Miscellaneous | John Gallagher

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Don't hold on TOO long

November 20th, 2009 by John Gallagher No Comments

So, as I look at what the kids may want as a gift this year for Christmas, I am often amazed by technology and how it has changed how we learn. I had been considering purchasing a guitar for my son. Then, I saw this blog post by Tim Stevens with a new “iPhone app” to play the guitar. Spend a couple minutes viewing this:

So, I can either buy him a new guitar and go through the pain of trying to force him to learn to play or finding a spot in the closet for another over-sized gift, OR I can purchase the app for his iTouch for $3.99. Now, I know all of the comments: It is more important for him to learn how to play the guitar rather than just hit buttons on a phone…right?

Sure, and it’s more important for kids to learn cursive than type in Word….
and it’s more important to learn how to divide using long division rather than using a calculator…
and it’s more important to read a book from a hardcover rather than purchase an e-Reader and read on my smartphone…RIGHT???? Maybe.

So, what does this have to do with Leadership and Relationships. I will tell you. It is our TIME! You see, as I have said in previous posts, our time is something that we don’t manage. We only have so much time. AND, how much of it do we waste on ‘stuff’ and ‘relationships’ and ‘worrying’ …on holding on to things that we want to get better if we just give it a little more time?

Well, at some point we have to say that our time is much more valuable for things like family and taking care of ourselves rather than worrying if our hand writing is perfect and if our ‘friends’ will be angry if we don’t come to the Tupperware party. My challenge to you is this:

1) Make a list of the things most important to you
2) Compare that list with what is on your calendar(handwriting, guitar playing, Tupperware parties, figuratively speaking)
3) Where there is a match, leave it there
4) Where there is a dis-connect, make a choice – Either it needs to be on the list of #1, OR you need to Let it go…Not so easy.

So, I think I may take up the electric guitar with all the time I am going to free up…

Have a great weekend, friends!

Posted in Discipline, Miscellaneous | No Comments »

Who is going to write YOUR name on THEIR list?

November 6th, 2009 by John Gallagher 1 Comment

The following is info that I did not create. It was something that I learned and have subsequently ‘SWIPE’d(Steal With Integrity Practically Everything) becuase of the meaning it has for me. I saw this first in a book by John Mawell Titled “There’s No Such Thing As Business Ethics“. I received it again over the past week from Jim Karger, a friend, mentor, and colleague who pens the blog “CrediblyConnect” (http://www.crediblyconnect.com/) .

In essence, the exercise goes like this, you don’t have to write down the answers, just ponder them for about 30 seconds for each question.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress…
6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do? Not really that easy, is it?

Now, answer this question(I want you to WRITE the answer to this question!):
Name three people who have had a positive influence on your entire LIFE? Depending on who is reading this, that is likely at LEAST an average of 40 years. The questions above only ask you to answer questions for the past 10 years at the most.

Much easier, right?

And the point is…we tend to not remember POPULAR people, but we DO remember those who made a difference in our lives because they cared.

Now, first action item. Take a look at your list of people who have made a difference in your life. I want you to choose one and tell them Thank You. Write them a note(not an email, a HAND WRITTEN note…oh, the pain!) and let them know that you appreciate that they made a difference in your life. It may be someone you haven’t seen in 20 years. That’s OK. If you are reading this, you have access to the internet. Ever hear of a site called ‘Google’? Go find them. If they made a diference in your life, then take the effort to find their address. You will feel great that you did that and they will appreciate hearing from you. You never know. It may re-kindle an old friendship.

Finally, I want you to ponder one more question about this exercise: Who is going to write YOUR name on THEIR list? If you can’t think of anyone immediately, then maybe you need to start making a difference in someone’s life in a postive way….TODAY.

Posted in Miscellaneous, Relationships | 1 Comment »

Leadership Lessons from the Laundry Room

May 3rd, 2009 by John Gallagher 3 Comments

Sometimes there are lessons from the Board room. Today, there are lessons from the Laundry Room. I am sure there are many lessons from different ‘rooms’ in our life. But, what does the Laundry Room have to do with Leadership?

1) You need to be a good Listener

Like the people you are leading, if you hear the funny noises, you better address it. If you ignore it, it will not go away!!

2) You need to be a good Planner – I know I shouldn’t do laundry at home, but even I know that a) you don’t put a wool sweater in the dryer, and b) you don’t put a RED shirt in with the whites. So, it is important to plan. Put the right ‘stuff’ with the right ‘stuff’ for success.

3) Delegation is important – You need to know what you are really good at…and more importantly, what you are NOT good at! If you are not good at ironing, delegate it to the dry cleaner, or buy clothes that don’t need ironed!

4) Procrastination is not a good option! – If you don’t keep up with the day to day needs of leadership, the MOUNTAIN of laundry will build and build. Things will start to smell…resources will run out…

5) You must be a good organizer – Is there a place for everything and is everything in it’s place for your stuff? When you need to find your ‘fabric softener’ for the dryer, it is not a good time to learn you can’t find it when the washing machine is stopped.

I want to thank my coach, Raymond Gleason, for the idea for this post. We need to always be looking for opportunities to teach and lead, no matter where we are.

What am I missing from the Laundry Room? So, what room do you have Leadership Lessons from? Give me a room. I will identify the Leadership lessons’ potential from that room.

Posted in Leadership, Leadership metaphors, Miscellaneous | 3 Comments »

UPDATE – Expensive laundry – There has to be a better way!

March 5th, 2009 by John Gallagher No Comments

Recently, I blogged about my Staples certificates going through the laundry. I promised an update and I am pleasantly surprised:

Dear John,
We have reissued your rewards. Please allow 7-10 business days to receive the new rewards in the mail.
Rewards can be used like cash at Staples – in store, online, or over the phone. Rewards do expire. Expired rewards cannot be reissued. Staples is not responsible for lost or misdirected postal mail.
If you have any additional questions, please contact us at StaplesRewards@Staples.com or by calling 1-800-793-3320 Monday through Friday, 8:30AM-8:00PM EST.
Thank you,
Richard Conway
Staples Rewards Premier

Kudos to Staples for reissuing the certificates. When I replied to the email with a ‘Thank you’, this was the auto response I got:
Thank you for contacting Staples Rewards.
We are currently experiencing high contact volume; please expect a delay in our response.

The dangers of auto reply emails!! Oh well, now I can get that file cabinet in 7 to 10 days! I won’t even bore you with my recent Dell service experience…It was good, but again, 7 to 10 business days before i get my laptop back!

Have any good customer service experiences you want to share?

Posted in Leadership metaphors, Miscellaneous | No Comments »

Expensive laundry – There has to be a better way!

February 26th, 2009 by John Gallagher 2 Comments

Anyone know what this picture is?

This is what is remaining of $68 worth of Staples Rewards certificates that went through the laundry while in my pants pocket. A whole different kind of ‘Pocket Change’ that I have blogged about recently. Now, do you think Staples knows this is going to happen to a lot of their certificates? Maybe so, but there have got to be easier ways for them to hand out their bonus points:

1) How about sending them electronically since I do a majority of my purchases on line?

2) Just assign them to my Staples reward card and when I check out, it debits my account automatically?

3) How about just giving me the dicount up front rather than making me handle paper certificates?

4) Their easy rebates program send Visa debit cards. How about that?

Or, I could not put them in my pocket, or not FORGET that I put them in my pocket!!!!

The question I have is will they believe me and send me new certificates? I will report back and let you know if they refund me for airing my dirty laundry, so to speak!!

What is the worst thing that you have lost through the laundry????

Posted in Continuous Improvement, Leadership metaphors, Miscellaneous | 2 Comments »