Jim Seybert's Fools Box

I prefer "Mr President"

2008-06-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

We've been watching DVDs of The West Wing, starting with the first season and rolling through.

I've been a huge fan for a couple of reasons:

1) It's just darn good TV - especially the first few seasons.

2) The story represents an ideal I know will never be reality, but one I nonetheless long for.

3) The show's liberal politics are right up my alley.

None of that has anything to do with something I learned during one of our recent weekend marathons.

The role of President Josh Bartlett is played by Martin Sheen, who does an excellent job adding dimension to the character. As you watch the interactivity of Bartlett with his staff you are struck by an odd mix of familiarity and formality.

The staff and the president talk personally and joke about many things, but no one EVER refers to the boss as anything other than Mr President. Not even his closest friends when they are in the President's private quarters.

At some point during the first season, the writers offer an explanation for this:

Sheen's character is met in the Oval Office by an old friend. It's obvious President Bartlett and this person go way back and that they're good friends.

During the conversation the friend turns to Bartlett and asks, "So, what do I call you here in this office?"

To which the president replies, "I prefer, Mr President. Not because I want the recognition but because I need the constant reminder that [all] this is not about me but about the office."

Question - Could we perhaps be too informal in our communication with colleagues and superiors in business?

Resting on one's title or position is a sure recipe for failure, but do we sometimes disrespect the office by being too informal? Hierarchy and org charts serve a purpose by letting people know where the buck stops and starts.

On The West Wing, having no doubt who's in charge gives everyone a sense of security and confidence they wouldn't have otherwise.

I can't wait 'til Monday

2008-06-14T00:13:00.000-07:00

I am going to the Post Office on Monday to ask them to explain a piece of mail I received today.

The package was a cardboard mailing envelope, that had been sent to me by a company in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I have no idea what was in the package when it was mailed from Grand Rapids, because when it arrived in my mailbox - it was affixed with a label which read:

RECEIVED IN DAMAGED CONDITION (without contents)

The envelope looks like it had been run over by something. Three of the four sides were torn completely apart - and there was nothing inside.

I have no idea who sent me the package, nor have I a clue as to what may have been inside. But I am nearly 100% certain the person mailing it took it to the Post Office in much better condition than what was delivered to me.

The sticker from the USPS sounds like they have no idea what happened to the package - but if it was given to them in one piece, shouldn't they be responsible for the damage? And for the lost content?

You'd think they would at the very least send the mailer a check for the postage. The sender paid the USPS to deliver the contents of the package to me. The PO failed in this and the sender shouldn't have to pay for services not rendered.

Flying into a hurricane

2008-05-30T05:35:00.001-07:00

I've used the term "into the eye of a hurricane" to metaphorically describe situations, but I can now say I've actually done it.

We flew into Managua yesterday on the back-end of Hurricane Alma. The flight from Miami was delayed until the storm passed and we scooted in right at the tail end. The flight wasn't all that rough, despite the ominous clouds all around. Could have been the three Mimosa cocktails I had to calm my nerves.

I'm sure there's a lesson or two from all this and once my head gets used to being here I'll start to process them. Perhaps something about the prudence of waiting for storms to pass before moving ahead - but that goes against my nature so we'll just have to wait and see where this leads.

The value of feedback

2008-05-21T07:34:00.001-07:00

I am working with two clients right now who desperately need and want to fire employees who are clearly not adding value to the equation.

Their dilemma is - they can't pull the trigger because they have failed to provide adequate feedback on the employee's performance.

It has been easier to ignore and "work around" issues but that expediency has led to situations where the employee will actually be shocked to hear they are being let go.

This is a far too common problem.

As difficult as regular performance reviews can be, they are certainly less painful than having to fire someone who does not see it coming.

If you are behind in your staff evaluations, stop what you are doing RIGHT NOW and schedule time to complete this critically important task.

Almost heaven

2008-05-16T04:03:00.000-07:00

In Nashville this week for some Ideation with a client's board of directors. Took a wrong turn and had to double-back on the freeway. The route took me past a DRIVE-THRU BaskinsRobbins ice cream store.

Oh My Goodness - you CAN have your cake AND eat it, too. (Although in this case the cake is ice cream).

Now, if they would build a drive-thru cholesterol checking station, I'd never need to get out of my car.

Very glad this particular store is in Nashville, and that getting to it from my home requires a 4 hour flight. At least at home I have to get out of the car and WALK to the ice cream counter.

Conundrum

2008-05-15T05:47:00.000-07:00

I position myself as a consultant who can help companies think differently. I write and speak about breaking molds, moving away from and beyond whatever status quo you find yourself in.

So - how does someone who preaches the gospel of change build his own brand?

Brand building is all about consistency - how do I show consistency when I am all about change?

The minute I think I've arrived and begin to enjoy some awareness of my personal brand, I'm caught with the dilemma that I need to shake that box and move on to something else.

Amazing Story

2008-05-15T05:40:00.000-07:00

Reading Amazing Grace, the story of William Wilberforce, written by Eric Metaxas.

Two comments:

Wilberforce was an incredible individual - if I could have only half of his passion and dedication to a cause - wow.
Metaxas has a refreshing voice. His sentence structure is intelligent and slightly "old school" yet not stuffy or out-of-touch.

Good read.

Having adequate resources

2008-05-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

My daughter moved home from university yesterday.

Last time we did this was such a hassle because we had to cram everything into her car and mine. By the time we got the cars loaded, we were both exhausted and facing a 6 hour drive.

This year I found my brain and borrowed a pick-up truck from a friend.

What a difference it was to have the right capacity - we simply loaded the truck and took off.

How often do we try to get by with less than adequate resources?

Postal Logic

2008-05-09T17:36:00.001-07:00

Bought 100 "Forever Stamps" today -

They don't come in rolls, only in sheets of 20. Why?
The clerk told me the reason they were offering them was to "reduce the number of one-cent stamps we need to sell every time the rates go up."
The person in line behind me wasn't sure it was a good idea to buy so many "Forever Stamps" because she "wouldn't use them all before the rates went up."
I wish they had a greater variety of designs from which to chose. Of course, offering no choice does tend to speed things up a bit at the counter.
Are there people buying mega-quantities of these and holding them until postal rates catch up to gasoline?

Pothole repair and resistance to change

2008-05-08T21:19:00.000-07:00

There's a block long stretch of street near my house that has potholes large enough to have their own zip code. I drive the street 2 or 3 times a day and have learned to dodge the clunkers in a zig-zaggy way that reminds me of driving in Nicaragua.

Or I should say the street WAS pocked with potholes.

I noticed this afternoon that someone had filled in the craters with blacktop. The holes are gone and so is my need to weave between them while mentally composing a complaint letter to the City.

I actually miss the the stupid potholes. They had become such an integrated part of my life that I miss them now that they're gone. We are such creatures of habit that even when something we don't like is taken away, we long for its return.

Valiant Attempt Number Two (or Three)

2008-05-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

My last post was nearly seven months ago - in the gap I have finished the manuscript for my second hardback (more in a later post), published a comprehensive update for my Guide to the Christian Market from EPM Communications and penned half a dozen magazine articles.

With all that, the idea of writing a regular blog became less of a priority. I'm not sure if my abandonment of the blog was intentional, but I think my desire was to use the blog as a casual release for random thoughts and it was becoming more of a chore than a pleasure.

So, my renewed effort is going to be a lot less structured and predictable. I'll add a link here and there to connect readers with things they may find interesting but my intended audience for these entries is extremely narcissistic - I am writing this stuff for me.

If you happen along and enjoy reading over my shoulder, that's OK.

Virtual products??

2007-10-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

Cali Lewis at GeekBriefTV asked viewers of her podcast to share their favorite new product of 2007.

I suggested JOTT, but that raises the question:

Is JOTT a product?

Do products need to have physical dimension, or can a service be a product?

My first hardback book

2007-10-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

This is exciting.

My first hardback was released this past week by Tyndale House.

The One Year Mini for Leaders is 365 daily devotions on leadership.

The jacket says the book has "daily, thought-provoking insights" - I hope you agree.

For those following the promotion we ran in August - More than 2,500 people downloaded the entire content of the book and they will be receiving a follow-up email this week with links to various retail and online outlets.

Who wins the "PR Battle" in the Ahmadinejad visit?

2007-09-26T07:27:00.000-07:00

It's all about image.

Seems to me there have been a number of "wins" in the recent flap over the Iranian leader's visit to Columbia University.

NPR reports this morning that Ahmadinejad's comments have earned him bonus points in Iran. But those same comments earned him negative points among American listeners.

Among pure Free Speech advocates, Columbia wins for inviting Ahmadinejad, while the school loses among hard-line Truth advocates, who claim his speech was full of lies.

In any situation, you will win and lose image points. Each is merely one "play" in a game that goes on and on. The important thing to keep in mind is your over all brand promise - determine what you stand for and don't waver from that position.

Seems to me both Columbia and Ahmadinejad did just that.

I would be licking the glass

2007-09-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

Now this must be SOME incredible Scotch -

Tasting For $30,000 Scotch Garners Free Advertising

Two bottles of The Balvenie Cask 191--a single malt Scotch priced at $30,000 per bottle--arrived under Brinks guard at a Toronto liquor store yesterday as part of a publicity stunt. One media specialist valued it as the equivalent of $300,000 in advertising because of the free articles that would presumably be written.

To the palpable delight of organizers, about 25 reporters and drinks critics dutifully showed up with uncommon punctuality to partake of a tutored tasting of the single malt Scotch, led by kilt-clad Balvenie brand ambassador David Mair.

Not only did 25 reporters show up, they arrived ON TIME for the event. Lesson learned: Do something remarkable and people will show up.

Are we running out of ideas?

2007-09-15T12:21:00.001-07:00

I went to NextFest in Los Angeles yesterday and was bored.

This was a collection of the "next" ideas coming down the path and a majority of what was on display consisted of re-purposed existing ideas.

Miniature versions of bigger things;
Smoother running versions of existing machines;
Quieter, louder, brighter, softer;

But very little I would consider new and quite a bit of what I'd consider pointless.

There was a cool bio-engineering display about growing human body parts in labs, and a nifty machine that "prints" 3D objects on a small enough machine that in-home use could be imagined. But even these are not new ideas.

So, are we running out of ideas?

I don't want to think so, but if not, where are the really new things?

Perhaps NextFest should have been called the Almost Ready for Prime Time Fest and I should have been looking for the You Are Not Even Gonna Believe This Fest.

If stuffy old lawyers can change, you can too.

2007-09-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

When you need (or want) to bring about change you can do things differently or do different things

This very traditional Boston law firm is doing things differently.

What are you waiting for?

It's not easy being green

2007-09-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

From the WSJ through MediaPost

Hotels Struggle With The Meaning Of Green
As more hotels try to become more environmentally friendly--in part to satisfy customers who are demanding it--they find themselves cluttered with "green" products and hype--but without many reliable guideposts for what's effective.

So - when you travel, what can hotels you stay at do to support your green-ness? Is it enough to not change bed sheets and towels every morning? How much are you willing to give up to be green in a hotel?

I find that housekeeping will often ignore the towel I have draped over the shower rod and will replace it anyway with a fresh towel.

What will they think of next? No, really - what?

2007-09-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

Saw this piece about comic book episodes being delivered to cell phones and got to wondering, "OK, that's cool. What's next?"

It's like Disneyland - while you're still standing in line for one ride, you start asking, "When we finish this one, where are we going next?"

Thanks to MediaLife:

Now available via cell, the first mobile comic book
Reading a paper comic book is so last month. Just ask Sean Demory and Steven Sanders, authors of “Thunder Road,” the first comic book to be released exclusively on a cell phone in the U.S. It’s offered by uClick, which has about 55,000 readers a month for its GoComics service, launched last year on Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Sprint Nextel. Released last month, “Thunder Road” joins nearly a dozen traditional comic book titles including “Bone” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” being offered via subscription from $3.99 to $4.49 a month. New chapters or issues are uploaded for each title on a weekly basis by the comic’s site. Japanese comics known as manga, some of which got their start on cell phones, can be read on mobile phones through a separate service.

Freeing up disc space

2007-09-03T07:12:00.000-07:00

I am a disc space fanatic - always looking for ways to reduce the amount of stuff on my drives. Must go back to that very first x386 machine with a 20MB hard drive and 2K memory.

Cali Lewis, the gadget maven, has a few tips on great "clean up" tools for Mac and PC users.

Book Promotion Update

2007-08-30T17:38:00.000-07:00

Looks like we're going to end up with more than 2,500 downloads of the PDF when the promotion ends sometime in the wee hours of September 1.

I've tracked dozens of blogs and websites that mention the promotion, and my StatCounter logs indicate we got a significant amount of sneezing, which helped spread the virus even further.

Now, we lay low for about 6 weeks until we're certain the book has arrived at retail and then send a reminder to buy a copy at selected outlets.

Of course, the final reckoning will be how many we SELL, but the promotion has exceeded everyone's expectations and just proves that some of the crazy ideas we've all been talking about actually work.

The scent of a chicken

2007-08-29T06:36:00.000-07:00

Ah, the power of aroma.

Brain scientists know that smell is the most powerful of the senses because it goes straight to the limbic system, the control center of our emotions.

The folks at KFC have launched an amazing promotional campaign, recognizing that the aroma of freshly prepared fried chicken is more than finger-licking' good.

Thanks to MediaPostPublications.com for this. (May require free subscription).

How amazing is JOTT?

2007-08-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

Accidentally hit "redial" after Jotting myself. Didn't realize I'd connected.
Got to my hotel and had received a lengthy email detailing the TRAFFIC REPORT that must have been playing on the radio at the time of my dialing error.

The typist was clearly not familiar with our freeway system in LA, and many of the words were spelled phonetically - 405 became four or five - but the amazing thing is they also included the audio, so if I needed to, I could have deciphered what I had recorded.

And all that for $0.00

BigMac Update

2007-08-24T15:48:00.000-07:00

They used to be messier.

To celebrate the BM's 40th, I went to my local McDonald's for lunch today and ordered the #1 Extra Value Meal - BigMac, Fries, Coke.

Hmm - the sandwich seems to have changed. Somewhat drier than I had remembered. Could it be less Special Sauce? Or perhaps a leaner patty?

Happy Birthday Big Mac(TM)

2007-08-24T10:24:00.000-07:00

The Big Mac turns 40 years old today. (Guess where I'm going for lunch?)

Not really the first triple-decker hamburger sandwich, Bob's Big Boy had a double and triple before Micky D, but certainly one of the most famous food icons of all time.

I think one of the main reasons for its longevity is the catchy "Two all beef patties . . . " jingle.

What do you think? Why has the Big Mac lasted?

And, what lessons could you learn from the history of the Big Mac to help you think differently about what you do?