creators of value..............

 

     Becoming an entrepreneur and starting a business completely changed my life.  Almost everything I had believed about business was proven wrong.  The most important thing I learned in my first year at Safer Way was that business isn't based on exploitations or coercion at all.  Instead, I discovered that business is based on cooperation and voluntary exchange.  People trad voluntarily for mutual gain.  No one is forced to trade with a business.  Customers have competitive alternatives in the marketplace, team members have competitive alternatives for their labor, investors have numerous alternatives to invest their capital, and suppliers have plenty of alternative customers for their products and services.  Investors, labor, management, suppliers—they all need to cooperate to create value for customers.  If they do, the joint value created is divided fairly among the creators of value through competitive market processes based approximately on the overall contribution each stakeholder makes.  In other words, business is not a zero-sum game with a winner and loser.  It is a win, win, win, win game—and I really like that.

-John Mackey and Raj Sisodia, Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business

Highly recommended..................

 

Self-esteem is a huge factor to negotiation, and many people set modest goals to protect it.  It's easier to claim victory when you aim low.  That's why some negotiation experts say that many people who thing they have "win-win" goals really have a "wimp-win" mentality.  The "wimp-win" negotiator focuses on his or her bottom line, and they's where they end up. . . . Remember, never be so sure of what you want that you wouldn't take something better.

Figuring out what the other party is worried about sounds simple, but our basic human expectations about negotiation often gets in the way.  Most of us tend to assume that the needs of the other side conflict with our own.  We tend to limit our field of vision to our issues and problems, and forget that the other side has its own unique issues based on its own unique world view.  Great negotiators get past these blinders by being relentlessly curious about what is really motivating the other side.

If this book accomplishes only one thing, I hope it gets you over that fear of conflict and encouraged you to navigate it with empathy.  If you're going to be great at anything—a great negotiator, a great manager, a great husband, a great wife—you're going to have to do that.  You're going to have to ignore that little genie who's telling you to give up, to just get along—as well as the genie who's telling you to lash out and yell.

     You're going to have to embrace regular, thoughtful conflict as the basis of effective negotiation—and of life.  Please remember that our emphasis throughout the book is that the adversary is the situation and that the person you appear to be in conflict with is actually your partner.

     More than a little research has shown that genuine, honest conflict between people over their goals actually helps the problem-solving process in a collaborative way.  Skilled negotiators have a talent for using conflict to keep the negotiation going without stumbling into a personal battle. . . .

     And so I'm going to leave you with one request.  Whether it's in the office or around the family dinner table, don't avoid honest, clear conflict.  It will get you the best car price, the higher salary, and the largest donation.  It will also save your marriage, your friendship, and your family.

hold in mind.............................

      A mind that is concentrated on a positive thought has to power to increase the likelihood that the positive thought will materialize in the world of events.  The most successful people in the world are those who hold in mind the highest good of all concerned, including themselves.  They know that there is a win-win solution to every problem.  They are at peace with themselves, which allows them to be supportive of the potential and success of others.  They do work which they love, and so they feel continually inspired and creative.  They do not seek happiness; they have discovered that happiness is a by-product of doing what they love.  A feeling of personal fulfillment comes naturally from their positive contribution to the lives of others, including family, friends, groups, and the world at large.

-David Hawkins, Letting Go:  The Pathway Of Surrender

Win-win.............................

      A mind that is concentrated on a positive thought has the power to increase the likelihood that the positive thought will materialize in the world of events.  The most successful people in the world are those who hold in mind the highest good of all concerned, including themselves.  They know that there is a win-win solution to every problem.  They are at peace with themselves, which allows them to be supportive of the potential and success of others.  They do work which they love, and so feel continually inspired and creative.  They do not seek happiness; they have discovered that happiness is a by-product of doing what they love.  A feeling of personal fulfillment comes naturally from their positive contribution to the lives of others, including family, friends, groups, and the world at large.

-David Hawkins, Letting Go:  The Pathway of Surrender

This is me................................

..............................................................waving the white flag of surrender.  Michael Stanley's Stagepass makes my all-time great list.  While Making Movies is not my favorite Dire Straits album (Brothers in Arms is), it is pretty darn good.  Ditto U2's Boy.  1980 will no longer be found in the "so-so music" file.  There may be two lessons here:  first, don't argue music with Kurt Harden unless you're prepared to lose; second, if do you want to argue with Kurt, make sure bourbon and cigars are at hand - it makes the losing easier.

You only get one life...........................

..............................don't waste it comparing yourself to others:

There is one thing that you’re better at than other people: being you. This is the only game you can really win.

Common Good...................

"I don't think there's anything exceptional or noble in being philanthropic. It's the other attitude that confuses me."

-Paul Newman

    My favorite Kroger carries a decent selection of Cabernet wine.  Recently I started buying the Newman's Own brand.  Reasonably priced, easy to drink.  Sort of a win-win.  Just passing on information here.

By-products..........................

     A mind that is concentrated on a positive thought has the power to increase the likelihood that the positive thought will materialize in the world of events.  The most successful people in the world are those who hold in mind the highest good of all concerned, including themselves.  They know that there is a win-win solution to every problem.  They are at peace with themselves, which allows them to be supportive of the potential and success of others.  They do work which they love, and so they feel continually inspired and creative.  They do not seek happiness; they have discovered that happiness is a by-product of doing what they love.  A feeling of personal fulfillment comes naturally from their positive contributions to the lives of others, including family, friends, groups, and the world at large.

-David Hawkins, Letting Go:  The Pathway of Surrender

On problems and solutions....

The Question:

The future is radically uncertain. It is not just that we don’t know what will happen;  we don’t even know the kind of things that will happen.   How do we cope with such radical uncertainty?  Not by listening to the gurus who demonstrate by their certainty that they know nothing.

The Answer:

He wanted to create great products that benefited consumers, and he did. That is the real purpose of business, and if we remember it well we will achieve the sustainable prosperity we all seek.

The whole story.

How to solve the Korea problem........

.................................................................Redefining "Win-Win"

Ah, so...............................

The Amazon Doctrine.................

..............wreaks havoc across a wide swath of the retail world.  Mark Perry is on the story - here.  Doctrine here:

Above all else, align with customers.

Win when they win.

Win only when they win.

Some thoughts..............................

..................................................................on close-run things.

Appropriate ways to celebrate..........

My Dad never stopped giving me guidance about how I should look at my life and career.  By 1961 I had already established myself as a perennial winner and a major champion with two Masters titles and the 1960 U.S. Open.
     But my father was determined that no matter how much I won, how successful I became or how much I earned, he wanted me to remain humble.  He wanted me to stay grounded and to focus on my work and not get too caught up with all the accomplishments.
     One of the best lessons he ever gave me came after I had won the 1961 British Open at Royal Birkdale.  I had been dining with dukes and princes over the course of an entire week and came back to the United States the conquering hero.  Naturally, I was feeling pretty good about myself.
     When I got back to Latrobe, I was very excited about my victory and the chance to share it with my family.  My dad greeted me with open arms.  I could see how happy he was for me.  But in his second breath he said, "Now, why don't you put down that Claret Jug.  I need your help mowing the back nine."
     Looking back, this was a very important marker to me.  It reminded me that if I'm going to be successful, I must continue to grow with a balance of confidence and humble appreciation for all the people involved in making it possible.  If I didn't understand where I had come from and how I had gotten there, then the chance were I was not going to be as successful going forward.  And I would certainly not have the proper attitude about how to live my life and do the right things.
     Did I mow the back nine for him?  You bet I did.  And you know what?  There was a certain peace and serenity in doing such a familiar, simple task.  It was satisfying in its own way.  Looking back, it was a rather appropriate way for me to celebrate winning the Open Championship.

-Arnold Palmer,  A Life Well Played:  My Stories

Unintended consequences................

A seven-stroke lead with nine holes to play disappeared on me almost in a flash.  Bill started playing well at the same time, which contributed further to my anxiety and increasingly poor play.  As for the playoff the next day, I tried as hard as I could, but I just couldn't muster any intensity, and my concentration was lacking, too.
     Did it hurt?  I won't lie; it hurt a lot.  When pressed about it, San Francisco was the toughest, given the lead that I had.  Especially with my mentality about winning, about feeling that I had to win, losing was a bitter pill, and this might have been the most bitter of all.  But as awful as I felt after losing to Billy in that playoff, in many ways my life improved.  In the aftermath of that lose, more of life came calling, and I continued on with a slightly different perspective.  I was better for the experience.
     I was a better person.  I had a better perspective on things.  I would never have felt good if I had not experienced losing, because losing is part of your life.  But there was something else.  For quite a few years I had received my share of fan mail, but after the loss at Olympic, the letters were different.  People wanted to help.  They were comforting and encouraging.  It was just a different sensation entirely, and it meant a great deal to me.  I looked at everything a bit differently because of that.  I had always appreciated folks, my "Army" of fans, but their gestures of support in defeat meant more to me than any adulation I experienced in victory.

-Arnold Palmer,  A Life Well Played:  My Stories

The tourney in question was the 1966 U. S. Open

Life its ownself..................................

For a lot of players, golf is a way of making a living.  For me, golf always has been a way of being alive.  And nothing compared to the feeling of going for a victory.  I never felt I like I had to win at all costs, but I went all out.

-Arnold Palmer,  A Live Well Played:  My Stories

Freddie frames it...................

...........as a win-win-win-win-win (and suggests you check your bias).

On gaining respect................

....................................................in today's zany world:

"There’s just something about hockey culture that calls to me. I mean, the blue lines on the ice are actually called “blue lines.” That kind of no-nonsense approach commands my respect."

-as culled from this essay about the Columbus Blue Jackets, who currently are enjoying a sixteen game winning streak, and who, since I've now posted that, are most likely jinxed.  Sorry.

When losing.....................

..................................is the absolute best thing you can do.

It's getting to be that time of the year......

One of the all-time great golf shots.................................