from rh's blog...

I hate to admit it, but Ross Hollman, author of Strategize, makes an extremely good point about free wireless: we're all out there looking for it, so why not set apart your business by allowing us to get out of the office an hour earlier by providing both cold beer [margaritas, chips & salsa work just as well] AND free wireless. The 9a-5p population is dwindling proportionately with the number of happy hours lasting beyond 6p; if your happy hour is over before I can get my work done, give me a method of simultaneous indulgence and we'll both be much, much happier. Besides, if you can get me there, the traffic will keep me there far beyond your reduced prices.

To get, and keep, me:

1.
2. 3. [BONUS]

more rambling.

If you feel as though something is missing, there's a fair chance you're either looking too hard or not hard enough. Either mistake can cause oversight in even the most obvious of places.

don't forget...

Many years ago, someone to whom I'm very close called my attention to a marquee sign in my hometown. He told me to be certain I noticed on my way home that day, and that I always remember it. Though I've caught myself out of practice, I've never forgotten.

It read: PEOPLE ARE YOUR PURPOSE, NOT YOUR PROBLEM.

It's not always easy, but, slow down, spell it out, and smile.

just keep swimming.

There will almost certainly be an "easy way out."

Don't take it.

It won't reap the greatest reward; the challenge will.

don't judge me.

Generation gaps are everywhere you look. The most obvious is the parent-child gap, but, overall, the most difficult to bridge is inarguably found in the workplace.

When communication is pertinent to reaching your company's goals, it can be exhausting to account for this gap. With text message, email, mobile phones, landlines, voicemail, etc., the mediums are readily available; the obstacle is in the tendency to be creatures of habit. Since no one is technically wrong and we're all advocates of our own said tendencies, a simple solution does not appear to be within sight. Perhaps tolerance is the only workable approach.

I also find it interesting that the overwhelming majority [notice: I did not say ALL] of literature on this topic attempt to categorize, both by year of birth and by character trait, each generation with not-so-vague generalizations which appear to grow increasingly skeptical [fair to say negative] on their way down. This could possibly be a result of vested interest by the respective author in one of the categories, or maybe someone just left-off "bitter" from the baby boomer description. It's slightly appalling that, with respect to my date of birth, I'm categorized by a 'desire for instant gratification' [what I would call motivated to succeed] and seated directly next to those born in 2000; I don't find many 8-year-olds with a developed, and therefore categorizational, personality, nor do I see myself having much in common with one. This brings about the question, are these generalizations self-fulfilling prophecies? Or do we accept these ideas as true simply because an author with the means of publication claims them?

Ultimately, I know very few people whom I would consider 'similar' to me; I certainly do not accept the belief that I can be accurately placed into a bucket of behavioral characteristics based solely on my birth date falling within a common 20-year span.

Here is an older, but semi-accurate USA Today article that's surprisingly unbiased.

Park Meadows, you did it.

Park Meadows shopping center in Lone Tree, Colorado has in its marketing/operations departments either A) young, realistic women, B) annoyed, middle-aged men, or C) both.

As a friend and I walked through the dining area and into the center of the retail stores today (a Sunday afternoon in January), I couldn't help but stare curiously at the southwest corner of the large commons. Seated at more than twenty tables were men, largely between the ages of 25 and 45, accompanied by bags of all sorts -- Victoria's Secret, Ann Taylor, Coach.

I looked for quite a long time before the Ben & Jerry's kiosk was out of my sight-line and the entire scene was revealed: projected on the wall was the Packers v. Giants Playoff Championship game. Utter geniuses.

Congratulations, someone has finally bridged the gap between genders: husband and wife spent their Sunday together, technically, since they left the house in the same vehicle and valet did the only dropping-off; the husband went to the mall and watched the big game, the wife got to shop sans whining husband and still didn't have to carry her own bags. Assuming dinner and wine followed, this could be the beginning of an ideal relationship.

don't have this conversation in public...or at all.

Pertaining ironically to my last post, this afternoon I overheard a conversation that went [generically] something like this:

Complainer: "So I've worked, like, 60 hours this week already. Today was only a 15-hour day though, which is nice."

Reciprocator: "Wow, that's a lot. Don't they, like, call you in every day that you're supposed to be off?"

Complainer: "Oh yea. Like next week I was supposed to have a day off but they already told me I have to work. I basically just live here."

And it only went downhill from there.

I would love to know who it was that told people their hours worked can appropriately serve as a badge of courage that will be overwhelmingly honored by all who encounter it. By advertising the supposed demand for your efforts, you are essentially complaining because it's slightly more socially acceptable than blatantly stating, "I'm so good that they won't let me leave" -- complaining in a manner that you feel people will be impressed.

Well, here's the truth: just because you work A LOT does not mean you work SMART A LOT. The people you want to impress know the difference, and telling them [complaining to them] will likely show your need to compensate with quantity what you lack in quality. So, next time you feel compelled to impress someone through your professional achievements, think of this: SHOW, DON'T TELL.