– Teddy Roosevelt

Thanks, Jay.

What does 2012 bring for me?  Tuscany in March and Cuba in October.

I was in charge of a delegation of 88 people when I traveled to China last year.  For our Tuscany trip, we have 82 people and for the Cuba trip, which we just recently announced, I can only take 66 passengers.

2012 will be an interesting year for me. If you are interested in going to Cuba, I still have seats available. . .

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

"No officer, there isn’t a party going on here"

As I headed for the check out line, another employee said good morning and asked me how I was.  I made a comment to him that everyone was extremely nice today around the entire store.  Come to find out that he was the new manager.  Day 5 on the job.  His name is Jay.  I told him that I shop there regularly and that although I was never treated poorly in the past, the employees were much happier than usual.  He indicated that he has a different approach to being the manager than the previous one.  He said the employees are much happier now.  He didn’t need to tell me that, as it was evident.

I went through the check out line and heard the clerk tell the bagger ”That’s the new guy” and pointed to Jay.  I commented that I just met him and how nice everyone was today.  She said employee morale is substantially higher than it has been in a very long time and it’s only been a week.  She then said “Can you imagine what it will be like after a month?  Total transformation”.  She went on to say that Jay took the time to not only talk with each employee, but he even wanted to meet the employees that work in the bank (they have a Park National Bank inside their store).  Obviously he has left quite an impression on everyone.

When is the last time you visited one-on-one with each of your employees?  Don’t give me the excuse that you have too many and don’t have time to do that.  Make time.  It can and will make a huge difference in your employees’ attitude and their productivity.  If employees feel valued and are happy to come to work, magical things happen.

Make this a priority.  You won’t be sorry.

Tonight Jayme shared her writing project with me.  They had to write a How-To paper.  Here is Jayme’s:

I Spy With My Little Eye!

If you like knowing what your older siblings are doing all the time, then follow me and spy on your family.  This is for beginners, so I won’t be so hard on you.

Materials

• 1 piece of paper
• 1 clipboard
• 1 pencil
• A tiny purse
• binoculars
• dark clothing

Step 1 – First you need to get any dark clothes like black pants and a dark blue shirt and put them on so you will blend in.

Step 2 – Get a clipboard and put a piece of paper on it and get a pencil.  Then draw the room that you will be spying in, then draw your plan and your hiding spot.

Step 3 – Get a tiny purse and get the binoculars out and put them in the purse.

Step 4 – Sneak in the room you’re spying in and go in your hiding spot when the person you are spying on isn’t in the room.  Then wait until the person that you are spying on comes in.

Step 5 – Get your binoculars out of the purse and watch the person for a little while and then sneak out while the person you are spying on isn’t in the room.  Then run out and say, “Mission Complete!” successfully.

Jayme has used this manual before – It works. Trust me.  Just ask her sisters .

What prompted his decision?  Anger.  He made the decision when he was angry.  He rationalized that if he was out of the picture, that would solve the issue.

But a good friend asked him how sure he was that his decision was a solution instead of a reaction.

How many times do we make quick decisions based on emotion?  It happens all the time.  It is human nature.  But many times it is just a reaction and doesn’t help solve anything.

I am very good at making these type of decisions.  But deep inside I want to be part of a solution.  It is something that takes patience and practice.

It is certainly something for me to work on for 2012. How about you?

It’s late arrival this morning. The house was quiet as I got up and did my morning routine.

After my shower, I found new occupants had been “sleeping in my bed”.