My friend Walsh showed me this. If you visit http://my.barackobama.com you can see it too. I provided a screen shot below. You can see for yourself why supporting Barack Obama stinks.
I have some mountains in my way right now. Maybe you do to.
"And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen." - Matthew 21:21There's something I have to remind myself. Just because I have faith, I can't leave my shovel in the tool shed. Moving a mountain is still hard work.
For my senior year of college we had a new university president. He liked to take a lot of the chapel time to talk about all the ways they were planning to spend our money on improvements to the school that we would never get to see. He also liked to use PowerPoint - a lot! After a few chapels, we were sick of PowerPoint.
Over the years I have been presented to with PowerPoint in a lot of different settings. Most of the time it was the same story of "blah blah blah." Too many people lean on the tool to enhance their presentation when all it does is illuminate the boredom. PowerPoint doesn't make presentations. People make presentations.
That's why I liked the premise of Paul Kelly's book The Seven Slide SolutionTM. I really found the first two sections interesting and helpful when it comes to developing a presentation using PowerPoint. Based on the way people's brains work, Kelly suggests that a presentation doesn't need to be any longer than seven slides. Anything beyond that is wasting your time and the audiences - they won't remember it. He walks you through the process of developing a story, from creating a premise to establishing conflict, adding tension, and ultimately providing a resolution to your presentation. The final section seemed to me a more hands on or reference to have handy when you are actually putting together the presentation.
Again, it wasn't exactly exciting or motivating, but I learned some good things. If you use PowerPoint very often, it might be a good book to take a look at. It's also a good refresher for putting together the basic elements of a story.
I ran across this fun & entertaining music video and thought I would share. When the page loads, give it a few minutes to play. I really like the design and progression. Click here or on the screen shot below to watch.
I've mentioned a few times the game I play with various retail establishments. I call it Consumer Four Square. If you are not familiar with how to play four square, there is always Wikipedia.
In my mind there is usually a top player when it comes to a particular category. For example, when it comes to fast food there is a a whole list of restaurants that I will choose from, but the one who sits in the top position is only there until they mess up or another restaurant out does them. Just because one of them is in the top position, doesn't mean they are the exclusive choice, but if I am ever in a position to have to decide between two establishments that are side by side, I am likely to choose the one in the higher position.
You can do this with any category, whether it pizza, home improvement, book stores, etc...
So, do you like the game? Do you play this version of four square?
I have added a new poll to Pet Peeving. I'm curious to know if your view of China has changed positively or negatively as a result of China hosting the Olympics. Feel free to share your comments below.
RSS READERS - Please go to http://www.petpeeving.com to take the poll.
A fable....
David was wrapping up his lunch at the food court inside Hill Wood Mall. Kids had already started back to school so the foot traffic was light but there was still a steady stream of moms, grandmothers, and baby strollers making there way in and out of the stores. David had hit the lunch crowd at just the wrong time and he was hungry.
Trying to decide which vendor he would buy food at quickly became a decision of who had the shortest line. It was the Big Apple Pizzeria.
The meal wasn't extraordinary and wasn't anything to be remembered but it was good nonetheless. It served its purpose by filling David's appetite.
As he enjoyed his meal he noticed that several of the vendors were handing out samples of their food. The Japanese Kitchen, the Sub Shop, and The Sombrero were all competing for people's attention as they walked by. David thought he would have liked some Japanese food.
Once he finished his meal, he went to get a refill in his Big Apple Pizzeria cup. Then he rounded the food court venue to the Japanese Kitchen where a man in a red chef's hat was holding a tray of chicken with toothpicks, giving away free samples.
To the gentleman in the chef's hat, it was obvious David had already eaten. He was holding a cup that was not from his establishment. As David approached, he turned and looked for someone else. Someone who hasn't eaten. This gentleman was looking for a customer.
David stepped up to the man and said "May I try one?"
The worker ignored him, still searching for other customers. So, David asked again, "Excuse me, could I have a bite?"
"No" replied the worker, "You already eat."
So, David left wondering if he would eat Japanese the next time he came to visit.
I really like Amazon. As an online store they really make shopping personal and fun for me. I'll admit that it took me a while to warm up and trust them to the point that I am fully engrossed in all of their tools.
Their site really strives to learn my preferences and the things I like, which I appreciate. However, sometimes I find it humorous what is served up for me to view. For example, I was viewing the Kindle, an electronic wireless device that allows you to download and read books, newspapers, and more. Then as Amazon does best, they showed me what other customers buy after viewing the Kindle. Take a look at the screen shot below.
The Potty Train? Really? Maybe Kindle should add that to it's 150,000 book database.
I grew up loving basketball. It didn't matter who was playing, college or professional. I loved to watch basketball. Then something happened. The NBA went to pot. The players began to wreck the image of the NBA. The ridiculous amounts of tattoos, the fights, the off the court situations, and more. For the last several years I have not even watched the NBA finals, because their game play emphasized individual performances.
I was a big fan of the Dream Team that went to the Olympics. I loved watching Jordan, Magic, Bird, Stockton, etc... Looking back, that might have been the last great moment for the NBA in my book. Most of the players had character and were likable. They were good players too.
This year at the Beijing Olympics, the NBA players representing the U.S.A. have become known as the "Redeem Team", hoping to take back gold. They are living up to their name. Only, I think they are living up to their names in more ways than one.
Repeatedly, I have seen NBC capture images of the players watching the other athletes perform. Like watching Micheal Phelps swimming exhibition and the May/Walsh beach volleyball poundings. I even listened as Kobe Bryant gave an interview in Spanish, something that I had no idea he could do. The players have shown respect on the court and have been playing better as a team. I've been briefly reminded of the NBA days of old.
NBA commissioner, David Stern, would do well to take this momentum and continue showing his players as people, rather than commodities. Let those of us who left our televisions see the players in a new light and we might come back to watch. We may even spend some of our money to do it.
However, I have to wonder if Coach K has something to do with this "redeeming" quality. I imagine he has some influence. Perhaps he should become commissioner and install this new image. That should say a lot coming from a Tarheel fan!
It was a nice day outside to enjoy lunch and a book. Ironically, the book I finished at lunch was The Back of the Napkin by Dan Roam.
I first saw this book on the book shelf of the local book store a few months ago. It caught my attention because I like to doodle. I had a lot of other books to get to, so it wasn't until recently that I ordered it from Amazon. I enjoyed it a lot. I'm glad I bought it.
The premise of the book is that any problem, idea, or presentation can be solved using pictures - hand drawn pictures. Roam argues that everyone is visual, even those who say they aren't. He gives a few frameworks to work from as you prepare to draw out maps, charts, and pictures to present your ideas. I found them very helpful and refreshing. Roam also uses pictures significantly throughout the book which are also helpful.
In addition to Dan Roam saying that hand drawn pictures are more powerful than PowerPoint, Stephanie Palmer in her book Good in a Room, also argues the same thing. My experience has been that they are both right. It really is much more captivating and easier to remember when I watch people draw out ideas in front of me rather than looking at a pretty computer generated graphic.
Last month I decided to pick up a joke book of some type in memory of my mom. She usually had a funny story or joke for just about any occasion. She enjoyed reading through joke books or watching funny videos. I can't recall a day that she didn't laugh and many people said time and time again that as she struggled with her health for 10 years, her laughter is what kept that time frame from being shorter.
One of the magazines she always read was Reader's Digest. So, when I saw Laughter, The Best Medicine II by Reader's Digest I decided this is what I should read. I've casually worked through it and found many of the stories enjoyable, but more than anything it's brought back memories of mom. I can hear her laugh as I turn each page.
Find a reason to laugh today. If you can't, buy a joke book.
I recently read in several places, including the last book I read The Encore Effect, that a person should spend focused time on thinking. Perhaps even an hour a day. This is what successful people do.
The exercise of thinking should be done while doing nothing else. Not while you are taking a walk, not while you do the dishes, not while you drive home from work, rather thinking should be an act that is done in a place where you can just sit and think with no distractions.
This idea made me think...what if companies offered employees a "think hour?" Give them a place to go and think for one hour without any distractions. I wonder what the return on investment would be. Even if you only have 10 employees, that would be 50 hours of solid thinking a week. What if you gave them all one topic to think on? Imagine what might be accomplished or what new things would emerge.
What do you think?
I was privy to receive a galley copy of The Encore Effect by Mark Sanborn. The book is scheduled to be released on September 2, 2008. Mark Sanborn is veteran speaker and author of The Fred Factor and You Don't Need a Title to be a Leader. If you're in business or work with the public in any way, you should have all three of these titles in your library. They're short and packed full of motivation and inspiration.
About the Book
Mark Sanborn challenged me to become "remarkable" in everything I do. When a person becomes remarkable and delivers remarkable performances, they are asked for an encore performance. Mark does a great job of addressing performances that are not just events that happen on a stage. His advice hits home with your performances that are done on a daily basis. By performing well in front of your customers you'll get an encore in the way of them returning to your store. By performing well in front of your coworkers, you'll get an encore in the way of more rewarding work.
There's no question that Sanborn is capable of getting an encore. That's why this book is so credible. He shares several of his own experiences of success and even failure that will inspire you to become remarkable yourself. You really should buy this book. I would order it today so that as soon as it is released it will be shipped to you.
Now, it is ironic that as I was reading this book, I actually had to give a presentation. I was near the end of the book when the presentation took place. I had finished the chapter on being prepared and I even took action to prepare - but it wasn't enough. The presentation flopped. Everything about it just went downhill from the start. Thankfully, I was reading Sanborn's book and was reminded that it happens, but I also learned from his book why it happened. It wasn't just a failure to prepare. It was more than that. You'll have to read the book to understand what I am talking about.
This really is a good book. I'll be talking about it more. Pre-order it right now!
If you read my recent customer service stories about Burger King and McDonald's, you might wonder why I would talk about these things. Does this tiny little blog matter? Would Burger King or McDonald's ever notice what I have to say? Maybe not. But I bet people listen to Seth Godin when he talks about Whole Foods and Verizon.
So, a few days ago I posted about my experience at Burger King down the street. Well, this morning we stopped at a McDonald's just a little further down the street for breakfast. Behind the counter were 9 Hispanics and one white female. I have nothing against either, I'm just setting the scene. We placed our order and we had difficulty communicating due to the language barrier. They did not get our order right. They simply did not enter in part of our order. So, we stood there wondering why they were not bringing us the rest of our food. We looked at the receipt and realized what had happened.
Finally, two of the ladies at the same time asked us what was wrong. By this time a line had formed and it would take us awhile to get back to the front. We told them that a biscuit was left off of our order, but we would be happy to pay for it. One of the ladies immediately went back to the kitchen grabbed a biscuit and brought it to us. I asked her how much it was and she said, "I'll take care of it."
It was as if she read my other post and knew who I was. That put McDonald's into the king position of my fast food four square. As a result, I enjoyed the rest of my visit.
A friend of mine gave me a copy of N.T. Wright's Judas and the Gospel of Jesus. Wright is a an extraordinary historian and writer. He is also Bishop of Durham for the Church of England. I enjoy his writings, because he gets to the point or points I should say. Unlike a lot of scholars, he doesn't drag you through the mud and mire of how he gets to his conclusions, but rather gives you enough information to make his point valid. He by far is one of the sharpest theologians of our day.
Regarding this particular book, Wright discusses the value or lack there of, Christians can take from the discovery of an old manuscript entitled The Gospel of Judas. It was brought to the modern world's attention a few years ago and authors like Bart D. Ehrman led the way in portraying it as a significant work that discredits Christianity. Essentially, Wright provides a counter argument and goes on to say that the work attempts to not only to insult Christianity but Judaism as well. This new gospel is one written by Gnostics in an attempt to make Judas the hero, rather than the villain.
Have you read it? What did you think? If you'll read this book (less than 150 pages) you'll learn some interesting facts and appreciate more the work of historians.
Recently, I have really enjoyed the new BK shots (mini burgers) at Burger King. When I think fast food, I think Burger King first as a result. That's what happened last night when we were thinking of getting a quick bite to eat.
As we went inside Burger King, we placed our order. The restaurant wasn't crowded and only one man was in front of us. He placed his order then we placed ours; 2 BK shot meals. After getting our receipt we stood their patiently waiting. We noticed there was just as much "standing around" on the kitchen side of the counter as there was on dining room side. Two more orders were placed after us. One of those orders were for BK shots. Both of those orders placed after us received their food before us. After 10 minutes of waiting, we finally got our food.
The lady passed the tray across the counter to me and I simply asked, "Would it be okay if we had a Hershey Pie for waiting like we did?" She looked it me like I was the most ungrateful customer she had ever seen. She revealed a smug on her face, opened up the fridge, grabbed a pie, tossed it out on the counter, and walked away without saying a word.
I suppose I got what I asked for and should have been content, but what I was really fishing for was an apology or some kind of acknowledgment for the lack of service. Recently, I have noticed service at this particular Burger King on the decline and my experience last night has bumped Burger King from the top of my fast food four square game.
This all made me think about customer service. When your customers are upset and want something in return, ask yourself "What do they really want?" Then provide it with a smile and say you're sorry. And if you are really good at customer service, you won't wait for the customer to say something before you react.
Johnny Lee is a researcher in California. He has gotten a lot of attention on You Tube with his Wii Remote hacks. The following video is him speaking at TED, showing off a few of the hacks.
Not only could it be useful for business, but your teams could have some team building time on their lunch hour too!
So, yesterday Google released their street view option for Google Maps. I was playing around with it a little bit and decided to check out the street view of Dave Ramsey's office building, Financial Peace Plaza. As you may well know his company operates under the name "Lampo" (Greek for light). Through out the offices you can find various lighthouses on desks and walls symbolizing the name.
Imagine my surprise when I checked out "Lampo" from the street view and could not actually see it because appearing from the building was a beaming light as bright as the sun. How ironic?
You can see it below. (If you are using RSS and it doesn't work, you'll just have to visit my blog - sorry.
View Larger Map
I'm not a fan of foot thongs, flip flops or sandals that reveal most of a man's foot. Maybe this is more of a phobia than a peeve, but nonetheless I just don't like it. Girls do a better job with keeping their feet primped and colorful, so it's not bothersome at all for me to see girls showing off their pedicures.
However, for guys I much rather look at some crappy looking ball cap than your disgusting crooked toes. Men, if you have nice looking feet I question your manhood, but don't feel compelled to prove your manhood by showing off your feet - unless you are at a pool, lake, or beach. When you wear shoes, I'll just assume you have ugly feet like mine.
I've been meditating on Mark 4:35-41 this week in preparation for a speaking engagement. The passage is about Jesus being woken from sleep on a boat by his disciples during the midst of a windstorm. It's an interesting story that seems to have a short and sweet application; if you trust God then you can experience peace throughout various "storms" in life.
Although that may indeed be the moral of the story, the more I think about it the more questions I raise for myself. Here are two of them. Do the requests I ask of our Father assume He is not paying attention, as if He were asleep? If so, what does it say about my faith?
For all of those who use an RSS reader there are two things about Pet Peeving that you may not be aware of.
Can you remember the last time you called a friend on the phone and heard a busy signal? Yeah...for most people it's been awhile. However, my wife had the experience just the other night. She was trying to call her parents at their little lake cabin on the land line. Cell phones don't work there because the cabin sits deep in a Tennessee holler. My wife was stuck. The phone line was busy.
We then reminisced about the days when you always had to call back over and over again, until the beep-beep-beep-beep beeped no more. Waiting for a line to free up seemed like hours. As a kid, all I wanted to do is ask a friend what our homework assignment was, but I knew his sister would stay on the phone all night and I would never know if I was suppose to do the odd or even math problems. Argh!
Maybe you had some of those fancy phone features growing up, but most people I knew didn't. Now, it comes pretty standard on cell phones, and the only time we use a land-line at home is for 911. It made me think about something else. I wonder how long it will take my 2 year old son to hear his first busy tone. With technology moving the way it is today, is it possible that he will never hear it?
