Late Saturday, we received word our offer on a house in Cedar Hills was accepted. I think we confused our agent in Utah with our lack of excitement. We really feel the pressure to sell or rent our house up here now. Yes, we are excited as it is a lovely house and we are really going to enjoy it – once we get all the steps lined up to get there. Clock is ticking.

As for my mind, this weekend didn’t hold a lot of progress. I did get to read the Wall Street Journal. I miss not having it during the week. I started a science fiction book – Anvil of the Stars by Greg Bear. I have a couple other books to read, but I didn’t even get to pull them out. Maybe next weekend.

Body: Again, didn’t do a thing yet. I will do a few sit ups and push ups before I go to bed so that I will have something done.

Spirit: I listened to two BYU-Idaho devotionals. They were terrific. The first one was by Kevin Miyasaki. His talk, “Loves Thou Me?“, focused on loving God first and all others second. It was a very powerful talk, especially near the end where he described the death of his wife and their last moments together. It was very powerful and had me in tears, which is not especially good while driving to work on the freeway. He reminded me just how special my relationship with my wife is and how much more special my relationship with my Heavenly Father should be. I have a lot to improve on.

One the way home tonight, I listened to Susan Black speak on “The Last Week” of Christ’s life. It was a very informative talk on the events of the last week of the Savior’s life and some of the background that only a professor of ancient scripture could provide. I learned more than I knew about the events, the fulfillment of prophesy and how it all fits together. I really enjoyed learning more. It created a desire to go back and read those events from the scriptures again.

That’s it for me. As soon as I get this offer sent back to the real estate agent, I will be heading for bed. It was a good day. I had to go in early and it paid off in getting senior executive understanding of the project I have been trying to communicate to them for months. Today, I think they finally heard and understood. Whew!

1. Choose your attitude,
2. Play,
3. Make their day and
4. Be Present.

The advice is good. I don’t quite know how to apply it to my office, even after reading their story. There needs to be a few more ideas and perhaps even some setbacks to overcome. I have tried to adopt these axioms and have had some success. “Play” is important and has had some success in my teams. I haven’t ever got it to the point of the Fish Market guys, though.

A whole market of business management fables has sprung up over the past twenty years. These books use the story to tell their, er, story. Books like “Who Moved My Cheese?“, “The Present” and “Whale Done!” have graced the shelves and best seller lists. I suppose their attraction is the easy read that can be done in an hour or two. I find them to be sugar coated pablum. I dislike their contrived stories and easy to apply theories. Reality is different, much harder. I have never had as much success from these fables than the hardcore books like ‘Seven Habits” or “Getting Things Done“. I need more in depth analysis and experience to interest me. I will probably continue to read books like “Fish!”, but only for a quick hit, like a bowl of Sugar Smacks.

Success!!

I started the day by not listening to talk radio on the way to work. I got in the car, turned on the radio and was depressed by the talk before I drove the first block. I turned on my iPod instead. I listened to a devotional given Steven D. Bennion at Brigham Young University – Idaho back on February 23, 2010. It was titled, “Fulfilling your Divine Nature”. It was a good talk and a nice way to start the day. There is my Spirit challenge fulfilled.

After work, I mowed the lawn for my wife’s aunt and uncle. They have been so giving to let me stay with them until we move the family down to Utah. The very least I can do is mow the lawn. It is a bit of a workout. They have a small yard (compared to my current acre in Boise), but the elevation change makes it interesting. By the time I am done, I am winded. Body Challenge… check!

I had a lot of things I was supposed to get done tonight, but didn’t get to them. Instead, I read a book I received at work. The book is “Fish!” and is about the Pike’s Place Fish Market guys. They have a lot of fun at work. It has been a long time since I have done anything fun at work . I think I forgot how to do it. It was a quick read. It only took me a couple hours to read. Mind Challenge done.

Not bad for the first day. I have some things I am going to improve upon. I have much to do, but I have started. First thing to improve? Not writing blog posts at 11:50 at night. I already learned that it isn’t a good time to be writing. I write poorly when I can’t see my own eyelids.

Anyway, with everything not making progress on “the move”, “the sale” or “the buy”, I am at the end of my rope. My mother always said when I get to this point, I’m supposed to tie a knot in it and hang on. This week I think I got to the end, but forgot to tie the knot. I nearly slid of the bottom. I am thankful for a wife that grabbed my hand as I slid off and helped me get back on the rope.

I was thinking, as I am looking forward to the upcoming Mind Like Monkey posts, one thing I have not done this year is develop any goals. Sure, I have a few long term, fuzzy goals. I don’t have anything that I am working on, day to day. I think this is one of the reasons I am sliding. I could fill this space with quotes about not having goals or direction. I’ll pass for now.

As I was sitting in church today, listening and, I’ll admit, dozing, I began thinking about what kind of goals I need. I tend to make too many goals. I remember a year ago I think I had sixteen or something crazy like that. Needless to say, they didn’t get accomplished.

Today, I am committing to three. Mind, Body, Spirit. Each day I want to do three things and three things only. I will do one thing to improve my mind, one thing to improve my body and one thing to do my spirit. My goal is to record, if nothing else, those activities here each day and analyze the progress.

Today, I went for a 30 minute walk with Denise for the Body. For the spirit, I read one chapter of scripture. It wasn’t much, but it is a start. I will improve tomorrow. For my mind, I am cheating. I am using this post as my mind activity for today. Tomorrow, I will start reading a new book.

Mind. Body. Spirit. I anticipate good results from this simple, three prong attack on the old me.What will the new me look like? Tune into Mind Like Monkey next week to find out.

I love being a manager. I enjoy working with people and helping them achieve their greatest potential. Consequently, I read a lot of business management books. This week, I want to share one I have returned to almost annually. It is the management lessons learned from the “best damn ship in the Navy.”

Several years ago, I attended a conference and Captain Mike Abrashoff was the speaker.He had just published his first book, “It’s Your Ship”. I was riveted by his stories and how he handled situations. From the first moment of his command of the U.S.S. Benfold, he had an uphill battle. During the change of command ceremony, as the previous captain left the ship, the crew broke Navy protocol and cheered – and not in a respectful way. They hated the previous captain and it showed. The Benfold was last place in every ranking and certification. This was a ship in trouble.

When Captain Abrashoff left his command a few years later, the Benfold had completely turned around, winning the Spokane Award for being the best ship in the Pacific Fleet. This was not an easy turnaround for any involved and Abrashoff details the steps through countless stories that are engaging and pertinent. His insight helped me see exactly how running a guided missile destroyer is much like being the president of a division in a very large conglomerate. He had to learn to fit within an organization that did not always support his ideas, entrenched in dogma and “this is how we always do it” thinking. How many of us feel in the same situation in our companies?

I have used many of his principles in the command of my teams, such as Listen Aggressively, Build Up Your People, Create A Climate of Trust and Lead By Example. Every chapter is seasoned with examples of how it worked for him. How well written are the stories? Every one of my children have read this book. They enjoy the stories of his unorthodox ways of rewarding the crew while on patrol in the Persian Gulf, enforcing the blockade of Iraq after the first Gulf War.

How unorthodox? Well, Captain Abrashoff never let anything stand in the way of rewarding his crew for top performance. Because of their best rating of launching cruise missiles, the Navy rewarded them by insisting their ship alone be left on patrol on New Years Eve. While all the other, poorer performers were going to be on shore, enjoying leave, his crew was “rewarded” by being stuck on the ship, “enjoying” a dry New Year’s Eve. Abrashoff thought it highly unfair. So, using the “Company VISA”, he rented a barge to be towed out to where they were on patrol, fully stocked with all the food and drink for a great party. After a hard day at work, the Benfold pulled up to their party barge and had a good time. The irony? On shore, rains overflowed all the sewers of the port town and all the other crews had to spend New Year’s Eve dry and stuck on their ships.

Another of my favorite examples was using technology and company resources to improve the lives of the crew. Abrashoff made it a point to talk to every one of the crew at least once a year. Ideas he gleaned from these talks were enacted immediately. One such idea came from the lowliest of of the low. New recruits to the Navy are always stuck on painting detail, a boring, yet necessary, job that never ends. The only way to get off painting duty is to pass certain exams, but with all the painting, there is never any time to study.

One young seaman noticed that the reason they painted was because of rust. All the fittings, nuts and bolts were made of iron and began to rust immediately in the salt air. His idea? Change them all for stainless steel which doesn’t rust. Why no one in the Navy had thought of that in the last 200 years is amazing. Abrashoff sent him to Home Depot with the “Company VISA” and they changed everything out. Not only did they save enough time painting so the seamen could study, they actually saved taxpayer money because they went from painting the entire ship six times annually to just once. Now all the ships in the Navy are switching out. Imagine the savings, all from an idea from the lowliest Seaman. It pays to Listen Aggressively.

Another thing I like about Abrashoff’s style is his willingness to admit his mistakes. This is not a captain who walks on water and he knows it. He spends time going over the things he did wrong, how it effected him and his crew and what he should have done differently. As usual, the candidness strikes home. If all managers were this honest with themselves, many more problems could be avoided.

I make it a point to read this short book annually. Every time I do, I see an area where I can improve. This is one of my highest recommended books, along with his subsequent books, “Get Your Ship Together” and “It’s Our Ship“. He threatened at the conference to write another called, “Ship Happens”. I am eagerly awaiting that one.

Originally posted at www.mindlikemonkey.com ]]> http://www.dwstratton.com/2010/05/its-your-ship-by-captain-d-michael-abrashoff/feed/ 0 http://www.dwstratton.com/2010/04/curly-mesquite-olympia-ballpoint-pen/ http://www.dwstratton.com/2010/04/curly-mesquite-olympia-ballpoint-pen/#comments Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:41:03 +0000 Dan http://www.dwstratton.com/?p=210 Black Titanium Olympia Ballpoint – DS298

Wood: Curly Mesquite

Finish: Black Titanium

Curly mesquite comes from Texas and Arizona. For a true Southwestern flavor to your writing, put a little curly mesquite on your creative fire.

$65.00 Sold (but I can make one just for you.)

Platinum Jr. Gentleman Rollerball – DS315

Wood: Blue dyed Boxelder Burl
Finish: platinum

Boxelder Burl is lovely. When dyed, it makes for some very surprising results. This pen has small pockets that didn’t take the dye, leaving creamy islands in a sea of blue. The German ceramic rollerball flows easily across the page, making this pen a favorite for journaling.

$75.00 Sold (but I can make one just for you.)

Platinum Jr. Gentleman Rollerball – DS336

Wood: Spalted Maple
Finish: platinum

Maple is a surprising wood, especially when Mother Nature gets her way. After this tree was cut, fungus set in to start the decaying process, turning the normally light wood dark. The ceramic-tipped German rollerball is a pleasure to write with, flowing across the page easily. This pen is an eye catcher!

$75.00 Sold (but I can make one just for you.)