And I am Suppose to be Afraid of Refugees?

Ten men with weapons have attacked Paris. They killed and wounded a few hundred people. This is a new development for Dasche, but not unlike other terrorist attacks throughout the world over the last 3 decades. Beirut, Israel, Spain, Rome, Japan, Atlanta, Germany, Oklahoma City, New York, London, Mumbai, Russia, China, Paris, Lebanon and Mali off the top of my head. Small groups can attack unarmed civilians with awful results. They are no match for a well trained military. That is why they attack the innocent.

We live in a country of 300 million citizens, police in every city, an army, a coast guard, a navy, marines, special forces and an air force. And I am suppose to be afraid of refugees running from war?

No, my conservative values tell me to welcome others because they bring more growth and joy to our lives. New foods, new ideas, new styles and energy to work hard starting new businesses. People like Steve Jobs are the children of immigrants. My grandparents and great grandparents came from somewhere else. So did your relatives. All good people from are from everywhere.

My work, my church and my home look like the UN. I like it. New refugees? They are welcome in my neighborhood, my street and my church.

Personal note: The birthday boy is enjoying a long weekend rest from his stressful job he thankfully has. Too many friends and family looking for work.

Wishing everyone a great holiday if you are in the US. We can't be grateful enough to remember how good our life is. Praise God. 

Take time to pray for those who are suffering in this world, and think what action you can take to help.

Pre-Mortems How to Prepare for Stress

No one thinks well under stress. Flight or Fright = Cortisol which shuts down deep thinking. Survival takes precedence.

So how do you handle stressful situations? You think about, discuss and prepare for difficult decisions.

The Army prepares soldiers for ambushes as an example. Trains soldiers to attack the ambushers rather than to sit helplessly and be slaughtered.

Drivers Ed taught us what to do when common emergencies happened. Brake and Steer out of danger. Recover from a skid. How to change a flat tire.

Daniel Levitin: “How to stay calm when you know you'll be stressed” is a great primer in preparing. He gives an example of a medical decision, and how to prepare not to lose something important.

There is a good likelihood something stressful will happen in your life. Do pre-mortems on likely stressful events to make better decisions.

http://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_levitin_how_to_stay_calm_when_you_know_you_ll_be_stressed

Advice for Parisians and Other Targets of Terror

Have experience with Centennial Park Bombing during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Was a spectator and was enjoying the park after midnight. There was a band across the street talked my friends into going over to see. They weren’t very good/interesting, and I was feeling restless. Felt like it was time to go. Really wanted to go and didn’t know why. We left to get food.

Took a half hour to go through traffic to a bar/restaurant to get food/drink, but they were shutting down. Why? Someone had blown up a bomb in Centennial Park. 2 deaths and 111 injured that night. Walked within 50 feet of where the bomb exploded.

How did we handle it? The Olympics Committee decided the games should continue. The park was closed for one day and reopened the second day. Went out of my way to be sure to walk through the park again the morning it opened. Not going to let someone keep me from living.

Terrorist want two things: Fear and government overreaction. They believe fear gives them power over you. Your government wants to protect you, but extreme invasive procedures can lead to government being overthrown. Power and no authority to stop them is the dream of terrorist/radicals.

The odds of being in a terror attack or violent events are very small in Western Civilization. Actually most countries are reasonably safe. War has actually been decreasing during the last 50 years. 

The best way to honor the victims and flaunt the terrorist is to simply live life without fear. Then terrorist have no power.

Simple Productivity

What does every company need from their employees? Productivity.

What does every business owner want for himself? Productivity.

What do superior performers desire? Productivity.

How can we get our company to be more productive? Better processes, better procedures, better quality, better throughput.

So how do we get there? Simplify.

Have you looked at your processes and procedures recently? Your co-workers have to look through pages to get what information they need. Why can’t they be written in plain English with pictures rather than legalese?

Then look at your business from your customer’s eyes. How hard do you make it to order from you? Where can you make it simple?

How did Japanese automakers grow their market share? Their customers did not choose every individual option like American automakers. They offered standard and deluxe models with options included. The customer’s main choice was color. Inventory and pricing were streamlined, and they focused on making the models that were selling. Result - increasing profits. 

Where can you simplify today?