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Relationship banking
In these strange economic times, you need to talk to your bank as much as the bank needs to talk to you.
Instability in the banking world is what led to the economic downturn, and while things have stabilized, you still need to be aware of your bank's status. Is it one of the banks that was mostly unaffected by the crisis, or did it have to take government money to survive?
You need to know because you don't want to be taken by surprise.
In the old days, it was the banks asking all the questions. They wanted to know about you and your business to determine whether you were capable of paying back the money you wanted them to lend to you. Now, they are asking those questions and more about every customer, because they can't afford any more bad loans. At the same time, you can't afford to be left high and dry by a bank that suddenly decides to pull your line of credit because someone there decided he or she didn't like the industry you are in. It's important to ask as many questions about your bank as the bank asks about you.
This is where trust comes in. Both parties need information to make the relationship work. You need to be honest with the bank so it is not taken by surprise, but the bank also needs to be honest with you about what it can do for you now and in the future.
Ask yourself how much your banker really knows about your business. If he or she has never come out to see you and ask about your operations, you have to wonder how much he or she really cares about the relationship. If your banker isn't going to try to understand your business, then how will you convince him or her to loan you money when needed? What will the bank base its decisions on if it doesn't truly understand your company?
If your banker has invested some time in you, then you should invest some time in him or her, as well. Review the products and services you use with the bank and see if there are better options that might be available. Are you paying for services you aren't really using? Are there ways the bank can help you improve your cash flow?
A good banker wants to be an adviser. If you aren't getting any advice, you may need another bank.
In these economic conditions, it's also a good idea to have a backup plan. What if your bank called tomorrow and said that it had to eliminate your line of credit? Could you survive?
Develop secondary relationships, both with other decision-makers in your current bank and with decision-makers in other banks. This way, if your current banker leaves or is downsized, there is already someone in place either there or somewhere else who is familiar with your business.
In today's world, you can't afford to be surprised by anything, let alone a sudden decision by your bank that's driven by things outside of your control.
Work the relationship you have with your banker, but make sure you are always aware of what's going on with your bank, just like it will be aware of what's going on with you.
Building future leaders
If you look through a list of top companies and compare it to a list of high-growth companies, you will usually find one thing in common: a commitment to training and development.
These companies see the way to continued growth through a continual development of their employees. Some focus on the basics of the job, some focus on leadership development, and many organizations do both. The equation is simple: Equip employees with the right skills and knowledge, and they'll whip the competition. And the level of commitment of some of these companies is staggering.
For example, PricewaterhouseCoopers invested more than $10 million in developing 25 global programs dealing with issues of diversity and inclusion. Wyeth Pharmaceuticals sent 1,800 salespeople through an eight-level "career ladder" that recognizes performance and elective credits from approved coursework. Vanguard invests 34 hours of instruction and 17 hours of on-the-job training for its top performers, touching on topics like the company's leadership values, coaching others and transition strategies. More than 50 percent of those who go through Vanguard's training have been promoted to a supervisory role.
How much you spend isn't as important as what you are committed to accomplishing. Regardless of whether you are a $10 million company or a $2 billion company, the same principles apply.
While many CEOs can see the potential of training, they hesitate because of the unknown. What will the return on investment be? How do you measure how much more effective your employees will be? Those are tough questions to answer, especially in an economy where every penny counts.
But if you want to be one of the best companies, you are going to have to take the long-term view and make the commitment. If you work closely with your managers and staff to make sure you are training on the right topics, the benefit will come. You will give employees the skill sets they need to succeed, they will take ownership of projects, and they are more likely to build a long-term commitment with you.
Not every training program has to cost millions. If you work with your local university and community college, you'll find there are a lot of affordable programs that can meet your needs. Many offer online modules that can be completed at any time, minimizing disruptions among employees. Others offer pre-class and post-class assessments so you can see how much employees learned in the session.
No matter what type of training you choose to pursue, make sure you are completely committed to it. Don't do it just so you can add a training overview to your company description on your Web site or as a means of enticing job seekers. If you are going to invest in people, then you need to believe in it to make the program work.
Once you are committed, make sure you maximize your return. Survey employees to find out what they are interested in learning about and what they thought of completed training sessions. That information can help you create some initial plans or refine the ones you already have. Training is most effective when all parties involved — employer, trainer and employees — are all committed to the end goals.
In a time when many companies are cutting back, a lot of midsized companies are eliminating training and development programs as an easy way to boost the bottom line. But if you are cutting back, some of your competitors are not. When the economy turns around, they will have a better-trained and more committed work force to take advantage of new opportunities.
The question to ask yourself isn't, "Should I cut training?" The question should be, "Can I afford not to invest in my people?"
Chronic costs
Every CEO sees the need for a health plan. Without one, recruitment of top talent becomes very difficult, and employees spend too much time worrying about potential health issues and how they will pay the resulting bills.
But once you decide to get a health plan, things get complicated. Which plan is right for your company? The options out there vary considerably. At one extreme are the plans that put 100 percent of the costs on the employees, while at the other extreme are the plans that are 100 percent funded by the company.
Most plans fall somewhere in the middle, and that's where the CEO needs to step in. A large part of your culture is based on your benefits package, and probably the biggest element of that is your health insurance. What you pick says a lot about what kind of corporate culture you want to have.
If you pick a plan with a lot of benefits and the costs are mostly picked up by the company, that sends a certain message to your employees or potential employees. Some CEOs are perfectly happy with a basic plan, in which a fair portion of the costs are carried by the employees. That too, sends a message about how you value your work force. Employees generally have an idea of how well their employer is doing. If you are wildly successful but offer a poor health plan, that tells them that you are not all that concerned about them and gives your competitors a potential recruiting advantage. Is it worth losing talent for a no-frills health plan when for a few dollars more, you could have at least been on par with the rest of your industry?
If you are committed to a good health plan, you may want a "Rolls Royce" package, but if you are on a limited budget, you have to make choices. You have to do the best you can to provide the highest level of coverage for your employees.
When you are a smaller company, you may have no choice but to offer a bare-bones package. But as you grow, your plan should get better to mirror your success. The important thing is that, as CEO, you get involved. Do not delegate the final decision to someone else, because your health plan has major cultural and economic ramifications for your company.
If the message from your office is about how much you care about employees and the human resources manager cuts health benefits by 50 percent, that's a major conflict in message that could severely damage your culture. That's why it's important to be involved in the process.
In this economy, the temptation will always be to cut, and that's understandable. But there may be other options available to you. Shopping around for a better rate might help, but if you have employees located in multiple states, the market is limited and the price difference may be negligible.
The other strategy is to focus on the root causes of your health costs. Work with your existing provider to find out where your money is going and what it offers to help you control it. This is another factor to consider when looking at plans. If one provider is slightly more expensive but offers a free or low-cost comprehensive package that will help your employees be healthier, your overall costs may be a lot lower in the long run.
While things like wellness programs may seem like hype, a study of a workplace wellness program found that during a two-year period, employees in the program missed three fewer days of work, meaning a return of more than $15 for each $1 spent on the program. Other studies show that for every $1 spent, you save about $4 in health care expenses and $5 in improved productivity.
If you pick the right plan and put an emphasis on good health, the message sent to your employees will be clear: You care. And healthy employees are a key factor to achieving a healthy bottom line, even in an unhealthy economy.
FRED KOURY is president and CEO of Smart Business Network Inc. Reach him with your comments at (800) 988-4726 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
A fool and his money soon part
This column is a deviation from my usual themes about how to be a strategic leader with an entrepreneurial bent. Instead, this month, I explore why executives may be effective at running businesses but frequently fall short in managing their own money. Like many businesses leaders, I thought I was a street-smart steward of my own portfolio of stocks, bonds, hedge funds and private equity. Then came a wake-up call, manifested by what I would characterize as a less than amicable separation between a double-digit percentage of my assets and me.
During recent market gyrations, assets that took most of us years to accumulate and build were significantly reduced in mere months. There were warning signs. One word kept popping up on prognosticators' radar: subprime. This was quickly followed by dire predictions that some of the world's more storied financial institutions could crumble faster, under the weight of toxic loans, than their counterparts did during the infamous 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Sure, in hindsight, I knew there were troubles brewing. I read The Wall Street Journal daily and Barron's Financial Weekly. In addition, just like President Obama, nothing comes between me and breaking news from my BlackBerry — nothing.
So why did I and the vast majority of other executives experience a precipitous and cataclysmic exodus of assets damaging not only one's net worth but ego, as well?
There are apt comparisons between why the shoemaker's children go barefoot, why the person who represents himself in court has a fool for a client and, yes, why business executives are many times pretty mediocre investment advisers to themselves.
The core issue gets down to priorities, energy and the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day. Business leaders in today's environment must have an unrelenting laser focus on running their organizations. This, however, can result in one-dimensional thinking.
How many times has your spouse or significant other told you that you don't listen? Case in point, at breakfast you review your previous day's business results and your spouse asks you a question, as in, "What would you like to do this weekend?" and you respond by passing the sugar. This is simply an example of time and attention limitations, not lack of interest.
Certainly, you know the mechanics of the markets, you know where you have investments, but at the end of the day, after dealing with myriad business issues and opportunities, you just run out of gas. Because you may be good at making money doesn't mean you have the discipline and expertise not only to preserve it but also to grow it.
What can we do differently to rebuild our assets, while not losing a beat in doing our all-consuming day jobs? Compartmentalize, compartmentalize, compartmentalize!
Just as you set aside specific time to focus on various aspects of your work, you also must compartmentalize your personal investments and then devote time to them on a regular basis.
Start by scheduling some solitary time with yourself to know what direction your portfolio is going and, more importantly, where you want to take it over the next three to five years. It gets down to something as simple as three sessions every two weeks or some sort of quiet time with yourself. During the first session, review whether your portfolio has been either up, down or sideways. In the second time slot, try to understand how and why it got there. Devote the third review to new investment ideas and consider any adjustments.
Managing a portfolio is much akin to playing a hand of poker, during which you must decide to call, raise or fold. Just like in business, if you hesitate too long, you may lose. Treat your investment reviews the same as you would an update with a subordinate. Establish performance parameters, make notes and always assign yourself follow-up action dates.
It's going to take some time to rebuild our portfolios. Remember it took an astonishing 25 years for the Dow Jones Industrial Average to return to its pre-1929 crash levels. However, with some discipline, a plan and perhaps a decent adviser, you can at least ensure that your kids will always have shoes and you won't feel like a fool whose investments deteriorate from passive neglect.
MICHAEL FEUER co-founded OfficeMax in 1988. Starting with one store and $20,000 of his own moneyduring a 16-year span, Feuer, as CEO, grew the company to almost 1,000 stores worldwide with annualsales of approximately $5 billion before selling it for almost $1.5 billion in December 2003 to BoiseCascade Corp. Feuer is CEO of Max-Ventures, a retail venture capital/consulting firm, and co-founder andco-CEO of Max-Wellness, a new health care product retail chain concept that is launching in 2009. Feuerserves on a number of corporate and philanthropic boards and is a frequent speaker on business,marketing and building entrepreneurial enterprises. Reach him with comments at email@example.com.
Encourage your employees to talk behind your back
Just about everybody, after entering kindergarten, will become involved in talking about another person behind his or her back. Sometimes comments can be hurtful, sometimes innocuous. However, if correctly framed, "behind-the-back venting" can also be constructive, not to mention therapeutic.
It's a national pastime for everyone to think that he or she is smarter than the boss. Many times, an employee can and certainly should outshine his or her superior on specific subjects. As a boss, you can be sure your people will compare their abilities and creativity with yours and second-guess your strategies and practices. Therefore, I suggest that you facilitate the process so that talking behind your back can occur more regularly, on your terms, and be productive to boot.
There are some very simple and effective methods to providing "employee back-talk time." As CEO of my Fortune 500 company, I discovered that I could control this process by structuring a means where all my direct reports could have an open forum to take their best shot at me. Early on, I created an Operating Committee, which was composed of my direct reports and other key corporate managers and executives who had to carry out company mandates and run the place day in and day out.
I attended only one Operating Committee meeting and made a statement that took less than a minute. I simply said that this would be my first and last appearance at "your" weekly meetings and that, going forward, the group would set its own agenda. I emphasized, however, that on every agenda there should be "back-talk" time, during which participants could vent their frustrations and talk about any traditional unspeakables even if they reflected negatively on my leadership, decisions or capabilities. I stated that the only thing I asked was that once the committee thought I was making some big mistakes, someone must be appointed to come and tell me with my promise of immunity from prosecution. I made it clear to the Operating Committee members that their job was to make me better and, to facilitate that, they could talk about my shortcomings, real or perceived, behind my back.
Now, I didn't just fall off a turnip truck, and I knew that not all of the comments would be complimentary. I approached the process in a very Machiavellian manner, knowing that if I could get past the bruised ego, I could become a more effective CEO and ultimately deliver better results for all constituents.
Each week, my people were able to identify my errors, which were often plentiful. At times, I observed the folks leaving the Operating Committee meetings with a very satisfied smirk on their faces. Why? Because they got whatever was bugging them off their chests. They were able to compare notes, and I think, in many cases, they realized that what might have been festering as a big problem was, in the overall scheme of things, not particularly significant.
Another ancillary benefit of the behind-the-back talking is that it tends to diffuse situations that might otherwise grow to biblical proportions. This release enables the team to move on to issues of greater importance.
There are a number of other practical ways to foster venting in your organization. During particularly tense times, it is appropriate to excuse yourself from a planned dinner after a day of meetings with employees because your gut tells you they need to have time to themselves. It takes a certain confidence, including a healthy ego, for the leader to foster this process. Most of the time, when I bowed out of a dinner with subordinates, I knew that my employees' ensuing collective catharsis would give them satisfaction and refocus their efforts.
In the public arena, our country's leaders have all experienced a not-so-behind-their-back venting, particularly by the media, within minutes of making a statement. Pundits would dissect what was said right, wrong or that was irrelevant. This ongoing safety valve has served citizens well and provides an effective method for public officials to gauge acceptance of their actions and plan their next steps.
You, as a leader, can use similar "back-talk" techniques to maintain equilibrium in your company and reduce both petty and deep-seated distractions that impede progress. Being a good manager means accomplishing objectives through others. Being a great leader means keeping the team focused and communicating with you and each other.
Politics in business and talking behind the boss's back aren't always negatives, as long as you manage the process and encourage it with your blessing.
MICHAEL FEUER co-founded OfficeMax in 1988 with a friend and partner. Starting with one store during a 16-year span, Feuer, as CEO, grew the company to almost 1,000 stores worldwide, with annual sales approximating $5 billion before selling this retail giant for almost $1.5 billion in 2003 to Boise Cascade Corp. Feuer immediately launched another start-up, Max-Ventures, a retail/consumer products venture capital operating and consulting firm headquartered in suburban Cleveland, Ohio. Feuer serves on a number of corporate and philanthropic boards and is a frequent speaker on business, marketing and building entrepreneurial enterprises. Reach him with comments at email@example.com.
Trust but verify
Maybe you didn't trust Enron, or even necessarily know what Enron was, but your financial adviser probably did. If you trusted your adviser with your money and he or she trusted Enron's executives, well, the end result was probably bad.
Business is built on a chain of trust. The stockholders trust the company's directors who trust the officers of the company. There may be additional intermediaries, such as a financial adviser or stock broker, but everything hinges on trust.
When that trust breaks down, things get ugly. Unfortunately, it happens all the time. Enron got plenty of press but think about how many times you read about a local banker or business executive who was committing fraud at a company.
As a CEO, you have to walk a fine line between trust and control. If you trust someone too much, you may leave yourself open to mistakes of inexperience or just general oversights. If you don't trust your team enough, you become a control freak, stifle innovation and your growth comes to a screeching halt. Failing to trust your managers means you'll be spending all your time making day-to-day decisions, leaving yourself no time to manage the big-picture strategy of the organization.
The balance between trust and control is difficult to find because, as the CEO, you are ultimately responsible for what happens in the company. It's a heavy burden to carry, but worrying about what an employee in a far-off office might do is counterproductive to your long-term growth, not to mention to your health.
The only thing you can do is prepare. Surround yourself with good people who can help you avoid bad situations. You have to trust in your managers and advisers, but no one is ever going to have everything covered.
You can have a high degree of faith in humanity and believe that people are good by nature and will do their best, but for me, it's my faith in God that lets me sleep at night.
You do your best to oversee the operations, but the old Ronald Reagan saying, "Trust but verify," applies here. Try to set things up so that there is always someone checking someone else's work. One person might make a costly oversight, but if you have someone else checking, the odds are in your favor that the mistake will be caught before it costs you money.
You also need to be accessible to all your employees. Walk around and get to know as many of them as you can. Herb Baum, the former CEO of Dial, used to host "Hot Dogs with Herb." He'd cook hot dogs out on the factory floor for the workers to give them a chance to speak about whatever was on their mind. The idea is, if there's a major problem, someone is going to speak up. Maybe a machine isn't working properly and it's costing productivity, or maybe someone's manager is doctoring timecards.
If employees feel comfortable talking to you, that's another layer of protection. Good people don't like associating with bad ones, and they'll help you identify potential problems, regardless of whether it's with a process or a person, if you just take the time to ask.
You have to take a lot of risks to be successful in business. One of the biggest risks of all may be the trust we have to place in our managers who control our money, our inventory and our people. To mitigate the risks, all you can do is educate yourself, educate your managers and get the best advisers you can. If you do all that, the only thing left is to place portions of your business in the hands of those you trust the most.
FRED KOURY is president and CEO of Smart Business Network Inc. Reach him with your comments at (800) 988-4726 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Crisis control
In 1982, seven people died from Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules that had been tampered with and laced with cyanide.
The way Johnson & Johnson, owner of the Tylenol brand, reacted to the crisis became a precedent for the right way to handle a crisis. Company executives made quick decisions that were based in part on company values that had been written in 1943. The company recalled 31 million bottles at a cost of more than $100 million. It ceased all production of capsules and replaced them with tamper-resistant caplets.
In the short term, Tylenol lost 27 percent of its market share, but through its customer-focused actions and quick thinking, it regained all the market share it had lost.
While this is an extreme example, it goes to show you that you have to be ready for the unexpected. At the time, there was no way for Johnson & Johnson to even imagine that someone would use its products as a way to poison people.
Johnson & Johnson executives invested the time and money needed to deal with the crisis and make the brand as strong as or stronger than it was before.
If you've been in business long enough, you know that the unexpected is always around the corner. A crisis is not a matter of if; it's a matter of when.
Could anyone have predicted the tragedy of Sept. 11 or its far-reaching economic consequences? Anyone doing business in the southeastern United States probably knows firsthand what kind of economic effect a major hurricane can have on the bottom line.
Your next crisis might not even be so far-reaching. It might be a key employee who falls ill or quits that leaves you scrambling to fill in the gaps. Or maybe postage costs rise 20 percent, like they recently did, and cut into your cash flow.
Regardless of the scale of the challenge, you have to be ready for it. One of the best ways to be prepared is to have a reserve of resources both in cash and time. Set aside money each month, so that you have funds to draw on in an emergency.
Just about any crisis will require cash. If you've got funds to draw on, you can either get the people or supplies you need to address it, or at the very least, keep your cash flow going in the short term until you figure out a long-term solution.
The other investment to make is in time. Put time on your schedule each week to deal with the little details. This kind of investment can often let you extinguish a small fire before it becomes a raging inferno. When a big crisis hits, you can clear your schedule, but a little investment upfront can help you avoid some of the internal challenges that can get out of control.
This is also where your advisers earn their money. If you've assembled the right team of people, when something unforeseen occurs, you can gather them together and, as a team, plot your next move. They'll help you avoid blind spots and resolve things quicker than you could do alone.
Regardless of whether your crisis started internally or externally, you have to lead by example. Be resilient in your pursuit of the resolution. Exhibit confidence so that others can rely on you to get the job done.
It won't be easy things in business rarely are. But if you have taken the time to build a rainy day fund and assembled a solid team, you are well on your way to handling the next crisis and moving your company back up the mountain again.
FRED KOURY is president and CEO of Smart Business Network Inc. Reach him with your comments at (800) 988-4726 or email@example.com.
Character versus image
"Again!" my tae kwon do instructor shouted, commanding the class to another repetition of the fighting combination we were learning. The moves were difficult, and I was already tired from a long day at work.
With each repetition, my arms and legs felt heavier, and I began to hold back, conserving my energy while hoping that no one noticed. Because I was the highest-ranking black belt, I had the senior position on the mat in front of two dozen students, a position where my every move was visible and expected to be an example for others to follow.
As my instructor moved among us, inspecting each person's form and technique, I was careful to give my best when he was near and then rested when he walked away. In this way, I believed I was maintaining my image as the senior student without actually having to exert the effort.
It was in one of these moments of executing the movements halfheartedly that I was surprised by the whispered voice of my instructor close behind me.
"Who are you when no one is watching, Mr. Huling?"
Even now, I can recall how I felt at that moment. At the instant I heard his voice, I realized that there was no shame in being tired or unable to perform at my highest level; the shame was in trying to uphold an image that wasn't true.
Have you ever tried this same approach? Can you remember a time when you had lost all passion for the work you were doing but put on an image of energy and false enthusiasm for the people around you? Perhaps you can remember sustaining an image in a relationship, portraying a personal connection that you no longer felt or feigning dedication to a community service project that, in truth, had become a dreaded burden.
No matter when or where it happens, the moment you shift your energy toward maintaining your image crafting your actions and your words to sustain the appearance of something that isn't true you compromise your most valuable attribute: the content of your character.
If this is where you are, there are three important things to remember.
First, the people around you usually know the truth, in spite of your efforts to conceal it.
They have built-in radar for inconsistencies and subtle cues that tell them the smile on your face isn't matched by the feeling in your heart.
While you may not be quite ready to resign from the job or end the relationship, you can stop exhausting yourself to convince people that everything is great. Instead, begin to be more authentic in what you say and do. Don't say yes when you mean no, compliment only what you truly respect, and pause to consider whether each action you are about to take aligns with your personal values for honesty and integrity.
Second, if perfection were the requirement, no one would succeed. All of the people around you face their own fear of inadequacy and rejection and, like you, are tempted to create a better version of themselves through the image they want you to see.
But if you will begin to acknowledge your own imperfections that you don't always make the right choice and aren't always in control of every situation you will not only drop your own image and become more authentic, you'll set others free to accept their imperfections as well.
Finally, remember that the image you are sustaining is actually a reflection of the person you want to become. When you create an image of passionate engagement with your work, it's because you really want your work and your life to have these qualities. Instead of pretending that you love your job, channel that same energy into a written vision of what you really want, and then commit to finding an opportunity that takes you toward it.
Let this simple Latin phrase become the standard for your life: "Esse quam videre," which means "To be, rather than to appear." When you do, you will discover that the person you truly are is actually greater than the image you tried to create.
JIM HULING is CEO of MATRIX Resources Inc., an IT services company that has achieved industry-leading financial growth while receiving numerous national, regional and local awards for its values-based culture and other work-life balance programs. The company was recently named one of the 25 Best Small Companies to Work for in America for the third year in a row by the Great Place to Work Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management. In 2005, Huling was awarded the Turknett Leadership Character Award for outstanding demonstration of integrity, respect and accountability. Reach him at email@example.com.
Too much information
Basic communications supposedly started with the cavemen about 130,000 years ago.
Those Neanderthal dudes really knew how to cut to the chase and get their message across. Using symbols and markings, they told what needed to be known: "Where's the food, fire and danger?" When friend or foe came across the message, it was immediately understood.
In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, took a giant communications leap when he spoke through this instrument to a nearby companion device and said, "Mr. Watson, come here. I need you." It was artful in its simplicity (the message, not the phone).
Since those times, there have been huge changes in communications, but with innovation comes excess. Today, businesspeople often provide TMI too much information.
Examining e-mails that have been returned to me because the recipient was out of the office, I have been struck by how much people will tell you about where they are, what they're doing and why. Examples include this one from an employee who obviously decided to stop working but continued to collect a paycheck: "I'm sorry I cannot read your e-mail today because I am out of the office. Actually, my boss thinks I'm taking my sick grandmother to the doctor, but instead, I'm on an interview that will hopefully lead to a better job so I can not only take my grandmother to the doctor but make enough to even pay the bill for her exam."
The same goes for out-of-the-office voicemail messages: "I'm not in today because I seem to have the bug that's going around. I spent all night in the bathroom, but by tomorrow, I'll have this beat. Leave a message after the beep and I'll get around to you one of these days."
We've all been frustrated listening to and reading this drivel when we're simply trying to get a question answered. Just think about the dollars that are wasted in corporate America, including your organization, because people have the misguided sense that others want to know the details but were afraid to ask.
Telling people what he thought they wanted to know worked for Dr. David Reuben, author of "Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex but Were Afraid to Ask." No doubt he made millions giving people information they didn't ask for, but he was a notable exception, and his subject matter was more compelling than most.
The newest TMI phenomenons are blogs, which have evolved from the traditional intimate diary with a running account of the author's life. It used to be that a diary was for teenagers dealing with everything from peer pressure to raging hormones. The safety net was knowing that what was inscribed would never be read by another living soul.
Today, modern blogs, which are public on the Internet and transcend age boundaries, often include the scribe's innermost secrets. Some also have graphics that provide too much visual information, leaving little to the imagination.
Since this is a business column, I will stick to offering suggestions as to how you can manage your employees' voicemail messages and outof-office e-mail replies for the greater good. I am a proponent of establishing your own e-mail/voicemail police, whose job is to protect and serve protect your organization's image and serve your customers' needs.
Some might think this is a form of censorship; I prefer to think of it as an extension of marketing to enhance a company's perception.
Start with surveying your employees' current responses for their business e-mail/voicemail messages and be prepared to be shocked by both the content and length.
Next, have your HR or PR staff put together brief scripts that get the desired message across. Each message should be tailored to the person's job function and provide an alternative contact when there is an immediate need.
Establish standards of what is appropriate. Explain to your employees why you are doing this and that it is another technique to demonstrate how your organization is better than your competition. Consider ending all voice messages with the same tag line emphasizing your best attribute, such as, "Prompt service is our No. 1 priority," or, "Getting to the point makes us better." This beats gratuitous endings such as, "Have a stupendous day."
Most employees will appreciate the scripted assistance because it gives them one less thing to do. For those who don't, buy them a diary in which they can continue to record their personalized messages, and make them promise to keep those messages to themselves and never share them with your customers.
MICHAEL FEUER is co-founder of OfficeMax, which he started in 1988 with one store and $20,000 of his own money, along with a then-partner and group of private investors. During 16 years as CEO, he grew the company to almost 1,000 stores with sales approximating $5 billion before selling it for almost $1.5 billion in 2003 to Boise Cascade Corp. In 2004, Feuer launched another start-up, Max-Ventures, a venture capital operating firm that focuses on buying control and/or making substantial investments in retail-oriented businesses and businesses that serve retail. Reach Feuer with comments at email@example.com.
Driving change
The car is the culmination of a company seeing a chance to dominate a market and setting goals to achieve it. In the 1980s, Toyota had what were considered good near-luxury cars in the Cressida and Crown models, but sales were not especially strong when compared to how fast Corollas and Camrys were leaving dealer lots. Lincoln and Cadillac had both fallen from grace, Chrysler had moved down market, Mercedes quality was not at its high point and Audi was suffering from the stuck accelerator debacle.
In short, Toyota saw an opportunity to dominate a market. It assigned a team of 1,400 engineers, 2,300 technicians, 60 designers and 220 support people to create the next great luxury vehicle under the Lexus brand. The company built 450 functional prototypes, and no expense was spared to beat the competition, and in 1989, the first Lexus hit the showroom floor. Its high level of luxury and reliability and lower cost than some competing brands made it the leader in luxury vehicles.
By creating a vision and a plan to get there, Toyota created a dominant brand. It's been almost 20 years now, but thanks to long-term planning and commitment, the brand is still as vibrant as ever.
There are four key tracks to executing a plan to achieve your goals.
The immediate track. These are objectives that range from today to about six months out. This is all about focusing on what you are doing today to work toward your overall goal, achieving short-term objectives to give you a headstart on your longer-term goals. There will always be a lot of distractions, but you have to stay focused.
The short-term track. This track is about focusing on processes six to 18 months out. How can you do things faster and better? Where can you build efficiency into your systems?
The long-term track. This track is setting goals for where you really want to be in three to five years. These goals are bigger in scope and start filling in the pieces to your long-term vision. The more of these goals you achieve, the closer you get to realizing your vision.
The vision. This is your long-term vision that is at least five years away. What's the ultimate goal of your company? It's the proverbial carrot on a stick that you are always chasing. As you move to-ward it, it moves even further, driving you to try even harder and achieve more.
This sounds fairly simple, and you may already have plans that fall into these ranges, but the real trick is working all the plans simultaneously. Toyota worked on all these tracks simultaneously to build Lexus into what it is today.
Companies that aren't as successful tend to be good at working only one or two tracks at a time.
Some companies have great vision and know where they want to be in five years, but don't know how to work the day-to-day detail in the short term to get there. It's sort of like a person who dreams of traveling to Europe one day but spends more time dreaming rather than actually figuring out a way to save the money and plan the trip.
Others are good at achieving intermediate goals such as growing sales, but they never really set a vision for what they want the company to be. Sales continue to grow, but to what end?
Toyota could have kept selling the luxury cars it had and probably been fairly successful. Instead, the company had a vision to be a leader in a market segment and set a course to get there by creating a new brand that would set the standard.
The key is to work all four tracks of the plan simultaneously so that you hit your short-term, intermediate and long-term goals on the way to achieving your ultimate vision of what you want your company to become.
FRED KOURY is president and CEO of Smart Business Network Inc. Reach him with your comments at (800) 988-4726 or email@example.com.


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If I can keep my iPhone from being used by strangers, shouldn't I be able to keep my firearm's use private too?
It's no wonder that Republicans have pinned all of their hopes for the mid-terms on the proposition that the botched Obamacare roll-out would sour the public on the signal accomplishment of President Obama's first term. But once again, the Republicans are on the wrong side of history.
Of all the categories of victims who might justifiably agitate for more protection from the law, women facing down abusive partners in their own homes should be at the top of the list. And yet Stand Your Ground laws do nothing to help them. This is not by accident but by design.
Sadly, there isn't a shortage of tragedies in black communities. Read any newspaper in any part of the country, from Detroit to Omaha to Chicago to Ne...
Americans are now eight times more likely to die in a police confrontation than they are to be killed by a terrorist.
Once in a while, when I least expect it, a window cracks open in my mind and I suddenly see that some news story, some political event, or some aspect...
The headlines in the case were sadly familiar. An angry adult armed with a gun used it to shoot and kill an unarmed black teenager he thought seemed "bad" -- this time, because the teenager and his friends were sitting in a car listening to music the grownup didn't like. In this outrageous Florida case, a middle-aged white man, Michael Dunn, was convicted of three counts of attempted murder and one count of shooting a gun into an occupied car. Jurors agreed he faced no threat after he was annoyed by loud music -- coming from a car he had deliberately chosen to park next to -- and then started an argument, pulled a gun on the car's black teens, and fired three shots at the young men inside the car as they tried to drive away from him.
Sure, he'll be locked up (at least 60 years for Michael Dunn), but true justice requires a conviction for murder. This did not happen. The reason? Stand Your Ground.
At just 17 years old, Jordan Davis died with his back to his killer. He will not graduate college. He will not marry the love of his life. He will not...
We can talk and argue all we want about whether Americans are safer if everyone walks around with a gun. But somehow, don't ask me how, too many of us just can't seem to walk away from a fight.
What separates the Michael Dunns and George Zimmermans of the world from your average killer is their insistence that they are not only innocent but wronged.
The facts of the case really don't matter anymore, just the feelings and beliefs of the defendant. And when you add the race of the victims into the mix, the disparities in how the law is applied are clear. Basically, if a white man feels or believes he is threatened, regardless of the facts of the case, he can be justified in shooting and killing a black man. The reality of Stand Your Ground laws in Florida and 24 more states is that racial fear and hatred is now legally justified. Black men are always at risk -- as every black parent in this country has told their young boys and as the statistics now bear out.
The idea would be to require chips in weapons that would essentially shut the firearm off in say, schools or movie theaters.
Real responsibility for guns would include a requirement for insurance to compensate victims. If that insurance is based on gun owner liability and fault then proper laws to establish liability are necessary.
In the heat of an argument, when all sense of proportion and reason is gone, and all that remains is emotion, it only stands to reason that if you have ready access to lethal force, a moment of anger can turn violent.
This isn't a gun issue. It's a responsibility issue. Thousands of tragedies, in homes across our country, could be prevented if parents and others had more responsible attitudes and behaviors about the real risks of guns in the home.

subset: commoncrawl


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Agriculture and Fishing Jobs in Loveland, Colorado
1 Loveland, CO Agriculture and Fishing jobs found on Monster.
Agrium Inc. is a recognized leading global manufacturer of crop nutrients and retailer of agricultural inputs. Agrium produces and distributes agricultural nutrients, crop protection products, seed, advanced technology products, as well as related industrial products, to customers on a global basis. We provide our customers with a safe, efficient, and reliable source of supply by participating in...
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What are the jobs in south italy?
A picture of a pie chart showing the jobs (tertiary, secondary + primary) would be fantastic! :)
what percentage is that?
are the jobs primary, secondary or tertiary?
What are examples of jobs in all the sectors,(primary, secondary and tertiary)?
What are 5 jobs in the primary sectors,
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Is Your Job About to Become Career Roadkill?
Will your job still be around a few years from now? If you're in one of these seven occupations, your career might be over sooner than you'd like.
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Looking for an in-demand job in a high-growth industry? Check out these eight careers with bright outlooks as listed in the latest O*Net update.


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4 caps of Now fenugreek and my libido is beyond libido....it is something else. It isn't so much mental where you're mind wanders constantly thinking about sex all day at work so you're sexting a few regulars like I experience with test boosters like DAA or vidatest, it's ~physiological. It's like having to piss really really bad, but sexual release instead. Volume and force = fire-hydrant status. I won't even touch it unless I know that I'm getting it in.
But that's just me and sorry if I crossed TMI lines


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Raburn homers twice as Indians top Reds 13-10
GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) -- Once the Tigers tossed Ryan Raburn aside, the Indians happily snagged... More
- TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer
GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) -- Once the Tigers tossed Ryan Raburn aside, the Indians happily snagged... More
NORMAL, Ala. (AP) -- Aaron Clayborn scored 18 points and Texas Southern held off Alabama A&M... More
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- Before he walked out to the mound, John Lackey paused for a moment and... More
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) -- Carmelo was in the house. The record crowd was imposing. The final game in... More
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood said "We'll be... More
STORRS, Conn. (AP) -- Sophomore Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis took her 1,000th career point in stride.... More
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) -- Patrick Holloway scored 15 points on a career-high five 3-pointers and Erik... More
PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) -- Jason Bay signed with the Seattle Mariners looking to resurrect a career... More
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Langston Galloway scored a season-high 26 points to lead Saint Joseph's to a... More
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Bradley Beal scored 21 points, and Emeka Okafor had 17 points, 11 rebounds and... More
ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) -- Ian Hummer scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Princeton to... More
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Dustin Brown and Jeff Carter scored first-period goals, Trevor Lewis added... More
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- JaVale McGee had 17 points, including seven dunks, and the Denver Nuggets... More
DETROIT (AP) -- Jimmy Howard made 33 saves for his first shutout of the season, and Drew Miller... More
CHICAGO (AP) -- Jake Eastman's basket with nine-tenths of a second to play Saturday gave Bradley... More
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- Stanton Kidd and Jeremy Ingram scored 14 points each and North Carolina... More
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP) -- Jauwan Scaife sank a 3-pointer as time expired, capping a wild final... More
ITTA BENA, Miss. (AP) -- Christian Williams scored 44 points, the most by a Southwestern Athletic... More
MACON, Ga. (AP) -- Travis Smith scored 14 points to help Mercer win its eighth straight game,... More
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. (AP) -- Jonathon Thompson scored 15 points Saturday to help lead Rider to a... More
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- Ronnie Boggs scored on a tip shot as time expired to lift Jacksonville... More
DAVIS, Calif. (AP) -- Paolo Mansacola drained an 18-foot shot with 1.8 seconds left in the game,... More
DEKALB, Ill. (AP) -- Morris Woods had 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and... More
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Sam Grooms scored a career-high 23 points, Steven Pledger had 17 of his 19... More
HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) -- James Vincent scored 16 points to lead four players in double figures... More


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Hart 2 Hart Neighborhood
25 Responses to "Hart 2 Hart Season 2 Intro"
DeusImperium says:
Too bad we don't get shows half as good as these anymore.
telebambam says:
Makes me want to steal a convertible and drive as fast as I can.
SLDNDASIXTIES says:
@terrycharnley I am so much in agreement with you. The re-makes of the classics just doesn't measure up to the stars of the era. That's why we can re-visit our favorite shows and stars on You Tube and buy the videos. A few years ago when they tried to bring Bonanza back by calling the show The Ponderosa was just not the same. There will never be another Cartwright family on the Ponderosa like the original stars on Bonanza. Also.. the Starsky & Hutch movie didn't make the grade either.
SLDNDASIXTIES says:
@somewhatlongdong LOL when I read your comment. I love Seinfeld too. That episode was funny.
somewhatlongdong says:
I used to like Robert Wagner, but he's an anti-dentite now. Shame.
terrycharnley says:
@MsDeandrea absolutely not! It was a wonderful product of its time, fondly remembered, but a movie now would do it no favours at all. They did that with the A team and look at how that turned out
voyage2k says:
@anthonybahm Read Dr. Thomas Noguchi's book "Coroner" — he proves very effectively that Natalie Wood drowning was her fault because she was so drunk, she couldn't understand that the down jacket she was wearing when she fell in the water was completely saturated and went from weighing maybe a pound and a half to 25 times that.
voyage2k says:
@doug6941596 It wasn't a sitcom it was a mystery series.
rugbytlse says:
@EspritFelin On entendait ce thème durant le feuilleton, en fond sonore.
EspritFelin says:
I am living in France and I've never seen this intro. We had a french version which was totally different.
toddsmitts says:
I remember seeing Lionel Stander in the ORIGINAL "Mr. Deeds" movie from the 30′s. He played this sort of gruff, shady assistant type who gets won over by Deeds' personality.
stvnrbbns says:
Love it. I was in the 4th grade when this show originally aired. Even back then designers were cross promoting with TV (first) movies and music. At 0:47 Jennifer is wearing classic Halston look and she also drove a 560 SL Benz . Lynda Carter /Wonder Woman also had the same wardrobe and drove the same car-different colour . Love RETRO JUNK. So useful when you get older. I actually have a 1983 560 SL sitting in a garage awaiting restoration. Childhood memories maybe ? Thanks for posting
MsDeandrea says:
they should do a movie of this….this was real good TV back then!!!!
HGbunny says:
Christopher Walken was on the boat, but I never read about his being suspect, only questioned.
geekforlife003 says:
An all-time classic. And one of TV's perfect couples.
DENo1MatchGameFan says:
If you do get the DVD's, it will only be from Seasons 1 & 2, as Sony has decided not to release the other three due to poor sales. Damn sure is a shame that they don't, as I still think Season 4 had some of the best episodes in it!
younger1968 says:
this was another good show. I may pick up the dvds down the road. I miss the 60s, 70s and 80s tv.
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Ian is a young man who has been searching for his sister, Kylie, by walking around America. Despite his past, Ian is innocent and naïve, and believes wholeheartedly in keeping his promises. All Ian wants is to be loved and accepted by his family, and to reunite with his sister.
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With Memorial Day this weekend, the perfect storm is setting in for the summer home buying season. Riding the tails of a 7.6% increase in sales of existing homes in April, agents need to take advantage of the season and help sellers spruce up their outdoor areas and to communicate with buyers on Continue Reading
Week in Review: Things We Liked from the Week That Was
Do You Lead or Manage?
A few weeks ago, Wendy Forsythe published a post, The Attributes of Great Real Estate Companies. The number one attribute listed was "Strong Leadership," a worthy attribute indeed. Leadership and management have often been used interchangeably, and though there are many times when leaders and Continue Reading
The REport
What do the Ukraine, Generation-X and the iPad have in common? The number 46 million. Ukraine's population is just under 46 million, 46 million Americans were born between 1965 and 1980 and, by 2014, 46 million people will have an iPad or other tablet device. Wow! It also turns out that "sponsored Continue Reading
Week in Review: Things We Liked from the Week That Was
This week, we are starting to see the first inklings of what a post-tax credit real estate market looks like. Numbers out this week show that mortgage rates fell to the lowest level in months, mortgage applications fell to the lowest level in 13 years and new building permits were down 11.5 percent. Continue Reading
What's Happening with Rates?
I spend a lot of time with our franchisees discussing both macro and micro economic trends in various parts around our great country. During a recent conversation regarding home affordability, a sales associate asked what causes mortgage rates to change so quickly. This particular sales associate Continue Reading
Lease Renewal Analysis
How much square footage do you really need? How many walk-ins do you get anymore? The old math dictated that we allow 100 square feet per agent, but this has become less and less relevant and less and less practicable. To the extent that you are running a "traditional office" with desks, your Continue Reading
The REport
Although new numbers out his week show that Twitter lags behind sites like Facebook in use, Tweeters are much more engaged with brands. I cannot say it enough: the site is a great opportunity for real estate brokers and agents to communicate directly with consumers! In an effort to reach this active Continue Reading
Interview with Foursquare Founder and CEO, Dennis Crowley
In this business, I have my ear to the ground all the time. I make a point of talking to people, and most importantly, asking questions and listening. I never know when a new technology I come across will have a profound impact on the way we structure the real estate brokerage model. Back in Continue Reading
Week in Review: Things We Liked from the Week That Was
This week offered a mixed bag of good and bad news. On the positive front, the rate of late mortgage payments dropped in the first quarter of 2010 and RealtyTrac reported that foreclosures were down 9 percent in April from the previous month and down 2 percent from April of 2009. Foreclosures of Continue Reading
Attributes of Great Real Estate Firms
Last week, Steve Murray and Nicolai Kolding closed out the REAL Trends Gathering of Eagles conference in Dallas, TX with a presentation highlighting, in their opinions, the key attributes of great real estate firms. The audience, which consisted mainly of some of the largest and most productive Continue Reading
The REport
I am happy to report that our industry can now (sort of) claim that Google is following our lead, as it adds visual search results to its site. This is something we in the real estate industry have been doing for years. It will be interesting to see how this search will succeed in the mainstream. Continue Reading


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Book Description:This ground-breaking study is the first history of the professional acting companies who brought drama to London in Shakespeare's time. Gurr draws on the most up-to-date research to provide a general history of company development from the 1560s, when the first of the major companies belonging to great lords began regularly to offer their plays at court and in London, to 1642, when by Act of Parliament they were closed down. He offers detailed and fascinating accounts of each of the forty companies that played in London during the period, including Shakespeare's company, The Chamberlain's/King's Men. His fascinating and authoritative volume will take its place as an indispensable reference work and the authoritative history for all scholars and students of Renaissance--and Shakespearean--drama.
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It's March again. And, for the third consecutive year, I am compelled to produce a piece asking what us fans might expect from Clay Buchholz this upcoming season. This installment, however, should bestow a more optimistic undertone for you, its readers. Rather than asking if this is the season Buchholz finally puts it all together, I will instead delve into the possibility that he repeat his positive performance from the season prior, when he did put it all together for the first time. Plus, as an added bonus, I'll go on record and make a very public prediction of my own for what I think his 2011 numbers will look like for the first time in this article's three-year history.
As the majority know, Spring Training appearances are hardly indicative of where a player stands developmentally heading into the season, especially in the case of a starting pitcher. However, it's hard not to get a bit giddy glancing at Buchholz's current numbers this spring (13 IP, 0.69 ERA) given the type of expectations he set for himself following his breakout season a year ago.
In 28 starts last season, Buchholz tallied a career-high 17 wins while losing just seven. His 187 ERA+ led the league and he became the first Red Sox pitcher to do so since Pedro Martinez accomplished the feat in 2003 (211 ERA+). That, combined with a 2.33 ERA that held firm towards the top of the American League throughout the entire season (ultimately finishing second), led to Clay's first All-Star game appearance and a sixth place finish in the league's Cy Young Award voting.
That breakout campaign a year ago produced an audible sigh of relief not only from Fenway's faithful but its front office as well. The tall, lanky Buchholz finally had the type of year that warranted having kept him in Boston amidst constant murmurs regarding his inclusion in a package of players that could potentially land any of the big names that have circled the rumor mill the past few years. From Roy Halladay to Adrian Gonzalez, the Red Sox have been involved in nearly every big name available on the market recently and Buchholz has always been considered a likely centerpiece for any potential trade. However, Theo Epstein decided to stick with his high-ceiling right-hander despite an undeniable amount of fans and non-fans alike who had all but written Buchholz off.
It's not entirely uncommon for a young pitcher in his third or fourth MLB season to have an unprecedented level of personal success for a single season before ultimately reverting back to their old selves, never to be heard from again. Will this be the case for Boston's possible future staff ace or could this be the final season in which I even feel it necessary to ponder his potential production?
Now, I believe it's only fair for me to begin this particular piece by offering the following admission: I tend to be relatively biased when it comes to discussions surrounding Clay Buchholz. Not because -- outside of Jon Lester -- Clay is the only member of the club's current starting staff that has yet to experience the prime of their career; not even because he pitches for the Boston Red Sox. Instead, it has more to do with the type of pitcher that Buchholz is and not the team that he pitches for. There's something about his repertoire of pitches and how he utilizes them to get batters out that has always fascinated me. As what you may consider an atypical baseball fan, I find myself more apt to being entertained by low-scoring, pitching-dominated affairs, not by 400-foot home runs and offensive slugfests. Similarly, pertaining to pitchers in particular, it's those devastating off-speed offerings and perfectly executed pitching sequences that inspire me, not necessarily triple-digits on a radar gun or surreal strikeout totals. That being said, it's simple to see why I'm such an advocate of Clay Buchholz.
When he was first making a name for himself in Boston's farm system, it was his curveball that garnered the most notoriety. In fact, multiple scouting publications and prospect reports are on record going as far as claiming that it was the best of any pitcher in the Red Sox's organization -- one that, at the time, featured Josh Beckett. It's not difficult by any means deciphering where such sensational claims stemmed from -- after all, when Buchholz made his big league debut at the age of 22, he caused even the most seasoned of hitters' knees to buckle at the sight of his 12-6 breaker (picture Nick Markakis helplessly watching the final pitch of Buchholz's no-hit game drop in for strike three).
And yet, at this point in his career it's his changeup that is widely considered his most dominating pitch. As SB Nation member ThePanda points out in this FanPost entitled, A Pitch f/x Look at Clay Buchholz, Clay's changeup ranks 7th overall in terms of highest swinging strike percentage at 22.9%, just behind the likes of Cole Hamels (27.5%, 3rd) and Tim Lincecum (26.3%, 5th).
Still, despite such a strong finish to 2009 that saw Buchholz go 5-0 while lowering his ERA from 5.02 to 3.21 during a string of six consecutive quality starts extending from August 29th to September 24th -- in addition to the entirety of his 2010 season -- you'd be amazed to find how many doubters still linger heading into 2011.
At the same time, you'd be at an undeniably severe statistical disadvantage in attempting to dispel the validity of those naysayers' claims. After all, even Buchholz himself will tell you that his success last season wasn't without an element of good fortune.
For instance, on "clutch ground balls" -- used to measure the batting average opposing hitters accrued when hitting the ball on the ground with two outs and runners in scoring position -- Buchholz surrendered just one hit in 28 at-bats for a batting average of .036 in 2010.
Could that be attributed to the types and successes of his "go to" pitches, namely the changeup and curveball? Perhaps.
Does a number like that, regardless of the pitcher or what's in his arsenal, suggest an undeniable element of luck? Certainly.
Looking at the bigger picture, Buchholz also featured an atypically low batting average on balls put in play during the course of his 2010 breakout campaign. While that number (.263) may not be shockingly low relative to other successful major league pitchers, it is notably below the MLB average of .297.
Continuing a Sabermetric, statistically oriented approach, one look at Buchholz's Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) number reaffirms the negative side of the argument that suggests the young right-hander is bound for regression.
FIP effectively measures only the results that a pitcher is directly responsible for -- home runs, strikeouts and walks -- and concocts an ERA-like number based on the results. Obviously, Buchholz's 2.33 ERA suggests his level of play to be on par with the likes of 2010's American League Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez, who finished with a 2.27 ERA. However, his FIP (3.61), which ranked 13th, implies that he is more comparable to, say, C.J. Wilson or Ricky Romero -- both of whom finished with earned run averages more than a full run higher than Buchholz's 2.33 mark.
Lastly, but perhaps most poignant to this discussion, is the decrease seen in Clay's home run allowance last season. After collectively allowing a total of 24 home runs in 168 innings during his 2008-09 campaigns, Buchholz surrendered just a total of nine over 173+ innings in 2010.
Explaining that decrease in home runs allowed is a difficult task, which brings me to one last Sabermetric measurement: I offer a look inside Clay's Expected Fielding Independent Pitching, or xFIP numbers. This, more or less, replaces a pitcher's total of home runs allowed per fly ball with the league average and, again, produces an ERA-like number for comparative purposes.
Buchholz's xFIP in 2010 was 4.20; 1.87 points higher than his ERA -- the most substantial variance amongst his peers that season.
If statistical history is any indication, Buchholz may incur a notable increase in his ERA this upcoming year. In fact, the last time a starting pitcher had a larger discrepancy than Clay's 1.87 mark from last season was back in 2004 when Al Leiter amassed a 1.99 point difference (3.21 ERA, 5.20 xFIP). It's worth noting that Leiter finished with a 6.13 ERA the following season in 2005.
Find it difficult relating to an Al Leiter comparison? Perhaps this one will hit closer to home: Daisuke Matsuzaka, circa 2008.
We all remember that year. As fans, we watched Daisuke tip-toe his way around base runners all season (even leading the American League in walks) like a tedious two-step dance with baseball death en route to a [surprisingly] aesthetically appeasing 2.90 ERA and 18-3 record.
The 1.80 difference between Daisuke's ERA and xFIP (4.70) that season is the third-largest in all of baseball since 2002, just behind Buchholz's 1.87 mark from a year ago. Unfortunately, just as vivid as the memories of his 2.90 ERA in '08 are in the minds of Red Sox fans is the number he posted the following season -- 5.76.
So, is it safe to say that Buchholz's control of the long ball last season was merely a result of luck and that it will inevitably catch up to him in 2011, leading to disappointing results?
In my admittedly biased opinion, it's unlikely -- not on a Daisuke-like level, anyway.
It's no secret that much of Buchholz's appeal as he skyrocketed through the Red Sox's minor league ranks was caused by an impressive ability to strike hitters out in masses. It's also pretty common knowledge that last season, by far the most productive to this point in his career from a statistical standpoint, saw a rather severe dip in his strikeout totals per nine innings pitched. Despite a career low mark of 6.2 K/9, Clay flourished in 2010 -- something he maintains was by design.
"[Strikeouts] are fun," said Buchholz in an interview last September. "Any time you get two strikes on someone, you want to strike them out. You can only strike them out when you have two strikes. You can't strike them out before then. That's the way I started thinking about it. Throw to contact early and if you get two strikes, try to finish them."
Aside from an evident progression from a mechanical point of view, it's quotes such as that last one that suggest an evenly important growth in his maturation as a pitcher; a self-induced alteration of his mentality on the mound, which, all numbers aside, could prove to be the most influential evolution in the development of Buchholz's game.
Finding comparable careers to that of Buchholz's is not an easy task. Rarely does a pitcher enter the league in his early 20's and incur such an inordinate amount of immediate success, then proceed to struggle so mightily (2008-09, 9-13, 5.35 ERA) before returning to his previously dominant form as Clay did last season.
Recently, the name Roy Halladay was used synonymously with Clay Buchholz relative to early career success -- seemingly due to the fact that, like Buchholz, Halladay's first full professional season as a starting pitcher at the MLB level came at the age of 25, and with similar results.
The flaw in that comparison is that Roy Halladay, outside of a dismal 2000 season, never truly met adversity at the big league level, reaffirming the near-unanimous opinion that the future Hall of Famer [Halladay] is simply on a level of his own -- a level Clay Buchholz could only prematurely be placed on.
With that in mind, I offer this comparison instead: Zack Greinke.
I have always considered the two -- Greinke and Buchholz -- to be eerily comparable in more ways than one.
Aside from an obvious shared stature -- both 6'2"-6'3" and weigh in around 190 lbs -- the two right-handers have considerably correlative pitch repertoires. Like Buchholz, Greinke uses a mid-90's fastball that serves as a compliment to his well-above average array of off-speed options, namely a 12-6 curveball and overwhelmingly effective changeup.
Sound familiar?
The similarities don't end there.
Both have been said to, at least early in their careers, have a tendency to surrender the long ball then proceed to nitpick the strike zone as a result, often leading to a negative snowball effect on the mound. We'll dig deeper into that in just a second. First, let's take a look at a brief summary of Greinke's first few MLB seasons in relation to Buchholz's.
Zack Greinke made his major league debut in 2004 at the age of 20. He enjoyed high levels of success relative to a pitcher his age, going 8-11 with a respectable 3.97 ERA en route to winning the American League's Rookie of the Year honors. Like a 22-year-old Clay Buchholz would just three years later (2007) following a no-hitter in just his second career start, Zack Greinke would make a name for himself at the big league level at a very young age.
The celebration would prove brief for Greinke, just as it would for Buchholz after him.
The following season (2005), Greinke tallied an astounding 17 losses and watched as his ERA ballooned to 5.80.
From 2006-2007, Greinke struggled to find his role at the big league level as he fought through a bout with social anxiety disorder and depression off the field. He started just 14 games in those two seasons, going 8-7 while seeing a good majority of his work out of the bullpen as a reliever. Just as Buchholz would following his no-hit heroics, Zack Greinke had met his first large-scale obstacle at the major league level.
Now, allow me to transition back to my earlier sentiments regarding both pitchers' susceptibility to surrendering the home run. Let's compare the numbers from the aforementioned successive seasons in which each pitcher encountered their worst struggles on the mound and how their HR/9 numbers relate.
'05-06 Zack Greinke: 6-17, 189.3 IP, 5.75 ERA, 1.3 HR/9
'08-09 Clay Buchholz: 9-13, 168 IP, 5.35 ERA, 1.3 HR/9
In 2008, at the age of 24, Greinke righted the veritable ship that was his career as a starting pitcher, going 13-10 with a 3.47 ERA, much like Buchholz did during the second half of his own 24-year-old season in 2009.
Finally, a look at each of their 25-year-old seasons -- which resulted in both of their first All-Star game appearances as well as the best statistical years of their respective careers -- effectively puts the stamp on the comparison.
'09 Zack Greinke (age 25): 16-8, 2.16 ERA, 0.4 HR/9
'10 Clay Buchholz (age 25): 17-7, 2.33 ERA, 0.5 HR/9
For those of you still intently following my logic, assuming you agree with it in the first place, it seems only fitting to use Greinke's 26-year-old numbers from a season ago in an attempt to do a bit of foreshadowing surrounding our expectations for Buchholz in 2011.
2010 Zack Greinke (age 26): 10-14, 4.17 ERA, 0.7 HR/9
*2011 Clay Buchholz (age 26): 14-8, 3.54 ERA, 0.8 HR/9
*Based on The Bill James Handbook: Projections 2011
It appears as though Bill James and I are like-minded relative to our expectations for Clay Buchholz in 2011. While I consider the parallels between Buchholz and Zack Greinke as pitchers to be rather conspicuous, I do believe that Clay is in a better position to succeed in his 26-year-old season than Greinke was during his -- which would be exemplified by the .219 difference in W-L% and 0.63 contrast in ERA if Bill James' projections prove accurate.
All comparisons aside, Clay Buchholz appears ready to assume the role of a reliable major league starting pitcher in 2011. While he won't be afforded the luxury of "sneaking up" on teams as a result of his 2010 showing, it would be logical to believe that the extra year of experience and increased level of maturity should supersede his newfound reputation around the league.
So, while I agree with his xFIP numbers and other Sabermetric measurements that forcefully suggest an inevitable regression, I don't believe it will be of perturbing proportions.
Without further a due, and for the first time since I started my annual Buchholz-speculation article, I risk public ridicule by offering a prediction of my own for Clay Buchholz's 2011 stat-line:
*2011 Clay Buchholz: 28-2, 0.23 ERA, -0.2 HR/9
What can I say? You were warned of the bias.
*These predictions are in no way endorsed by the entire Over the Monster staff, collectively.


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3 hrs ago | Lexington Herald-Leader
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Single malt Scotch whisky producers Glenfiddich recently unveiled the Glenfiddich Anniversary Vintage, an exclusive 25-year-old expression that highlights the craft and history of the family-owned William Grant & Sons , as well as the qualities that have made Glenfiddich one of the top-selling single malt brands in the world.
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Start Hoarding Whiskey, a Shortage Is Coming
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DRINKS: America's Whiskey - A Look At How Today's Golden Age of Brown Spirits Came To Be
There used to be a standard scene in film noir and Western movies that had a hard-bitten private eye or a cowboy dusty from the trail walking into a bar and ordering a Bourbon or a rye or maybe simply whiskey.
Agenda: Time to take whisky industry off the punitive alcohol duty escalator
It will cost you nearly 35. The same bottle in a French supermarket will cost you just over 22. Why? It's a question I am often asked.
Explore Ireland's culinary scene beyond the pub
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Cleveland Whiskey takes a shot at making it big by making it fast
Tom Lix is not a native Clevelander. He hails from Boston. But he likes his new hometown and plans to keep Cleveland Whiskey in Cleveland.
Enjoy Irish Coffee with Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
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Minnesota Made: Kieran Folliard of 2 Gingers Whiskey [VIDEO]
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Weekend Sip: Get your Irish (whiskey) up
The back story: As we look ahead to St. Patrick's Day on March 17, it's worth noting that Irish whiskey has become the darling of the whiskey world in the past few years: Even though the category trails far behind Scotch or bourbon in overall sales in the U.S., it's been increasing at a much faster clip: In 2013, Irish whiskey grew by 17.5% whereas ... (more)
Great New Affordable High-Rye Bourbon: Tincup American Whiskey
Bourbon has long been our go-to for reasonably priced whiskey , but as demand continues to grow, more and more producers are jacking up prices to cash in on the trend.
Tennessee whiskey, barrels provoke fight between liquor giants
In Tennessee, a battle is breaking out between two of the world's largest liquor companies over whiskey barrels.
Say 'No' to green beer -- What to drink for St. Patrick's Day: Out with Sara
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Campbell Meyer secures 1.75m facility
CAMPBELL Meyer & Company, the Scotch whisky blender, bottler and exporter, has secured invoice finance worth 1.75 million from Aldermore, the Cheshire-based challenger bank.


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Century Club Charities, host organization for the Sanderson Farms Championship, selected Steve Jent to lead the event as the new Tournament Director. The hire comes on the heels of Sanderson Farms announcing its three-year extension through the 2016-17 PGA TOUR FedExCup season, and the move of the event from the July date it has held […]
Tag Archives: PGA
Sanderson Farms Championship hires new tournament director, Steve Jent
November 11, 2013
Sanderson renews PGA commitment; tournament moving to October
September 3, 2013
Mississippi's only PGA Tour event is staying in the state and keeping its title sponsor, but is moving to a new date — which means it will not be played next year. Sanderson Farms has agreed to a three-year renewal of its title sponsorship of the PGA TOUR's Sanderson Farms Championship. In addition to the […]


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22 hrs ago | Motorsport.com
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The proud Scot wants to turn the iconic Sebring track into a home from home in the Patron Tequila-backed Extreme Speed Motorsports HPD.
Trending on the Topix Network
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In America's new era of sports car racing some things remain evergreen, like running the Rolex 24 at Daytona each January.
K-PAX Racing to run McLaren in PWC
Englewood based K-PAX Racing will become the first team in the United States to race a McLaren in the Pirelli World Challenge.
Muscle Milk Pickett Racing won the P1 championship in the ALMS in 2012 and 2013, but is running a new car in the 12 Hours of Sebring.
K-Pax to campaign McLaren 12C GT3 in 2014 Pirelli a
Pax Racing said on Tuesday that it will campaign two McLaren 12C GT3 vehicles in the 2014 Pirelli World Challenge season.
K-PAX Racing will run McLaren 12C GT3 cars in 2014 Pirelli World Challenge
PAX Racing, winners of three GT Class championships in the Pirelli World Challenge sports car series, today announced it will field a pair of McLaren 12C GT3 cars in in its quest to win a fourth championship in 2014.


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Your search "mystery" resulted in 85 Articles
Coming Soon! Part 1
It's time to tell you folks some BIG news! A brand new Lomography item is on the horizon and we've got some cryptic clues to tease you with – Don't worry, all will be revealed soon! -
A Mysterious Roll Found: Agfa Isopan ISS
I have read a lot of stories about people who found rolls in old cameras. I never had the thrill of this experience, until now. -
★ Vintage Exposed Film Found in an Auction
Looking through the antique camera section of MercadoLibre can result in very interesting finds. Sometimes in the shape of uncommon cameras; others, in the form of little windows into the past, and some strangers´ life. -
Mystery Workshop @ Lomography Gallery Store NYC Gramercy ended over 2 years ago
We can't tell you what this workshop will be about just yet, but we will let you know as soon as we can. One thing is for sure, it will be a lovely analog afternoon. -
Sì! Sì! Sì! Molto bene! The net has been cast, and the Lomography Gallery Store LA is ready to reel you in!
All aboard for Lomographic adventures just hours away! We've got crates among the festivities just waiting to be filled with the newest addition to our fleet. -
The Mystery Lomography Product - Soon to be Revealed!
The time is ticking and we're super excited to reveal Lomography's freshest bait! Stay tuned to make sure you won't miss out on the surprise! -
Come and taste our fresh catch!
Our delicious new mystery product is launching worldwide on Thursday 16th June and we want you to come and join us for a good old Gallery Store party - Read on for details! -
Mystery product LAUNCH PARTY @ The Lomography Gallery Store East London!! ended almost 3 years ago
Join Lomography Gallery Store East London's crew on a merry voyage of partying and unveiling of the latest mystery product Thursday the 16th of June @ 6pm!! -
Fresh Bait - Part Three
Our new mystery product has set sail and will be stocked on our online shores and Gallery Stores from June 16th! Here, like a compass guiding the boat, is a fresh clue - What does it mean? Let us know your thoughts in the comments box below! -
A Venetian Mystery Product Launch Party at the Lomography Gallery Store LA! ended almost 3 years ago
Keeping you on the HOOK for our upcoming mystery product launch! CAN you guess what it is!? Be sure to make it to the Venetian Mystery Product launch where all your senses will be delighted! -
Fresh Bait: Part Two
Ahoy there Sailor! Lost at sea with the first clue we gave you about our new mystery product? Don't worry, here's another hint to keep you guessing! -
Fresh Bait - Part One
Ahoy there me hearties, we got so excited about telling you about our last mystery product (the LC-Wide) that we want to get the fun started again straight away! That's right, it's been all hands on deck and another new Lomographic wonder is on the horizon! But we can't tell you what it is just yet, so we're going to give you a little clue instead - Put your thinking caps on and have a ponder - Don't worry, there's more clues to come soon! -
A Venetian Mystery Product Launch Party at the Lomography Gallery Store LA! ended almost 3 years ago
You will feel like you are walking down the Canals of Venice as we celebrate the launch of a new product in true Italian style! -
The LC-Wide Launches at Lomography Gallery Store East London!!
The LC-Wide makes it's debut appearance at Lomography Gallery Store East London!!! -
Guess the Mystery Product - Part Six
The big day is very near everyone!! Our new mystery product will be released tomorrow and we're giving you one last little glimpse of it before you get to see the whole thing! Post your final ideas in the comments box and see if you're right in 24 hours time! -
Guess the Mystery Product - Part Four
BIG NEWS, our brand new mystery product will be released on May 19th! And we've decided to give you an even bigger clue about it today...a close-up shot! Are we giving too much away here? We hope not! Post your ideas in the comments section and we'll keep you posted with some more photos soon! -
Mystery Product Launch Blue Hour @ Lomography Gallery Store East London! ended almost 3 years ago
What's that? A new mystery product?! Oh yes!! -
Get Halved Flash Rumble ended almost 3 years ago
We've already given you 2 tantalizing clues about our new mystery product - But now we want to have a rumble which gives you an even clearer idea about what our new Lomographic wonder can do – Read on for full details of our half-frame photo rumble! -
Get Wide Flash Rumble ended almost 3 years ago
We're bringing out a brand new Lomography product soon and we've got a flash rumble to celebrate – Read on to take part in some wide-angle fun! -
Guess the Mystery Product - Part Two
We're getting very excited about our mystery product here at the Lomography HQ and can't hold back the anticipation as we give you this next clue - Read on for details and stay tuned for more!!


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CHICAGO, IL -- (Marketwire) -- 09/06/12 -- The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) is proud to announce that Google, Whole Foods, 3M, Pepsi, and McDonald's will serve as a judge for the 2012 WOMMY Awards Competition. Other prominent brand marketers that will judge the best word of mouth and social media marketing case studies of 2012 include AT&T, MasterCard, Procter & Gamble, Dell, Hershey's, and Heinz.
"The prestigious WOMMY Awards are made possible by this incredible list of judges who are donating their time and expertise," said Suzanne Fanning, President of WOMMA. "These folks are excelling in our field at the highest level, and we are honored to have them working with WOMMA to identify the most outstanding case studies in word of mouth and social media marketing for 2012."
The WOMMYs give companies the opportunity to compete against some the brightest and most innovative brands in the world. Any marketer, brand or partner that has leveraged the word of mouth medium and implemented a great idea that has made a business impact is encouraged to submit.
The 2012 WOMMY Awards is divided into eight categories. Those categories and judges include:
Introduction Award: Best word of mouth communication program to introduce new products/services
•Joshua Karpf: Director of Digital, Pepsi •Beletra Atwaters: Manager of U.S. Comm., McDonald's •David Armano: EVP, Edelman •Victor Lee: VP, Hasbro •Matt Moller: Dir. Digital Engagement, Samsung •Robert Ricci: GSVP, Marina Maher •Allison Kronick: Global Relation, Google •Beletra Atwaters: Comm. Manager, McDonald's •Christine Morrison: Sr. Social Media Manager, Intuit •Sharyn Smith: Director of Social Media and Performance, The Soup
Momentum Award: Best word of mouth program to juice existing products/services
•Anna Lingeris: Manager, Global PR & Consumer Engagement, Hershey •Gerard Babitts: Group Leader, Heinz •Paul Rand: President and CEO, Zocalo Group •Asit Gupta: CEO, Advocacy WOM Ltd •Stephanie Agresta: EVP, Weber Shandwick •Peter Storck: SVP, HouseParty •Jason Lankow: CEO, Column Five Media
Social Media Award: Best use of social media as a communication medium
•Blair Klein: Executive Director, AT&T •Michael Donnelly: Head of Global Social Media, MasterCard •Scott Monty: Head of Social Media, Ford •Jenna Lebel: VP, Likeable Media •Ashley Libby: Founder, the Anca Group •Jane Collins: Director, Blogher •Brandon Evans: CEO, Crowdtap •Adam Brown: Executive Director, Dell •Sabrina Caluori: VP of Social Media and Performance Marketing, HBO
Mobile Award: Best use of mobile to generate word of mouth
•Blake Cahill: President, Banyan Branch •Samantha DeVita: Director, R2Intergrated •Ryan Schram: CMO, IZEA •Esmee Williams: President, Allrecipes •Melissa Young: Design Producer, FeedMagnet
Charitable Award: Best use of integrated digital marketing focused on the use of digital media as a tactic to advance a cause marketing initiative
•Natanya Anderson: Team Leader, Whole Foods •Geno Church: WOMM Guru, Brains on Fire •Kate Hull: VP, RAINN •Chris Bowler: VP, Razorfish •Hilary Baris: Director, Drugfree.org •Alisa Aidan: Managing Director, UNICEF •Jay Scott: Founder, Alex's Lemonade •Marc Sirkin: CCO, Autism Speaks •Sharyn Smith: Owner, Soup
Measurement Award: Best strategic thinking to measure the impact/success of WOM
•Kristen Evans: Manager, P&G •Channon Cook: VP of Strategy Insights and Research, Comedy Central Brand Re-Fresh •Seb Hempstead: VP North America, Brandwatch
Engagement Award: Best customer relationship program
•Stu Sheldon: President, Escalate •Julie Stenhagen: Account Executive, Kimberly Clark •Chris Heuer: Social Business Evangelist, Deloitte •Aaron Strout: Marketing Head, WCG •Greg Gerik: Leader, 3M •Scott Gulbransen: Director, H&R Block •Jordan Linville: CEO, Buzz Referals •Tyler Bahl: Manager, Reebok
"We could not think of a more deserving and humble group to judge the 2012 WOMMY Awards Competition," shared WOMMY Co-Chairs Levitan and Yarus, both of governing member MRY. "These pioneers abide by the highest of standards and know they will bring that intensity and passion to the WOMMYs."
WOMMA will be accepting submissions for the 2012 WOMMY Awards through Sept. 14 at 12:00 A.M. All entrants will be notified by Oct. 11 of their entry status. Brands and agencies who submit before Aug. 10 will receive significant discounts on their entries. Information on WOMMY entry fees can be found here.
•More information about the 2012 WOMMY competition can be found here: http://womma.org/wommys2012/index.shtml •Learn more about the 2012 WOMMY Awards judges here: http://allthings.womma.org/ •2011 WOMMY Award winners are located on the 2011 Winners Gallery: http://womma.org/wommys2012/winners.shtml
About WOMMA
WOMMA, www.WOMMA.org, is the leading trade association in the marketing and advertising industries that focuses on word of mouth, consumer-generated and social media platforms -- or marketing techniques that include buzz, viral, community, and influencer marketing, as well as brand blogging. The organization is committed to developing and maintaining appropriate ethical standards for marketers and advertisers engaging in such marketing practices, identifying meaningful measurement standards for such marketing practices, and defining "best practices" for the industry.
Founded in 2004, WOMMA members include marketers and brands that use word of mouth marketing to reinforce their core customers and to reach out to new consumers, agencies that deliver word of mouth services and technologies, researchers that track the word of mouth experience and offline and online practitioners.
About the WOMMY Awards
The WOMMY Awards celebrate word of mouth marketing in its broadest sense. Since 2006, WOMMA has acknowledged people, agencies and brands behind the most remarkable word of mouth marketing campaigns. The awards give all marketers, both large and small, the platform they deserve to be recognized for their unbelievable work throughout the year.
According to eMarketer, "US marketers will spend $7.72 billion to advertise on social networking sites this year." In conjunction with the rapid changes Facebook and other social sites are implementing, this statistic is driving unprecedented interest in all forms of online and offline word of mouth marketing.
Word of mouth marketing isn't about creating word of mouth - it is about learning how to make WOM work within a marketing objective (price, product, place, promotion, people). Brand and agency marketers are encouraged to enter their best work demonstrating product or service innovation, customer engagement, or research. These awards are designed to attract and celebrate the very best examples of word of mouth marketing.
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