"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."

The above quote is attributed to Oscar Wilde.  I pulled it from a post from Tom Peters titled; Against All Odds: So What?  The entire post is good…full of things to consider.

As I’ve been looking at my own journey these last couple of weeks, I can’t help but think of what makes what I do worth it.  This is something you should evaluate for yourself as well.  Is what you do full of risk and seemingly insurmountable odds?  Tough sometimes to say and live, but those are the circumstances of real living.  Our soft culture denies this by the way.

What are the odds your facing?  Consider the following as you evaluate:

• If you’re being sold on something being easy, watch out!  It (nearly) always leaves you dissatisfied.
• Watch your time because you don’t have as much as you think.
• If you’re facing an against all odds situation, then evaluate how you got there.  Was it because you cheated or cut corners?  Was it because you began with an honorable pursuit?  The answers to those questions will reveal a lot.
• You’re not going to break through with skill alone.  Destiny will play a part in the outcome.
• Don’t give up when the water is up to your neck.

Thanks Guy for pointing to Website Grader.  It’s a great tool for your website/blog.  Marketing your ideas is essential, so a tool to help you analyze what’s good and what’s missing is wonderful.

Check it out!

The following are my tips regarding yesterday’s post:

• Talk to the receiver (employee/associate).  Hopefully, you’ve built up the kind of rapport that will enable a conversation.
• Watch them and pay attention.
• Make sure your trusted advisers know what’s going on.
• Talk to the receiver again and let him/her know what you’ve observed.
• Probe for the commitment to change…this is the crossroads.
• Provide the tools needed for change.
• Watch.

If you see positive change after the last bullet, then congratulate and spur them on.  If status quo or worsened performance, then it may be time for a trade.

You’re a football coach and one of your wide receivers is dropping 50% of the passes thrown to him.  What do you do?

Give me your thoughts.

I am always struck by businesses/organizations who are unresponsive.  My experience with a Washington State winery is a perfect example.  I’ll leave the name out and tell you I used to be a consumer of their product (if you’re interested in the health benefits of red wine check out Roger Corda’s book The Red Wine Diet). 

After reading Mr. Corda’s book I wanted to ask the winery about their production processes.  Specifically, the maceration period during the making of the wine.  It was and is an important question as I choose what I will buy. 

Here’s a flash; I’m a customer looking to make a buying decision-educated decision.  I emailed their "info@______.com link.  Do you think I heard back from them?  Nope!  Why create the link if you’re not going to do anything with it.  Name it "noresponse@_____.com.  At least then we’d have some honesty.

Every customer matters.  Not responding to them sends a message that you do not care. 

I have only one tip today:

• Respond to your customers!  They’re the only reason your organization exists.

Have you ordered your priorities?  Are you allegiant to them?  Are you working them out like a runner training for a marathon?

The answers for the above will tell you a lot about how bright or dim your light is in your area of influence (God, family, friends, work, health, etc.).  Penelope Trunk has a great post on the subject of one woman’s priorities.  Sallie Krawcheck is an executive at Citigroup and sheds some telling light on her choices (good or bad).   

So is family your number one priority (defined as the thing/engagement you pay most attention to)?  If it is, how much of your calendar, thoughts and practice do they get of you?  If the answer leaves you embarrassed, family really isn’t what you tell yourself it is.  I don’t write this post to throw judgment at you.  I just want you to wake up before you find you have no more time.  Often the violence of tough questions creates an opportunity for a change/learning.

The following will give you some help on staying aligned with your priorities:

• Stop what you’re doing and decide.  What’s number one, number two, etc.
• After the decisions (don’t make these in a NY minute…think them through) be subject to the priorities.
• Seek a great life, which is made up of many ingredients.  Don’t fall into the trap of worshiping your career when it is only an ingredient.
• Remember life is a motion picture unfolding before your eyes.  Don’t be aimless.
• If you’re thinking that money, position, power and prestige say anything about your worth, stop.  Steve Jobs was fired from Apple almost two decades ago.  He was one of the founders and even he was considered dispensable.

You’ve probably already heard about the private security firm Blackwater.  They’ve been in the news about their practices in Iraq.  I’m not here to judge what’s truth vs. fiction.  However, who decided they were the right company for the job?  What was the interview like when Blackwater was hired by our beloved bureaucrats in the State Department?  See this article from the NY Times for more.

Wonder if any of the following questions were asked:

1. Is it ever ok to do something outside of the law?
2. What’s the accountability line (up and down) in your organization?
3. What’s the profile of your field workers?  Have they been tested from a leadership perspective.
4. Are you just looking for another big contract?
5. Do you really care about doing the right thing?

The above are good questions for any organization that is being considered for a contract.  How often do you think tough questions (ethics/heart) are asked?