00.001-08:00

Good Morning,

My current read is a book on Leadership which focuses on helping youth become leaders, it is “A Scout Leader's Guide to Youth Leadership Training: Working the Patrol Method” by four Eagle Scouts (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0041O9PUM/).

This is a different kind of leadership book from many I have read, but it is one of the best in how it conveys information in a practical and ‘real’ sense.

Throughout the book are many, many ‘Leadership Yarns’ or stories which explain, highlight and show examples of the information being delivered within the sections of the book.

Yarns have long since been a part of Scouting. It has been found that many people learn better when the information is placed within a story format. And with us adults, this has not changed. Such authors as Patrick Lencioni, Spencer Johnson and Ken Blanchard have provided us with wonderful lessons through the use of allegories (One Minute Manager, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Who Moved My Cheese, etc.).

The use of stories to break down the concepts being taught with multiple relevant tales is a powerful tool to help create successful teaching moments.

I remember my days in Boy Scouts, and I am proud to say, I am an Eagle Scout. Those days were ripe with tales from the different leaders who showed me many of the skills that I still have and use today.

When faced with challenges to passing along information, it might be worthwhile to try finding a story which expresses the lesson and use that instead of the normal training methods.

It just may be the breakthrough you need to get the important points across.

And by the way, this book is a great tool for those both inside and out of Scouting. I highly recommend it for anyone, but especially for those who are working with younger team members, or those who are moving into leadership roles for the first time.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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Message of the Day - A Personal Touch

2011-11-09T18:19:00.001-08:00

Good Morning,

I find that we can all give a personal touch to everything that we do. No matter how mundane an activity may seem, we can make it better by giving a little pizzazz or personality of our own.

A perfect example of this was when I received a package from Simple Truths (www.simpletruths.com) with two books I ordered.

Many of us make purchases over the internet, from catalogs etc., and get packages of all sort arriving at our home or places of business. Often there is the package, the packing material, the product, the invoice and maybe some promotional materials.

We seldom think further of who packaged our item, or who shipped them, etc.

So it was a nice surprise to find out that my two books were, in fact, packed and shipped to me by a lady named Rosy. I know this because there was a simple postcard in my package with her photo, signature and a note saying that it was her pleasure packing my order, and a hope that I would enjoy their products.

I stopped to think about all the people who would also open a package that Rosy packed for them. I also thought that when I put in my next order that I hope that Rosy packs it for me.

It also reminded me about the story about Johnny the Bagger (another Simple Truths book and video). It is great to see that lesson put into action. Simple Truths works hard to add that extra special touch (http://www.simpletruths.com/about.asp).

That personal touch was a nice change. I have received hundreds packages over the last few years, and seldom have I felt the warm tidings when I opened them. That postcard added a warm human element to what is normally a non-event in our lives.

It also shows that we, too, can add a personal touch to almost any part of our lives, and to the lives of others and make them better.

What is the personal touch you could start adding to what you do every day?

If you want some ideas, let me know and I would love to help.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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Message of the Day - How Can We Possibly Expect...

2011-10-31T19:11:00.001-07:00

Good Morning,

This passed evening I went out to get pizza to prepare us to sit outside in the moderate cold and hand out candies to the trick-or-treaters. And there were, of course, some very cute kids in some interesting costumes.

I went to the Little Caesars down the road, and it must have been a hive-mind idea as the line went out the door. Pizzas were been sent out of the store just as fast as the team behind the counter could make them, and they were hustling. Some were hustling with costumes on. Anyway, I placed my order and stood in the crowded waiting/order area where there were only three seats, all filled.

As one seat opened up, I took it as I was next in line to grab a seat. I smiled at the four year old sitting her dad’s lap. Maybe thirty seconds after I sat down, I saw a lady with her young daughter pay for her pizza and look for a spot to wait in. So I got up and offered her my seat. A few minutes later another seat opened up and I sat down again.

The lady thanked me for giving up my seat for her. That so very few men do that these days. I then apologized for all of them. She mused that I was apologizing for the failure of what seemed to be all other men to show common courtesy to a lady, especially one with a young child with her.

This got me thinking. We have so many problems in our country and in our world. We keep getting more and more bad news. Hitting 7 Billion inhabitants on this third rock from the sun was not something to celebrate. There are financial woes, security woes, and the list goes on.

Some of us are looking for ways to resolve our problems and others are looking for more hand outs from an already strained government. Yet, on the grander scheme of things, there is little that each one of us can do to resolve the global problems. We would need to be of some stature, have some amount of resources, etc. to enact major change on a global stage.

That may make many people apathetic, you know, the ‘who cares’ mentality.

Well, I am here to tell you that there is something that we all can do to help improve our world. It may not be something that is going to move mountains, or balance the budget, but it is something that is going to make a difference in the life of others.

What we can do is show some common courtesy to our fellow man and woman.

If we can be nice to others, it will make the situations we face easier to face. It can defuse heated situations, etc. And when we are nice to others, it often is paid forward, with many others feeling the benefits down the road.

It is something that we can do no matter how bad things get in our lives. It is a choice we own. It should be common sense.

Yet, like my experience in the pizza place, it is not very common. This is not my first rant on this. And sadly it won’t be my last.

Sure it sounds inane to complain about not giving up a seat for another with greater need, but it is the baseline of culture and civilization. If we can’t get that basic level of respectful action right, then how can we possibly expect to get more complex issues resolved?

It starts with each and every one of us.

The next move is yours. What are you going to do?

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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Message of the Day - Starting Over

2011-10-26T16:07:00.001-07:00

Good Morning,

Last Friday, Karen and I attended Temple Shalom for the celebration of the Sabbath and Simchat Torah (where the Rabbi and Cantor read the end of the Torah, or the five books of Moses). As part of the ceremony, the Torah is brought out and is re-rolled up back to the beginning. That is, back to the book of Genesis. During this time, as the Torah is being re-rolled up, the Rabbi and Cantor were pointing out parts of the Torah as it moved by. There was the Ten Commandments, the Tabernacle, and many other parts of the scripture.

This made me think about our lives and how we sometimes have to start over. When I moved to Louisville, I had worked in call centers for some six years at this time and moved to management. After not finding a job right off, I started over and took a position as an front line phone representative. I signed up with Kelly Services and got a job as a front line analyst. I was a Kelly Girl!

Starting over opened the door for me to find something bigger and better for me, which included changing from a person who lived a majority of my life for personal gratification to one who lives to help others.

Had I fought the drive to start over and held out for management, I would have certainly went down a different path (I had already looked for some six months in Washington DC and that did not bode well either). The time I spent looking for a job would have grown longer and the situations in my life would have not been so open for me.

By giving up the urge, the ego driven urge, to hold out for management and not start over, I took what some would call the harder path of going back to square one and doing it all over again. In reality, the return to the beginning turned out to be a far better path, and easier.

We all are going to face situations and times in our lives where we will have to make that decision to press forward in our endeavors or look to step back a few paces and start over.

Some people will consider starting over as failure. Failure only happens when we quit. By going back and starting over, we give ourselves a renewed chance for success. We also reinforce these chances for success with re-learning skills we already knew and of course using our skills to hit the ground running.

What may seem like taking two steps back and one step forward is really taking a few steps back, and then one or two forward, and then a few more forward and so on.

If you are faced with a situation where you just cannot feasibly move forward. Your goals seem dashed, your resources drying up, and your willpower just about spent, then it may be time to look to get back to the basics and regroup.

Find a baseline from your past and look to step back to it. And then start your path to success again.

It may just be the ticket you need to get to your goals and dreams.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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Message of the Day - Through Our Eyes

2011-10-23T08:24:00.001-07:00

Good Morning,

Many years ago, I worked for an artist. He was an artistic genius, and at the same time, unpredictable and tyrannical in how he led his business. I remember a time when someone driving a cement truck had backed into this artists SUV and put a hole through the back window. He brought the vehicle back to the office, where I worked for him, and asked me to pull out the window. I did so and prepared to throw out the shattered glass. The artist stopped me, I believe there was some yelling and denigrating involved, but I stopped what I was doing as the artist piled up the glass and showed how he would use it to display jewelry in one of his boutiques.

When looking at his idea through his eyes, it was masterpiece. The shattered auto glass looked like ice. The jewelry would sparkle and reflect off the glass and make the jewelry look even more appealing. It was genius.

How I have wanted to be able to do what the artist did. To be able to look at something and see its potential as art clear as day. When sharing the story about this artist with another person today, it turns out I am not alone in my desire to see like the artist did.

Sadly, I don’t have that kind of artistic ability and beyond that I am really bad at many other things. For example, fashion, I have no fashion sense. I know people are desperate when they ask for my opinion on whether something looks good or not (for the record I did once match stripes and plaid).

I suspect many of you reading this also don’t have that seemingly magical ability to spot potential artwork when you see it. Or like me, have limited abilities in other areas as well.

This, actually, is a good thing.

If we all had the same abilities and further, we all had amazing abilities, life would be kind of boring. Finding the magic in the potential would become commonplace, or worse, boring.

The good news is that each of us do have some special abilities.

I know folks that no matter what kitchen you put them in, or what ingredients you give them they can make a fantastic meal. I know people who can sell snow to Eskimos. I know people who can write like Hemingway in short spurts.

Through their eyes, these abilities are natural, or commonplace. While they may not have the abilities they see in others, which they think are wonderful, they do have theirs.

You have yours and I have mine.

One of the abilities I seem to have, or I am told I do, is to see something positive, a teaching event, in almost all places and happenings. This may be one of the reasons I am still writing messages of the day and learning and grow daily tips for all this time.

Through my eyes, this is who I am , and I do not see it is as anything magical or wonderful. I just do it.

Through your eyes, your abilities and skills might also seem commonplace to you.

Through the eyes of others, we may just be the coolest thing since sliced bread. (Note: while sliced bread is cool, and back in the day it may have been the coolest, it is not on my top ten coolest things list).

If we get down on ourselves because we seeing our friends doing what we consider to be amazing, like magic tricks, and we see ourselves as only able to do the basics, we miss the point.

We all have our areas of specialty. Almost like the movie ‘Mystery Men’. Each of those superheroes had one basic ability that was not so super, but when they believed in themselves and used their abilities they saved the city.

While we are most likely not superheroes (although I suspect my friend Kirk Weisler is), we are all capability and in the right situations, can be quite amazing when we need to be.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
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Message of the Day - Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

2011-10-19T18:24:00.000-07:00

Good Morning,

While I was going for a walk around the beautiful lands and hiking trails of Snug Hollow (www.snughollow.com) I was thinking about various things. It is amazing how crystal clear you can get when you get back to nature. Just looking at the birds, the trees the sky and hearing the wind gently tease the trees with the soft sound of the grass and leaves under your feet as you walk brought be face to face with some challenging thoughts.

For the last few months I have struggled to cobble together enough time to get my second book laid out and prepared. I have even lined up a cabal of people to peer the book when I get it into draft form. The time I was looking to do the work has been elusive. Many day to day demands keep taking precedence. And then there is that sleep thing when cohesive thought is all but impossible. I have also been struggling to balance the involvement in my roles in the several organizations which I sit on the board or chair. And then there is the perpetual drive to start something new myself. Coupled with all of this is the daily challenge to put in my reading and keep up my pace of yesteryears.

In my walk that Saturday afternoon at Snug Hollow, I felt a calm come over me as I walked down the last hill to the cozy cottage that Karen and I were staying at.

After that calm I started hearing the U2 song ‘Still haven’t found what I’m looking for’ and I started singing it to myself as I approached the cabin. Then it hit me.

I have been driving for endgame positions in my life, to be done with something, to start something new, to commit myself to the next project and all the while, I am still learning and growing, a work in progress.

My rush to accomplish had overshadowed my need to continue growing and evolving.

I know that I will never arrive, we never do, the moment we stop learning and growing, we start dying.

What I learned about myself was that I am still not the person I am meant to be in the different endeavors that I am involved in. That is, I am not ready to start that new project yet. I need to get a few more things under my belt first. It is important not to rush into obligations.

When we are on our journeys in life, we can often forget that the learning is found in the travelling and not the arriving. When we rush to arrive, we can miss what was along the way.

It has been a challenge for me to not rush to my growth as I often feel that I need to make up for a lost 10 years when I was (in my mind today) goofing off (I expound on that in the introduction of my book).

The truth is that those 10 years were not a waste, they were a lesson.

A lesson that I have not taken the time to learn from.

In my walk in the woods and fields, by the pond and the other pleasures of nature, I realized that I am still growing into that person I will be tomorrow. And while that does not give me the clearance I am looking for to dive headlong into the next project, yet, it helps me get perspective on the person I am and what I have learned over the years, and what I hope to learn going forward.

The mad dash to arrive is overrated and at the same time, insidious in how it traps us into thinking we need to speed up our lives to become the person we hope to be.

So long as we continue to learn and grow daily, will become that person, and then continue on the path and become more of who we can be potentially. This will continue until our dying day, whether that is a physical death or one from giving up on all learning.

And I am okay with that.

I hope you, in your journeys, are too.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

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Message of the Day - Great By Choice

2011-10-17T18:21:00.001-07:00

Good Morning,

My current read is Jim Collins’ new book, with co-author MortenT. Hansen, called “Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck – Why some thrive despite them all” (http://www.amazon.com/Great-Choice-Uncertainty-Luck--Why-Despite/dp/0062120999/ ). This is his fourth book into the search for what makes an organization great and enduring.

This book is similar to Good to Great in the method of research used to determine both the companies researched and the gap analysis between the companies which were successful compared to the lesser successful comparisons. The successful companies are called 10Xers as they performed 10 times as well.

The findings in this book are different than that from Good to Great and Built to Last in that the focus included organizations who thrived with uncertainly, chaos and luck opposed to those who just thrived in a normal environment.

What the authors found is that there is a formula for success which can be used by anyone to navigate difficult times and in difficult industries.

For example, luck.

Many business and self help people steer clear from the topic of luck because it is so hard to quantify.

What Collins and Hansen discovered about the 10Xers compared to the comparison companies is that the comparison companies actually had more good luck than the 10Xer companies and about the same bad luck.

The difference is that the 10Xers got a return on the luck they had, both good and bad. That is, they took advantage of the luck that was handed them. Whereas the comparison companies more often than not let lucky events and serendipity pass by.

That is, everyone has luck coming their way, both good and bad luck. It is what people do when that luck arrives that shapes them.

There is so much good in this book, I dare not share too much in one email.

I highly suggest this book for anyone who has enjoyed Good to Great, Built to Last and How the Mighty Fall.

What I find truly interesting is that after this 9 year research on this latest project, the research team took the findings from the three previous books and ran their findings through the findings of the new book and each and everyone stood true. That is, each book covers a different aspect of organizational development and when applying the appropriate findings from one of the four books, they work. For example, for a young company, using Good to Great can help them improve, and when the times get turbulent, they can use both the Good to Great and Great by Choice findings. If that same organization starts getting overly successful and starts to falter, they can switch and use the findings from How the Mighty Fall to help stop the slide, and then move to back to another book as necessary.

These books are invaluable to organizational health and growth.

Get out there and read this one!

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

Message of the Day - Relentless Pursuit of Your Dreams

2011-10-16T18:26:00.001-07:00

Good Morning,

This past weekend, Karen and I celebrated our 5^th and 6^th Wedding Anniversaries by visiting a bed and breakfast just outside of Berea, Kentucky. (The day prior to our 5^th Anniversary, I had my leg operated on and was not much fun to be around). The bed and breakfast we visited is called Snug Hollow (http://www.snughollow.com/). Folks who knew we were going wanted to get our feedback on it, so here is the short version. It is a slice of heaven. We are planning on returning with the family next year. The place is scenic, peaceful, relaxing, beautiful with food out of the this world, and southern hospitality off the charts.

The most amazing part of Snug Hollow is its inn keeper, Barbara Napier. She is an outstanding woman who is pursuing her dreams of running an amazing bed and breakfast in secluded mountain retreat which reminded me of Shangri-La, nestled among 300 beautiful acres. During our second dinner, which was, of course, amazing (and you can get the recipes in her cookbook), she shared the story of how Snug Hollow came to be and what she endured and overcome to make it happen. As we were leaving, I asked her if I could write about her and Snug Hollow, and she said yes. To tell everyone about this wonderful place.

Life for Barbara was not always so enjoyable. While she dreamed of where she is today, she started from a much harder place, being a single mom when her husband just did not come home one day, and being left with a struggling retail business and bills, no car, and walking miles to and from work every day, and all sorts of other challenges.

Through it all, Barbara kept her eyes on her dreams. She had made many friends along the way, and she treated everyone, like she treated Karen, myself and all the other guests…like family. She forced herself to do what she could, and continued to help others along the way.

She got the land where the bed and breakfast is today, and moved into what is now called the Cozy Cottage. She lived there for over 20 years. She had the main house built over a 10 year period. Breaks in the building were due to challenges she continued to face. It is hard to build without money or resources. As she trudged through the challenges which at times seemed insurmountable (tax debts and accounts receivable in the hundreds of thousands), she found small signs of hope and she grabbed onto them.

Her friends encouraged her to follow her dreams. Each little thing added to her achieving her dream, and while others told her she was crazy, she kept her eye on her dream.

She applied for a job with a local college and was flatly turned down. She refused to accept the rejection, and called in requesting an interview, even though she was not qualified for the position.

After her interview, the staff saw all of her drive and experiences and against all odds she got the job (even though she lived 20 miles from the college with no car).

She found a way to make it work.

Through friends and resiliency which has served her well, she had the main house built, after 10 years, and moved into it. Once in, she started her bed and breakfast. She still had her full time job and found ways to juggle the two.

She never stopped moving toward her dream, and many bad things continued to plague her, she built an army of friends who love her and helped her achieve her dreams.

Her relentless pursuit of her dream through trudging miles through winding mountain roads, facing banks and government tax collectors, raising two boys after her husband left, is a testament to all of us that we can and should pursue our dreams.

There will be hard times, but if we give up, then we know we will arrive at our destination.

By being dedicated to succeeding and pouring our love into others we can overcome what may seem impossible.

I look forward to our next visit to Snug Hollow, and I hope each of you will consider it as well.

While there this weekend, I had a chance to reflect on many things, and will be sharing some of those in future messages.

One of those is something I would like to do now. In closing, I would like us all to pray for World Peace. Barbara asked us to each time we said Grace. And why not? It would be a good thing.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

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502-533-9336

Message of the Day - Dangers of Opinion

2011-10-09T17:29:00.001-07:00

Good Morning,

We all have an opinion, and some of us even have an opinion on everything.

In my current read, A.W. Tozer’s ‘A Disruptive Faith’ the author raises an interesting and almost frightening point.

Our opinions are often derived from listening to others, watching something, or reading something. Seldom are our opinions developed through our own thought process and experiences. This is how we can gain opinions on things that we, ourselves, have never experienced.

That is, we are a walking bag of other people’s opinions.

In fact there is an entire industry which focuses on changing our opinions. Marketing. You know, the folks on Madison Avenue.

With all the billions that is spent on marketing and PR, the industry has to be successful, or else they would stop being paid money.

This begs the question as to how much of our opinions on life are derived from our own soul searching and how much are imported from others, no matter where they came from.

The more we tap into the mass media of television, websites, radio, billboards, hanging out with others, reading magazines and books, the more we are open to take on the opinion of others.

This means we need to spend some time, and for some people I mean a lot of time, searching through our feelings on an issue and come up with our own opinion on things.

After watching the news, or some special which is trying to sway our opinion, we may just take a few moments to think about what was said, and what we think about it. Don’t just espouse what we heard, but think about it. How does it relate to our core values. How does it relate to how we felt about the subject prior to watching the special.

Just by doing a little reflective thinking on the subject, we may be able to ensure that the opinions we have are truly our own.

Without that time to stop and reflect, we may amass a wealth of opinions so foreign to ourselves that we literally become someone else, someone that others do not recognize.

And such are some of the dangers of opinions.

Something to think and reflect on.

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

Message of the Day - The Influence of One

2011-10-05T17:29:00.001-07:00

Good Morning,

This past evening after dinner, I saw the breaking news of the passing of one of the modern world’s most influential people, Steve Jobs (http://www.apple.com/).

Many people do not realize the scope and degree of Steve Job’s involvement in technological advances over the last thirty to forty years. There are the Apple computers, the Macintosh Computers, iTunes, the iPod, iPhone and iPad. There is also Pixar and all of their wonderful movies, and the list goes on and on.

Much of the technological innovations we enjoy today, whether we have Apple products or not, were invented by, inspired by, or copied from those things that Steve Jobs and his companies dreamed up and turned into reality. Just look at the tablet revolution (iPad), Steve Jobs created that revolution, and then dominated it.

It is amazing to see the scope and degree of influence this one man has had on the lives of so many people, communities, companies, nations and civilization as a whole.

One man, one very talented man. A human being, not totally unlike you and me.

We may not have the billion dollar ideas popping into our heads every so often, but like a former Yahoo! executive once told me, we should not discount anyone because we could have $100 ideas, $1,000 ideas and even $100,000 ideas. And who knows, with enough of those ideas, the larger ones can come along in time.

Every person has the opportunity to be innovative and every person has the opportunity to be influential.

Maybe not to millions or billions of people, but even if we can positively influence one other person, then we have made a difference.

We may never reach the stature, or achieve the accomplishments of Steve Jobs within our lifetimes, but like Steve Jobs, we can make the lives of others, even if it is one or two, better.

The point is that one person can make a difference in the lives of others. Sometimes one or two, sometimes a bit more.

So, never discount yourself because you are not the CEO of Apple or some other global organization.

And, remember, one person can and often does make the world a better place through their direct effort and influence. The influence may be large, like Steve Jobs, or it may be not so large. In any event, when the people you have influenced and helped turn around and say thank you, does it matter if it is only a few and not millions?

Not really.

So, be the influence of one.

And Steve Jobs, we will miss you!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

Message of the Day - She ate my favorite donut

2011-09-25T19:30:00.001-07:00

Good Morning,

This past Saturday evening, after working at a yard sale for the Scottish Society, I got to bring home the left over donuts. I had just re-found my favorite, the bowtie, one of Dunkin Donut’s finest. I had not realized they were in Kentucky, or I would have eaten a whole bunch more of them.

Anyway, it was after dinner and our daughter, Samantha, came to ask what she could have as an evening snack. I pointed to the donuts and as she opened the box, she saw the one remaining bowtie. She frowned a little bit as she had not remembered ever seeing one. I told her it was my favorite and what it was called.

She smiled and took my favorite donut.

I had a split second thought of ‘HEY!’ but then I smiled as I realized a bigger picture.

She listened to me and trusted my judgment. She took a chance that she would not like something she never had before based on my recommendation.

It may seem like a small inconsequential event, but as a parent it means heaps.

Having our kids trusting our judgment as they grow up is not only heartwarming, it is also stress relieving.

We can and often do almost anything for our kids. When they mess up, we roll up our sleeves and get to work. And we keep doing it over and over again for our kids. It is only after years of repeat failures that we sometimes give up on our kids. But, until that time, we give it all we got.

And when we see our kids making smart choices, using wisdom earned from our mistakes, it is a good feeling to know that our kids have a chance of listening to us on the big things.

It may only be about a donut today, but some day it may be about college, a house, a trip, a car, or a husband.

It was a good feeling. And she enjoyed the donut.

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
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502-533-9336

Message of the Day - Letting Go is Hard to Do

2011-09-23T04:20:00.001-07:00

Good Morning,

Over the last year I have worked to divest myself of some of the projects and programs that I have led in the various organizations that I either work in or lead. This is to free up time for the family, increased responsibilities at work and focusing my efforts on where I see my life heading.

That being said, what I find interesting is that when you let go of something and let someone else do the work, that how they do it, and how they organize it and how they communicate it is not being done the way that I would do it. In some cases I see novel new approaches and in others I see a potential train-wreck coming.

In any case, the challenge with letting go is to let go and let the others who are taking over to have a chance. Have a chance to breath, to think, to experiment, to try, to fail, to get up again, and to try again.

The worst thing I could do is run back in and grab control one more time because I have fears and concerns. The only time I should do that is when there is confirmed imminent danger of collapse. And in that case, it has to be corroborated with others and not just my opinion, because we as people tend to get emotional about those things that are near and dear to our hearts and can sometimes get a distorted impression of what is actually going on.

It is a learning experience, for sure, but the best part is the freed up time, and the knowledge of what is important to me is getting done, by others. These others are learning and growing at doing what caused me to learn and grow previously. And in time, they too will turn around and pass the mantle onto the next group who hopefully will do the same.

Letting go is hard to do, but it is necessary if we want to instill trust in others, and at the same time, show others that we are not control freaks and can let things take a new direction.

When others lead what we have led, it will be different. And that is ok.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

Message of the Day - The Fallacy of Time Management

2011-09-21T18:48:00.001-07:00

Good Morning,

In one of my mentoring sessions I was asked what is the best way to learn how to better manage our time.

The answer I gave caused an initial puzzled look, and then one of understanding.

I said that there is little we can actually do to manage time.

Time comes and goes as it pleases. We cannot catch it, we cannot hold it, we cannot avoid it, it moves and goes as it wants to do, no matter what we do or try to do to it.

We cannot catch time, save time, exploit time, ignore time. Time marches on regardless of what we do or don’t do.

So, what can we do to improve our productivity. That is, do more with less time?

The answer is to better organize and prepare ourselves.

And by organizing ourselves I mean every facet of our lives.

· We can keep our files in piles or neatly stored in a predictable system

· We can keep our key personal information in a file or try to remember when we need it.

· We can learn more about stuff we may encounter or leave our hopes on serendipity.

· We control all of these things.

You see, time will march on, but we can prepare ourselves, our environments and our lives to capitalize on the time that does go by. By equipping ourselves to better perform in less time, we actually give ourselves more time to do other things.

So in essence, it is not time management, but us management.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

Message of the Day - Chaos is as Chaos does

2011-09-18T19:34:00.000-07:00

Good Morning,

As my friend Justin and our daughters arrived at the concert hall for our long awaited concert earlier last December, we saw a lot of activity. People were moving around and people were doing stuff, but something just did not seem right. As we approached some doors, looking for an entrance, the people coming in and coming out of the doors seemed confused. When I was able to listen in, seems that there was a lot of ‘I don’t knows’ being slung around, followed by a few ‘not my area’ or ‘I’m not sure who handles that’.

Having one or two people in a few hundred like that is normal in most organizations. Newbies, or new rules, etc., often cause some confusion as they face the various learning curves they must overcome to become proficient.

Having most of the people in a few hundred not sure what is going on is a recipe for chaos.

We were able to finally find the main entrance and see what was supposed to go on, based on a few folks who seemed to have a clue. The sad part was that very little of what was supposed to go on, went on. One group was to go in early, so they lined up early, but never went in until the start of the concert. The lines to the doors were just going in all different directions, and then split several times so there were multiple lines going around in circles and along the walls, etc. It was quite amusing. No one was managing it, so it just happened.

When there is no control or brains in charge of an operation, or even a waiting line, entropy will enter. Left to its own devices, unless someone or something runs control over that operation, it will mutate and move toward chaos. What we end up with is often very different from what we start with.

When we lead a project or a team or an organization, there must be some form of control over it.

Otherwise we contribute to or worse open the gate to unleashing further chaos.

And once that happens, chaos is was chaos does and we spend a lot of time herding cats to bring it back under control, or let it run its course and hope our calls for help will garner some support and not further chaos from those who mean well, but all too often are not the most self-disciplined themselves.

And there are the control freaks who cannot let anything happen without their knowledge, approval and signed forms, in triplicate, but that is a tale for another day.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

Message of the Day - Lessons of Life from our Best Friend

2011-09-16T03:14:00.000-07:00

Good Morning,

My current read is a delightful book called ‘The Gospel According to Brodie: Lessons from a blind labrador’ (http://www.amazon.com/Gospel-According-Brodie-Jennifer-Larcombe/dp/0551029854/). The book is in the form of letters between friends and animal lovers.

In the book we learn about a dog born without eyes who the author adopts and becomes part of the family. The author had had some medical issues and was confined to a wheelchair for 8 years and suddenly gets better. She would bring the dog out and the dog at first would follow her other dog, Minty, who had a little bell on her collar. Then years later when Minty passed on, Brodie learned to follow the sounds of her master’s footsteps.

When people would see Brodie bounding along, they would want to stop and pet her. When they saw she had no eyes, just sockets, most people’s first reaction was to suggest putting the dog out of her misery. Yet, Brodie lived a full and exciting life, showing that even damaged good could have a meaningful and loving life.

I think of myself and my struggles with my legs. I blew out my knee again last week and have been slowly nursing it back to health again. I have to laugh as my bad leg now becomes my good leg as I walk favoring my knee. I am damaged goods, and yet, I have a full and exciting life. I am far from fit, and I have a lot to learn in so many areas of my life. Compared to some folks, I probably should be retired and put out to pasture.

But, that is not how I roll.

Like Brodie, I am full of life and even though I have my limitations, I can make a difference in this world. I can help others and I can achieve many of my goals.

Brodie gets into all sorts of troubles, as you would expect a blind dog to do. Yet, don’t we all get ourselves into troubles from time to time, when we act ‘blind’ to what is going on around us?

From the Gospel According to Brodie we learn that with others, we can do more than we can do by ourselves. That we can enjoy life more with the help of those who care about us.

That no matter who we may consider ourselves to be over the hill, or warn out, or limited, that we have great potential all around us and within us.

If we only dare to live, search for and grab onto the wonders of the world that are waiting for us.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

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502-533-9336

Message of the Day - I AM Happy

2011-08-30T17:10:00.001-07:00

Good Morning,

No, I am not taking back my message from yesterday. What I want to do is look at the same message from another side.

We know life happens, and there are times that the happenings of life are unbearable. And worse, when we find ourselves not able to take any more, something else happens. It’s as if the world has it out for us and we are the butt end of some cosmic joke.

In all things that happen to us, we get to chose how we face these things. It is our choice in how we react.

Yeah, okay, that is old news. The truth is, it works. The truth also is that it is hard to get it to work consistently. It takes a lot of practice.

When bad things happen, and they often do, if we look for the bright side [and I am not suggesting we make light of anything that happens to anyone, rather it is a choice.] we can find something to help us get through.

We can get pissed off and hate the world when bad things happen, or we can look for the lesson in the mess. Sadly, there is not always a lesson in the mess of bad things. Sometimes things just happen. Even so, there is always something we can learn, if we look.

When I get up in the morning, I look at the day ahead and what needs to be done, and what I would like to do. I prepare myself for the day, and find myself facing those negative thoughts I shared with you on my last blog.

The difference is that I have learned to stop those thoughts and redirect myself to something positive. Often using the tools I listed yesterday. Sometimes it happens automatically, and others, I have to wash rinse and repeat a few times.

Sure the bad stuff happens. It happens to us physically, mentally and spiritually. And yes, there is pain. And yes there is suffering.

Being hateful about it sounds like a good idea to some, but what I have found that if we allow the anger in, even a little bit, it grows. It is one of the fastest growing weeds ever.

Allow the anger in and it will fester and consume you.

Stop it.

Stop it with a prayer for those who have angered you. Stop it by reading the Word. Stop it by listening to uplifting music (even if that uplifting music is used for psychological warfare).

We do have a choice. We can allow the negativity consume us. And if we look for the dark and negative, we will find it.

Or we can choose happiness. That in the mess of our lives, we can find something to be happy and thankful about.

It may be harder to find, but those things are also all over the place.

Since my leg surgery, I have had pain pretty much every day. I walk, but in pain. I start out slow and move faster.

Folks wonder why I went through the surgery when I was trying to avoid pain only to get more. What I have earned, is the right to walk. Without the surgery I would have lost that. I am thankful for the pain. Because of the pain, I can walk.

And that is something that is a part of each and everyone’s lives. If we become thankful for the pain and suffering, we find something even better to be thankful for.

I miss my Mom, she passed over two years ago, and it is painful to hear people talking with or about their Moms, knowing I cannot ever do that again in this life. I choose to turn that pain into happiness.

That is, I had a Mom worth suffering this pain for. She loved me, she drove me crazy, and I love her, and I suppose I drove her a bit crazy too. I am thankful for the pain, because it means I had the chance of a great relationship with someone who I loved and adored.

There is happiness in life, even in the darkest pits of despair. It is there.

You need only look for it.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

Message of the Day - I am not happy

2011-08-29T19:31:00.001-07:00

Good Morning,

Yesterday a co-worker asked me a random question. They wanted to know how I always seemed to be so positive in everything I do.

In my response I laughed saying that I am far from happy or positive all the time. Just ask my boss or my wife and they will tell you that I often have bouts with sarcasm and anger. I am a recovering Yankee from New York.

I told my coworker that I am not a happy person, that I have to work very hard to be positive. It is something that I have worked on for years, and as I still have said bouts, I have a long way to go.

So, then, how can this so-called sarcastic and angry person come across as positive so often?

Good question, I wonder about that myself.

What I do when I am frustrated and angry is to try and get a chance to breath and vent. Sometimes this means going for a walk or listening to some heavy metal music (I prefer Skillet and Fireflight).

Sometimes I pick up my Bible and read a few verses. Usually of the Psalms.

Sometimes I pray for the people who are upsetting me, or take a cue from Norman Vincent Peale and give quick prayers to people as I see them walk or drive by.

What I also notice is that my anger and frustration is often surrounding a misconception that I am what everything is about.

And as we all know, it is not about me, or for that matter about anyone of us.

When we make that shift in thinking from it being about us to the bigger picture, the frustration and anger often dissipates quickly.

As each situation is different, I tend to use different tools to help get me back in control of my emotion from the hijacking that took place. One tool often is not enough if you use it over and over again.

Breaking it up, and doing different things helps you change gears when one trick is just not working. For example, when music is just not making the difference, I can step away and go for a walk. Or I can do some physical work to divert my attention. Etc.

With being positive, I guess it is working, although I am often brooding and dour most days. I guess the difference is that I refuse to stay in those dark places. Even if I have to sleep on the issue overnight, I refuse to let any situation hold me down. To take up residence in my brain and not pay rent.

I have a long way to go, but I am willing to take the trip.

I have seen the darkness that is within me, and I choose not to dwell upon it. Even though it tends to come clawing back to dominate some days.

It may be a struggle I have for the rest of my life, but if I give up, what then?

I am not going there.

I hope you don’t either.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

Message of the Day - Does Anyone Care Anymore?

2011-08-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

Good Morning,

The last few weeks have been busy and I have had a hard time formulating messages I felt worthy of your time (I started about 6). For some of you, you have enjoyed a nice respite, others, I am sorry for the delay.

Over the last few months I have been having troubles with my Garminfone, cell phone. I loved it when I first got it and it did well for many months. Then came the Android system upgrade and a series of problem that followed, including dropping calls, rebooting for no reason, locking up the Bluetooth and making calls just because I touched some random part of the phone. I have also had three replacements, two in the last 90 days. I have performed a master reset twice, and had a new battery sent, and changed memory cards. During the last two months, I have not downloaded any applications onto the phone, as one of the first questions I get when calling customer service is what have I downloaded. It is kind of lame to have an Android phone and not use the Android market, especially with the apps I bought and did not install again.

With the phone running on core applications I have not been posting to facebook, twitter, etc., like I used to. The technology had me hamstrung. And I wanted out. I want to post again and share my insights and help others. I felt like a prisoner to my phone.

When I called in to see what my options were after all of these troubles, I was told I would be eligible for a replacement with a phone valued at about 1/3 the restocking fee for my phone (the cost I would be charged if I did not return the Garminfone within 7 days of getting the replacement). Yeah, that seemed fair to me too……not.

So I called customer service one more time to gauge what my options were. The technical support rep told me about having my phone eligible for an upgrade. I figured that would be fine. So I called and got a list of phones I could have upgraded for, and the cost for each. The phone I really wanted was the Galaxy S4. I did not want to spend over $100 for the replacement. The phones I was given were middle of the road and one low end. I told the technical support rep I needed a day to decide. They were pushing for me to decide right then and there, and I needed time to check them out.

I went to a local T-Mobile store and looked at the phones and asked the clerks what they thought. In the end I was not satisfied the choices they gave and decided that I would rather put out a little more money to get the Galaxy. This way I would be trading up instead of down.

Next I called before the technical support rep was to call me back today. I wanted to know if my company discount, for where I work, applied to upgrades. The customer service rep I spoke with saw the notes about the phones I was offered in the upgrade and the prices I was quoted. I found out my company discount, which I am happy to have, applied to my bill and new activations only (and they are good discounts).

The time for the technical support rep to call me back, 7:30 PM came and went. This would be the second time I did not get a promised call back.

At 8:30 PM I called the company back and started the ball rolling to get my replacement and for the Galaxy phone at the price quoted the previous day. The customer service rep quoted me a price over twice as high as the price from the night before. So I asked her to read the notes and see where I had been offered the phone at a lower rate. She said she could not offer the lower rate until she spoke with a supervisor. I was placed on hold several times and finally I was on hold for about 45 minutes without a courtesy update and the call dropped.

I called back again and immediately asked for a supervisor. When I got to the supervisor I told her of my bad experience and what I was looking to do. So I was quoted another price. This one was right in the middle of the low and the high end.

I asked her why they had three different prices for the same phone for the same upgrade plan. She told me that she could only tell me the offer that she saw on her screen.

I asked her if her peers and customer service staff had access to different information than she did because they kept giving me different information. She told me she could only give me the info she saw on her screen.

I then asked for a manager and was promised to speak with a senior supervisor, but that they were on break and they could call me back. I told them I would wait.

30 minutes later, some break….., I am told that they reviewed my account and saw where the supervisor from the day before quoted me the lower price, but she could not find information to corroborate it.

Next I get transferred to specialized customer care group for customers who are about to leave the company and go to another carrier.

I told the person that I was not looking to leave, I just wanted to upgrade my phone to one I knew would work (and one that was still in production and being supported, as the Garminfones are no longer offered).

She gave me another price, happily this one was lower than all of the other prices.

I asked her if she could suggest to her leadership the huge gap in the different prices I was given by the different people, front line representatives and supervisors. She told me that she was only giving me the low price because of my loyalty to the company and the troubles I had had with my Garminfone. That the other people could not see her price.

So I reiterated that I was thankful for the price, but the point was they were going to have a lot of irate callers because of getting so many different price quotes on the same product, under the same circumstances.

Again, she reiterated why was giving me the price, that she understood what I was saying.

I don’t think she saw the big picture. I like getting a good price, and I like getting good service, and sure I like getting a good price after bad service, but the fact that no one seemed to care to fix the bad service was sad.

It was as if no one cared about the company. They did their own job and tried covering their own butts, but when it came for an opportunity to make something better, their eyes figuratively glazed over and they went back to ‘well that is what is on my screen’.

It is sad. And what is worse, it is endemic to many parts of our country.

Businesses and people who just don’t seem to care. They don’t mind mediocrity or worse.

That is not the world I want to be in, or the country I want to live in, or the organization I want to work for.

But what do we do?

How can we make a difference?

The answer is not easy, and the road is even harder.

We have to suck it up and get tough.

We have to follow our hearts and keep true to our values.

We need to go the hard road.

It is lonely and there are a lot of people trying to derail you on the path to better.

If you choose to take the path, and go the route, it could be one of the hardest things we ever do.

Maybe if we help each other, we can make our way to the world of better together.

Are you with me?

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

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Message of the Day - Wow how the world has changed

2011-08-03T18:48:00.001-07:00

Good Morning,

Last evening, my family went to the University Club at the University of Louisville to attend a travelogue about Israel. At the table we were assigned we met some wonderful people. Two of which discovered they lived around the block from each other some 60 years prior. I am told that is the way it is in Louisville, it’s a really big small town.

Anyway, during one of the conversations, a lady talked about how air conditioners changed civilization. That what neighborhoods used to be before the advent of air conditioners is vastly different from how they are today. People would sit on their porches, kids would play outside and neighbors would spend time talking to each other and visiting each other often. After air conditioners, people spend most of their time inside their houses. Kids spend less time outdoors, neighbors spend less time interacting with each other. Etc.

This made me think about other advances in technology which have had equal and opposite reactions to the way we live.

Text messages are another game changer in the world we live in. Recent reports indicate that most teenagers communicate with each other through text messages than any other form of communication, including phone calls, emails, letters or even face to face communication. That if you go to a room full of kids, most of them will be texting other people in the same room without even so much as looking up and over at them.

In reading an article on the top ten changes in business, one item jumped out. We are so connected to our work and each other that we cannot go home, on vacation or pretty much anywhere without somehow being attached to work. That is the line between work and personal life has thinned and in some cases completely vanished. We do personal banking online at work, and send and receive work emails at home. Our lives are becoming decompartmentalized.

And there is the Internet, the global game-changer.

I find it interesting that the advances we have made, have had a nearly opposite effect on our lives.

These advances have in effect changed who we are. How we live, how we interact with others, and reduced or even eliminated the walls between the different parts of our lives. The speed of communication is blinding today. There is no time to breath, life happens so fast these days.

We need to be careful as to not to lose ourselves in the sea of technological advances and time-saving devices.

What other ways have you noticed our lives have been changed?

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

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Message of the Day - Our Path is: Here, Right Now

2011-08-01T19:30:00.001-07:00

Good Morning,

Watching a recent Sci-Fi movie rendition of one of my favorite Anime shows from the 1970’s –80’s, called Space Battleship Yamato, there was a scene where the captain gave advice to one of his officers. The officer, serving as Acting Captain, had to make some tough decisions. Crew members died, but the ship was saved so it could continue its mission to save the world. The acting captain questioned his leadership ability. He asked the sick and dying Captain if he did the right thing.

The old man’s advice was profound. He said:

The results are not there for us to brood over. What we should do doesn’t lie in the past, it’s here, right now.

The past is behind us. What has already happened is done. We can choose to learn from it, or not, and look forward for our future.

And while it is important to remember, we must not live in the past and brood over it.

Life is in the now, and our path, whatever path we take, is before us.

When we face challenges, we need to look around us at what we have right now.

· Who is there now who can help.

· What do we know now that can help.

· What tools or resources do we have now that can make a difference.

Focusing on what could have happened or what we should have done is not there for us to brood over.

Our life is here, now.

Let’s not waste it.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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Message of the Day - Distracted off course

2011-07-25T18:57:00.001-07:00

Good Morning,

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting up with a friend of mine who was visiting town for a local Horror Convention. He is an actor, producer and full of stories of many sorts. Most of all, he is a good man. In spending time with him at the convention and then at dinner at my house with my family, I had many of my writing ideas from the past come back up.

Ideas that had been simmering for as long as a decade or more. These projects would take months if I were to pursue them, and while I would enjoy doing them, they would take me away from the writing that I am currently doing. And as of late, I am not doing as much writing as I would like. I have about nine more weeks of college and then my time will open up a bit. A bit, but not enough for these projects.

As I shared them with my friend, I realized how silly and poorly thought out my ideas sounded. I felt like a real wanna-be for sci-fi writing.

I then remembered my strength is sharing what I observed in life around me, and from the books that I read.

The next day as I was walking Bo and praying, I realized that these projects, as enticing as they sound are really just a distraction for what I truly love to do, which is help others.

Maybe someday when I retire, I can work on a novel or screenplay, but until that time I need to remain focused on my mission.

When we get distracted off the paths we are heading, we need to remind ourselves of what our mission is. And while our mission can change through our lives, it should not be at the drop of a hat.

My Mission Statement:

Use my knowledge, experience and available resources to help others overcome challenges, navigate difficult times, achieve new heights or otherwise improve their lives.

This is where I am going to keep my focus.

To help others, and invest into myself to help others better.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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Message of the Day - What Relationships Can Do

2011-07-20T17:51:00.001-07:00

Good Morning,

My hair dresser, Sally, is a very successful businesswoman. It is not because she has become a millionaire, or that she has created some new process or style being used the world over.

No, she is very successful because she understands the power of having strong relationships. Relationships with her customers, with those she is a customer of, and the people of the community she lives and works in. My wife has been a customer for over 20 years, and she is one of many.

A while back she was telling us of a conversation with the owners of the strip mall that she has had her shop in for the last 25 years. They were talking about tearing down some buildings and doing some major remodeling. They told her that no matter what happened, that she would have a place for her salon. They would create a space for her.

Why? A Hair Salon is not usually a huge money maker?

Because there is power in a relationship.

After building a strong relationship over 25 years, it becomes an easy decision on who to continue to do business with and who to cut ties with.

True relationship building is just like Dr. Steven Covey says, investing daily in the emotional bank account of others. So that when problems arise, you can take a withdrawal. Take too much and you are overdrawn, and then you risk closing the account entirely.

By pouring ourselves into each relationship we value, we can build such a strong bond, a trust, that through thick and thin, these bonds hold.

When we try to quickly build up a relationship for selfish reasons, people just know. In other words, folks know when you are ‘sucking up’ to them.

Building Relationships with business partners, friends and even family members, is a key building block to success in life.

The stronger our relationships, the better equipped we are to embrace the challenges we face each and every day. And when our challenges come, and you need help, do you know who to call? Will they help? Will they care? It all depends on the relationship you have invested in and built.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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Message of the Day - Perfection within Our Imperfection

2011-07-15T19:59:00.001-07:00

Good Morning,

I am constantly reminded of the fact that I am not perfect (no need for help on this one you folks in the peanut gallery J ).

Maybe it’s the bed that I just can never make right each morning, no matter how many times my spouse shows me.

Maybe it is the water that drips from the pet’s water bowl when I seem to overfill it some days.

Maybe it is the horrible fashion choices in color-coordination I make when dressing each day (even though everything my wife purchases for me is fashionable and coordinated).

I am imperfect.

And you know what, that is ok.

Wait!

Is this guy who writes and talks and lives and breathes self-improvement really saying that not being perfect, or even more so, not striving for perfection is okay?

Well…. Yes.

Why?

First, we live in an imperfect world.

No matter how good something looks, or how pretty someone is, or how smart someone is, or how well constructed something is, you will invariably find flaws the closer you look at it or them.

The lady with the perfect body has an eating disorder. The man with the perfect car has a wife and kids who would rather he spend more time with them than his car. The woman who has earned a promotion a year for the last four years running has no personal life to speak of. The man with the perfect physique reached a plateau on muscle mass and found some other ways to help bulk up. The preacher who exemplifies piety has a closet with an army of skeletons in it. The closer you look at the shining armor, you will inevitably find chinks.

So what is the message?

To improve ourselves, but understand that we are flawed.

We can learn and grow daily, but at the same time, we must know that we will never achieve perfection (nor should we strive for it). In the law of diminishing returns, we will find that after a certain point of effort the incremental improvement gets smaller and smaller.

Instead of putting all of our effort in being the best at something, forsaking all else, we should strive for better. Not perfect.

And in that path, looking to better ourselves, we can some measure of perfection within our own imperfections.

We are not perfect, but as long as we strive to better ourselves, then life gets better.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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Message of the Day - Size and Clarity (Less is Not Always More)

2011-07-07T19:12:00.001-07:00

Good Morning,

I have been called long winded in my messages, and on some level that is true (unless you are considering my speaking, in which case, that is definitely true). That is, until I came across an interesting fact about the world’s longest sentence in English.

William Faulkner in his work “Absalom Absalom” has a sentence which is a measly 1,287 words. Some other works like James Joyce’s Ulysses has a sentence with some 12,931 words. And others list even more words in a single sentence. Luckily I could not actually find these sentences on the web, or I might have been tempted to copy them here to show my messages are shorter….

The shortest sentence, in comparison is one (1) word, for example “Really?” or “Yes!”.

To the point:

Getting a message across using written or spoken language is almost always going to require the use of words. Sure there are gurgles and burps which convey a treasure trove of information, but the sentence is often the tool of choice when sharing information.

Shorter is better, and even shorter is even better, but if there is no clarity, then less is really not more.

In our drive to simplify and streamline, we need to make sure that we do not lose our message in the process.

One tool that I have been using to help reduce the size of my communications (yes, I have been trying) is twitter sized messages.

Using the website www.ping.fm, I have been sending out Learn and Grow Daily Tips of the day which are 140 characters or less. These usually entail messages that are too short for messages of the day, and can be stated in a few short sentences. When I craft them, I am forced to edit and reduce my verbiage to provide a short clear statement.

I believe that this has been helpful in increasing my message clarity while also reducing word count.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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Message of the Day - If leaders plan on keeping their people in the dark, how to they expect their people to see?

2011-07-04T17:56:00.001-07:00

Good Morning,

In my current read “Simple Church” by Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger (http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Church-Returning-Process-Disciples/dp/0805447997/) one of the points of the book covers clarity. Clarity in mission as well as clarity in process and clarity in execution. The other three points are Movement, Alignment and Focus.

One of the key points of clarity is that it is better to understand, but not necessarily agree with, the mission, than people who are committed to it, but do not understand it.

Why?

Without understanding, people try to find the reasons why. And where to they find the understanding if they don’t have it? One would hope from the leadership team, but that is sadly not always the case. Worse yet, when people cannot find the understanding for the mission, they sometimes just make it up, often with justifications of why they are doing what they are doing..

That may not sound like a problem, but wait. When people are creating their own understanding of why the company is on some sort of mission, they often come up with a different understanding than other team members.

What happens when you have a room full of people who all have different understandings of why something is the way it is?

In a word… chaos.

For the leaders of that team, welcome to ‘herding cats’.

If leaders plan on keeping their people in the dark, how to they expect their people to see?

By sharing the reasons why a company, a team, an organization is taking on a mission, or starting some sort of project, the team can get behind it with the SAME understanding. They may not like it, or agree with it, but they will understand it.

With the same understanding (Clarity) across the team, group or organization, work gets done (Movement), that is in (Alignment) with the mission and the overall organization is (Focused) on the same goals and results.

Looking at it from the front lines; if you were to ask an average team member why are they working on some project, don’t you think that having that person KNOW why, would help them do a better job?

Unfortunately, that is not the case. The norm is that we are told what to do, and expected to do it. Maybe somewhere down the line we are shared a reason why we did what we did, but our efforts to get the job done were often disjointed. You know, with the folks who have no clue why they do what the do just doing the needful for no other reason they were told. In this scenario, there is often a need for course corrections, coaching, retraining and motivation to get the cats all going in the same direction.

It might just be simpler, and more beneficial to just share why.

Give Clarity to why a project is needed, and repeat that same message as needed (and it will be needed) and the results could be amazing.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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Message of the Day - Pictures of Life or Life in Pictures

2011-06-29T17:34:00.000-07:00

Good Morning,

Earlier this evening I saw a McDonalds commercial where Ronald McDonald was carrying around a large picture frame as he walked around town. In each case you could see people, animals, houses, and all sorts of other things within the picture frame as Ronald held it up.

When I saw it and how even though we were just looking at people, animals or things through the empty picture frame, something special resonated. That each moment in our lives is, in effect, a snapshot of our lives.

Pictures mean so much to us.

As we take pictures to keep moments alive in our memories, this commercial showed that the special memories we look to keep are not just the ‘Kodak moments’, but every moment of our lives. That we don’t have to be going through downtown Rome or London, that we could be walking down our own streets or at our local grocery.

That our lives are wondrous and full of amazement and joy in all that we do and encounter. That the mundane is often more than just that if we let it be. We can find joy right besides us.

That even when there are bad times, life is full of good even within the bad, and that often just down the road, there are even more wonders awaiting us.

If we wait for those picture perfect moments in our lives, then we can miss out in the everyday moments which can be just as amazing.

When we wait for perfect, we often miss a lot of the good enough.

Look at each moment of life as a snapshot, and while it may not be stored on a hard drive, photo album or on the web, that it still can be and should be treasured.

Today, I saw my wife, Karen, and I trimming some trees after dinner this evening with our dogs outside with us bounding around the yard. It was a good moment, a special moment. It is a picture that puts a smile on my face, it’s a picture worthy of a frame.

What pictures are you going to look at? You know they are right there waiting for you to admire them.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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