H.O.W.

Be like water

George Pomonik — Wed, 02 May 2012 03:01:00 +0000

Recently, a very aggravating problem had me muttering to myself—”okay, wise guy, now what are you going to do?” Then I ran into a colleague who reminded me that years ago I had advised him to “be like water”—flow and press against obstacles until they yield or until you find a way through to the other side.

Yes—I remembered. Visualize yourself as a great mass of water, rushing and pressing up against the barrier every way that you can, applying pressure all over and continuously. Persist until, one way or the other, you:

Topple it
Wash through it
Go over the top
Flow around it
Seep through it
Flow under it
Crush it
Dissolve it
Erode it
Move it with the flow

Call upon your energy, skills, experience, and imagination. Tap into your reservoirs of family, friends, allies, and resources. Use multiple methods at the same time—usually there isn’t just a single cause and one remedy for a major obstacle. Continuously look for yield points and openings to get through, and move on.

OK. That’s it. Be like water. You’ll discover ways to get through it all—and find ways to win.

George M. Pomonik
Pomonik Consulting, Inc.
“Chaos Removal Services”^SM
www.pomonik.com

The matador defense

George Pomonik — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 06:23:15 +0000

Every week, I spend part of my time on junk emails, faxes, and phone calls. Maybe there’s gold in my air ducts, because I get several calls a month offering to clean them.

Fortunately, I’m well protected from these annoyances by the CAN-SPAM Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Do-Not-Call Improvement Act, and other fearsome regulations. Well, maybe I’m not so well protected after all—in spite of years of trying, the agencies and commissions responsible for enforcement do not seem to be able to stop this flood of junk, spam, spoofing, and scams.

In basketball, the commentators refer to this sort of thing as “the matador defense”. That’s when players don’t really bother to stop their opponents from scoring, but just sort of wave at them as they go by.

Unfortunately, there are problems in our protection systems that are far more serious than junk emails and calls. Consider the financial ruin caused by fraud that goes undetected for years, the injuries and deaths caused by seriously flawed products and services, and the vicious crimes committed by repeat offenders. The regulators and enforcers responsible for these areas would argue that things would be a lot worse without their efforts. Perhaps. But that’s of little consolation to the victims.

Is your agency, company or organization actually resolving your serious problems, or are you just using the matador defense? Maybe it’s time to put down the cape and pick up the sword—or better yet, don’t let the bull run around in the first place.

George M. Pomonik
Pomonik Consulting, Inc.
“Chaos Removal Services”^SM
www.pomonik.com

How to learn

George Pomonik — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 06:49:27 +0000

An ordinary knot becomes an all-star when it takes care of an important need and is easy to tie and untie. An excellent example is the knot for tying your shoes. It does a great job, and when you learned how to tie it, you took your second early step toward total independence. The first was learning how to use toilet paper.

As we learned more complex things that were important for our comfort, safety and success, it became essential to do them quickly and correctly. Think about learning to drive and initially struggling to stay in your lane.

So how do we learn something so well that we can do it almost automatically and do it right every time? You’ve probably seen the expression:

Tell me, and I will forget
Show me, and I will remember

Well I think that knowing how to do something really well goes beyond just remembering. For example, think about your ability to play your favorite sport, or express yourself artistically. So, I expanded the thought as follows:

Tell me, and I will forget
Show me, and I will remember
Involve me, and I will understand
Give me practice and feedback, and I will know how
Let me do it and teach it, and I will excel

If we’re learning or teaching something that’s really important to our personal lives or our organizations, we have to take it all the way through the steps needed to get full value. You can tie a string around your finger to remind you of something, but “yeah, I remember that” doesn’t count unless you can actually do it well.

George M. Pomonik
Pomonik Consulting, Inc.
“Chaos Removal Services”^SM
www.pomonik.com

Help them succeed

George Pomonik — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 08:31:00 +0000

My favorite question, when looking at a specific business activity, is “why are you doing this?” A powerful answer is “to help our customers succeed”.

Finding good answers to “how do we help them succeed?” provides high value to our customers and encourages their support. And when they thrive, they continue to buy our products and services. It also helps keep our area of business healthy, and contributes to the vitality of the whole economy. Presto! We just saved the world!

Well, maybe not. But the value of “help them succeed” goes well beyond benefits to business customers. Here are some examples:

Within our companies and nonprofit organizations. All organizations have internal customers (owners, patrons, bosses, colleagues, subordinates, etc.). By supporting their success, we can enjoy greater cooperation and innovation, and increase the strength of our team.
In our homes and our schools. When we focus on our young people’s success in the broadest sense, we help prepare them to be happy, healthy, and harmonious members of society. We can support that goal by providing them with excellent role models and showing them how to deal with real-life situations.
In public service and safety. Imagine:

Law enforcement successes that keep bad guys off the street, and also help people stay out of trouble and contribute to society instead of harming it.
Regulatory agency successes that assure public protection, without stifling innovation and commerce.
Health care successes that help people stay physically and mentally vigorous through healthy life styles and prevention, without dangerous side effects.

“Help them succeed”. Spread it around. It’s the start of many solutions.

George M. Pomonik
Pomonik Consulting, Inc.
“Chaos Removal Services”^SM
www.pomonik.com

Publicity, platitudes and promises

George Pomonik — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:50:04 +0000

Major election year or minor election year, the air is filled with publicity, platitudes and promises.

The impact of the publicity typically depends on the size of the campaign chest. The platitudes are often based on market research for emotional response.

And ah, the promises. How can candidates promise the equivalent of “a chicken in every pot”? Actually:

They don’t have any chickens
They can’t afford to buy that many chickens
Many people no longer have a pot big enough for a whole chicken
And a significant number of people don’t even have a pot

They can’t just offer half-baked remedies and then go shake some more hands. Fixing complex problems depends on following a rational process, such as:

Involve the right people: leaders, experts, influencers, and affected groups
Define the problem and its root causes
Agree on the goals of the solution
Evaluate alternatives and develop the solution
Do it
Track progress and make sure that the goals are achieved

We need real results from our politicians, not more servings of publicity, platitudes and promises followed by big bowls of finger pointing for dessert.

George M. Pomonik
Pomonik Consulting, Inc.
“Chaos Removal Services”^SM
www.pomonik.com

The winner of the Clueless Contest

George Pomonik — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:11:27 +0000

Our full plane had landed and we were delayed waiting to be connected at the gate. A number of people used their cell phones to say they arrived, or briefly finalize plans. If there was room, some passengers took their luggage out of the overhead bins. The crowd settled into patiently standing or sitting, and waiting to deplane.

But in this crowded and silent space, one young woman continued on her cell phone, in full voice, as if she were on a speakerphone in the privacy of her home.

We develop courtesies and good manners so we can function in harmony in our society and in our organizations. It helps keep our dealings with each other more like a line dance or a ballet, instead of like a gang war. As our technologies change, our etiquettes evolve accordingly.

However, our clueless cell phone jockey continued relentlessly. Her subjects ranged from coworkers she couldn’t stand, to friends with emotional problems. Passengers glanced at her and exchanged arched eyebrows with each other, but she went on and on, through the long waiting period, through deplaning, and into the terminal.

I was right in front of her as we walked through the gangway from the plane, her private matters still droning in my ears. I turned to her and said, “Excuse me, but everyone really shouldn’t have to hear all this”. She said to me “What?” then into the phone “Wait a minute, some rude guy…” and then to me “Mind your own business!” And I replied to her, “Apparently you don’t care who minds your business”.

George M. Pomonik
Pomonik Consulting, Inc.
“Chaos Removal Services”^SM
www.pomonik.com

The mighty turn signal

George Pomonik — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 02:02:10 +0000

Let’s consider the turn signal for motor vehicles. When used properly, it helps keep a safe and friendly rhythm and flow to our traffic. I once saw a bumper sticker that declared, “World peace starts with turn signals”.

How did the flashing light become the signaling convention for turns and lane changes? A “device for indicating the intended movements of vehicles” was patented in 1909. It used mechanical images of a hand that popped out, pointing left or right, or held upright to indicate stoppage. Buick introduced the blinking electric turn signal in 1938 as the “Flash-Way Directional Signal”. Signaling requirements are now standard in all motor vehicle codes.

Like other useful standards and practices, turn signals evolved along with the activity they serve. But imagine if turn signaling just started in the age of high tech electronics. Instead of the blinking light, we might have elaborate rear end displays, in custom fonts selected by the driver. ”I’m thinking of turning right but I’m not sure yet” or “I’m turning left with some anxiety”. That might lead to tweets, animated ads, and the dreaded tail light blog.

But I hope that we stay with the simple blinking light. Like all practical processes, it needs to be:

Necessary and useful.
Reliable, easy to use, and quickly understood.
And, oh yes—used consistently.

George M. Pomonik
Pomonik Consulting, Inc.
“Chaos Removal Services”^SM
www.pomonik.com

Thank you for your $10.59

George Pomonik — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:56:36 +0000

I recently received a check for $10.59 as my total payment in a class action suit. I was one of more than 600,000 participants. The gross settlement was well over $100,000,000, and the class action attorneys’ fees exceeded $20,000,000.

Over the years, I’ve accumulated a folder with similar trivial distributions from class action suits. The defendants in these cases—the companies we do business with—pass the costs of the penalties on to us, along with the associated legal, administrative, and insurance expenses. We also invest in these companies, indirectly though banks, mutual funds, and retirement plans, or through direct investment. The costs of those lawsuits reduce our return on investment. And we pay for the associated costs of the court system, through taxes and fees—more money out of our pockets.

Just as with companies and organizations, the long-term success of our society is affected by the overall consequences of our methods for solving problems. Are we serving the greater need, or are we screwing things up with too much emphasis on just one piece of the puzzle?

Some class action suits are beneficial. But some of these lawsuits do nothing more than transfer a great deal of money from the public to a few private pockets. Society pays for this. I pay for this. And you pay for this. So thank you for your $10.59.

George M. Pomonik
Pomonik Consulting, Inc.
“Chaos Removal Services”^SM
www.pomonik.com

Top Ten reasons I wear a suit and tie

George Pomonik — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:05:26 +0000

People have asked me why I usually wear a suit and tie for business. Here are my Top Ten reasons:

10. It helps increase my credibility.

9. It cheers me up when I look in the mirror.

8. People don’t ask me to help remove carcasses from the street.

7. I avoid getting arrested for public nudity.

6. I can check my tie to see if I’m standing up straight.

5. It’s warmer than a tank top and gym shorts.

4. It reminds me to act professionally and sometimes even keeps me from shouting profanities during important meetings.

3. I have more pockets for my stuff.

2. We get a better table for lunch.

And the number one reason I usually wear a suit and tie for business:

1. As a sign of respect for my clients.

George M. Pomonik
Pomonik Consulting, Inc.
“Chaos Removal Services”^SM
www.pomonik.com

Diamonds and Rubies

George Pomonik — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:52:29 +0000

The evening freeway traffic was slowly winding through the hills. I was driving my Mom home. At 97 years old, she still lives on her own.

“Diamonds and rubies” she said. “What?” I replied. She answered, “The headlights and taillights—they look like strings of diamonds and rubies”.

“Yes” I chuckled. One of her wonderful characteristics is the ability to see, appreciate and comment on the beautiful and the enjoyable in life. Several people on her side of the family had that trait. That strange bunch (refugees from the hills of Transylvania) had to spend a good deal of time and energy dealing with harsh realities. But they always seemed to find ways to enjoy their lives with humor and a knack for finding delight in small things. Good idea—besides putting more pleasure in our lives, it helps keep us youthful.

That trait is also a key part of effective communications. I tell family, friends and clients that a great way to deal with difficult discussions is to first listen to the other people and look for “what I like about that”. Then express your honest appreciation about that part of their concept. You don’t have to agree with everything, but surely there’s some good in their ideas.

Try it in your personal and professional life. You just might find diamonds and rubies.

George M. Pomonik
Pomonik Consulting, Inc.
“Chaos Removal Services”^SM
www.pomonik.com