Think Different

Purple Curve Insight #12

There are no free lunches.
You must think it through!
Apple’s “Think Different”
slogan was brilliant.

Dr. Roger Rhoades now comes to mind, when "think different" is mentioned. We just produced the paperback of this exciting book. It is now available for purchase from his home on the internet at www.greatstuff.com -- an amazing site full of neat ideas. But I digress...

Yesterday, after my blast on the Vrod, we taped an interview for an up and coming podcast about the book. As sort of a sneak peak, we talked about "Ah ha" moments and thinking differently.

Readers of Purple Curve Effect know that I took the expression, "Is the glass of water half full or half empty," and took our readers through an exercise to determine the glass of water's true state. It is my hope that our readers no longer use that exercise without thinking.

In Dr. Rhoades' book, Living in the Moment, he takes famous quotes from recognizable people, and shares a personal "Ah ha" insight, and concludes each chapter with a quote of his own. Good stuff. Consider buying two copies. One to keep and one to give away.

Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Publisher
www.ThroughputPress.com

P.S. The PDF of the book is also available.

tag: Living in the Moment
(c)Copyright 2007, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey.
All rights reserved.

Friday and Fifty

Friday, March 2nd and Fifty degrees...

Yesterday, the weather man promised 50+ which in Ohio this time of the year, means bike riding weather! He lied. However, he atoned. Today it hit fifty and the sun was out.

Put about fifty miles on today, before the cold overtook me. What a blast. At times, I thought the wind chill was more like 36 degrees... of course, my friend Joe D. is at the 66th Daytona Beach Bike Week facing high 60s and low 70s. Could not happen to a nicer guy.

"I just love it when a plan comes together!"
--Colonel Hannibal Smith

I recently put a battery tender pig tail on to insure that the Vrod was "charged" and ready to crank. And it was. And it did. Mission accomplished. If every project turned out so well... according to the weather man, it will be another week before we break fifty.

Back to work.

Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Publisher
www.ThroughputPress.com

P.S. I did see a few other bikers out today...

tag: Harley Vrod
(c)Copyright 2007, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey.
All rights reserved.

Wasting Time and Money

There are a lot of smart people in the world...

I do not consider myself one. My key to success? Simple. Really. I am simply willing to outwork anyone and everyone that comes between me and my goal.

Now that is not to imply that I am not interested in working 'smart' as they say, because I consider myself a pretty fast study. Its like my locking the car door example. Form habits that produce success. Not sure who said that first, but its mine now!

"Its relationships, stupid!"

I tell myself that message every morning. Its the "honey verses vinegar" approach to interacting with people. People that you may not consider 'important' in the short term. Like a receptionist. I tell in Purple Curve Effect how my assistant in Personnel was the company receptionist... and she was quick to pass along the short-comings (as well as any praise) of those seeking an audience with me.

Which makes me think of a person that I had to fire. They just did not have the skill set required. They were upset. Obviously. I tried to make my case. But also tried to explain that the person had skills that would be appreciated in other organizations. A couple months later, they stopped in to thank me for firing them! They had found a job they loved and were well suited to perform.

I have been unable to lay my hands on an article in which a master of Lean manufacturing (TPS) was explaining that they (Lean practitioners) have perhaps been focusing too much on waste. In a letter of rebuttal, another practitioner suggests the focus on waste is still valid.

Few tools (Lean and Six Sigma come to mind) have the ability to approach business from the holistic "systems" orientation required to produce the desired results. Results that align with the corporate mission statement. Like return on investment. Or earnings per share. Once the proper leverage point is determined with Eli Goldratt's Theory of Constraints (TOC), tools like Lean and Six Sigma may be perfect. Of course, to turbocharge your TOC, get your hands on William Dettmer's Strategic Navigation in order to apply John Boyd's OODA Loop (thus creating strategy and tactics that produce remarkable results faster than your competition!).

My simple formula for avoiding the waste of time or money:

Find a Working Model and Adapt It!


Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.ThroughputPress.com
(330) 432-3533

P.S. Or, call me to participate in Dr. Lisa Lang's "Mafia Offer" Boot camp!

tag: Strategic Navigation
Disclaimer: H. William Dettmer and Dr. Lisa Lang are clients of Throughput Press.
(c)Copyright 2007, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey.
All rights reserved.