Responding To Opportunity

Dealing with a business from day to day is a rollercoaster ride. All of the personalities that one deals with across strategic partnerships, suppliers, vendors, and customers can be excruciatingly painful.

I had some success in a recent meeting with a potential partner. He simultaneously complimented and threatened me in the same sentence and I was forced to deal with it. What did I do?

1)No Emotions

A threat or compliment can generate emotions both good and bad. These emotions cause me to speak, act, and judge differently. The problem is that neither are good emotional states to make decisions from. So, be unemotional to make better decisions with a clearer mind.

2) Get to the core of it

The threats caused problems with our potential deal. They were essentially senseless roadblocks getting in the way of accomplishment. I pushed them aside and got to the core of the issue and how to solve it. Do NOT be distracted. That may very well be what the other person wants.

3) Size up the other person

Just as you would at the poker take, look at posture, body language, breathing patterns, etc. If the other person is upset, you should sense it coming and dissolve it immediately by addressing what you believe is upsetting them. Don’t be afraid to profile the person. Are they a knucklehead? A whack’em all? Make judgements about people and everything they do. It will help you get what you want out of the conversation, sales call, etc. And you will have more productive meetings!

1) Crazy Devil Horse

Denver International's Crazy Devil Horse

Some people refer to it as “The Apocalyptic Hell Beast.”

On the way into the airport that isn’t exactly the last image I want to have before getting on a plane.

2) Weird Indian Singing

After passing through security in the Frontier gate area someone had the crazy idea of playing weird Indian chanting over the loudspeaker. Everytime I go through I feel like I am part of a burial ritual. I am all for cultural sensitivity, but let’s not scare the shit out of the other 99.9% of people who are not Indians.

3) Horrible Turbulence

This is actually what provoked this writing. In the afternoon during the summer time you can count on thunderstorms in the Denver area. Bad ones.

Pilots either fly around them or through them and in either case it feels like a roller coaster ride. In the Marine Corps we called it the pucker factor and most of my flight into and out of Denver are definitely off the charts in the overall rankings.

In the entertainment industry sometimes anything goes. The psychology seems to be: say/do anything sensational that could grab a headline or draw attention. This is the entire philosophy behind the Heidi/Spencer phenomenon.

As most know, many actors and musicians are more likely to vote democrat than republican. Unfortunately, many of these actors and musicians like to take controversial stands that alienate their fanbase. The Dixie Chicks and their comments overseas apologizing for our country were widely regarded as  un-American. Some things you just don’t do.

Another example, Matt Damon referring to Sarah Palin and her family as a bad Disney movie. Jane Fonda overtly trying to appease the North Vietnamese. And more recently, David Letterman and his comments about rape in regards to Sarah Palin’s 14 year old daughter, Willow.

Many Sarah Palin fans watch David Letterman and Matt Damon on TV and movies. Many conservative women bought and used Jane Fonda’s fitness routine.The Dixie Chicks have had a huge following of conservative country music fans.

So, why would these people take the overt stands they do on certain issues? In my view they have made a strategic decision to appease one group while alienating another. In return for a more rabid core group of fans they insult another group of fans. This insult also grabs headlines and promotes who they are and what they do.

Is this smart? Giving up what could be millions of dollars in ratings, movie tickets, and album sales, to make a political or sensational statement?

I can see a reason to do it that doesn’t have to do with ego or insults. A tribe of followers is sometimes more valuable than wide appeal.

I was on Recovery.gov today reading about what stimulus money is being spent on in the state of Ohio.

First, let me say being totally transparent in the way government spends money is very noble. Every citizen has a right to know where their tax dollars are going. If only Recovery.gov gave that sort of information.

Here is a sample:

14.257	Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program	$65,653,996
17.260	WIA Dislocated Workers	$58,511,252
66.468	Drinking Water SRF	$58,460,000
17.259	WIA Youth Activities	$56,158,510
16.803	Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Formula Program – http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/recoveryact.html	$38,048,939
14.253	CDBG Entitlement Grants	$29,952,254

After looking through all of the set asides, I found the generality shocking and almost intentional. It is as if the object was to give the impression of transparency by having a bunch of programs and money allotted to them without really being transparent.

My second thought after looking up some of these programs is: what is so stimulating about these programs? When I say stimulating I mean creating value greater than the dollar spent. Some might call this the Keynesian multiplier. From my judgment it looks as though this stimulus amounts to an expansion of government programs which are notorious for their misuse of funds (over budget, delays in completion, etc). When the money is spent, all or most jobs created will be gone and we’ll be left with higher operating costs due to the increase in government largess (more highways and bridges mean more maintenance, more buildings mean more maintenance, air conditioning, and janitorial costs). In the long run, we are actually not providing ourselves any benefit and may be hurting ourselves in the end. The intent is good, but the result is predictable and inexcusable.

The stimulus plan should have done something truly stimulating like a capital gains tax holiday which would encourage private investment and job creation. Another suggestion would be to lower the corporate tax rate, one of the highest in the world. Instead, we get more regulations ( ie CAFE standards), increased taxes (ie mileage taxes, cap and trade, healthcare benefits), nationalization of large companies (ie GM, Chrysler, AIG), and quadrupling our national debt. All within six months of being in office.

Some describe this administration as being “historic.” Unfortunately, in my view, it is for all the wrong reasons.