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	<title>Hal Alpiar's Blog &#187; Happiness</title>
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	<link>http://www.halalpiar.com</link>
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		<title>BUSINESS BUSYNESS</title>
		<link>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/09/business-busyness/</link>
		<comments>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/09/business-busyness/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 08 Sep 2010 01:06:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Hal Alpiar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA["Here & Now" Focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Choosing Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Contacts/Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Decision Making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Empathy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Feedback]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gestalt Therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Good Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Meetings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[People Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reputation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Esteem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trust]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA["Harried Executive"]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA["I'm too busy!"]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA["No Man Is An Island"]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA["Time and tide wait for no man"]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Businesspeople]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Intimacy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality Therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TIME is our most valuable commodity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Verbal and Nonverbal Messages]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.halalpiar.com/?p=4704</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8220;I&#8217;m too busy for you!&#8221;
(Translated: I&#8217;ll never be a leader because I don&#8217;t really care about anybody else!)
 
Is &#8220;I&#8217;m too busy for you!&#8221; the verbal or nonverbal message you might be putting out to others?
I just read a promotional endorsement written by someone I know who, years ago, I used to respect. He starts out his explanation of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"><em>&#8220;I&#8217;m too busy for you!&#8221;</em></span></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><em>(Translated: I&#8217;ll never be a leader because I don&#8217;t really care about anybody else!)</em></h6>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Is &#8220;I&#8217;m too busy for you!&#8221;</strong> the verbal or nonverbal message you might be putting out to others?</p>
<p><strong>I just read </strong>a promotional endorsement written by someone I know who, years ago, I used to respect. He starts out his explanation of why the particular newsletter he raves about is one of a very few that he actually makes time to read. He opens his statement by saying:</p>
<h6>                                                                              </h6>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"><em>&#8220;I&#8217;m busy &#8212; painfully busy, so </em></span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"><em>I&#8217;m stingy with my time&#8230;&#8221;</em> </span></h2>
<h6>                                                               </h6>
<p><strong><em>Pull-eease!</em></strong> Who cares? The source, though, may want to know that comments like this scream of the kind of personal frustration known to have led many to depression and isolation.</p>
<p><strong>It would be viewed</strong> by not a few psychology professionals as the monolithic signature of an individual who has deep fears of experiencing any forms of intimacy with others.</p>
<p><strong>&#8220;Intimacy,&#8221;</strong>defined by ground-breaking Gestalt Psychology authors James and Jongeward, &#8220;is free of games and free of exploitation. It occurs in those rare moments of human contact that arouse feelings of tenderness, empathy&#8230;genuine caring&#8230;and affection.&#8221; </p>
<p><strong>Businesspeople</strong> are not immune to these kinds of connections and cannot hide behind &#8220;business&#8221; as if it were a protective shield. But many don&#8217;t know that they&#8217;re doing it. It may be going on for so long, that it feels natural to be a &#8220;workaholic.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Some may say,</strong> why interrupt my career mission to get close enough to someone who will want me to pat their hand when they have a crisis? Dealing with other people&#8217;s crises slows me down and forces me to sidetrack.</p>
<h6>                                                                          </h6>
<blockquote>
<h3><span style="color: #800000;">Much has been written in the literature of Gestalt and Reality Therapy about those who play the <em>&#8220;Harried Executive&#8221;</em> game in life and business. </span></h3>
<h3><span style="color: #800000;">These are people who define themselves as &#8220;overwhelmed&#8221; and &#8220;overloaded&#8221; and &#8220;swamped&#8221; and &#8220;up to my ears&#8230;&#8221; </span></h3>
<h3><span style="color: #800000;">They make themselves too busy to have to spend any genuine quality time relating to others. </span></h3>
</blockquote>
<h6>                                                                          </h6>
<p><strong>This is not a healthy mindset</strong>, but it is often masked by offering token attentions and participating in general socializing. It frequently requires professional counseling and coaching to move this type of behavior beyond the personal relationship barricade the person has set up for her or himself.</p>
<p><strong>That you might be conveying</strong> to others that you are too busy for them, means you are close to the edge of the abyss that forecloses on many of life&#8217;s most valuable opportunities.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>&#8220;I&#8217;m too busy&#8221; type statements can also be taken by many to mean:</strong></p>
<h6>                                                                       </h6>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"><em>&#8220;You&#8217;re worthless to me; get out of my way!&#8221; </em></span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>(Can there be any more insulting an attitude to communicate?) </strong></p>
<h6>                                                                              </h6>
<p><strong>Can you, </strong>or anyone who works with you, actually afford to practice being too busy, never mind flaunting it as in the above example?</p>
<p><strong>Time is our most precious and cherished commodity</strong>. Of course we need air and water and food and clothing and shelter, but time is what drives those needs.</p>
<h6>                                                                      </h6>
<blockquote>
<h3><span style="color: #800000;"><strong>One of your grandparents </strong>no doubt once told you that &#8220;Time and tide wait for no man&#8221; (a statement that predates modern English and whose authorship is ascribed to St. Marher in 1225) and that &#8220;No man is an island&#8221; (attributed to the Englishman who was proclaimed the greatest of all metaphysical poets, John Donne, 1572-1631). </span></h3>
</blockquote>
<h6>                                                                  </h6>
<p><strong>Surely you&#8217;ve heard</strong> those statements somewhere? Maybe they are worthy of re-considering from time to time.</p>
<p><strong>What kinds of nonverbal &#8220;I&#8217;m too busy&#8221; messages could you be sending out? </strong>Arms and/or legs crossed defensively in meetings? Parentally looking over the tops of your glasses at other&#8217;s suggestions that seem too time-consuming?</p>
<p><strong>You keep checking your watch</strong>, the clock on the wall? You keep checking for text messages? You keep reading emails while someone is speaking with you? Do you walk ahead of others you&#8217;re speaking with, or shoulder to shoulder?</p>
<p><strong>Do you pick up</strong> the phone and dial when someone approaches you? Do you put off invitations to family gatherings and neighborhood events, or show up to smile and handshake a few people and then slide out the side door when others seem preoccupied?</p>
<h6>                                                                    </h6>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #800000;">You may want to listen to yourself more . . . and  </span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #800000;">check out that great smile of yours in the mirror once in awhile!</span></strong></p>
<p>   </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.twwsells.com/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.TWWsells.com</span></a> or 302.933.0116 or <a href="mailto:Hal@TheWriterWorks.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Hal@BusinessWorks.US</span></a><span style="color: #0000ff;">  </span></p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You.</span></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #0000ff;"><em>“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”</em> [Thomas Jefferson] </span></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Make today a GREAT day for someone</span><span style="color: #800000;">!</span></h5>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>LABOR DAY</title>
		<link>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/09/labor-day/</link>
		<comments>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/09/labor-day/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:15:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Hal Alpiar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA["Here & Now" Focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Choosing Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Corporate Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Decision Making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[People Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reputation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Esteem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Angela Current at www.classicresumes.com]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Being happy at work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Choose to make your job more than "labor"]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Does your boss know you are on cruise control and capable of more responsibility?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Is what you're doing a labor of love?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What's the worst can happen from speaking up?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Your job performance will speak for itself]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Zig Ziglar]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.halalpiar.com/?p=4693</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Not all work is labor.
                                   
Not all labor is work.
                                            
(A short post for bosses to copy and leave anonymously at certain workstations)
                                               
Is it true that some of us are lucky enough to be working for pleasure as well as pay, and that some of us labor for love alone? 
If you fit either of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Not all work is labor.</span></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                   </span></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Not all labor is work.</span></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                            </span></h6>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"><em><span style="color: #0000ff;">(A short post for bosses to copy and leave anonymously at certain workstations)</span></em></span></h6>
<h2>                                               </h2>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Is it true</strong> that some of us are lucky enough to be working for pleasure as well as pay, and that some of us labor for love alone? </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>If you fit either of these categories</strong>, like keeping your eye on the ball when you&#8217;ve got a beer in one hand and popcorn in the other, or finding out that your closest relatives are all in jail, it&#8217;s sometimes hard to realize that the vast majority of workers reportedly hate their jobs. </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Certainly more people could be happy at work</strong>, don&#8217;t you think? It doesn&#8217;t take a teenage Blackberry txtmsg scientist to recognize that those who are miserable with their jobs need only make the choice to click the channel in their brains to another station, and refuse to choose to get themselves &#8220;downed-out&#8221; about the tasks at hand. Check your misery level:<span style="color: #0000ff;"> </span><a href="http://bit.ly/bdNJxb"><span style="color: #0000ff;">http://bit.ly/bdNJxb</span></a></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Motivational guru Zig Ziglar</strong> always used to point out that when you have a job &#8211;<em>any</em> job&#8211; odds are pretty good that you also are getting paid for your time and effort, that you likely have some kind of benefits, that you can usually count on heat or air conditioning and a roof over your head, that you get lunch time off and possibly a coffee break or two, that you can usually socialize a bit with others, and that you get some kind of recognition for exceptional performance. Well?</span></p>
<h6><span style="color: #000000;">                                                                                                                      </span></h6>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">So, what&#8217;s the bottom line?</span></h2>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                                    </span></h6>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>If you think</strong> your job is strictly labor, think again. Could it be that you are perhaps choosing to see it that way? If you&#8217;re bored or fed up with work that is no longer challenging, have you brought that to any one&#8217;s attention? </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Does your boss</strong> know that you are on cruise control? Does you boss know that you are capable of more responsibility? Speak up woman! (or man!) Take the risk to say how you feel. </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>What&#8217;s the worst that can happen?</strong> Do you think any boss in the world would fire you for asking for more responsibility or a more challenging workload? It&#8217;s not going to happen. Get the thought out of your head. </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Choose instead</strong> to see that a request like this will light a fire of awareness under your boss and prompt you to earn the consideration you deserve. Don&#8217;t package your request with a pricetag!</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>As much as business owners love </strong>hearing employee requests for added responsibility, they hate hearing requests for more money. Let the compensation issue go with the flow. </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Present your ideas</strong> for how and why you can and should be allowed to do a better, more productive job . . . and leave the salary/benefit issues up to the boss. Your performance will get you recognition and added pay. In case it doesn&#8217;t, consider connecting with my friend Angela Current, professional resume writer and career and interview coach at <a href="http://www.classicresumes.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.classicresumes.com</span></a> for help!</span></p>
<h6><span style="color: #000000;">                                                                                                </span></h6>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"><em>Performance goes MUCH further than bitching. </em></span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"><em>Choose to perform. Watch what happens!   </em></span></h2>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.twwsells.com/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.TWWsells.com</span></a> or 302.933.0116 or <a href="mailto:Hal@TheWriterWorks.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Hal@BusinessWorks.US</span></a>  </p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You.</span></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"> <em>“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”</em> [Thomas Jefferson] </span></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Make today a GREAT day for someone!</span></h5>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Teenage Trooper</title>
		<link>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/09/teenage-trooper/</link>
		<comments>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/09/teenage-trooper/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:07:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Hal Alpiar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA["Here & Now" Focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Choosing Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Empathy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reputation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Esteem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Special People/Special Occasions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trust]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[a privileged life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Letting Go]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Losing a friend and family member]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[loyalty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rise to the occasion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[unsolicited love]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.halalpiar.com/?p=4659</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8220;BARNEGAT GIRL&#8221; 
10/15/97 &#8211; 9/1/10   R.I.P.

 


&#8220;The BEST Golden Retriever Girl In The Whole World&#8221;


                                              
We are in deep sadness for having lost a dear family member and great friend and companion today.
It&#8217;s never a good time for letting go. This is especially true for the one who&#8217;s been the loyalest, sweetest, and most fun-loving guardian of our [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1 class="mceTemp mceIEcenter" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">&#8220;BARNEGAT GIRL&#8221; </span></h1>
<h2 class="mceTemp mceIEcenter" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"><span style="color: #000000;">10/15/97 &#8211; 9/1/10   R.I.P.</span></span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter" style="text-align: center;"> 
<dl id="attachment_4660" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 343px; height: 282px;">
<dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://www.halalpiar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Christmas-1st-use-of-camera-019.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-4660" title="Christmas - 1st use of camera 019" src="http://www.halalpiar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Christmas-1st-use-of-camera-019-300x225.jpg" alt="Barnegat Girl 10/15/97-9/1/10 R.I.P." width="300" height="225" /></a></dt>
<dd class="wp-caption-dd">&#8220;The BEST Golden Retriever Girl In The Whole World&#8221;</dd>
</dl>
</div>
<h6 style="text-align: center;">                                              </h6>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">We are in deep sadness for having lost a dear family member and great friend and companion today.</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">It&#8217;s never a good time for letting go. This is especially true for the one who&#8217;s been the loyalest, sweetest, and most fun-loving guardian of our lives for 13 years. But today, Barnegat was called to a higher place. Her body simply couldn&#8217;t survive her permanent puppy mindset any longer.</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">She was a trooper through and through. No animal on earth could possibly have had more heart than Barnegat Girl. She protected. She inspired. She mended fences. She stood tall in troubled waters. Her smile was real and contagious.</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">She loved the cold weather and making &#8220;dog-angel&#8221; imprints in the snow. When we brought her home, it was in one hand; she was the size of a football. Today, as she left us, her 95 pounds of upbeat spirit will live on.</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Barnegat had taken us through three moves to three different homes in two different states and she outlived two wonderful male cocker spaniels &#8220;Sam&#8221; and &#8220;Tuckerton&#8221; who each thought she was their big sister.</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Barnegat loved chasing baseballs and tennis balls and swimming in the ocean &#8211;even in the winter ice and snow.</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">She bounded at the slightest beckoning. And would rise to any occasion regardless of the circumstances.</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">The proof of her disposition was proven by hundreds of tugging, pulling children over the years that she would reward with licks again and again. </h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Her travels took her to the mountains and the ocean coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and the mountains of Vermont, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, plus the coast and farmlands of Delaware . . . and &#8211;of course&#8211; untold lakes, rivers, streams, lagoons, and creeks all along the way. </h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Yes, she was a &#8220;privileged child,&#8221; but never failed to earn her keep, or be loving and attentive to all who entered her life.</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">God Bless You, Barnegat Girl, and thank you for 13 years of unsolicited love and trust and the kind of friendship that all on Earth should strive to equal.</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">It&#8217;s lonesome under my desk . . . but YOU, sweet girl, will never be forgotten.    </h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.twwsells.com/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.TWWsells.com</span></a> or 302.933.0116 or <a href="mailto:Hal@TheWriterWorks.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Hal@BusinessWorks.US</span></a>  </p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You.</span></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"> <em>“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”</em> [Thomas Jefferson] </span></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Make today a GREAT day for someone!</span></h5>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>Business Separation and Divorce</title>
		<link>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/08/business-separation-and-divorce/</link>
		<comments>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/08/business-separation-and-divorce/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:48:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Hal Alpiar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA["Here & Now" Focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Age & Aging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anger/Conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Choosing Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Community Support]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Customer Service (CRM)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Decision Making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Empathy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Meetings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mental Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Objectives]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Overcoming Objections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[People Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Poems/Essays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Problems=Opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Professional Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reputation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Retailing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Esteem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Special People/Special Occasions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strategic Planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strategies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tactics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trust]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Belligerent Business Boards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Divorce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Financial Problems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Operational Differences]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Combative Business Couples]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Divorce between married couples is now mainstream American life and sets the table for business divorce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family business upheavals can contaminate marriage relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Feuding Business Families]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[How to patch things up - A Plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Or get professional counseling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Peeved Business Partners]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scottish Poet Robert Burns]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Those caught in the middle of divorce typically suffer the most]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What else is a business partnership than a marriage?]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.halalpiar.com/?p=4653</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Feuding Families, 
                          
Combative Couples,
                                    
Peeved Partners  and
                                        
Belligerent Boards
                                             
Constant arguing, bitter and mean-spirited discussions, &#8220;business infidelity,&#8221; resentment, continuous bickering and back-biting, breaking trust and undermining confidences, changing changes.
. . . I want out and it&#8217;s time to go! 
                                                                              

Or, as the renown Scottish farmer/poet Robert Burns&#8217; prophesied in 1786 with his &#8220;Ode To A Wee [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Feuding Families, </span></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                          </span></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Combative Couples,</span></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                    </span></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Peeved Partners  and</span></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                        </span></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Belligerent Boards</span></h1>
<p>                                             </p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Constant arguing, bitter and mean-spirited discussions, &#8220;business infidelity,&#8221; resentment, continuous bickering and back-biting, breaking trust and undermining confidences, changing changes.</h3>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><em>. . . I want out and it&#8217;s time to go! </em></h2>
<h6>                                                                              </h6>
<blockquote>
<h3><span style="color: #800000;"><em><strong>Or, as the renown Scottish farmer/poet </strong>Robert Burns&#8217; prophesied in 1786 with his &#8220;Ode To A Wee Mouse&#8221; in what may be the world&#8217;s most quoted and paraphrased bits of advice: &#8220;The best-laid schemes o&#8217; mice an&#8217; men gang aft agley.&#8221; (often go awry, or wrong)   </em></span></h3>
<h6><span style="color: #800000;"><em>                                                         </em></span></h6>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>How can you continue with the financial problems?</strong> The Mission and Vision disagreements? Operational differences? Business expansion and &#8220;parenting&#8221; plans vs. consolidation?</p>
<p><strong>Do your business and business relationships</strong> look increasingly fragile? Are partners distancing themselves? Does collapse seem imminent?</p>
<p><strong>Divorce between married couples</strong> is now in the mainstream of American life, and unfortunately serves to set the table for acceptance at a business level. What else is a business partnership besides a marriage? And family business upheavals can be the worst of all because they frequently involve or contaminate marriage relationships that are the very underpinning of a business structure.   </p>
<p><strong>And those who are caught in the middle typically suffer the most</strong>. In a couple marriage relationship, it&#8217;s the children. In a business partnership it&#8217;s the partner families, employees, employee families, investors, suppliers and vendors and last, but not least, the customers! Nor does the damage line always stop there. In many instances, a neighborhood, community, town, region, industry or profession can also be negatively affected.</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ways to patch things up: </span></strong></p>
<p>Start with giving the other person or people involved the benefit of doubt. You got into this relationship because something was extremely positive. By re-focusing on whatever that was, you may find that existing differences can be easily reconciled. Isn&#8217;t it worth a try? Don&#8217;t you have a lot invested in each other? Wouldn&#8217;t it be easier to move the business forward if differences could be worked out than to simply part ways and have to start all over again?    </p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">So here&#8217;s the plan</span>:</strong>                             </p>
<ul>
<li>
<div style="padding-left: 30px;">If you can get past that first step of thinking, sit down and write out on paper with a pen, a statement of agreement to seek to resolve differences. Each principal involved in the dissension climate must be willing to do this.</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="padding-left: 30px;">Exchange copies of these statements without commenting or responding.</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="padding-left: 30px;">Plan a follow-up Q&amp;A clarification discussion the next day (no rebuttals permitted) to review one another&#8217;s comments.</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="padding-left: 30px;">Plan an open discussion of the Q&amp;A clarification discussion a week or so later.                                    </div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="padding-left: 30px;">Next, and again something all involved must be willing to do: write out one sentence on paper that identifies exactly what you identify as the most critical problem.</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="padding-left: 30px;">Then each needs to write out clear specific improvements desired in the form of a goal statement that is specific, flexible, realistic, and has a due date. </div>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Or get professional counseling</span>: </strong></p>
<p><strong>An &#8220;outside&#8221; consultant</strong> who is experienced and skilled in both business management and human relations can help each individual involved put her/his differences in writing, channel productive exchanges, and foster committed attitudes aimed toward working through the differences.</p>
<p><strong>A professional</strong> can help set up a recovery path with a schedule for renewable  efforts, and a contingency exit plan that can serve to strike a balance and encourage renewed efforts to make things work. Many leadership training-based organizations can provide assistance in identifying and retaining qualified coach/counselors.</p>
<p><strong>This is always</strong> a better solution-approach than slamming the door and walking out! And it just might work! </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"> </span><a href="http://www.twwsells.com/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.TWWsells.com</span></a> or 302.933.0116 or <a href="mailto:Hal@TheWriterWorks.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Hal@BusinessWorks.US</span></a><span style="color: #0000ff;">  </span></p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You.</span></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"> <em>“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”</em> [Thomas Jefferson] </span></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Make today a GREAT day for someone!</span></h5>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>DEALING WITH INDIFFERENCE</title>
		<link>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/08/dealing-with-indifference-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/08/dealing-with-indifference-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Aug 2010 22:52:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Hal Alpiar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA["Here & Now" Focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anger/Conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRANDING]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Choosing Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Contacts/Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Customer Service (CRM)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Decision Making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Empathy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Feedback]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gestalt Therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Good Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Listening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mental Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[People Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Problems=Opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reputation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Esteem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Special People/Special Occasions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stress Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trust]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[A trophy or plaque or certificate is not a reward for someone struggling wityh rent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business leader Responsibility One is to motivate and teach by example]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dealing with employee sensitivities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Don't we sometimes love those we hate and hate those we love?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hate and Love are very close on the emotional spectrum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Many seek increased job opportunities over increased benefits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Open minds open doors!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The opposite of love is not hate - it's indifference]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[When people can't get positive reinforcement - they seek negative reinforcement because it's better than no reinforcement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.halalpiar.com/?p=4608</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Do You Hate 
                                   
What You Love?
 

 
That’s not as surprising a thought as you might think. On the spectrum of emotions, “Hate” and “Love” are not at opposite ends. In fact, they are remarkably close to one another. At the extreme opposite end from both of these emotions is “Indifference.” 
When a child, or puppy, or employee seeks positive attention [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1 style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">Do You Hate </span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                   </span></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"><em>What</em><em> You Love?</em></span></h1>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"><em> </em></span></h1>
<div>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>That’s not</strong> as surprising a thought as you might think. On the spectrum of emotions, “Hate” and “Love” are not at opposite ends. In fact, they are remarkably close to one another. At the extreme opposite end from both of these emotions is “Indifference.” </p>
<p><strong>When a child</strong>, or puppy, or employee seeks <em>positive</em> attention (praise, pats and pets, a bonus), and doesn’t get it, she or he or it will turn around and begin to start seeking <em>negative</em> attention, <em>because even negative attention (a scolding, for example) is better than no attention</em> . . . or indifference! </p>
<p><strong>See, and you thought</strong> all those upstart types were just masochists. Nope, but it is true that those who get to a point of losing all hope for receiving attention of <em>any</em> variety stumble along the edges of depression, and can easily become prime prospects for illness, abandonment, homelessness, addiction, violence, even suicide. </p>
<p><strong>Okay</strong>, so indifference is the worst and arguably most destructive emotion? And love and hate are like cousins or something? Yeah. </p>
<p><strong>Well,</strong> don’t we <em>some</em>times love those we hate and hate those we love? </p>
<p><strong>How about </strong>the jobs we do? The employees we work with? Our clients, customers, patients, vendors, consultants, advisors? Spouses? Children? Siblings? Parents? Hey, let’s face it — it’s the stuff books and movies and TV shows are made of. </p>
<p><strong>But we seldom </strong>stop to think it through, right? The point is <em>EVERY</em>one needs recognition, or “strokes” as the shrinks call it. The challenge in motivating others is trying to figure out what kinds of strokes work best for <em>each </em>of them (See Maslow’s Theory of Hierarchy) <em>at any given moment,</em> and being willing and able to reward each individual in the way(s) that is(are) most meaningful to that person. </p>
<p><strong>A trophy</strong> or plaque or certificate or news release feature doesn’t mean much to someone who’s struggling to pay the rent. A pay raise for a social worker isn’t as much of a motivational factor as a program grant that covers counseling resource expenses. Increased job opportunities are in fact often more sought after by employees than increased benefits.</p>
<p><strong>Indifference</strong> (especially lack of recognition or appreciation) makes hateful people more hateful, and turns those who want to give or seek love headed in other directions. So where does that leave us? As business leaders, Responsibility One is to motivate and teach by example. So . . . </p>
<p><strong>Pack up</strong> your feelings of indifference toward others. Stow them away with your ambivalence in a locked attic trunk. Open, instead, your mind and your heart to accept the weaknesses of others as you would wish them to accept yours. Open minds open doors.</p>
<p><strong>Watch what happens</strong> when you recognize and appreciate that others often say and do what they say and do because they seek your kindness, your pat on their head (or their back, or shoulder, or hand) plus your patience . . . and, of course, your smile. </p>
<h6>                                    </h6>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">That IS a great smile you have, btw.</span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Pass it on to the next person </span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">  you see after you read this!</span>  </h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
</div>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"> <em>NOTE: This blog article was originally posted two years ago in August, 2008. I have elected to repeat it here today because it touches on some sensitive leadership issues that have surfaced for a number of small business owners I&#8217;ve heard from recently.</em></h6>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.twwsells.com/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.TWWsells.com</span></a> or 302.933.0116 or <a href="mailto:Hal@TheWriterWorks.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Hal@BusinessWorks.US</span></a>  </p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You.</span></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"> <em>“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”</em> [Thomas Jefferson] </span></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Make today a GREAT day for someone!</span></h5>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>KILLING YOUR SELF PRIDE</title>
		<link>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/08/killing-your-self-pride/</link>
		<comments>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/08/killing-your-self-pride/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 Aug 2010 19:31:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Hal Alpiar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA["Here & Now" Focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anger/Conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Choosing Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Decision Making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Feedback]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Good Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mental Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Overcoming Objections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[People Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Problems=Opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Professional Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reputation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Esteem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stress Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[An object in motion tends to stay in motion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Behavior Is A Choice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Failure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Career Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Controling behavior is a choice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Well-Being]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[goal pursuits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Growth and survival]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Healing Energy In]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Immobilization]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management Consultant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Failure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Poor Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Pride]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sidetracking Issues]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stress and Tension Out]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stubborness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Under-Capitalization]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.halalpiar.com/?p=4572</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8220;You must be very
                                            
  proud of yourself!&#8221;
                                     
&#8220;No, I own a business 
                                     
and I have a life!&#8221;
                                                                    
Self-pride can, and almost always does, get in the way of progress &#8212; and even survival!
Self-pride. Now isn&#8217;t that like stubbornness? &#8220;Stop being so stubborn,&#8221; my stubborn mother used to say, &#8220;it&#8217;s gonna get you in trouble. People [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">&#8220;You must be very</span></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                            </span></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">  proud of yourself!&#8221;</span></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                     </span></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #000080;">&#8220;No, I own a business </span></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                     </span></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #000080;">and I have a life!&#8221;</span></h1>
<h6>                                                                    </h6>
<p><strong>Self-pride</strong> can, and almost always does, get in the way of progress &#8212; <em>and even survival!</em></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>Self-pride.</strong> Now isn&#8217;t that like stubbornness? <em>&#8220;Stop being so stubborn,&#8221;</em> my stubborn mother used to say, <em>&#8220;it&#8217;s gonna get you in trouble. People care about you as a person and they respect what you&#8217;ve accomplished, but no body cares about your honor except you   . . . not even me!&#8221;</em></p>
<p><strong>So, yes, I am the son of a wise mother.</strong></p>
<p><strong>As a management consultant</strong> and entrepreneur coach for many years, I&#8217;ve seen my share of business and life failures. Research studies always point parental fingers to &#8220;being under-capitalized&#8221; as symptomatic of poor management and the key reason for business failure.</p>
<p><strong>But rarely</strong> does anyone look beyond &#8220;poor management&#8221; being the ultimate culprit to see what else is lurking in the shadows . . . what else is there to account for business and life failures?</p>
<p><strong>Someone should be looking. Why?</strong></p>
<blockquote>
<h2><span style="color: #800000;"><em>Because at the end of this fraying personal and business lifeline is a very heavy anchor that is best categorized as self-pride. It&#8217;s something that happens when you choose to get sidetracked from your business and life pursuits, to deal with some imagined threat to your ego.</em></span></h2>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>You put day-to-day operations</strong> off to the side to entangle yourself in a legal suit that you know you&#8217;re right about just to gloat in satisfaction at having humiliated an annoying competitor, or to realize a thousand dollars payoff after legal expenses.</p>
<p><strong>How much business is lost</strong> in the process of your ego-indulging diversions?</p>
<p><strong>The minute the sidetracking starts</strong>, it has a tendency (like <em>An object in motion tends to stay in motion</em>) to snowball itself into an avalanche. And it doesn&#8217;t take long (sometimes just minutes!) to get to the point of completely immobilizing growth and survival modes.</p>
<p><strong>In minor role applications</strong>, the sidetracking diverts needed attention from goal pursuits, family well-being, and from business and career opportunities and success.</p>
<blockquote>
<h2><span style="color: #800000;"><em><strong>Turning your spotlight</strong> inward takes the focus away from where you&#8217;re headed, and when it gets dark &#8212; you&#8217;re bound to trip over or run into some thing. You may or may not get up, or be able to.</em></span></h2>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>In major role applications</strong> of this sidetracking, businesses go bankrupt, couples get divorced, children get abandoned, and some people can end up depressed enough to be taking their own lives as their failures become more pronounced.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">What to do? </span></h2>
<p><strong>There&#8217;s always choice</strong> involved. Turn the other cheek! Why not? Is letting go so hard when you consider the consequences of holding on?</p>
<p><strong>When you choose</strong> to feel insulted (you&#8217;ll know when you feel your face flush or knees wobble or stomach churn or head ache or fists clench), you need choose to stop where you are and stop whatever you&#8217;re doing.</p>
<p><strong>Force yourself</strong> to take some (at least 3 or 4) really deep breaths, while saying to yourself with each inhale, &#8220;Healing energy into my body!&#8221; and with each exhale, &#8220;Stress and tension out of my body!&#8221; Remind yourself again that your behavior is your choice!</p>
<p><strong>You can choose</strong> to escalate a situation or simply back away from it because it gets in the way of your success (and presumably because you prefer success to getting sidetracked). Getting (choosing to be) sidetracked is simply an admission that you have chosen for someone <em>else</em> to get inside your brain and control your behavior.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Don&#8217;t choose your self-pride over your self!</span></h2>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.twwsells.com/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.TWWsells.com</span></a> or 302.933.0116 or <a href="mailto:Hal@TheWriterWorks.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Hal@BusinessWorks.US</span></a>  </p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You.</span></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"> <em>“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”</em> [Thomas Jefferson] </span></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Make today a GREAT day for someone!</span></h5>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Business Wisdom of Kids</title>
		<link>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/07/the-business-wisdom-of-kids/</link>
		<comments>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/07/the-business-wisdom-of-kids/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:02:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Hal Alpiar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA["Here & Now" Focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Age & Aging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRANDING]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Choosing Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Community Support]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Contacts/Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Creative Thinking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Customer Service (CRM)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Decision Making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Feedback]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Humor/Satire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Listening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[People Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Problems=Opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Professional Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reputation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Retailing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Esteem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Special People/Special Occasions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tactics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trust]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Comments will be combined into a super blog post on 4 key business sites]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Getting business ideas from children]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kids are free-thinkers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kids are joyful]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kids are not subject to paychecks and promotions and compensation packages]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MBA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Run a kid's focus group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Show active listening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Silly Bands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Bible]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The business wisdom of kids]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[visiting neighborhood schools]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.halalpiar.com/?p=4401</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8220;Out of the mouths of babes 
                                                   
oft times come gems.&#8221;
&#8211;A present day reality from the Bible
                                                                                              
     When did you last ask a child in your life&#8211; your own or someone else&#8217;s &#8212; for an opinion on, observation of, or response to your three longest-standing business problems?
     Why do you imagine business owners and managers [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">&#8220;Out of the mouths of babes </span></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                                   </span></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">oft times come gems.&#8221;</span></h1>
<p style="text-align: right;">&#8211;A present day reality from the Bible</p>
<h6>                                                                                              </h6>
<p>     <strong>When did you last ask a child in your life</strong>&#8211; your own or someone else&#8217;s &#8212; for an opinion on, observation of, or response to your three longest-standing business problems?</p>
<p>   <strong>  Why do you imagine</strong> business owners and managers rush to the judgment that children are incapable of contributing meaningful business solution thinking to chronic business problems? &#8220;Because,&#8221; you might offer, &#8220;children lack experience.&#8221; Well, this is certainly true. It&#8217;s more likely than not, however, that the solutions to nagging problems will not come from having been there and done that.</p>
<blockquote>
<h2><em><strong>You don&#8217;t need an MBA</strong> or to be on the cusp of retirement in order to render a (generally most productive) simplistic approach to business problem-solving. </em></h2>
<h2><em>Like most things in life that adults tend to over-complicate, common sense typically dictates the best approach. </em></h2>
<h2><em>Children are literal fountains of uninhibited common sense.</em></h2>
</blockquote>
<p>   <strong>  I heard a radio commercial </strong>this week for a home-building company owned by a gentleman named Robert Pittie. The 12 year-old with me who heard the same message started laughing hysterically. It took me a few seconds to catch up because I was preoccupied driving, but when calm finally prevailed, I too near busted a gut as I figured out the lamebrain message (delivered of course with total sincerity):</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">&#8220;When you want a home that lasts, </span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">call Pittie Full Construction Services.&#8221; </span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;">(Uh, I don&#8217;t think so.)</p>
<p>     <strong>Mr. Pittie </strong>might have spared himself the embarrassment had he first tried the words on a child. Most of us, in fact, could probably benefit by the kinds of regular booster shots of childlike innocence, simplicity, and authenticity that routinely roll off the tongues of 4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 and 13 year-olds. They don&#8217;t pull punches. They tell it like it is.</p>
<p>   <strong>  Kids are not controlled by paychecks</strong>, promotions and compensation plans (though a little ice cream or some Silly Bands can make for worthy incentives). They are free-thinkers. They are joyful. The more you show them active listening by asking questions and withholding judgments &#8212; even taking notes &#8212; the more likely they are to spark a new idea or ignite a productive old one you forgot. </p>
<p>    <strong> Besides</strong>, when you force yourself to take the time out to spend these minutes together, you are reinforcing not only the relationship with this child (or group of children . . .  assuming you think you can handle a focus group discussion!), and you are building self-esteem.</p>
<p>    <strong> And nothing in the universe </strong>bears the fruits of self-confidence and a successful life&#8217;s journey like helping a younster to feel good about him or herself. How to start: &#8220;Gweneth, can you help me out with something? My company is trying to figure out how to make better jewelry (vacuum cleaners/dogbones/bookkeeping services/customer relations . . . whatever), and you seem to have good ideas.&#8221;</p>
<p>     <strong>To top it all off,</strong> you&#8217;ll find that just the exercise of having to explain what you do in simple terms and examples, can bring you the answers you&#8217;re looking for all by itself. Some small business owners who make presentations like this to neighborhood schools report they get as much value from the experience as the students.    </p>
<h6 style="text-align: left;">                                                                       <span style="color: #0000ff;"> _______________________________________________</span>                                                                                                                       </h6>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><em>NOTE: Your comments below will be recreated (with appropriate name and url credits of course) as part of a major special blog post on the subject, which will appear on four major business websites. Details to come as comments are processed.</em> </span></h3>
<h6 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0000ff;">________________________________________________                                           </span></h6>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.twwsells.com/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.TWWsells.com</span></a><span style="color: #0000ff;"> </span>or 302.933.0116 or <a href="mailto:Hal@TheWriterWorks.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Hal@BusinessWorks.US</span></a>  </p>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You. God Bless America and God Bless America’s Troops.</span> <span style="color: #0000ff;"><em>“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”</em> [Thomas Jefferson]</span>  <span style="color: #800000;">Make today a GREAT day for someone!</span></h6>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>ANTICIPATION</title>
		<link>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/07/anticipation/</link>
		<comments>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/07/anticipation/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:11:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Hal Alpiar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRANDING]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Choosing Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Corporate Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Creative Thinking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Decision Making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Humor/Satire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mental Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Overcoming Objections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[People Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Professional Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reputation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Retailing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Esteem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Special People/Special Occasions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sports]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strategic Planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strategies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stress Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tactics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teamwork]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ANTICIPATION]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Are you a corporate type?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Are you always anticipating the next pitch?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Are you an entrepreneur?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Are You Breathing?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Are you playing the same sport as your boss?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Are you playing the same sport as your employees?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Are you thinking about being a corporate type?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Are you thinking about being an entrepreneur?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[If your work situation is UNhappy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Is your business baseball?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Is your business basketball?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Is your business football?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Is your business tennis?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The grass IS greener over there]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[To Entrepreneur or not to entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What Sport Is Your Business?]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.halalpiar.com/?p=4384</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ 
 What Sport Is Your Business?
                                                                          
     Does your on-the-job behavior match the thinking of a baseball player?  Are you always anticipating the next pitch, and what you’ll do if the ball goes here, and what you’ll do if the ball goes there, and what you’ll do if the signals change . . . or the winds change . [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1 style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #800000;"> </span></em></h1>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #800000;">What Sport Is Your Business?</span></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: left;">                                                                          </h6>
<p> <span style="color: #993366;">    </span><span style="color: #333333;"><strong>Does your on-the-job behavior </strong>match the thinking of a baseball player?  Are you always anticipating the next pitch, and what you’ll do if the ball goes here, and what you’ll do if the ball goes there, and what you’ll do if the signals change . . . or the winds change . . . or your superstitious teammates <em>don’t</em> change the shirts they’ve worn for the last three games? </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #333333;">     <strong>Nothing wrong with thinking like a baseball player</strong> unless the company or industry you’re in is Armenian or Finnish, or simply doesn’t leave you <em>time</em> to think.  Maybe the company or industry that you’re trying to represent as the star left fielder, is busy playing hockey or fast-break basketball?  </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #333333;">     <strong>Circumstances like these</strong> make for tough going, when trying to get your glove to get in the game!  </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #333333;">    <strong> Worse</strong>, you could be a serious golfer in the middle of a football game (keep the first aid squad phone numbers handy!).  Let’s face it, you can’t play soccer on a tennis court or water polo on a ski slope (Yikes!  Now that would be cold, and you’d never want to miss the ball and have to chase after it, especially in a bathing suit!). </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #333333;">     <strong>So, what’s the message?</strong>  If your work situation is unhappy, or giving you headaches, knots in your stomach, or other stress-provoked ailments like lower back pain (or, really, just about anything you can think of . . . uh huh, including those two merciless extremes: diarrhea and constipation), step back from the action (no pun intended), and take some deep breaths</span> [See Archives post: <em>"Are you breathing?"</em>  <a href="http://bit.ly/bo3ZJy"><span style="color: #0000ff;">http://bit.ly/bo3ZJy</span></a> ]   </p>
<p><span style="color: #993366;">    </span><span style="color: #333333;"> <strong>Then, ask yourself</strong> if you’re “playing the same game” as everyone else, and especially of course, the boss!  Entrepreneurs (and male, female, black, white, purple, orange, MBA or otherwise, makes no difference) rarely survive corporate life because they march to a different drummer.  Regardless of money earned, most would prefer to be an individual performer than to be <em>any </em>team player. </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #333333;">     <strong>Conversely</strong>, not many corporate types succeed with business startups.  Often, because they fail to realize that <em>they</em> must now pay the expense account submissions, turn out the lights, take out the trash, skip lunch and work far past the luxurous 9-5 weekdays they’re used to.</span>  <span style="color: #808080;"><span style="color: #000000;">[See Archives post: <em>"TO ENTREPRENEUR OR NOT TO ENTREPRENEUR?"  </em></span><a href="http://bit.ly/avuEpT"><span style="color: #0000ff;">http://bit.ly/avuEpT</span></a> ]</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #993366;">     </span><span style="color: #333333;"><strong>Maybe you need</strong> to examine the environment you work in more carefully and consider if it’s really the match for your skills and interests and personality that it once appeared to be.  We <em>do </em>change, you know.  And, yes indeed, old dogs <em>can</em> learn new tricks. </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #333333;">     <strong>But before you decide </strong>to toss your corporate cookies out the window to become a deep sea fisherman or fisherwoman , think again! </span><span style="color: #333333;">The grass . . . yes, it does look greener over there. Where? Maybe <em>any</em>where. In fact, these days,</span> <span style="color: #008000;"><span style="color: #333333;">EVERYthing is greener!</span>  <span style="color: #333333;">It’s getting hard to tell which came first —</span>  </span><span style="color: #008000;"><em>environmentalists </em><span style="color: #000000;">or</span><em> St. Patrick</em><span style="color: #000000;">?!</span></span></p>
<h6><span style="color: #008000;"><span style="color: #000000;">                                                                                                       </span></span></h6>
<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.twwsells.com/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.TWWsells.com</span></a> or 302.933.0116 or <a href="mailto:Hal@TheWriterWorks.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Hal@BusinessWorks.US</span></a>  </p>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You. God Bless America and America’s Troops.</span> <span style="color: #0000ff;"><em>“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”</em> [Thomas Jefferson]</span>  <span style="color: #800000;">Make today a GREAT Day!</span></h6>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>EXCUSES: DISHONORABLE INTENTIONS?</title>
		<link>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/07/excuses-dishonorable-intentions/</link>
		<comments>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/07/excuses-dishonorable-intentions/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 02:17:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Hal Alpiar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA["Here & Now" Focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anger/Conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRANDING]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Choosing Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Community Support]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Contacts/Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Corporate Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Customer Service (CRM)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Decision Making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Empathy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Feedback]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gestalt Therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Good Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Listening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mental Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Objectives]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Overcoming Objections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[People Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Problems=Opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Professional Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reputation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Retailing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales Process]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Esteem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Special People/Special Occasions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strategic Planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stress Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tactics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teamwork]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trust]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Appreciate differences]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Be Kinder Than Usual]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bill Gayes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cyberspace]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dishonorable excuses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Excuses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Henry Ford]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Humans crave recognition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership by example. intentional excuses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mary Kay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Offering encouragement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productive Leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reacting sets up-reacting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ReACTING vs. ReSPONDING]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The check's in the mail]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The opposite of love is not hate - it's indifference]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.halalpiar.com/?p=4371</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
The check&#8217;s in the mail. 
                               
I&#8217;ll get back to you Friday.
                                                          
I&#8217;ll send you that update
                                 
the minute it comes in. 
                                        
As soon as we get your  
                                                                  
invoice. When shipment 
                                        
arrives. But I never got 
                                                                         
your note. Your email 
                                
must have gotten lost in 
                          
Cyberspace. Oh, that?  
                             
That was a warning?
                                      [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">The check&#8217;s in the mail. </span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">                               </span></em></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">I&#8217;ll get back <em>to you Friday.</em></span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">                                                          </span></em></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">I&#8217;ll send you that update</span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">                                 </span></em></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">the minute it comes in. </span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">                                        </span></em></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">As soon as we get your  </span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">                                                                  </span></em></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">invoice. When </span></em><em><span style="color: #800000;">shipment </span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">                                        </span></em></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">arrives. But I never got </span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em></em><em><span style="color: #800000;">                                                                         </span></em></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">your note. Your </span></em><em><span style="color: #800000;">email </span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">                                </span></em></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">must have gotten lost in </span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">                          </span></em></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">Cyberspace. Oh, that? </span></em><em><span style="color: #800000;"> </span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">                             </span></em></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;">T<em>hat </em>was <em>a warning?</em></span></em></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #800000;"><em>                                                      </em></span></em>                                                                       </h6>
</blockquote>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">     <strong>You&#8217;ve heard it all, right?</strong> Maybe you&#8217;ve even said some of it yourself. But when your intentions are genuine and sincere, nothing can be more frustrating than hearing a pile of excuses . . . from a customer, a prospect, a supplier, an investor, an employee, a boss.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">  <strong>   So, what&#8217;s the magic answer?</strong> It&#8217;s somewhere <em>within yourself</em>. You may not be able to control the attitudes that give birth to replies like these, but you can control your<em> own</em> attitude. You, in fact, are the only one who can.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">  <strong>   And by controlling</strong> your own response to the excuses you hear, you are cultivating an opportunity for yourself to set a true leadership example. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">By setting an example, you</span>:  </span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 60px;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>A) Keep your emotions out of the fray and </strong></span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 60px;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>B) May actually influence the offender to re-visit her or his initial behavior or verbal representation of it, and reconsider a better, more productive, higher integrity avenue.</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">     <strong>Perhaps you&#8217;re not</strong> Henry Ford or Bill Gates or Mary Kay, and the idea of changing the world is not on your breakfast plate, but &#8212; as a small business owner or manager or entrepreneur &#8212; <em>you are in an extraordinarily unique position to make a difference for yourself, for your family, and for those you work with, simply by choosing to respond instead of react.</em></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #800000;">Besides, if you never react, you can never over-react!</span></span></h2>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                            </span></span></h6>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">     <strong>People offer excuses</strong> to cover their own feelings of inadequacy. Most of the time, you can probably count on excuses being not so much intentionally dishonorable as a shortcoming of the person who&#8217;s offering them up in the self-esteem category. Some people who feel they can&#8217;t get positive recognition will opt instead for negative recognition because it&#8217;s at least <em>some </em>recognition.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">     <strong>Humans crave</strong> recognition. And some recognition always beats indifference. </span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">The opposite of love is not hate; it&#8217;s indifference!</span></h2>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                                                                 </span></h6>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">   <strong>  When you hear excuses</strong>, appreciate the insecurities behind them. When it&#8217;s possible to overlook them, do it and then make a point of offering (genuine) appreciation for instances of getting a job done without a presentation of reasons why it didn&#8217;t get done. </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">    <strong> Offer more</strong> encouragement than you might usually provide. Be kinder than you might usually be (because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle). Appreciate differences in perso0nalities and behaviors and help others to grasp the choosing behavior idea through your examples. </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>     Excuses are a way of life</strong>, but they are not always intentional or dishonorable. When you give the benefit of doubt to others, you may get bit in the butt a few times, but you&#8217;ll be serving the important purpose of minimizing anxieties and demonstrating productive leadership traits most of the time.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>     The captain</strong> who keeps an even keel and balanced ship through stormy seas marks every journey with success.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">    </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"> </span><a href="http://www.twwsells.com/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.TWWsells.com</span></a><span style="color: #800000;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"> </span>or 302.933.0116 or </span><a href="mailto:Hal@TheWriterWorks.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Hal@BusinessWorks.US</span></a><span style="color: #800000;">  </span></p>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You. God Bless America and America’s Troops</span>. <em><span style="color: #0000ff;">“</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”</span></em><span style="color: #0000ff;"> [Thomas Jefferson]</span>  <span style="color: #800000;">Make today a GREAT Day!</span></h6>
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		<title>HIRING YOUR FACE</title>
		<link>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/07/hiring-your-face/</link>
		<comments>http://www.halalpiar.com/2010/07/hiring-your-face/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:10:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Hal Alpiar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA["Here & Now" Focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRANDING]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Choosing Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Contacts/Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Customer Service (CRM)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Decision Making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Delegation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Empathy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Feedback]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Listening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Objectives]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[People Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Professional Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reputation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Retailing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Esteem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Special People/Special Occasions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trust]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA["Best Bet" Candidates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Be less caught up in the resume and more focused on the person]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Consistently calm and pleasant and respectful]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Engaging without being overbearing?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gum-chewing short-skirted bimbettes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hiring "The Face of Your Business"]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Human Interaction Skills Are Paramount]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inherent interest in others?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Instinct to be helpful? Time schedules?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Keeping the workload balanced]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MacDonald's]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Memory for names/faces/voices?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Multi-Tasking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[One chance at a first impression]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Patronizing or condescending?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recruiting/Interview Evaluative Questions to Answer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Withholding Judgment?]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.halalpiar.com/?p=4319</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The face of your business 
                                           
 is second only to the guts!
                                                                                             
     The first person(s) to encounter your business visitors, customers, clients, patients, prospects, sales reps, suppliers and vendors, delivery people, and solicitors in person and on the phone is(are) &#8220;the face of your business.&#8221;
     Exercise caution in not underestimating the value of this position. It [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">The face of your business </span></h1>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">                                           </span></h6>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;"> is second only to the guts!</span></h1>
<h6>                                                                                             </h6>
<p>     <strong>The first person(s) to encounter your business visitors</strong>, customers, clients, patients, prospects, sales reps, suppliers and vendors, delivery people, and solicitors in person and on the phone is(are) &#8220;the face of your business.&#8221;</p>
<p>     <strong>Exercise caution </strong>in not underestimating the value of this position. It comes second only to your own and the operational guts of your business. However genuine each individual projects him or herself in that role directly equates with what outsiders will think of you and your business. Gum-chewing, short-skirted bimbettes may not always be in your best-image interests. <strong><span style="color: #0000ff;">;</span>&lt;<span style="color: #ff0000;">)</span></strong>   </p>
<blockquote>
<h2><span style="color: #800000;"><em><strong>You get only one chance at a first impression </strong>and one chance with each encounter after that to maintain it, so why nickle and dime your selection, placement, and nurturing process for anyone who will serve as your business face? If yours is a start-up or home-based business, that individual could be you, or your spouse or other relative. Most of what follows still applies. </em></span></h2>
</blockquote>
<p>     <strong>Many business owners and managers </strong>find it hard to avoid the temptation to tangle up business face job responsibilities with cost-cutting leftovers from someone else&#8217;s task pile. Multi-tasking is useful, but be careful about keeping the workload balanced. Being the face of the business is a primary responsibility that requires an authentic and engaging personality as criteria one.</p>
<p>     <strong>For some of the same kinds of match-up reasons </strong>that &#8211;for example&#8211; MacDonald&#8217;s prefers farmers for franchisees (because of their regimented approach to seasonality and discipline in maintaining consistency) &#8211; or that many popular restaurants prefer actors and actors for food-service people because they have a stage presence which typically renders them less inhibited, more outgoing and more entertaining (which can make the difference in upgrade meal and beverage orders, and customer add-ons as well).</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Recruiting  process questions to keep on your front burner </span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">and to be able to answer affirmatively and assertively:</span></h3>
<ul>
<li>Does this person have an <em>inherent interest in other people</em>?</li>
<li>Does this person appear to <em>withhold judgment</em> of others?</li>
<li>Is this person <em>engaging without being overbearing</em>?</li>
<li>Is his or her tone of <em>voice consistently calm, pleasant, and respectful</em>?</li>
<li>Any evidence of this person being <em>patronizing or condescending</em>?</li>
<li>Has this person a natural <em>instinct to be helpful</em>? (Subtly dropping something near him or her gives you a scenario to assess)</li>
<li>Does this person&#8217;s <em>host or hostess skills transcend turmoil situations</em>? (Creating one during an interview will provide some clue) </li>
<li>Can this person <em>stay on track with time schedules</em>? (Ask candidates to sort out some typical priorities)</li>
<li>Does the person you&#8217;re considering evidence a <em>good memory for names, faces, and voices</em>? (Are visit #1 intros remembered on visit #2?)</li>
<li>Does he/she <em>offer to find help that can&#8217;t be immediately provided</em>?</li>
<li>Is the candidate <em>gracious and polite under fire</em>? (This may be hard to determine without considerable contrivance)</li>
<li>Do you think the person you&#8217;re considering will <em>readily acknowledge those waiting in line or on the phone and report delays</em>?</li>
</ul>
<p>   <strong>  Selecting candidates who excel </strong>at these personal skills is almost always a &#8220;best bet&#8221; situation because business-related skills can be taught, and human interaction skills usually cannot. In other words, changing some one&#8217;s knowledge base is easier than changing some one&#8217;s personality. <em>For the face of your business, be less caught up in the resume and more focused on the person</em>. Others will be.</p>
<h6>                                                                              </h6>
<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.twwsells.com/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.TWWsells.com</span></a> or 302.933.0116 or<span style="color: #0000ff;"> </span><a href="mailto:Hal@TheWriterWorks.com"><span style="color: #0000ff;">Hal@BusinessWorks.US</span></a><span style="color: #0000ff;">  </span></p>
<h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000;">Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You. God Bless America and America’s Troops.</span> <span style="color: #0000ff;"><em>“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”</em> [Thomas Jefferson]</span>  <span style="color: #800000;">Make today a GREAT Day!</span></h6>
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