I didn’t think I would like an electronic reader. I love books too much. And I thought it was silly to be dependent on one more electronic device that needs charging. I succumbed for travel purpose. One skinny, light Kindle is a lot easier to haul around than a stack of books. But now I love it! Some of the reasons may surprise you! It doesn’t close while I am flossing and brushing my teeth. I can increase the text size with just a couple of clicks if the light is fading and making it hard to read. I can download additional books at the drop of a hat as long as there is a WIFI connection. It is really light-weight, balances on one leg easily, and requires barely one knuckle to turn the page. It never loses my page, even if I drop it.
If you can’t agree on objectives, you’ll never agree on alternatives. The debt ceiling fiasco is a perfect example. Regardless of the outcome, the process is completely flawed because the debate is all about alternatives, not objectives: No tax increases No Medicare or Social Security cuts Smaller government “No tax increases” is an alternative, not an objective. We all pay good money for services every single day. Taxes are just one way of paying for services – one alternative. There may be a better way, but let’s agree on the services needed first and then examine our alternatives. In countries like Norway, people and businesses are happy to pay taxes because they believe they receive good value for their money. Why aren’t we focusing on the value – the objectives? No Medicare cuts, no Social Security cuts, and smaller government are also just alternatives. Lawmakers of all stripes have locked onto these and similar alternatives and have no intentions of budging. Where is the discussion of objectives? What do we want for the American people?
Welcome to the Clarity Quiz! What’s the best way to avoid feeling stupid? Avoid challenging situations Hide your stupidity with bluff and smiles Admit what you don’t know and start asking questions Prepare, prepare, and prepare some more Make your selection and then continue to read the answer and explanation.
Strategic clarity is essential if an organization is to use resources wisely and get great results. And the relevant decisions are made by everyone from the CEO to each individual contributor. Below are ten indicators of insufficient strategic clarity. How many of these affect you or the people around you? Priorities and goals seem to jump around at a moments notice Many can not confidently enumerate their top few priorities, let alone those of the organization People are feeling stressed by tasks that languish and efforts that don’t align with official goals The tail often wags the dog – new ideas and events derail plans Cynicism and resignation are more common than enthusiasm for the future New initiatives or projects are often launched before current projects are completed There are simply too many priorities, which means there are no priorities
PRESS RELEASE July 26, 2011 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ann Latham 603-784-5727 Uncommon Clarity®, Inc. EASTHAMPTON, MA – Latham’s comments to appear in “The Woman’s Advantage” 2012 calendar Ann Latham’s comments have been selected to appear in “The Woman’s Advantage” 2012 calendar. The 2012 Woman’s Advantage Shared Wisdom Calendar “jump starts each day with the advice of a successful woman.” It contains 365 innovative ideas on strategy, team building, marketing, finance, and more. Every day you’ll learn a valuable lesson from a mentor who is successfully growing her business.
PRESS RELEASE July 26, 2011 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ann Latham 603-784-5727 Uncommon Clarity®, Inc. EASTHAMPTON, MA – Latham’s article selected as Best-of- 2010 “Why Training Fails” by Ann Latham, president of Uncommon Clarity, Inc., has been selected as one of the 25 best business articles of 2010 and the #1 Training and Development article by “The CEO Refresher.” “Why Training Fails” had already spent 5 months as the #1 Best-of-Web business article. Ann Latham creates clarity. She does it as a consultant for corporate giants, non-profits, and smaller businesses alike that wish to achieve better results in half the time and with greater confidence.
This is one tip in a series of techniques to help you take control of your time, feel great about each week, and watch those weeks add up to impressive results. The key to each successful week is two-fold: Identify what would constitute a successful week Make it happen This tip tackles the second and helps you maintain focus. Productivity Booster #6: Clear the Decks Focus and finish is one of the top secrets to peak productivity. Today’s tip addresses one of its enemies – the siren song of other projects. Are there stacks of papers on your floor, desk, or other surface? Books and magazines piled near by? Little lists of things requiring attention? If so, each one is singing its siren song while you are trying to focus. Out of the corner of your eye you see the stack of papers that must be submitted this afternoon. An important thought occurs to you so you stop to add a note to that stack.
I ordered two items online Monday night at 7:30 PM. Today, Wednesday, in the middle of the afternoon, I received an email providing a UPS tracking number for one of the items. It isn’t in the UPS system yet however and the best arrival date suggested is Friday, two days away. The worst case specified is a week from tomorrow. I paid $5 in shipping charges for this item. Let’s call this Company A. The other item arrived yesterday afternoon. Less than 24 hours after placing my order. I paid nothing for shipping; they upgraded my shipping method free of charge. Furthermore, I will pay nothing for shipping if I return the item. I would have ordered both items from this company but they didn’t have my size. Let’s call this Company B. Is Company A clueless about their competition? Or do they make all their money on the items Company A runs out of? They were slightly cheaper, but not for long if returns are involved and shipping charges add up. Or perhaps they are counting on people not discovering Company B. Does Company B have a great strategy? What do you think? Anyone care to guess the name Company B? If you guessed Zappos.com you would be correct. You can’t argue with service like that!
At the beginning of a recent strategic planning project, I used a survey to get the lay of the land, generate ideas, and stimulate the thinking of those who would be involved in the process. I asked several questions about cause and needs, for example: What are the barriers to customer success? What customer needs is no one meeting? Many of the respondents leaped over cause and need, and went straight to solutions. What are the barriers to customer success? We need to provide a more complete set of offerings such as … What customer need goes unserved? We should … This is not at all uncommon.
I gagged when I heard someone on NPR saying that the new food plate pyramid introduced this week would be so good for busy moms. Who was that guy? How did he get so stuck in the past?This new image is so simple, it can help ANYONE dish up food wisely. Even men and children!I think kids will use it to demand smarter meals and whip their parents into shape. And it certainly should make people think twice about restaurant meals, especially those restaurants where the only vegetables are hidden in salad bowls under dressing, meat, cheese, and eggs. I love this image! But it’s going to be pretty tough to cut up a porterhouse steak and stack it in that little corner!