October 2007

Pull Up a Bean Bag Chair                                                October 2007

I stepped back and looked at myself in the mirror just before I left the house. There I was. A giant afro, white platform shoes and a big white belt to match, and plaid polyester pants and shirt that were ready to burst into flames at the hint of a match. I slipped on my gold chain and blue-shaded John Lennon glasses, and out the door I went.

My wife and I had been invited to a 70s Bunco Party where guests were asked to wear their favorite 70s garb. We had never played Bunco before, but we figured we could learn. As for the 70s garb, we were still being dressed by our parents throughout much of the 1970s, so we didn't have anything tucked away in the back of the closet. But if you lived in the 70s, you can never forget how bad the clothing styles were back then. Actually, there may be some of you who lived in the 70s but don't seem to be able to remember much from that decade, but that's a whole different conversation!

Although I don't have clothes from the 70s (the pictures will prove that I just may have been the most ridiculous-looking man in that decade had I been dressing myself), I certainly have many memories growing up in that decade. The Vietnam War was still going on. Richard Nixon resigned the presidency after the Watergate scandal. The oil embargo resulted in long gas lines. The country suffered through double-digit inflation during the late 70s.

Like any decade, tough times were endured. But in the middle of the tough times were some great lessons. As I enjoyed my trip back to the 70s, I was reminded of several things I learned as a kid growing up surrounded by bell bottoms and leisure suits. So pull up your bean bag chair and pop open a can of Tab while I share some of the lessons I learned from the 70s, including

:

We're not always going to win

I played baseball as a little boy. Every year my mother would take me to Little League registration, and an army of kids would try out for a handful of teams. Some made it, some didn't. Those that didn't make it got in the Good Times van and went home to practice in hopes of making it the next year, or they focused on a different sport that was better suited for them. For those of us who made the Little League teams, we played each other. We kept score, and at the end of the game we knew who won and lost. At the end of the year, the winners got trophies. If we won, we learned that hard work was rewarded. If we lost, we dealt with the disappointment. In the end, we learned valuable lessons that have helped us in society today.

Life is about relationships

If we weren't playing baseball, we were outside doing something. We'd throw a football in the street until enough kids came outside to make two teams. We'd go jump in the neighborhood pool and hang out with our buddies. We'd fight with our friends one day, and walk to school together the next. We'd play basketball in the driveway until we couldn't see the rim. Unbeknownst to us, we were learning social skills that would help us communicate with people today. We thought we were just being kids, but in the process we were learning things that would help us as adults. In essence, we were learning that life is about relationships.

We can survive without technology

Technology has changed the world forever. We have information available at our fingertips with the Internet. We can produce a newsletter online and send it around the world to over 4,000 people with the click of a button. We have numerous gadgets to entertain us. We have hundreds of channels to consider when we sit down in the evening. We have on-demand communication with a PDA or cell phone attached to every hip. While some people will argue that technological advances have made life better, some will argue that it's made life worse. Regardless, we can look back to the 70s and remember that we did just fine without the technology. In fact, in many ways, life was a lot simpler without it.

Whether we're dressing up to remember a time long ago or sitting around reminiscing about the way things were "when we were young", it's always interesting to note that we can always pull out the lessons from those times (regardless of how bad we thought they were at the time). In fact, sometimes we have to be removed from the lessons long enough before we can see them as lessons. So now that I've learned from the 70s, I'm going to move on to the 80s. But before I do, I've got to flip on this black light and finish my game of Pong. I have the high score!

Here's to the next lesson. God bless!

Enthusiastically, 

Clint Swindall - President & CEO

*Book Review

Playing for Pizza, by John Grisham

Here's what I've been reading lately ...

I've spent a lot of time on airplanes over the past two months, and aside from the normal work routine on those planes, I've read some good business books. But on one particular day I needed something entertaining, and it happened to be the day John Grisham's new book Playing for Pizza released.

Now, if you're a fan of Grisham, you know that his ability to write a great legal thriller is what made him famous. The pre-release reviews (and the jacket cover) indicated this book was going to be different, so I thought I'd give it a try.

The book tells the story of a third-string quarterback who becomes the biggest goat in NFL history by losing a game that would have sent his team to the Super Bowl. After being run out of town (and shunned by every team in the NFL), he is forced to take the only job his agent can find --- starting quarterback for the Parma Panthers, a team in the Italian Football League. He spends his time getting to know the culture and foods of Italy. Perhaps most importantly he gets to know fellow players who play football simply for the love of the game --- and for pizza.

If you're looking for the typical Grisham thriller, you won't find it here. But if you're looking for a quick, interesting read that explains what someone goes through to fit into a completely different culture, then you'll enjoy this book.

To purchase it online, visit Amazon.com.

* Raise a Glass

A reason to celebrate

This month I'd like to raise a glass to those of you who have helped make my first book, Engaged Leadership, a success. The book has been out only four months, and it's already in its second printing. My publisher is happy, and that's always nice. But most importantly, we're getting feedback every week from people who have read the book and are making changes in the way they're dealing with their disengaged employees. Sales are nice, but the satisfaction of knowing that the book is making a difference far exceeds any sales report. And for that, we raise a glass!

*Quotes

Inspirational thoughts

"We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future."
- George Bernard Shaw

"The past is malleable and flexible, changing as our recollection interprets and re-explains what has happened."
- P.L. Berger

"Recollection is the only paradise from which we cannot be turned out."
- Jean Paul Richter

*Question to Ponder

Some time to think

Technology was going to make life easier. In fact, technological advances would help us communicate faster, improve efficiency, reduce paperwork, and give us more free time. It certainly has allowed us to communicate faster, although in many ways that has made our life harder, not easier. I suppose it has made us more efficient. As for reduction in paperwork, take a quick glance at your desk and decide that for yourself. And how about all that free time? I saw a study years ago that predicted all this technology would allow for two additional hours of free time a day. How are you using your "extra" two hours?

Technology has been great, but in many ways it has made life more hectic. It may allow us to save time on one project, but that doesn't mean the time saved doesn't get assigned to another task. If used properly, technology can (and should) make life more enjoyable and provide for extra time. So that is my question for you to ponder until next time. At the end of each day, I want you to ask yourself that one simple question ... how can I use technology today to create real free time and not just time for additional tasks?