Category Archives: Helpful Hints

November 26, 2013 · 9:46 am

Why Saying “Thanks” Is Good Business

Let’s say “thanks” this TunesDay, or at least consider how often it’s been said musically.  With Thanksgiving right around the corner it seems appropriate to do so as well as to think about the business point.

We begin with the weekly music video – this is one of my favorite thank you songs and it just happens to be from a guy named Keith.  It reminds us that

People say they’ll stand beside you/They swear they’ll never leave
But when the rain started falling/You know it only fell on me

We all find out who is loyal and who is not and how saying “thanks” may not even be enough to show one’s appreciation. We generally find out when times get rough, as they have for most businesses over the last few years.  The lads in Led Zepplin (“Thank You“) have a similar take, and say thanks for:

Today, my world it smiles, your hand in mine, we walk the miles/Thanks to you it will be done, for you to me are the only one.

It’s nice to make someone’s world smile, but it makes the point that we might not even realize the effect doing so has on the recipient nor the depth of the response it can bring.  Dido (“Thank You“)sort of gives thanks for the same thing:

 I want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life/Oh just to be with you is having the best day of my life

Oh sure, her significant other handed her a towel and called her during the day, but mostly this is about how having a strong bond with someone can lift them up just by doing little things and being there.  Natalie Merchant (Kind & Generous) has an even longer list:

I want to thank you/For so many gifts
You gave with love and tenderness
I want to thank you

I want to thank you/For your generosity
The love and the honesty
That you gave me

I want to thank you/Show my gratitude
My love and my respect for you
I want to thank you

There is more thanks offered in the song but it shows that when we stop to think about it, we have quite a bit for which to be thankful.  It could be as simple as letting someone be themselves (Sly & The Family Stone – “Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin“) or for being a friend (Andrew Gold and also the theme to Golden Girls!) or even for music (ABBA).  Which raises the business point.

Every business has a lot for which to be thankful.  Loyal customers, hard-working employees, honest partners.  How often and in what ways do we say “thank you?”  As the above lyrics show, a little thanks can go a long way, we might not realize the powerful effect it can have on the recipient, and this is probably a great time to spread some around, don’t you think?

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November 21, 2013 · 11:03 am

Pimento Cheese

We normally do food related posts on Fridays here on the screed but since there is something else that deserves out attention happening tomorrow I’m doing our Foodie Friday Fun post today.

Pimento cheese on Ritz crackers.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This week’s topic is a food that is a staple here are Rancho Deluxe and in many homes – most of them a lot further south than here – around the country:  Pimento Cheese.  For those of you unfamiliar with it, pimento cheese is a blend of cheese and pimentos and other ingredients.  About the only thing about which most folks agree is that it has to have cheese and pimentos and that some of the cheese needs to be yellow cheddar.  Things diverge from there.

Mayonnaise?  Pickle juice? Worcestershire sauce?  Other cheeses?  Cream cheese? Cayenne pepper?  Vinegar?  Depending on one’s tastes and, more importantly, family traditions, the answer is a resounding “yes” or unwavering “no”.  Every family has its own recipe and unique prep method.  Basically, if it’s not made the way your mom or grandmother makes it, the spread is just not right.  It’s a simple food that restaurants often dress up (Abbamare infused pimento cheese with heirloom peppers – shoot me!) unnecessarily. It’s also the sort of food that demonstrates a few very basic truths about business.

First, when you’re charging people with a task, be very specific if you’re expecting a specific result.  “Make me pimento cheese” can mean very different things.  “Use this recipe and make me pimento cheese” gets you a better result.  Second, there is usually more than one way to get an excellent solution.   For those of us who didn’t grow up with a family recipe, tasting different variations on the theme got us to the cheese we enjoy today.  Keep an open mind – accept that many roads lead to Rome – and you’ll be better off.  Finally, don’t make the simple overly complex.  The differences between homemade mayo vs. jarred and imported small batch cheese in pimento cheese are silly other than to justify charging some outrageous price.  Simple is generally better, faster, and more cost-effective.

As with many things in the kitchen and in the office, different people hear the same thing in different ways.  Our job is to get everyone on the same page, working towards the same final product.  Then we get to stand back and watch people enjoy!  You with me?

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November 18, 2013 · 12:43 pm

Doing The Work

What would you do if you didn’t have to work?  Maybe that’s the wrong way to phrase that.  How would you occupy your time if you didn’t have to worry about the bills being paid and could live pretty much as you’re living now?  Would you hold down a job?  Would you travel?  Would you live where you’re living?

Men inside workshop in Melbourne

(Photo credit: IMLS DCC)

I have a friend who is a little older than I am and I happen to know has plenty of money in the bank.  Not enough to have a jet and a string of mansions, but more than most people will ever have.  He can live any way he chooses and work or not work as he sees fit. He just started another job a couple of weeks ago.  I asked him why he was working and he said because he likes it.  He enjoys the challenges and has been a senior executive at a number of companies during his career.  He is engaged.  Most of us are not.  Time reported on a Gallup study:

According to Gallup, 30% of U.S. employees are “engaged” at work, which the polling organization defines as those “who are involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work and contribute to their organization in a positive manner.” The rest of us are “emotionally disconnected” from our workplaces, making us much less likely to be productive. Fifty-two percent of employees says they are basically “checked out” at work, and 18% say they’re so unhappy they’re actually acting out their unhappiness in the workplace. “Every day, these workers undermine what their engaged coworkers accomplish,” Gallup’s report says.

So to start the work week, let’s all take a step back as figure out if we’re ready to do the work.  Maybe if we’re even wanting to do it at all.  Do we want a promotion because it means more money or do we want it because it reflects the effort we’ve put in at a task we enjoy?  Are we interested in developing our minds or our wallets?  Can we combine our avocations and our vocation?  After all, while it’s not called “work” because it’s meant to be fun, I know it can be.  It can also suck.  The choice is yours.

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