#720 More Dream Building Air Style

Great for building the Dream... The duPont Registry is one of the few magazines that exemplifies the American Dream. Every page is full to the point of overflowing with sex appeal. No, I am not talking about the human models... the cars! Boats. Motorcycles. And of course, the jet. I just discovered this classic: How are you going to have a dream come true, without first having a dream? This is the Piaggio Aero P 180 AVANTI II. Yes, the ultimate scooter! Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey www.throughput.us/contactSKI/ (c)2009, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey. All rights reserved.

#719: iPod touch in Action

How do you use your iTouch? Me? To listen to a lot of podcasts. Audio books. And music. And about a hundred other applications. Here is a podcast (the first session of who knows how many!) where I begin at the beginning (of the day): Via the MP3 or iTunes. Suit yourself. Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey www.throughput.us/contactSKI/ P.S. Seriously, drop me a note or blog about your iTouch and send me the link. (c)2009, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey. All rights reserved.

718: Dreaming of Riding an (air) Wave

Found another A-10 Warthog site

Link: Federation of American Scientists

Great facts, figures and photos of this workhorse. Semper Fi.

PCN: SKI on Marketing (Audio)

SKI joins Podcaster News In the fall of 2003 as I completed the writing of my first book (hint; hint), Purple Curve Effect, and as I was describing the second tip for creating "Throughput on Command", I said:

Second Tip: Write down your Goal “Marketing Guru” is what I wrote down.

Well, after six years (give or take a few breaks in the action for some great motorcycle adventures), I now know that I know nothing about marketing. However, I know more than 99% of the people that think they know something about marketing. But I digress... In case you did not know, "Throughput Marketing" is big on the Constraints Management Model (CMM: the perfect marriage of Eli Goldratt's TOC and the late Colonel John Boyd and his bias for action aka the OODA Loop). Thanks again to H. William Dettmer for CMM. Plus Geoffrey Moore's Crossing the Chasm. Check it out and let me know what you think: Podcaster News: SKI on Marketing Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey www.throughput.us/contactSKI/ P.S. I am looking for a sponsor for the new show. (c)2009, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey. All rights reserved.

Three Modern Wise Men

Elihu, Herbie and Jerome

Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite answered: "I am young in years, and you are aged; therefore I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you."

I am amazed (as was my dad, Sonny the Big Cat) how many folks talk of studying the Book of Job, and have no clue who Elihu was! Perhaps not a "modern man" per se, but his youth was not wasted. Therefore, if you are "one of those", may I suggest that you revisit Job?

Alex faces a constraint in the form of the slowest Boy Scout, Herbie.

In Eli Goldratt's best selling business book, The Goal, he introduces Herbie as the constraint (or weakest link) for a troop of boy scouts on a march. Most every manufacturing firm in the free world now knows of "Drum-Buffer-Rope" (DBR) but few can recall we learned about it from Herbie. Even fewer understand DBR (and my preference, sDBR) is applicable in every business to one degree or another. But I digress...

Jerome is a 32 year old account executive...

All of this brings us to the wise man of the hour: Jerome. As described in Geoffrey Moore's book, Crossing the Chasm. Until we understand what John Barry (of WD-40 fame) understood, that today's successful companies are marketing firms first, we cannot hope to extract every penny due us from the marketplace. I am amazed how many "high tech" firms have failed to study this landmark book. And how few of those give Jerome his due. Segmenting the market was something that I thought I understood. I was wrong. If you are selling a high tech good or service and you are not happy with your margins? Great. Buy and consume Moore's book. For the rest of you, not happy with your profits (or lack thereof)? Great. Give me a call. Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey www.throughput.us/contactSKI/ P.S. Hate to read? Get started with my podcast on iTunes: Throughput Press (c)2009, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey. All rights reserved.

Linda at Palmetto Bay Sunrise Cafe

Twenty bucks will make a difference From the post on goingHHI: Linda at Palmetto Bay Sunrise Cafe needs our help. Her cancer has gotten worse and she needs to go to MD Anderson to see if they can get her through this. MD Anderson is the best cancer hospital in the United States, but it is in Houston and insurance does not cover traveling and lodging costs. Linda sought all of the treatment she could locally and her bank account is now tapped out. Palmetto Bay Sunrise Cafe is selling "Team Linda" t-shirts for $20 and is going to donate 100% of the money to Linda. Please help support Team Linda by purchasing a t-shirt and by encouraging everyone you know on Hilton Head to do the same by forwarding this email. If you would prefer to just make a donation (and not purchase a tee, although, the tees are pretty cool) you can mail your donation in the form of a check to: Linda Linden-MacNeille c/o Leslie Stewart Palmetto Bay Sunrise Cafe 86 Helmsman Way; Suite 302 Hilton Head Island, SC 29928 If you have any questions please call Leslie at the restaurant at (843) 686-3232 Palmetto Bay Sunrise Cafe and Linda greatly appreciate your support! Thanks to goingHHI for bringing this to our attention. Please ShareThis with your HHI connections.

Facelift for Throughput.us web site

www.Throughput.us Simply Results. (c)2009, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey. All rights reserved.

#713 Wally Bock on Leadership

Speaker & Author Wally Bock Most every Friday morning shortly after my coffee break, my Apple Mac emailer beeps to alert me that the latest edition of Three Star Leadership newsletter has arrived. This free newsletter is always refreshing and a quick read. A great tool to expand one's vantage point. Honest. Just two minutes to read each week! Yes, I can broaden my horizons in just two minutes flat! Check it out and do let Wally know what you think. I did grab a few minutes with Wally today, and that brief interview is online at the Throughput Press Podcast. Also available via Apple iTunes or most any mp3 player. Subscription via iTunes is also free. Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey Three Star Leadership podcast with Wally Bock and SKI via MP3 or iTunes (c)2009, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey. All rights reserved.

Execution: Getting Results

Old Oldie but Goodie by Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan Practicing a bit of speed reading (recently inspired by Tim Ferriss and his 4-hour Workweek), I blasted through the first 150 pages of Execution — The discipline of getting things done, in an hour. Plus, managed to capture a lot more nuggets than usual in the process. How? Both the speed reading and the content helped make it possible. This is a well written book full of great case studies... well, maybe not true (thorough) studies, but great insights into other organizations. Like GE and Xerox to name just two. Plus I had to love the dialog injected at various points by the authors. Speaking of content, consider this passage:

"Throughout the process [mentioned previously in the book], asking questions constantly keeps the critical issues in mind..." —Page 221 of Execution

How often does your boss quiz you? I thought so... Or this passage, "Execution is a systemic process..." Look, the most brilliantly devised business plans are worthless (if not dangerous) without the ability to Execute. Yes, Strategy is important. Tactics too. But without Execution, you may as well stay on the porch. Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey UPDATE: Quick comment on Execution by SKI via MP3 or on iTunes (c)2009, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey. All rights reserved.

#711 It's not about Luck

"We need to get some engineers..." I could not stop myself. I had to interrupt the gentleman explaining one possible approach for entering a new market segment when he suggested that they might hire some engineers to explore the possibilities. Okay, maybe I could have shown a little more restraint, however, it was a brief meeting over lunch and time was a factor. Besides the weather was perfect and I was looking forward to the ride home now that the temperature was more reasonable. It was only 62 degrees when I left home an hour earlier; now it was upwards of seventy. That is one of the great focusing tools I use that I have not made clear: the motorcycle as basic transportation. Caution: Motorcycling is a dangerous activity. Do not attempt without proper instruction. Meetings almost always last too long. Way too long. So, the other day when I decided to ride the Kaw Nomad to a meet & greet, it was with intent. There was also talk of a plant visit. If you have seen 100+ plants, you have seen them all. Okay, there are exceptions. But the initial meeting is rarely the right venue for a visit to the owner's base of operations. (See Purple Curve Effect for more insight.) Things get off-track in a hurry like that, besides, this was more about connecting people of similar interests than any sort of consulting assignment. Hence my bluejeans and "Save the Black Rhino" t-shirt insured no plant visit. But I digress... In Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan's book, Execution, they talk of getting the right people on board. As does Jim Collins (myself) and others. But the best approach is employed by Cisco Systems, Inc. Acquisition! If your business is number one or two in your market segment and the future looks even better than the past, then stop reading. However, if margins aren't what they used to be and competition is bearing down on you from numerous vantage points, consider Cisco's business model. Yes, it will take a little effort to learn the proper approach for successful acquisitions, but once mastered, your business can weather any storm. Given the right business plan. In fact, you will then be in a position to inflict storms on your competition. A la John Boyd's OODA Loop. Need some help applying today's message? I am as close as your local Country Club Golf course. Besides, if you are serious about leaving the thin margins of Status Quo to your competition, you could use the break. Working 60+ hours a week only makes for one dull instrument. Give me a shout. Before its too late. Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey ski@throughput.us (c)2009, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey. All rights reserved.

#710 Frames — Work and Otherwise

My new favorite word: FRAMEWORK Tim Ferriss said in The 4-hour Workweek, "I didn't realize that working every hour from 9—5 isn't the goal; it's simply the structure most people use..." as in a framework. In business we talk of frames—work or otherwise—like life, to structure a model in an attempt to explain how one or more systems functions. Or, perhaps to design a system to meet our vision of the future. Notice the hole in our model pictured above? Let's call this the "9—5 Frame" as in the J/O/B most folks head off to each day. Until I read this passage, I simply had never thought of a job as an attempt to solve a problem. In other words, my vantage point was not very original. I was merely following the crowd mentality. I just never gave it any serious thought. My bad Here is the problem: good people are using this framework alone in an attempt to create their future. Most expect somehow that this approach will result in dreams coming true. Tim's book is an eye-opening extravaganza of "hits to the side of the head" in an attempt to suggest that "less is more". That the 9—5 mentality cannot produce breakthroughs. At least not very often. Wow. I get it! Do you? Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey ski@throughput.us (c)2009, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey. All rights reserved.

#709 What the... its 4AM

I awoke at 4AM ... again I have never been more excited about the future. And I haven't even checked my lottery ticket from last night yet! What gets you going in the morning? I ran across this great quote this morning from a hero:

"One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity." —Bruce Lee

Do you understand how profound that passage can be in your life? Seriously. Why do we immediately believe that "more" is the way to achieve more? If we can only squeeze more into our 24 hours than the next guy or gal... if we can only blast our way to the front of the pack. Sorry, but "more" ain't the key Want to buy a clue? Those that have been following this blog for any length of time have heard me say, "less is more". Honest. How do I know you may ask? Seriously, how could a guy that would rather be riding his vRod along A1A in Ft. Lauderdale know anything about business? Because business is also fun. When the privilege of combining the two present themselves (like this past July), I am all over it! I have been a master at time management for most of my life. By what standard? The only one that counts: me! Most would look at many of my decisions and call me a master procrastinator! Exactly. Napoleon was reported to have read his mail only once a month. Why? He explained that most of what others thought were urgent had solved themselves by time he learned of the given circumstance. Are circumstances driving your life? Need help? Free mentoring available for overworked (and underpaid) business owners. Apply here: ski@throughput.us Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey P.S. Maybe your boss needs the help? Forward him this post. (c)2009, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey. All rights reserved.

#708 Life after Lay Off

Laid off? What is the best book? In July of 2007 while walking the aisles of Barnes & Noble on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, I noticed this book by Tim Ferriss. Interesting cover. I have spent no small amount of time in a hammock by the waters edge... yet the title really got my attention! The 4-hour Workweek Back in January 2008 I was sharing about the importance of protecting one's Personal Time and shared a link to Tim's blog. Which by the way is one of my top ten blogs to track each day. I am amazed how few people that need to know what is happening in their industry or career (or just life in general!) use RSS feeds. Without bloglines I would miss at least 20% or more (probably much more!) of the important stuff that is important to me... but I digress. Well, I started re-reading "4 hour" from the vantage point of, "I just got laid off. Now what?" Amazing No, actually, it is profound. By the way, if you picked this book up as a direct result of being outplaced, I would love to talk to you. Write me. Today. Need an example of the wisdom? From page 24:

"The first principal is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool." —Richard P. Feynman

Get the idea? Tim goes on to say (on the next page) that one's options are limitless, "but each path begins with the same first step: replacing assumptions." What assumptions have you made that are cheating you out of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"? Lets talk about it. Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey ski@throughput.us P.S. Yes, I am serious. I want to hear from you. (c)2009, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey. All rights reserved.

Real Leaders Don't

Real Leaders Don't Do PowerPoint by Christopher Witt This is a great book. Yes, you know most of the topics covered. However, you probably don't REALLY know, eat, sleep and think the topics covered to the extent required. In the Fast Trackers' Toastmaster Friday morning meetings on Hilton Head Island (South Carolina), you will hear that phrase a lot: "Please do not do another PowerPoint presentation!" Just because anyone with a computer can create a "professional" looking presentation does mean that they should! If you need results (by leading yourself and others), you need this book. UPDATE: Hear the promotion of this book via a Podcast on iTunes

#706 Take Pen - Any Pen

Take a Pen Any pen. Write a Speech Any speech. Did it Matter? If not, why not? Take a Pen... —SKI

Guess what? Someday I might just have to answer for my actions. You know, along the lines of, "What did you do with the talents that I gave you?" Heavy stuff. Do I think that the best answer is something like, "I gave my life for the [fill in the blank] cause." No. Maybe... I am not sure, however, I do not recall that requirement anywhere on the application! I hold this truth to be self-evident: I can make a difference. Perhaps for just one person. Maybe more. Starting with me! Along the lines of that great tag line, "All that is necessary for evil to triumph, is for good folks to do nothing." What injustice moves you to action? Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey ski@throughput.us P.S. If your cause is business related, lets connect on LinkedIn and put ten thousand to flight! (c)2009, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey. All rights reserved.

#705: Simple Man with credit to Skynyrd

From Lynyrd Skynyrd's debut album in 1973 This morning as I left the house for my morning meeting with inspiration (and a hot cup of coffee), Skynyrd's Simple Man popped up on Pandora via my iPod touch. Most inspiring in its own right.

Oh, take your time, don't live too fast. Troubles will come and they will pass. Go find a woman and you'll find love. And don't forget, son, there is Someone up above.

Yep. Colour me inspired... and ready to charge the day. Amen! Ever been inspired by someone that you just don't see "eye to eye" with? Should you? I am on many days, like today. See, I bought a book yesterday. My wife and I support Goodwill Industries with both purchases and contributions, including the three bucks I spent on Donald Trump's, Think like a Billionaire. I figured that there must be at least $3 worth of insight in there somewhere! I am not a fan of Trump. But I respect his accomplishments. I loved the first season of "The Apprentice". I fell in love with Gene Simmons' talent in "The Celebrity Apprentice" and then vowed to never watch again after The Donald fell victim to some unknown force and refused to acknowledge Annie Duke as the true "Celebrity Apprentice" this past season. I expected Mark Burnett to weigh in and "make it right", but he did not. Or, perhaps, it was Mark that was pulling for the loser that was handed the title. I had to hit the mute every time that loud mouth and her daughter ranted (which was every moment the camera was pointed anywhere near them!). But I digress... So, this morning after hearing "Simple Man" on the way to my inspiration session, I started skimming Trump's book. In the introduction he tells that, "I had my own vision." He also talks much like Skynyrd's "Moma" where in the song she closes with, "Oh, be something you love and understand." Synergy Again. Where one plus one equals 27 or some such number beyond all reason. The Donald and Skynyrd? Life is definitely stranger than fiction! Good advice. From a rock band and The Donald. And SKI. Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey ski@throughput.us P.S. Speaking of Mark Burnett, I am very much entertained by his latest, Shark Tank! (c)2009, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey. All rights reserved.