“The worst crime against working people is a company which fails to operate at a profit.” ~ Samuel Gompers In the early years of Hackbarth Delivery Service, the company that my wife, Carol, and I founded, we are the first drivers making deliveries. Bayou la Batre, a small town in south Alabama, is one of the destinations for some of those shipments. This quaint seacoast community is home to shrimpers, boat builders and companies that provide coastal services. On this particular day, I am … [Read more...]
First Figure out the ‘Why’
“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born . . . and the day you find out why.” Mark Twain “Just one thing,” was the reply of the boss of the cattle drive. He was answering the question he had posed to the cowhand. This pivotal scene came from the movie, City Slickers. Actor Jack Palance played the boss and Billy Crystal played the city slicker, who was now a cowhand on a vacation that provided a real experience of a cattle drive. The question he had posed was, … [Read more...]
PAUSE . . .
It is a dark night. My cousin and I are driving in our hometown, Birmingham, Alabama. We are cruising along in the downtown area where Interstate I-65 is being built. There are lots of cones, signs and equipment, typical at a major construction site involving a federally-funded highway. Somehow, we have lost our way and the next thing I know, we are on that Interstate yet to be open for traffic. I am not thinking about whether or not the road is open, or that in this particular area it is … [Read more...]
A Short Course in Effective Measurement
Measure what is Important. You lose credibility if you select little things that do not matter, or, fail to choose those that do matter. Use an Objective System. People will know if you are unfair. Unfairness promotes sabotage, which can be as subtle as just not working as hard as possible. Be Time Efficient. Use tests that take the least amount of time while still being effective. Be Cost Efficient. The cost of the test should be small compared to the cost of performing the task being … [Read more...]
The Female Advantage
I grew up surrounded by women. I had three sisters and no brothers. I remember in the second grade one night preparing for my reading assignment in class next day. Brenda, my oldest sister, was listening to my practice. She said, "Robert, whenever you have an exclamation point, you should add excitement and passion in your voice. That's why you have an exclamation point." When she said this, I got it immediately. In class next day, I read like I have never read before in my life. The … [Read more...]
Success is
Success is ____________. Successful people have ___________. When I think of successful people, I think of _____________________. What words did you use to fill in the blanks? I know you thought of something because success is a word often used in our country. We all have our thoughts about this subject and all of us have been exposed to the huge amount of conversation surrounding this topic. There are many who say success is all about getting rich. And people who have a certain … [Read more...]
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