I stopped into K-Mart this afternoon (Saturday)  to pick up one small item.  I find the item and make my way to the checkout only to find that there are a LOT of people waiting for 2 checkout lanes.  After a few minutes I hear an announcement about a manager being needed at one of these lanes.  Shortly, over the intercom again, the manager now says "cancel manager" and makes her way from the customer service register where she was talking to another employee to the checkout lane with issues.  LOTS of us are still standing and waiting.  Finally the customer service counter announces "no waiting" if we want to walk half-way across the store to check out - which I quickly did.

Have I become so used to prompt service that these little inconveniences are so annoying I want to scream?  Is this really poor management or simply impatience on my part?  Does the manager need training or do I need counseling?

Here are facts which should not be ignored.

• Who you are (character) is more important than what you do, ultimately
• so live with integrity every day all day
• What you do is the yardstick used to measure your success, immediately
• so do something - execution is the shortfall of many a genius
• What you say has the power to hurt or heal, to edify or destroy
• use a language of respect and remember the first point above
• What you value always comes through in the decisions you make, sooner rather than later.
• even when you don't think you know what you value, your decisions will tell the tale, so spend some time clarifying the important things in your life.
• Who you know and the networks you have are one of God's ways to place you where he wants you
• if you alienate people unnecessarily you may become unable to perform the role God has designed you for - so treat everyone as you would like to be treated - or even better than you would like to be treated, which ever is best.
• What you know can be improved upon, only a moron would assume he/she knows it all
• never, never, never stop learning, nor get sidetracked by busy - if you are not learning, you are becoming obsolete
• Patience and ambition are uncomfortable bedfellows
• God knows your potential, if you find yourself straining against the ropes, focus on the quality of what you do NOW and trust God for the future.   This is harder than it sounds.

Response to Tungle.com com survey.  Tungle is a great scheduling software which makes it easy for people to schedule meetings with you and easy for you to send open times for meetings to individuals or groups to find a common time to meet.  I highly recommend Tungle!

1. What made you decide to start Tungling? I read a review in a blog by ProfHacker and thought I would give Tungle a try - I have not been disappointed.
2. What’s one thing we do better than any other productivity app out there?I like the capability of sending a link (or even posting a link) so that if someone needs to schedule a meeting they can easily do so.  I sent a web-link to some key people in my organization so that if they need to schedule something with me it will be easy for them to see when I am available and easy to propose a time for a meeting.  I also like that I can highlight multiple times on a calendar for a meeting and send that to several people, who can highlight their availability and how tungle merges all of that to find the common times for me to select for the meeting.
3. What’s one thing we could do to create a better experience for you?Right now I can't think of anything.
4. Do you refer Tungle.me to others?  If yes, why?Yes, I do for the reasons stated above.
5. What would you Google to find an app like Tungle.me? scheduling application

Thoughts and quotes from Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands: lessons in non-linear leadership, by Nancy Ortberg.  I'm not really sure about the "non-linear" aspect of the title, but the topics touched upon by the author were those you would expect in a book devoted to leadership.  I did like the theme which is implied in the title phrase, "rubber bands" of tension.  The kind of tension Ortberg references is the kind which balances the need for execution against the ever-present pull of homeostasis (my word, not hers).  I think if she had emphasized this even more throughout the book it would have taken the book from an OK book on leadership up a level.  As it is, I would have to say that most of the book is a re-work of the principles found in Good to Great, from a Christian perspective. 

Still, I found her writing to be easy to read and she was willing to be personally vulnerable in her journey on the path of leadership.  Some of the quotes I found particularly interesting were:

"Inherent in the leadership relationship is the expectation that over time, the direction you give will result in progress toward maturity, growth in skills and character, and even an increase in your own leadership competencies." p. 2

"To lead well, we must possess the strong belief that our best days are ahead of us, always ahead of us.  Hope and leadership are inexorably linked." p.8  I think this particular quote expresses a perspective which cannot be "drummed" up but arises from belief in one's self and a willingness to see the future instead of constantly reviewing the past.

"Vision is about stirring and provoking, reminding and imagining.  It's (sic) about showing people the wonder of an improved future and infusing them with hope.  Vision is about creating a reason to believe again.  Vision is primarily nurtured through the stories we tell and the heroes we create in our organizations." p. 18

"This intersection of vision and reality may be one of the greatest tests of leadership.  It is having sober eyes and an optimistic spirit, and refusing to choose between the two." p. 35  I think this whole section is a Christianized and simplified version of what Jim Collins in Good to Great calls Brutal Honesty.