Message of the Day - The Statistics Trap

Good Morning,

My current read is "Crush It!: Why Now is the Time to Cash in on Your
Passion" by Gary Vay.ner.chuck
(http://garyvaynerchuk.com/post/107300929/crush-it-why-now-is-the-time-to-ca
sh-in-on-your) which was recommended to me by Noah St. John, author of the
"Secret Code of Success". This book is full of energy and very down to
earth and simple ideas on how to turn your passions into a personal brand
and turn that into a profitable enterprise. The road to success is a road
full of hard work and passion, Gary makes no bones about putting in a lot of
time and effort into building you and your brand, but the roadmap is very
easy to follow.

I am eagerly looking to put this new information to work for me. You can now
follow me on Twitter, see my signature line.

One point which hit home was getting caught in a trap of following
statistics based on the numbers and findings (Gary was talking about using
web statistics to make decisions on running your business). When we measure
the productivity of anything, we often use statistics to guide how we move
forward and plan for the next move or how to react to a situation which
arises.

Statistics are often our friends and they do not lie. Unfortunately,
statistics also can be misleading and if interpreted incorrectly, can lead
us down the wrong path.

So how do we know if the stats are misleading?

Use the old gut check. What does your gut tell you about the situation?
Often our gut feeling or intuition will be more accurate to the situation at
hand then any statistics. Our gut feelings are based on years of experience.

Here's an example, I led a team of technical/software support agents. They
were able to handle 10% of the calls their received, 90% needed to be routed
software companies and other specialists. Statistically, it made sense to
focus their skills and training on the 90% of the calls they could not
handle and build better processes for them (i.e., run the team as a 'catch
and dispatch' group). My gut said don't do it, to 'focus on the 10%, and
make it more'. I directed my team to reach out to those we normally simply
routed call to and learn from them and document it. Then share the
information with each other. After eighteen months, the team could handle
over 50% of their calls and even more important, they added a lot of value
to the company and the customers. Most of my team members then went on into
management due to what they learned on my team.

Before you all go off and toss out your statistical management, realize that
in many cases the numbers do not give an accurate account of what is going
on, rather they give clues, but not the whole picture. There is often more
at play, and that is where the gut check will help out.

Numbers are good, but so are our gut feelings. Let's work them together to
do our best.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net
http://learnandgrowdaily.com ←-Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
NEW → http://twitter.com/sberenberg <---- NEW
502-533-9336

Message of the Day - Looking for the Instant Cure

Good Morning,

I did not have a message for you today, and while trying to fall asleep
after a rather chaotic and trying day, a thought popped into my head. The
thought expanded into a message. possibly even a good message!

So as I lied there thinking through the message I started wondering if I
would remember the message when I woke up tomorrow morning. Since you are
receiving this message Thursday morning, I realized I most likely would have
forgotten it and deprived us all of this wisdom, or I would have been upset
at myself for being lazy, or both.

In reviewing Facebook updates this evening, I noticed several people are
under the weather and looking for quick cures for their colds and other
ills. This made me think about how we often look for an instant cure to our
daily troubles. Kind of like how some people play the lottery or PowerBall
as an instant cure for their financial woes.

And why shouldn't people look for instant cures? Our society is full of
instant gratification on so many different levels. We can download songs and
movies instead of having to go to the store and buy them or worse order
them. We can get information at the touch of our fingers to a keyboard while
surfing the web.

But we lose something along with these instant cures. We lose the journey to
the cure.

It is the journey to the resolution where most of the wisdom is gained. It
is seeing the progression of fixing our problems where we have the
experiences which give us the 'aha' moments.

Without the journey, there is little to be learned. We end up much in the
same state as we are when we look for the instant cure.

With the journey, we have knowledge on how to get the cure or solution and
the need for it is lessoned because we know how to get it.

With enough journeys through life, we become able to face most challenges
without fear or trepidation because we have the knowledge gained through
those journeys.

Next time you find yourself looking for a quick fix, maybe stop a moment and
look forward to the journey of discovery awaiting you as work through your
challenges rather then clicking a mouse button to resolve mindlessly.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net
http://learnandgrowdaily.com ←-Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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

Message of the Day - Dare to Be Uncommon

Good Morning,

My current read is Coach Tony Dungy's second book 'Uncommon: Finding Your
Significance' with co-author Nathan Whitaker
(http://www.amazon.com/Uncommon-Finding-Your-Path-Significance/dp/1414326815
). Like his first book, 'Quiet Strength', this one is also engaging and
inspiring. The theme of the book is to do the hard work and avoid short
cuts, while being humble, honest and dedicated to be the best you can be.
That these traits are, in today's world, uncommon.

Coach Dungy's message for us is more of a plea for everyone, especially
young men, to do what is right and step-up to be the best they can be for
themselves, their families, friends, community and God.

One section of the book that stuck with me was on respect.

We need to be respectful of others, but also realize that others may not be
respectful to us. In those times when we are disrespected, we may not be
able to control or change what is being said or done to us, but we can
control our reaction to these times. It can be tough to be under verbal
attack and not attack back.

That no matter what happens in bad times when we are stressed, or made angry
by those who have hurt us, we can chose how we respond and do so in a way
that we can be proud of.

All too often, in the heat of the moment we tend to say or do things which
will have long lasting negative effects on us and in our lives. With the
internet, that much is even worse as 'Google Never Forgets'. What gets out
on the web stays out on the web… forever.

If we work to control our anger and frustrations so that when get into those
funks or bad times, that we can look back at our reactions and be proud of
ourselves on what we did, or sometimes more importantly, what we did not say
or do.

We can change ourselves to be more uncommon like Coach Dungy says, by bring
respectful of others, even when we do not feel they deserve it or worse, if
they are hurting us. As we do the right thing over and over again, it will
become part of who we are. And wouldn't you like to be known as a person
who is always able to look back at how you acted and what you said and not
lose sleep?

There are so many other good messages in this book. I originally took it out
from the library, but ended up buying it I liked it so much.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net
http://learnandgrowdaily.com ←-Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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

Message of the Day - Machiavelli, it has been fun, but I really have to go

Good Morning,

I used to be enamored with Machiavelli and his belief that 'The Ends
Justify the Means'. It had been a force in my life and the reason and
justification for many of my actions. Worse than that, I used to question
others who did not believe in the same way. I wondered 'if this is what you
want' then why do you care how it is achieved.

Being Machiavellian has its benefits in getting a lot of things done, faster
and more efficiently, but has the draw back of eating away at your
conscience and sometimes a trail of destruction.

The more I pushed to get my goals accomplished, the more my conscience
started eating at me. Over the last three or four years, when I became a
Christian, I started changing my focus from the goal to a larger picture of
the journey to the goal as well as achieving the goal itself.

Where before I felt accomplishment with achieving goal after goal, I felt
little to nothing except a growing guilt in the ways I did things. Now,
please don't get me wrong, I was not breaking the law; rather I filtered
out the consideration of others and just got the job done, kind of like
straight-line thinking (get from A to B, there is nothing in between that
matters). That is, I tended to upset a lot of people.

Now, while taking the full picture into view, I find that I enjoy the
journey toward the goal as much as if not more than the goal itself. How I
do things, then does matter. If the journey is not worth it, then the goal
should not be either.

The ends then only justify the means if the means take into account doing
what is right and fair and honest.

My productivity has actually improved with this new approach and my personal
satisfaction has as well. I am taking more time and consideration in my
efforts, but I spend far less time dealing with my conscience and I have
many less people who get upset with what I do and how I do it.

So, I say to Machiavelli, thanks, but no thanks.

I'd rather savor and enjoy the journey, knowing that it will make achieving
my goals that more rewarding and enjoyable!

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net
http://learnandgrowdaily.com ←-Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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

Message of the Day - The Power of 'Being There'

Good Morning,

Life with our Bull Terrier, 'Bo' keeps us on our toes. Bo has been
spending more and more time inside our home, but being a puppy at heart, he
is not ready to be left inside overnight or during the days. As the nights
get colder, we needed someplace for Bo to sleep other than the largest crate
we could find. We just could not justify having him sleep in a box just big
enough for him to turn around in. So, off to Home Depot I went for some
shelving units and a dog kennel. My Dad has two in his basement, so I
decided to borrow that idea.

At the Home Depot, I found a Quick Kennel, advertising that you can assemble
it in 30 minutes! (If you have 3 people, maybe, but I was alone, so it took
me 90 minutes). The box had several large labels saying 163 pounds or 167
pounds, etc. I guess the box either gained or lost weight. Anyway, it was
too big for me to carry or to strap to the top of my car. I could hear the
mental messages of my moon roof saying 'NOOOOOOOOO!' before it shattered
onto my head. So, I needed another plan.

A friend in my Bible study class who lives in my same development has a pick
up truck and told me to call anytime if I need anything, that he would be
there. So, I called him on my cell and within 20 minutes he was pulling into
the parking lot and we loaded the heavy box into the bed of the truck. Bo
now has a larger overnight home.

Having someone there when you need them is a wonderful feeling. It is more
than being connected. It is an enlargement of your being. Like family and
close friends, when we are there for others, we help improve the lives of
these people as they improve our lives. We are connected!

Most of us do not really think about it, we just come when we are asked, and
have others who come to help us when we ask. All we have to do to appreciate
these blessings is no have them for little while and we can see how hard of
a time we would have.

And when we meet others who do not have those 'there' for them, maybe we
could those people from time to time. Maybe someone lost a loved one, or
their children moved out and they don't have that person nearby anymore.
What would it cost us to step up and be that person for these others every
now and then?

Go for it!

Thank you to all of you who have been there for me. To Kirk for reviewing my
presentation and giving me tips. To Howard for giving supportive feedback on
my work. To Jenny who is a constant reminder of what being positive is all
about. To my wife Karen who reminds me daily what it means to be loved. To
those I mentor, thank you for letting me help you. To those who respond to
my messages with memories and thoughts of your own, and positive feedback
for me, Thank you! And to all the rest of you who are there for me and the
others you are there for, a big hearty Thank you!

Thank you!

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net
http://learnandgrowdaily.com ←-Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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

Message of the Day - Supercharge your Leadership & Management Skills

Good Morning,

In finishing 'Love & Profit: The Art of Caring Leadership' by James A. Autry, his final sections were reflections of decades of leadership. This one point jumped out at me. It is easier to manage when you have authority and what you say goes. It is harder to manage when those who work with you do not work FOR you; for example, in a volunteer organization.

If you can build up a good rapport and strong team in an environment where people are there because they want to be there, rather than being there because of a paycheck or benefits, then you are showing greater leadership and management skills.

Sometimes we misunderstand our performance as leader or manager when our staff follows our every order. That is their job. Their doing it may not be out of their joy in following us. It may be out of a desire to be compensated.

I remember years ago when the company I worked for had a large list of system enhancements which was updated nearly every day. New ideas would be prioritized and added and others bumped on a weekly or monthly basis. I noticed that new ideas would come by the CEO's desk and he would immediately suggest adding them to the list and bumping other items which could have been sitting there for years. When I questioned the CEO on this, he did not seem to realize the impact of his actions. He said that since he was the CEO, that his desires may have a greater level of impact on decisions than other employees. I just sighed.

In a volunteer organization, being the boss would not always give that same level of authority. Leaders and managers would need to negotiate more with their fellow volunteers and get buy in, agreement and consensus on system enhancements. Only when the volunteers truly respected the leader would their influence and thus authority grow.

That is leaders in volunteer organizations cannot simply waive their title around and expect everyone to follow. They must earn respect, and gain influence first.

Getting that experience with volunteer organizations then can help us in our other jobs and endeavors, as we can lead with the influence and trust we cultivate in those we work with. That is, they follow because they want to, not because their paycheck is contingent on it.

If you want to lead where those who are to follow you do so because they want to, then join a volunteer organization and get experience navigating those waters.

Try it. Volunteer somewhere.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net
http://learnandgrowdaily.com ←-Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"
http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
502-533-9336

Message of the Day - Toss the Metaphors and Get to the Point

Good Morning,

My current read is "Love & Profit: The Art of Caring Leadership" by James
A. Autry
(http://www.amazon.com/Love-Profit-Art-Caring-Leadership/dp/0380717492).
This book, written in 1991, talks about the need to transition from
'command and control' leadership to a more hands-on caring leadership
style.

One section which caught my eye was on the use of familiar metaphors which
served little or no purpose to someone who did not understand them. Leaders
or managers would dig into their personal lives and personal interests and
pull out quotes from those interests to help motivate their staff and teams.

The challenge with using favorite metaphors is that not everyone will know
what you are saying. Remember my message on different acronyms and idioms
found in all different industries and how these words and abbreviations
breed confusion. It is similar here.

If we are a football fan, we say things like 'do an inside charge' or 'go
long' or 'throw a Hail Mary', etc. When we want to encourage someone, we
can tell them to 'grab the bull by the horns' or in other words, 'slam
it'. In the end, what we are trying to convey is to 'roll up our sleeves'
and 'dive into the problem' and ultimately 'have at it'.

It can get so confusing from all the different metaphors from all the
different genres and that is not the worst of it.

We love reciting lines from our favorite TV shows. Something catchy is said
in a show and next thing you know, it part of our culture. Some of the more
famous lines are from shows like 'Seinfeld' like 'Yada yada yada.'
Another classis is 'It ain't over until the fat lady sings' coined by Dan
Cook, NBA sportscaster, said it over the airwaves in 1978.

Why do we say them?

Its fun and WE know what they mean when we say them.

The challenge is that our audience may give us the eye's glazed over look
as the witty metaphor sails over their head and down the street.

The solution, according to James Autry, is say what you mean. Use your own
words.

Less fun, yes, more easily understood? Absolutely!

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net
http://learnandgrowdaily.com ←-Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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