1000 Days As A Lion

“It is better to live one day as a lion, than a thousand days as a lamb. ” – Roman Proverb

1000 Days as a Lion

When I was considering restarting the 101 Things in 1001 Days Challenge around the first of the year, I didn’t realize that a very important milestone was coming up in my life.  As I was considering when to begin this challenge, I knew I wanted to start it sometime in January and I then realized that January 16th, TODAY, is 1000 days away from my 40th birthday.

So I made the decision to officially start the challenge on January 15th,  yesterday, and today starts the countdown to my 40th Birthday, a fact a still find a little hard to believe.

To be clear, I’m not overly worried about turning 40 … 1000 days from now, I’ve never really cared about how old I was as long I still got a chance to see one more birthday.  But I find markers like this are a great opportunity to take measure of who I am and the person I’m still trying to become.   Instead of worrying about getting older, I’ll use this countdown and the 101 Things Project to attack the 1000 days and make the absolutely most of them.

The 101 Things are included on their own page and just as last time I’ve got to commit to coming up with the 101 Items, I’m such as slacker … something else to work on

“You Gotta Cover Your Ass”

…. that is the advice I saw a grizzled vet pass on to a new employee over lunch on his first day in the office, “You gotta cover your ass in this job!”. My first thought was “I’m glad they don’t work at my credit union.”. My second was what terrible advice to provide to such a young new employee …

Now to be clear, I typically don’t spend my lunches eavesdropping on conversations of other patrons, but the seat next to this unknown couple was the only one left open in the dining area and neither of these fellows was trying to be discreet. So they have become Kofacts fodder.

Many years ago I had the great fortune of going to a Disney Institute Training Seminar on Disney’s Keys to Excellence. I had a healthy respect for all things Disney prior to the training, but only as much as was appropriate for a man my age. After the class was an entirely different story. The business leader in me, was then and continues to be in love with Disney, the business processes, and the innovation behind their company. Just ask my team how often I bring them up as an example.

As a part of that training they discussed the need to actively tend to the culture of a company and witnessed to the power of sharing stories which reinforce the values of the company. They offered as an example Walt Disney’s (the legend himself) habit of walking through the park and picking up small pieces of trash off the ground and putting them in trash cans. One day a supervisor came over to him and said “Mr Disney, please you don’t need to do that, we have custodians and janitors to do that work, you are the CEO you have more important work to do”. As the story goes “Uncle Walt” gave the young leader a dressing down and advised him that it was “All of our jobs to make the park clean for our guests” and no one has more important work to do than that.

Even today this story is shared with every new Disney employee in their Traditions Class and clearly sets the example for them. Just last year, I had the opportunity to take a behind the scenes tour of Walt Disneyland in California. And as Mike, our Disney tour guide, was taking us through the park, he would without breaking a stride or stopping his speech bend down and pick up every piece of trash he saw; 50 years after Walt’s example. That is the power of sharing stories in action.

Now I contrast that with the “You’ve got to cover your ass” guy. And challenge you to think about what stories you are sharing with your team. Are you passing on your burdens as this guy was at lunch or challenging them to rise up and achieve their best?

WEBELOS Safety Notebook Template

With the help of a few resources I found online, I created a template that Den Masters or Akela’s can provide to their Cub Scout(s) to create their Safety Notebook as required by the second requirement of the WEBELOS Fitness Activity Badge.

Link to Template

I’m planning to use this activity to close out our activities in Fitness.  As part of it, I’ll encourage the boys get creative putting a cover on the this notebook using construction paper, markers, and paint.  This creative activity will bridge the boys toward starting the WEBELOS Art Activity Badge.

Renewing Kofacts.com for 2012!

So I began writing this blog in February 2007 and since then I’ve posted about everything.  I’ve posted pictures and misic videos that I was obsessed with at the time, to political essays and acticities for my scout den.  But at I sit in my home office almost 5 years later there are really two things that have stood out for me using this medium.  And for 2012, I’m going revive one of them and do away with the other.

First, it was the list of 101 Things to Do in 1001 Days.  This was great fun first defining 101 things I wanted to do and them tracking my progress toward complete over the next 1001 days.  I did things that I never would have done had I not put it on the list and regularly had to review it and ask myself, “Why Haven’t you Done That Yet?”  I even took multiple things and combined them like “Taking the Boys to A Yankee Game” and “Take the Boys on a Train” which turned out to be so much fun.

Boys in Times Square

 

So for 2012, I’ll be brining the second chapter of Kris’ 101 Things in 1001 Days, but this time I’ll only give myself 30 days to come up with the 101 Things!  I’ll be adding a page to the site to track the items and be making posts as I complete each one.

 

Secondly, my blog has had 38,811 views since it went online … and before you ask that does not count my views.  And that is roughly 669 views a month.  Not bad, and thank you for reading!

 

But of those 29,069 views were for one story which is still to this day the most popular story on my blog.  IT was written Jan 8, 2009 and it was my story of having discovered and then attempts to deal with my Facebook account having been taken over.  Appearently if you search google for “someone hacked my facebook account” this story is the very first one that comes up.   

 

Visual Evidence

While this story gets sooo many views and it helps the over all view stats for Kofacts.com  It also masks how much or how little progress I’m going to make in creating content that people will actually want to read so I’m going to do the unthinkable, I’m going to remove that entry from my blog.  That’s right I’m going to take the entry that generates 75% of the traffic on my site and I’m going to delete.  I have a thought of making another Blog only about the topic but we will see where that goes. 

So always thank you for reading my blog, I’m excited about everything that 2012 has in store for us and I’ll be writing about it all right here!

Crossword Puzzle for WEBELOS Fitness Activity Badge

I created a crossword puzzle that can be used to reinforce the Effects of Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs as outlined in the Cub Scout Handbook.  The puzzle can be found here: Effects of Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs

This activity can be used to complete the requirements for the WEBELOS Fitness Activity Badge.

Please feel free to use and share it.

Sunset over the 15th Tee

Handling A Customer Problem Needs to Be Your Priority

So on May 28th, I took took the Celica in for an oil change to Jiffy Lube Store # 2741 in Garner, NC.  I also needed get a state inspection for my upcoming registration so I asked that they also perform that.  They performed all the necessary work very quickly and provided me with my receipts which clearly show the Safety and Emissions Inspection was completed and I passed.  So far everything was great …

This afternoon, when I went to pay my registration online, it says that my vehicle requires inspection and they have no record of one being performed, because of this I could not renew the registration on my car.

I retrieved my invoice and called the store and spoke to Aaron.  He apologized profusely took my information said indeed their system showed it had been performed and passed, but he would need to do some more research and call me back.  No problem, I said.

Then I started to wait …. and wait …. and wait.  At fours I thought I had waited long enough so I called back and spoke to Aaron again, he assured me that he hadn’t forgotten about me, but both of the State Inspection computers have been really busy to day with new customers coming in that they hadn’t had a chance to look my up in those systems yet.

Excuse me? Did you just say that an inspection I paid for 7 weeks ago, which apparently wasn’t filed correctly with the state, one which, as we speak, prevents me from registering my vehicle with the state was less of a priority then the next person who comes through the door who HASN”T ALREADY PAID FOR THEIR SERVICE.

I shared with him, that the logic he shared with me doesn’t really make sense, and that I needed to get a call back soon with what they expected to do next.

Another hour later …. I’m still waiting.

I would expect that when any of us encounters a customer with a problem that resolving that problem should become our number one priority.  The old adage is that anyone can make a mistake but it builds intense customer loyalty when you make a mistake and then fix it an a manner that impresses your customer.

A mistake is your moment of truth do you truly believe in providing good customer service or are you only interested in the next sale that walks through the door.  I guess I now know where Jiffy Lube’s priority is … and it isn’t the customer.

 

Geek Squad Agent’s Pledge

I’m reading Practically Radical by William C. Taylor and one of the interesting things he mentions is the Geek Squad Agent Pledge.  The pledge which each Agent is expected to sign says –  

I will:

1.  Never violate the trust of one of my clients or disrespect their property.

2.  Never say, “I don’t know.” Instead, say “I’ll find out.”

3.  Always understand that my client’s time is more valuable than my own.

4.  Assume every problem is my fault, unless proven otherwise.

5.  Consider my job done only when my client is completely overwhelmed with joy.  And instead of assuming they’re happy, I’ll ask them.

6.  Keep every promise I make, including this one.

What a simple and powerful statement of their values and beliefs that helps to align their 15,000 agents across the country … who by the way … generate more than $1 Billion in revenue annually.

The Road Ahead or the Road Behind

A Poem by George J. Moriarty

Sometimes I think the fates must grin as we denounce them and insist,
The only reason we can’t win is the fates themselves have missed.
Yet, there lives on the ancient claim – we win or lose within ourselves,
The shining trophies on our shelves can never win tomorrow’s game.
So you and I know deeper down there is a chance to win the crown,
But when we fail to give our best, we simply haven’t met the test
Of giving all and saving none until the game is really won.
Of showing what is meant by grit, of fighting on when others quit,
Of playing through not letting up, it’s bearing down that wins the cup.
Of taking it and taking more until we gain the winning score,
Of dreaming there’s a goal ahead, of hoping when our dreams are dead,
Of praying when our hopes have fled. Yet, losing, not afraid to fall,
If bravely we have given all, for who can ask more of a man than giving all within his span,
it seems to me, is not so far from – Victory.
And so the fates are seldom wrong, no matter how they twist and wind,
It’s you and I who make our fates, we open up or close the gates,
On the Road Ahead or the Road Behind.

Ali

Amazon do you know who you are talking to?

Amazon.com has been a leader in Internet commerce since it’s launch in 1995.  Since then with the exception of a few years when the “Internet Bubble” burst it’s march to Internet supremacy has been unquestioned.  Today it is the largest online retailer in the world with Staples selling 1/4 as much a Bezos’ baby.

But along the way it might have gotten too big for itself.  As evidence I would offer up my recent experience with my new Kindle.  First let me tell you about the Kindle.

The Kindle is an amazing device.  I thought I would have missed ”the feel” of a book in my hands.  Missed the tactile experience of reading, not at all.  Reading on the Kindle’s electronic ink screen is a joy.  And as you are ready the technology of the Kindle disappears.  You can download books directly to your Kindle, make notes and highlights and even share them with your friend through twitter and Facebook.  I’ve read two books so far on it and I think I read faster on the Kindle than with the real thing.  If you are a reader GET ONE TODAY .

When you are signing in to your Amazon account to buy it though you need to be VERY, VERY careful.  As I would find out later…  Amazon at some point stopped checking to see if your password is correct.  Meaning that if you have an Amazon account with the email address test@kofacts.com and the password of abc123 and you enter the correct email address but a password of abc132 their system doesn’t say wrong password, it just creates a new account with the wrong password, fatfinger it again and you can end up with three amazon accounts all tied to the same email address but with completely different purchases, stored cards, and services. 

I found out because I registered my Kindle and a gift card under one password and tied to link my iphone Kindle app under another and couldn’t understand why my books and store credit weren’t showing up on my iPhone.  So I tried reregistering my Kindle and lost my purchases (no content on my Kindle) and gift card balance. 

I had enough and eventually got to the point where I could have them call me.  Which Josh did quickly, he was the one who explained that an account is any email address and password combination and this multiaccount situation can easily occur.  It took him 25 minutes to find my purchases, push them back to my Kindle, close the duplicate accounts and ensure the balance of my gift card was found and made available to me.

I cannot believe that an eCommerce vendor that has been open for 15 years would allow this condition to occur.  It would seem to me to be alot less problematic to tell someone when they entered a password incorrectly instead of creating a duplicate account.  It might prevent some sales, I’ll give you that, but if you are going to start offerring online registration of devices and content then there should only be one version of my account.  This is something that they need to fix.