I remember one of the great backyard activities for my friends & I in the summer was wiffle ball. We used to have teams & standings. I thought I was pretty good.
Then I saw this video. Check out this link. My curveball was nothing like this.
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/54677
Monday, June 28, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
USA....USA....USA
I'm not a soccer fan but I'm actually very excited to see the World Cup. Just like the Olympics it's fun to be a fan supporting the great USA.
USA....USA....USA.
USA....USA....USA.
Monday, April 19, 2010
55 Rules of Business
http://bluntrandomthoughts.blogspot.com/
Little different slant this time - all business....(except GO CAVS!)
I recently read the book "the Rules of Business" by the editors & writers of Fast Company. This book was outstanding. It outlined 55 rules for performance. I wanted to share them with you. I think this list is awesome. The book has many quotes that support all of the statements. It's a quick read (prob 2-3 hours). Well worth it.
Here they are:
The Rules of Business by Fast Company’s Editors & Writers
Change
1) Adapt or die.
2) Innovation is difficult & often painful. But there is no alternative.
3) When should you change? When things are going perfectly.
4) Regardless of how realistic you think you are being, the change process will take 3 times as long as you like.
Communication
5) Employees need to know – in painstaking detail – what you want to do & why. They need to hear it again & again. Don’t forget: it’s impossible for them to hear it too often.
6) If you can’t communicate, you can’t lead.
7) If you can’t get your message across quickly, you aren’t going to get it across at all.
Creativity & Innovation
8) Nothing is more overrated than a new idea. Ideas by themselves are worthless. It’s what you do with them that matters.
9) If your cool new product or service doesn’t generate enough money to cover costs & make a profit, it isn’t innovation, it’s art.
10) Make innovation pay its way. Business units should have to fund the research they want, instead of receiving a handout from corporate. Having to pay for it is a sure way to guarantee that the research is going to be focused.
Customer Service
11) Ask customers what they want, and give it to them.
Decision Making
12) No is the 2nd best answer you can get to any question you ask.
13) Not deciding is a decision. That’s the problem with procrastinating.
14) It is extremely hard to make a list of all the things you haven’t thought of. That explains why it is important to open up the decision-making process to as many people as possible.
Design
15) Design will be the next place companies battle for competitive advantage.
16) If consumers can’t easily use your design, they won’t buy your product.
Execute
17) If you don’t execute, you won’t accomplish a thing.
18) Hold people accountable. Reward those who execute. Coach those who don’t. And if they still don’t get it, fire them. You aren’t helping them, or the organization, by having them stick around.
Hiring & Developing & Retaining Great Employees
19) No matter how overwhelmed you are with work, it is always better to hire no one than to hire the wrong person.
20) A players hire A players, B players hire C players & C players hire losers.
21) If you lose great people, you lose success.
Technology is Not a Strategy
22) Technology is not the answer. It can enable & support the corporate vision, but by itself, technology will not give you a competitive advantage.
23) Operational silos are bad everywhere. But they are especially crippling when it comes to IT, with is vital to almost every organization’s success.
Knowledge
24) Don’t have your people waste time figuring out what someone else in the company has already discovered. Create & maintain an efficient knowledge management system to share experiences companywide.
25) Data are a series of facts. Information is a lot of data about a topic combined with some context. Ideally companies want to manage information in such a way that it yields knowledge: information that has been processed in such a way that it can be used for competitive advantage.
Leadership
26) The principles governing how you lead must remain absolutely constant. How you express them must vary every single time, depending on your audience. You need to make sure they understand what you are trying to do…what their role is.
27) Leaders lead.
28) Leadership is the art of getting people to do what you want because they want to.
29) Leaders need to say two things: “this is where we are going,” and “this is why we need you to help us get there.”
Life & Career
30) Achieving balance in your life is a time-management problem & needs to be treated as such. What that means is you figure out what you absolutely must accomplish in your personal & professional lives, & let everything else slide.
31) You can do anything, but not everything.
32) Take breaks. Not only will it make you more productive, if you go out & see the world you are bound to spot opportunities.
Managing
33) Great managers are just as important as great leaders.
34) The closer top management is to the customer, the more successful an organization is likely to be.
35) Your employees are never going to know how they are doing-and how they can do better- unless you tell them.
Marketing
36) Nothing happens in business until the customer says yes.
37) If customers won’t buy your product or service, you are not giving them what they want or need. It’s your fault, not theirs.
38) Every communication with a customer must answer the 2 questions that they always have (even if they don’t always express them to you): “what do you have and why should I care?”
39) 3 Rules of Advertising: don’t insult us, tell the truth, and have a sense of humor.
Organization & Corporate Culture
40) We get the kind of organization we deserve.
41) If you have a sr. VP of administration, something is wrong. You shouldn’t need a bureaucracy to manage the bureaucracy. In fact, you shouldn’t have a bureaucracy at all.
42) Ultimately, everything is personal.
Teamwork & Partnerships
43) The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. If not, you have a serious management challenge on your hands.
44) In well-run companies, everyone is needed but no one is indispensable. In other words, teamwork is built in.
45) Just because everyone wears the same uniform does not mean they are a team.
Risk
46) No prudent risk, no fairly predictable rewards.
Social Responsibility, Trust & Ethics
47) You can’t be a little bit ethical. Either you are ethical or you are not. There is no in-between.
48) Everybody must understand & internalize the company’s core values. Doing so frees up time, because you don’t have to debate the organization’s core beliefs. Everyone knows what they are. It also frees resources. When people know what they are supposed to do, they need less supervision.
49) If it is not right, don’t do it; if it is not true, don’t say it.
Speed
50) In today’s economy, it’s the fast companies that trounce the slow.
51) Look to streamline your operation everywhere. The cumulative effect can be astonishing.
52) Just because you occasionally step on the accelerator doesn’t mean you can keep it floored indefinitely. Organizations can run flat out only for short periods.
Strategy & Growth
53) If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there. You need a clear strategy & a clear direction, one that everyone in the organization understands as well as you do. 54) Think!
Link Between Success & Failure
55) If you haven’t had one spectacular failure in your life, you haven’t tried hard enough.
Little different slant this time - all business....(except GO CAVS!)
I recently read the book "the Rules of Business" by the editors & writers of Fast Company. This book was outstanding. It outlined 55 rules for performance. I wanted to share them with you. I think this list is awesome. The book has many quotes that support all of the statements. It's a quick read (prob 2-3 hours). Well worth it.
Here they are:
The Rules of Business by Fast Company’s Editors & Writers
Change
1) Adapt or die.
2) Innovation is difficult & often painful. But there is no alternative.
3) When should you change? When things are going perfectly.
4) Regardless of how realistic you think you are being, the change process will take 3 times as long as you like.
Communication
5) Employees need to know – in painstaking detail – what you want to do & why. They need to hear it again & again. Don’t forget: it’s impossible for them to hear it too often.
6) If you can’t communicate, you can’t lead.
7) If you can’t get your message across quickly, you aren’t going to get it across at all.
Creativity & Innovation
8) Nothing is more overrated than a new idea. Ideas by themselves are worthless. It’s what you do with them that matters.
9) If your cool new product or service doesn’t generate enough money to cover costs & make a profit, it isn’t innovation, it’s art.
10) Make innovation pay its way. Business units should have to fund the research they want, instead of receiving a handout from corporate. Having to pay for it is a sure way to guarantee that the research is going to be focused.
Customer Service
11) Ask customers what they want, and give it to them.
Decision Making
12) No is the 2nd best answer you can get to any question you ask.
13) Not deciding is a decision. That’s the problem with procrastinating.
14) It is extremely hard to make a list of all the things you haven’t thought of. That explains why it is important to open up the decision-making process to as many people as possible.
Design
15) Design will be the next place companies battle for competitive advantage.
16) If consumers can’t easily use your design, they won’t buy your product.
Execute
17) If you don’t execute, you won’t accomplish a thing.
18) Hold people accountable. Reward those who execute. Coach those who don’t. And if they still don’t get it, fire them. You aren’t helping them, or the organization, by having them stick around.
Hiring & Developing & Retaining Great Employees
19) No matter how overwhelmed you are with work, it is always better to hire no one than to hire the wrong person.
20) A players hire A players, B players hire C players & C players hire losers.
21) If you lose great people, you lose success.
Technology is Not a Strategy
22) Technology is not the answer. It can enable & support the corporate vision, but by itself, technology will not give you a competitive advantage.
23) Operational silos are bad everywhere. But they are especially crippling when it comes to IT, with is vital to almost every organization’s success.
Knowledge
24) Don’t have your people waste time figuring out what someone else in the company has already discovered. Create & maintain an efficient knowledge management system to share experiences companywide.
25) Data are a series of facts. Information is a lot of data about a topic combined with some context. Ideally companies want to manage information in such a way that it yields knowledge: information that has been processed in such a way that it can be used for competitive advantage.
Leadership
26) The principles governing how you lead must remain absolutely constant. How you express them must vary every single time, depending on your audience. You need to make sure they understand what you are trying to do…what their role is.
27) Leaders lead.
28) Leadership is the art of getting people to do what you want because they want to.
29) Leaders need to say two things: “this is where we are going,” and “this is why we need you to help us get there.”
Life & Career
30) Achieving balance in your life is a time-management problem & needs to be treated as such. What that means is you figure out what you absolutely must accomplish in your personal & professional lives, & let everything else slide.
31) You can do anything, but not everything.
32) Take breaks. Not only will it make you more productive, if you go out & see the world you are bound to spot opportunities.
Managing
33) Great managers are just as important as great leaders.
34) The closer top management is to the customer, the more successful an organization is likely to be.
35) Your employees are never going to know how they are doing-and how they can do better- unless you tell them.
Marketing
36) Nothing happens in business until the customer says yes.
37) If customers won’t buy your product or service, you are not giving them what they want or need. It’s your fault, not theirs.
38) Every communication with a customer must answer the 2 questions that they always have (even if they don’t always express them to you): “what do you have and why should I care?”
39) 3 Rules of Advertising: don’t insult us, tell the truth, and have a sense of humor.
Organization & Corporate Culture
40) We get the kind of organization we deserve.
41) If you have a sr. VP of administration, something is wrong. You shouldn’t need a bureaucracy to manage the bureaucracy. In fact, you shouldn’t have a bureaucracy at all.
42) Ultimately, everything is personal.
Teamwork & Partnerships
43) The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. If not, you have a serious management challenge on your hands.
44) In well-run companies, everyone is needed but no one is indispensable. In other words, teamwork is built in.
45) Just because everyone wears the same uniform does not mean they are a team.
Risk
46) No prudent risk, no fairly predictable rewards.
Social Responsibility, Trust & Ethics
47) You can’t be a little bit ethical. Either you are ethical or you are not. There is no in-between.
48) Everybody must understand & internalize the company’s core values. Doing so frees up time, because you don’t have to debate the organization’s core beliefs. Everyone knows what they are. It also frees resources. When people know what they are supposed to do, they need less supervision.
49) If it is not right, don’t do it; if it is not true, don’t say it.
Speed
50) In today’s economy, it’s the fast companies that trounce the slow.
51) Look to streamline your operation everywhere. The cumulative effect can be astonishing.
52) Just because you occasionally step on the accelerator doesn’t mean you can keep it floored indefinitely. Organizations can run flat out only for short periods.
Strategy & Growth
53) If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there. You need a clear strategy & a clear direction, one that everyone in the organization understands as well as you do. 54) Think!
Link Between Success & Failure
55) If you haven’t had one spectacular failure in your life, you haven’t tried hard enough.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Htting a Baseball
So I learned how to hit a baseball today.....great article about Rudy Jaramillo in ESPN The Mag - He's the hitting coach for the Cubs. According to him, this is all you need to do:
1) Establish a rhythm - stay loose before the pitcher releases the ball
2) See the ball out of the pitcher's hand
3) get separation - the hands go back and the front foot comes down
4) stay square - keep the front shoulder close and let the hips lead the swing
5) transfer weight back to front
That's it. Sounds simple. Now I can be a great hitter. I'm going to make a trip to the batting cage soon & see if I can do better than just foul off a couple of 70 mph pitches.
The big leagues & millions of dollars are right around the corner.
1) Establish a rhythm - stay loose before the pitcher releases the ball
2) See the ball out of the pitcher's hand
3) get separation - the hands go back and the front foot comes down
4) stay square - keep the front shoulder close and let the hips lead the swing
5) transfer weight back to front
That's it. Sounds simple. Now I can be a great hitter. I'm going to make a trip to the batting cage soon & see if I can do better than just foul off a couple of 70 mph pitches.
The big leagues & millions of dollars are right around the corner.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Total Eclipse of the Heart
* Every time I hear the song "Total Eclipse of the Heart", I think of the scene in Old School when the Dan Band plays it. Is it just me or do others have the same vision?
* Hard to think of what INXS would have been like had Michael Hutchence not chosen to hang himself. Would they have been as big as U2? He was a big loss to music.
* You would think that after the Tiger issues & a few brush off-field issues already on his resume that Big Ben would be a little more careful. More off the field items are being exposed. This is a disappointment to all of the many Steelers fans that hold such reverance for Ben.
* March Madness is right around the corner. How many thought the Buckeyes would be mentioned in talk for a #1 seed? Wow! It's been an amazing turnaround since Turner has been healthy. Just think if the OSU football team was in this position. Columbus would be buzzing. Not many feel the same about hoops. Why?
* Hard to think of what INXS would have been like had Michael Hutchence not chosen to hang himself. Would they have been as big as U2? He was a big loss to music.
* You would think that after the Tiger issues & a few brush off-field issues already on his resume that Big Ben would be a little more careful. More off the field items are being exposed. This is a disappointment to all of the many Steelers fans that hold such reverance for Ben.
* March Madness is right around the corner. How many thought the Buckeyes would be mentioned in talk for a #1 seed? Wow! It's been an amazing turnaround since Turner has been healthy. Just think if the OSU football team was in this position. Columbus would be buzzing. Not many feel the same about hoops. Why?
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Confucius Say
http://bluntrandomthoughts.blogspot.com/
* I was looking at the Big 10 teams in the bowl games. I think is the year the Big 10 is vindicated. I am going out on a limb & saying the Big 10 will be 6-1 in the bowls this year. The matchups:
The U vs. Wisconsin (U favored by 3.5 - I'm picking the Badgers)
Minnesota vs. Iowa State (UM favored by 2.5 - Gophers to win)
Northwestern vs. Auburn (UA favored by 7 - Auburn will win)
Penn State vs. LSU (PSU will drop the SEC)
Mich State vs. Texas Tech (Tech favored by 8, MSU in an upset)
OSU vs. Oregon (Oregon by 3.5, Buckeyes get the monkey off the back)
Iowa vs. Georgia Tech (Tech by 4, another upset)
You heard it hear, the Big 10 will be 6-1.
* Vazquez to the Yankees. Are you kidding me? The rich get richer. Vazquez only trails Randy Johnson in active pitchers with strikeouts....and he goes to a team with Sabathia, Pettite, and all of the other great players. This is ridiculous. This sport is not fair anymore. You have a bunch of poor boys playing all star teams.
* Look at the major league payrolls this past year:
The top 5: Yanks ($201 million - not a typo), Mets $149, Cubs $135, Red Sox $122 (yes the Yankees spent $80 million more than the Red Sox), Tigers $115
The bottom 5: Marlins $37 (yes the Yankess spent 5.5 times the Marlins), Padres $44, Pirates $60, As $62, Rays $63.
Ohio Teams: Indians $82, Reds $74
Just not right.
* The Big 10 hoops teams have started well. Look at Northwestern at 10-1. I expect the Big 10 to be a bloodbath this year with much balance. The champion may have 5 losses this year.
* I can't wait for the matchup of the year - Texas vs. Kansas in hoops. Both teams look strong.
* Tiger's arrogance gets me. How did he not think this would eventually come to light?
* Favre - please just play.
I ran across this great Confucius quote:
"To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right."
In summary - it starts with YOU! Not your neighbor, not your boss, not your kids, not your friends. If you want the world to be a better place...it starts with YOU!
MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!
* I was looking at the Big 10 teams in the bowl games. I think is the year the Big 10 is vindicated. I am going out on a limb & saying the Big 10 will be 6-1 in the bowls this year. The matchups:
The U vs. Wisconsin (U favored by 3.5 - I'm picking the Badgers)
Minnesota vs. Iowa State (UM favored by 2.5 - Gophers to win)
Northwestern vs. Auburn (UA favored by 7 - Auburn will win)
Penn State vs. LSU (PSU will drop the SEC)
Mich State vs. Texas Tech (Tech favored by 8, MSU in an upset)
OSU vs. Oregon (Oregon by 3.5, Buckeyes get the monkey off the back)
Iowa vs. Georgia Tech (Tech by 4, another upset)
You heard it hear, the Big 10 will be 6-1.
* Vazquez to the Yankees. Are you kidding me? The rich get richer. Vazquez only trails Randy Johnson in active pitchers with strikeouts....and he goes to a team with Sabathia, Pettite, and all of the other great players. This is ridiculous. This sport is not fair anymore. You have a bunch of poor boys playing all star teams.
* Look at the major league payrolls this past year:
The top 5: Yanks ($201 million - not a typo), Mets $149, Cubs $135, Red Sox $122 (yes the Yankees spent $80 million more than the Red Sox), Tigers $115
The bottom 5: Marlins $37 (yes the Yankess spent 5.5 times the Marlins), Padres $44, Pirates $60, As $62, Rays $63.
Ohio Teams: Indians $82, Reds $74
Just not right.
* The Big 10 hoops teams have started well. Look at Northwestern at 10-1. I expect the Big 10 to be a bloodbath this year with much balance. The champion may have 5 losses this year.
* I can't wait for the matchup of the year - Texas vs. Kansas in hoops. Both teams look strong.
* Tiger's arrogance gets me. How did he not think this would eventually come to light?
* Favre - please just play.
I ran across this great Confucius quote:
"To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right."
In summary - it starts with YOU! Not your neighbor, not your boss, not your kids, not your friends. If you want the world to be a better place...it starts with YOU!
MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Get To vs. Got To
Find all of the "Random Thoughts" online at:
http://bluntrandomthoughts.blogspot.com/
* I recently attended an awesome session presented by a friend of mine (Dr. Gary Schwantz). His point was living life as a "Get to" vs. a "Got to". Think of how you use those different phrases. When you are excited to do something it might be common to say...."I get to watch the Buckeyes on Saturday". On the contrary, when you are going to do something that you aren't as passionate about, you might say...."I've got to go to work". His advice was to create a life of "get to".
* His point was summarized in 5 key bullets (hopefully you will find something in here that speaks to you):
1) Do it on purpose - deciding today is the day I notice. If we want to savor life, we have to notice it.
2) Notice the moment - Be in the moment.
3) Celebrate & have some fun - it creates a healthier you.
4) Be grateful - blessing are gifts, not entitlements.
5) Take Time - make time for those things that are important.
* Ohio State owns michigan - 6 straight, 7 out of the last 8. I can hardly remember the Cooper era. It wasn't that long ago the shoe was on the other foot....michigan owned Ohio State. As hard as it is for me to see michigan beating OSU next year, there were a lot of positive signs for the wolverines. That offense moved the ball.....but turnovers doomed them. Just think if they didn't turn the ball over....we might have had to throw a pass or 2 in the second half.
* Bring on the Ducks. I'm convinced we are going to play Oregon in the Grand-daddy of the all...the Rose Bowl. They have looked good everytime that I have seen them. Fast, shifty & they run the spread. It will be a great test for the Buckeyes. Of course the Bucks will be dogs.
* As funny as this sounds - I think the Buckeyes are in the exact same position they would have been had they won all of their games. Just think, there is absolutely no way the voters would have put OSU in the title game. With all of the other undefeated teams, OSU would have been #3 at best. Given that, they would have went to the Rose Bowl. Interesting but most likely true. The Purdue loss & the USC loss meant nothing to the bowl picture.
* Hard to believe the next OSU football game will be January 1st....such a long time. My how time flies. Now it's time to enjoy some OSU hoops. Hopefully they can give us something to cheer for.
* Remember, no matter how bad your fantasy football team is doing, for most leagues it only matters how you do in weeks 14, 15 & 16. You can be 9-2 right now, get the #1 seed in the playoffs & get knocked out by the lowest seed just because they have some no name bust out in week #14. Don't get cocky now. Just make the playoffs.
* There's something wrong with Lady GaGa. Every performance I have seen her do is disturbing. She can't be all there.
* Thanksgiving is a great time of the year. Challenge for you....at the family dinner table have everyone go around & say 1 or 2 things they are thankful for. You may be surprised how cool this turns out.
http://bluntrandomthoughts.blogspot.com/
* I recently attended an awesome session presented by a friend of mine (Dr. Gary Schwantz). His point was living life as a "Get to" vs. a "Got to". Think of how you use those different phrases. When you are excited to do something it might be common to say...."I get to watch the Buckeyes on Saturday". On the contrary, when you are going to do something that you aren't as passionate about, you might say...."I've got to go to work". His advice was to create a life of "get to".
* His point was summarized in 5 key bullets (hopefully you will find something in here that speaks to you):
1) Do it on purpose - deciding today is the day I notice. If we want to savor life, we have to notice it.
2) Notice the moment - Be in the moment.
3) Celebrate & have some fun - it creates a healthier you.
4) Be grateful - blessing are gifts, not entitlements.
5) Take Time - make time for those things that are important.
* Ohio State owns michigan - 6 straight, 7 out of the last 8. I can hardly remember the Cooper era. It wasn't that long ago the shoe was on the other foot....michigan owned Ohio State. As hard as it is for me to see michigan beating OSU next year, there were a lot of positive signs for the wolverines. That offense moved the ball.....but turnovers doomed them. Just think if they didn't turn the ball over....we might have had to throw a pass or 2 in the second half.
* Bring on the Ducks. I'm convinced we are going to play Oregon in the Grand-daddy of the all...the Rose Bowl. They have looked good everytime that I have seen them. Fast, shifty & they run the spread. It will be a great test for the Buckeyes. Of course the Bucks will be dogs.
* As funny as this sounds - I think the Buckeyes are in the exact same position they would have been had they won all of their games. Just think, there is absolutely no way the voters would have put OSU in the title game. With all of the other undefeated teams, OSU would have been #3 at best. Given that, they would have went to the Rose Bowl. Interesting but most likely true. The Purdue loss & the USC loss meant nothing to the bowl picture.
* Hard to believe the next OSU football game will be January 1st....such a long time. My how time flies. Now it's time to enjoy some OSU hoops. Hopefully they can give us something to cheer for.
* Remember, no matter how bad your fantasy football team is doing, for most leagues it only matters how you do in weeks 14, 15 & 16. You can be 9-2 right now, get the #1 seed in the playoffs & get knocked out by the lowest seed just because they have some no name bust out in week #14. Don't get cocky now. Just make the playoffs.
* There's something wrong with Lady GaGa. Every performance I have seen her do is disturbing. She can't be all there.
* Thanksgiving is a great time of the year. Challenge for you....at the family dinner table have everyone go around & say 1 or 2 things they are thankful for. You may be surprised how cool this turns out.
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