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My tech guy warned me this would happen when my website changed. Actually, his words were “The migration has limited cache to restore previously stored cookies at the desktop level from the new domain name.” And then I think he criticized my bandwidth. We haven’t spoken since.

In reality, my web designer built me a cool new set up. Let me know what you think. I’m looking for feedback as we work to finalize things.

Thanks!

P.S. Feel free to share this link with others!

It’s an honor for me to share a stage with this man, so of course I jumped at the opportunity. As an added bonus for me, it coincides with the launch of my new book, “Firsthand Lessons, Secondhand Dogs.” I was so grateful for the timing of his event and my book launch, that I asked Sam if in lieu of compensation for speaking I could give away the link for the live simulcast for nothing. Sam graciously agreed. And if you check out a live clip of him speaking on the links above, I know you are going to want to be part of it!

Here are some details:

Event Date: Thursday, May 6th
Time: 9:00 -11:45am CST ; 10:00am EST; 7:00am PST

Then all you have to do is go to join the simulcast is click this link: www.everythingattitude.com/simulcast/. Once the event is live, the video will start playing on your computer screen.

I hope to “see” you there!

After doing some verbal digging with the neighbors, we learned from a 90 year-old that this was the site of two graves she remembered from her childhood. When she was little, she stumbled across the tombstones, and, after that, none of the children in the neighborhood would walk near this area. It was considered spooked and haunted.

The grave marker is from the 1870s. During that time, it was very common for loved ones to be buried on the homestead instead of at the church graveyard. So this little find has fueled speculation:

• Is this an actual grave site? Or did someone move the stone here at some later date?
• Is there a second stone nearby? Or is this the only one?
• Is this why I feel spooked all of the time? Oh, wait. No, it’s because I have cats.

The local library and internet shared a wealth of information about the geography of the land at the time, land ownership records, and even some photos. But what’s lacking is a name, an eye-witness, or a pile of bones.

Some leaders think they resolve problems, when all they are really doing is removing them from sight. The problems remain…just beneath the surface. Perhaps they will stay buried for a long time, only to be discovered later by others.

Years ago, I was talking to an IT consultant during a long flight. His expertise was in software installation into the existing systems of clients. My organization had just installed some plug-n-play program, but we had terrible problems with its reliability. Any change we made to our system would cause the new product to crash. So I asked him about his product and his experience with things like this. Is that common? How do you ensure system stability if other things change in the environment?

His response: “It’s common. But I don’t ensure anything. My job is to make sure that it’s up and running after the installation. If they have problems with it afterward, they need to have their own IT people figure out how to make changes within their system without bringing the whole thing down.”

I wasn’t surprised that his company was bought out during that year. It seems they had a good product in concept, but their philosophy of customer service and problem ownership led them to be bought out by an organization that had its act together.

Let’s say your job is to clean up after horses. Would you expect a bonus for throwing crap from one stall over the wall into the next one? You haven’t removed the crap; you just moved it. And it won’t be long before you see it and smell it again. Or maybe you’re hoping you’ll be gone before it ‘s discovered by someone else.

Nothing stays buried forever.

When you leave your current position, what will others remember about you?

Did you resolve problems? Or did you leave them hidden for someone else to find?

I sat outside for a while watching my neighbor conduct a rite of passage with his daughter. He was teaching the 7-year-old to ride a bike. Only a few short years ago that was me holding on to the back of the bike while my son or daughter did their best to resist the gravitational force of every tree near the sidewalk.

Teaching is a beautiful thing…when it’s intentional. But most teaching that we do takes place accidentally.

At home, parents spend 18 years conducting intentional teaching to their kids about the basics:

• Chew with your mouth closed
• Pick up after yourself
• Shut off the lights once you leave the room
• Don’t curse

Of course, none of this learning takes if the parents model eating and living like a slob, leaving the lights on in every room, and cursing like…like someone who curses a lot.

Likewise, bosses spend time intentionally teaching the corporate handbook to new employees:

• Never fudge on your expense report
• You owe the company for the 40 hours of pay you receive
• Remember one of the core corporate values is “mutual respect”
• The tools provided to you are for work and not to be used for personal use

This is most effective if the boss doesn’t brag about putting personal taxi fares on his expense report. And doesn’t come in late and leave early nearly every day. And doesn’t refer to the females in the office as “chicks” and “honeys.” And he doesn’t forward email attachments containing offensive materials.

Never stop teaching others with intentionality. Some of it will take. But think about what your actions are telling others. The example of your behavior drowns out any training session you might have planned.

What do you want to teach others this week?

How are you going to model the lessons for others?

Unfortunately, that was not to be my last visit. I have had 3 more opportunities to experience the hospitality of that hospital since that time. And I have to say that the service and attention I got last month was not a fluke. They are an efficient machine, yet their efficiency includes compassion and personalized care.

What a kidney stone feels like...

Two things can explain why this hospital works so well when others find themselves in the news for incompetence. The first explanation is that maybe the hospital administrators flagged me as a VIP since I wrote a very complimentary blog about them. That would explain why I’m treated like family when I show up there. I mean, I’m going into the ER for pain management around some kidney stones. It’s not like I’m dying. At least, I hope that’s not why they are being so nice to me. Okay, there are three possible explanations. The second is that I AM DYING. They have a be-nice-to-dying-people policy. That could explain why I get great treatment.

Or, there’s the third option: Edward Hospital has got it figured out. They hire people who want to work there. They hire people who love people, love helping others. The administration knows how to engage the staff so that everyone brings their A-game to work every day. They create an environment where the hospital personnel are part of a team, and once on that team, each member knows his role and executes it flawlessly. And they know how to replicate this service experience around the clock. They have a second and third shift, but there is no second string on their team.

Having worked for years on the health insurance side of the business, I have a new appreciation for the role that networks, providers, and hospitals play in the overall perception of health care value. In a day when consumerism in health care is on the rise, Edward is ahead of the curve. Short of sending me home with my own morphine drip or removing all of my plumbing, Edward excels in customer-centric care.

Treat people quickly, compassionately, and consistently on each encounter, and consumers will beat a path to your door, regardless of your industry.

The Evil One

I call my cat the Evil One. He earned this name because of his obsession with shiny things. Just like the dog in the movie “Up” who was distracted by squirrels, the Evil One is unable to ignore things that gleam. This morning he pounced on my chest and bit the chain that hangs around my neck.

I’ve worked with people who were just like that, too. They were attracted to projects, assignments and people that looked shiny, sucked into the assumption that all that glitters is gold. Wanting to be associated with anything that might bring them glory, these people position themselves to be in play whenever a golden opportunity presents itself. In soccer, we call them “cherry pickers,” the lazy offensive players who hover around the opponent’s goal in hopes of securing an easy score. Instead of working for the team, these players want to make a name for themselves.

You see these people in the office all of the time. They never seem to have enough work to do. Why? They keep their loads light in the event that something sexy comes along. When something BIG comes along, they pounce on that opportunity like the Evil One launching himself at a dime that sits on the floor.

What can you do? Do your job. Those who seek the spotlight are often caught with their pants down because they haven’t developed the resilience, competence or networks to do more than posture. You don’t need to wish them to fail. Failure will come to them eventually. Like the tortoise and the hare, the one with the ability to plug faithfully along in big tasks and small ones will win out in the end.

Don’t be sucked in to seeking the spotlight. For years I watched those seekers-of-the-shiny pursue high visibility projects. And fail dramatically. The problem with the spotlight is that it shows every flaw like High Definition on acne scars. Those with talent and skills can hold up under such scrutiny; those with more bravado than competence end up looking foolish.

Do your job. Be faithful in the little things you do each day. Elevate your competence and hone your abilities so when the spotlight finds you, you are ready.

Truth in advertising

I went to Staples where I was greeted by the ever-present, cheerful smile of Sherry. I don’t know what possessed me, but when I was leaving, I turned back to Sherry and said, “You know, Office Max, Office Depot, and Best Buy are just as close to my house, and they have lower prices on most things. But I want you to know that the reason I come  here is because of you. You are always so friendly and cheerful that you give me a boost when I see you. I can’t even find employees in those other stores who will be rude to me…”

I know what you’re thinking. And, no, I wasn’t hitting on Sherry. I meant every word I said.

Fast-forward 3 weeks. My parents had called me several times to complain about the new phones. They were crap. I thought they were just having a hard time with change…until I realized that my new phones were dropping calls, made me sound like I was under water, and beeped for no apparent reason. (Side note: AT&T cordless phones are to be avoided…unless perhaps I purchased the only two lemons they ever produced).

After the purchase, though, having no reason to think that I had purchased crap, I installed and charged the new phones, threw away all of the packaging, and pitched the receipt. And now I was left with a pile of AT&T hardware and my honest face to try to get some help from Staples…

Fortunately, Staples has an EASY button. They are also known for the ease in which they handle customers like me.

I entered the store with a plastic bag full of defective products. I told Joe, the store manager, my tale of woe. Within 10 minutes, he pointed me in the direction of a different brand of phone, swapped it out for the old one, and I was on my way. Oh, and he made pleasant conversation with me, too. He listened, met my needs with a solution, and gave me no hassle whatsoever.

Just that easy.

Hassle-free customer service is promised by a lot of businesses. And if you never have an opportunity to test that promise, you just assume that it is in place. But the last time I tried to return something at a “superstore”, they needed packaging and receipts, and then they had me fill out 10 minutes of paperwork. And the end result was an in-store credit!

Staples isn’t the only store in town. But with a great manager like Joe, a friendly, sweet associate like Sherry, and more than empty promises to back up guarantees, my money will stay with Staples. I did a quick check on my credit card and found that I have spent over $1000 at this store over the last 9 months. That amount will be increasing in the future, and I will be spending less with their competition. Products are commodities. I can get products anywhere. For my money, I am willing to pay for service.

What business has given you exceptional service?

A few days after one of these weekend blizzards, I ran into my pastor outside a hardware store. As I was loading my purchase into my Jeep, he said “I haven’t seen you in church for a while.” I explained the freak phenomenon of the weekend storms.

When I finished, he smiled and asked, “How does your Jeep drive through deep snow?” I told him it was very sure-footed, but It’s brand new. I’d hate to see it get dinged up.

He smiled again and asked,

“Do you own the Jeep, or does the Jeep own you?”

I treated my Jeep like a baby, and I allowed it to own me and change my behavior in a way that was unacceptable. I lived on a gravel road, and I would find myself coasting out of fear of kicking up a rock and marring the finish. When I drove off-road, I would stop to cut back branches of trees that might scratch the paint…even though the Jeep had a brush guard installed for stomping through trees.

A couple of weeks later, I traded in the Jeep for a used Ford F-150 pick up truck and an all-wheel drive Honda Civic wagon. After that, I wasn’t afraid to blast through snow or smash through brush. Someone else had already broken in my “new” vehicles, and all I had to do was enjoy them.

What owns you?

It’s just like a little pebble in your shoe. Did you ever wonder, “How can something so small be so annoying and painful?”

A stone in the kidney doesn’t hurt. It hurts when it starts to move toward the light. A pebble in your shoe is painless….until you put the shoe on and walk around with it for a while.

Sometimes we acquire little things in our lives because we think they will make us happy. And they might bring us a little joy for a time. But once those things start to take on a life of their own, they can start to hold us back. Like a cigarette that becomes an addiction. Like a fixer-upper that requires more time or money than you could have imagined. Like a high-end car that spends more time in the shop than with us behind its wheels. Like the latest and greatest techno tool that has more bugs than Upper Michigan in summer.

• Do you have a pebble or stone  in your life that is causing you grief?
• Do you continue to hold onto it once it has become a destructive force and not a constructive one?
• Do you know you have the power to take the pebble out of your shoe?
• Do you know how much better you’ll feel once it’s gone?

What pebble are you walking around with in your life?

What’s it going to take for you to get rid of it?

It is incumbent on us all to sow the seeds of learning so that other generations may reap the results.

That stuck with me for a couple of reasons. First, I had to look up the definition of incumbent. Second, I needed to find out if it was too late to drop the class.

Looking at the tree near my front porch last night, I think I’m starting to understand what he meant. Wherever I look, plants are blooming. Things that had been left for dead since last Fall have started to spring to life. The brown, dried up plants in my flower bed have shaken loose the decay from last season, and shoots of green crown their heads. Even the evergreens on my property shed pine cones or sprout new growth on their tips.

The only way to tell if a plant is dead is to watch it. If it goes a year without changing, you might have a dead plant on your hands. A tree in my backyard is lifeless. The bark looks rotten, several branches cracked off during the winter, and nothing grows from it.

Life is growth. Death is atrophy. Not much in between. When we are growing, we laugh, we learn, we labor, and we LIVE. But as soon as we stop growing, we begin to atrophy and die.

The best way to keep growing is to keep learning. What have you learned recently? What have you helped someone else learn?