Sonny the Big Cat

The 3 Amigoes Jeff, Sonny, and JR Kinsey. 

July 2000 in Sea Pines Plantation on Hilton Head Island. 

A couple days ago, on May 19th my dad, Myron 'Sonny' Kinsey passed on to his reward. He will be missed. My son is in Ohio for the funeral. Going through family pictures, this one grabbed my attention.

Three generations of Kinseys. He would have been 71 years young today. Up until about two years ago, I greeted my dad by calling out to him, "Sonny the Big Cat!" It was with enthusiasm. With pride and excitement. Over the years, I watched him walk into many a CEOs' office and gain immediate attention and respect. Right past the secretary. Often, busting into the middle of on-going meetings. Nine out of 10 times, he was welcomed like a long lost friend. The odd event out, never seemed to bother him. 

He was on a mission. Like the Blues Brothers, he was on a Mission from God. He must have known the love and respect I had for him. It was his constant query about when would my book be done, that birthed it. And then he set about getting it printed. Two years ago, he asked me to stop calling him the big cat. He changed. The beginning of the end, I guess. Much easier to see with hindsight... I miss him more than words could ever convey.  

—

My dad with my daughter and son twenty years ago! -jeff

Deming's 13th Point

Out of the Crisis
by W. Edwards Deming

From his 14 points for Management; number 13:

I guess I would have called them fourteen points for Leadership. Who I am to second guess Deming? Just a guy with way too much time on my hands!

The other day I stopped in Wendy's for lunch and bumped into a retired business owner and acquaintance. Let's call him "Bob." Bob is a Democrat. Somehow we got onto politics, and that led Bob to remark about my dad, Myron 'Sonny' Kinsey, who passed on to his reward this past May.

Sonny the Big Cat, as I affectionately called my dad (and a fan of Deming), met Bob when delivering packages to Bob's business (my dad was a UPS driver at the time). In fact, dad learned of Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963 when he made a delivery at Bob's store. But I digress...

Well, Bob shared his sympathy on my dad's passing as we have not seen each other in almost a year. And then remarked he had a lot of respect for Sonny, in part due to a comment he made concerning William Jefferson Clinton's impeachment. Sonny agreed that it was wrong for slick Willie to have lied about the affair, and stated that he should have simply said, "It is none of your business."

Yep. Common sense is not all that common. I miss you dad.

Back to our regularly scheduled message: Leadership. Leaders do. They "walk the walk." What is the easiest way to implement Deming's 13th point? Start with yourself. I have known a lot of business owners, and a lot of leaders. All business owners are not leaders. Few have taken this 13th point to heart... at least few of the ones that I know.

For me, it starts with me. I read a lot. But more importantly, I think. About a lot things. Some days about just one thing. Every morning (when ever it arrives, like 5:21am today) I get moving by heading out for a cup of coffee. I take a book along (like A Better Way by Terry Acord today) and my iPod. After my personal and private brainstorming session, I drive by one of my next dreams: The Chrysler Pacifica.

Nothing happens without a dream.

Then back to office to make something happen. Like the Purple Curve Workshop. If you are trying to make something happen, help may come from the most unlikely sources. Like the inspiration for Post-it® Notes. My dad was always asking when I would take time to write my first book. His constant inquiries helped birth it. The workshop based on the book might just be the inspiration you need to make a difference in the world.

The clock is ticking...

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

P.S. What are YOU doing this Friday, January 19th?

tag: W. Edwards Deming

CEO Schedule

A great post over at businesspundit...

Reminded me of my dad, Sonny The Big Cat. He helped a number of CEOs get their act together. Me included.

This is one off my favorite photos of us together. You can tell this is Ohio, taken in April 1958. I was three years old. The motorcycle is a 1944 Harley-Davidson "Army Bike" owned by my grandfather (dad's father-in-law), Harley W. Buss... whose dad, Geo E. Buss was one of the first 200 Harley dealers. Ever. With a shop in downtown New Philadelphia circa 1911 (when his son was born, and named, yep, Harley).

I remember grandpa coming to get me on his various Harley's over the years, and riding with him up and down and all around the country roads (before interstates!). As I recall, he owned at least one other "suicide shift" bike (note the gear shift on the tank in the photo). My first real motorcycle was a Harley 65cc. If that two-stroke powerhouse counts! My cousins had mopeds, so I thought I was hot. But I digress.

The businesspundit post reminded me of a habit that I acquired from dad: the morning "think session" over coffee at an area restaurant. Starbucks is 30 miles away, so I rarely make that trek in the morning.

I take my iPod, a book, at least one magazine, small tablet and pen. As Harry S. Stamper (Bruce Willis) says in the movie Armageddon, for all my "thinking $#!& up", I should work for NASA. I have had some real breakthroughs. For myself and my clients.

I remember during my Red Horse custom motorcycles days (as a consultant and acting Director of Manufacturing), doing the coffee break thing in the mornings at Jitters in Clear Lake, Iowa (where the "Music died" and no Starbucks exist). I was applying Schragenheim and Dettmer's sDBR and I needed more bikes in the production schedule during the slower winter season. I came up with a great idea: any dealer for Red Horse that had a bike in stock for display, would be added to our American Iron magazine advertisement. No bike meant no mention in the national magazine. It worked. We had a number of dealers order bikes in order to be included in the marketing effort.

I cannot place too much emphasis on getting away at the start of the day, to "think stuff up," and determine the focal point for one's efforts.

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

P.S. Need help "thinking stuff up?" Call me: (330) 432-3533

tag: Red Horse Motorcycles
(c)Copyright 2007, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey.
All rights reserved.

What's your GNP?

I love the idea that is Wolfram|Alpha Whenever I am looking for answers that are numeric, I try W|A first. But as most have discovered, we do not always know how to formulate the right question in order to get an answer. Much like life. In my seven years as a business consultant and the previous twenty years as an IT/IS consultant, one thing is clear. Crystal clear: Success comes from asking the right questions. Not happy with your results? Ask better questions! Like what portion of the Gross National Product (GNP) was based on my contributions? Consider Apple's — $AAPL — $34.56 Billion in gross revenue. Its like one-quarter of one percent of the US GNP. But it is a lot more than mine! But we all have to start somewhere. Where are you going to start? Looking for a Job? Maybe I can help. I recently started a group on LinkedIn to help. Consider joining the "U2TB" (UnderUtilized Talent Bank) group and sharing your talents. Provided you are willing to show off your talents before you expect a paycheck. Ever notice the older you get, the smarter your parents get? My dad (Sonny the Big Cat) told me at the age of 16 (or so, best that I can recall), "Go up to the Sunoco gas station and offer to work for free for two weeks to prove yourself." Yep. Wise beyond his years. He would have been all of 36 at the time. That is the premise of the group. Sitting around the house feeling sorry for yourself. Kicking yourself for voting for "change" when it seems like all we got was a ... sorry, I digress. Check out the group: U2TB Or stop by my profile and connect. Together, we can make a difference. Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey ski@throughput.us P.S. Yes, I did get the job at the Sunoco station. (c)Copyright 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.