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The worst mistake you can make when onboarding a "sales wolf" is expose them to a "sales wolf poser" - especially if the "poser" is in any type of leadership (you or their sales manager) or a sales trainer role.
If you are new to my blog, allow me to share a couple of definitions...
A "sales wolf poser" is that person who likes to hope or believe they can run with your best salespeople - your true sales wolves. By definition a poser cannot keep up with your sales wolves.
Sales wolves are rare. Smart companies do not compromise when they hire sales wolves. Smart companies hire sales wolves and allow their competitors to have everyone else.
Sales wolves are magnetic. Many salespeople wish they had the abiliites of a true sales wolf. A sales wolf is confident, aggressive, persuasive, resiliant, and charismatic. They bring deals. They drive the nice cars, have the nicer homes, enjoy cooler vacations, often wear the nicer clothing, usually have the latest gadgets, and they have the interesting war stories.
A sales wolf can smell a poser a mile away and they will avoid them like the plague. A sales wolf loves winning and hates losing. A sales wolf hates it when their time is wasted. Sales wolves do not make excuses. Instead of making excuses when they lose - they learn from their mistakes and get better for next time.
Sales wolves are hungry and they expect you and others they hunt with to be hungry as well. They have an insatiable appetite for winning, learning, improving, and earning - and they expect you and everyone else to have that very same appetite. Sales wolves expect to work with people smarter than them and if they do not - they will be very disappointed.
A sales wolf will do everything possible to get away from posers because they do not respect the mediocrity posers so willingly accept. Posers make excuses, drain energy, and suck time.
Allow me to be blunt... If you are strategic - you have invested in your sales search and selection program. You do not guess when it comes to hiring sales wolves because that would be just plain stupid. You know what a true sales wolf looks like because you use a valid sales personality test like the TriMetrix® HD to know with certainty. No one gets on your "bus" without passing through the sales assessment test. No one.
The most critical time for you and your sales wolf is during the onboarding process - particularly sales training. This is the time period where the sales wolf is (hopefully) attaching themselves emotionally to you, your business, your team, and your Customers. They expect you to be just like them - uncompromising in what you will accept - committed to winning.
Punchline... If you put a poser sales manager or a poser sales trainer in any type of extended contact with your sales wolves, you are taking an extreme risk. Your sales manager / sales trainer must be a sales wolf themselves. They must be able to say, "I have been there done that," and not be lying. If they are lying, you are shooting yourself in the foot because your sales wolves will not tolerate this mediocrity.
And if you are not a sales wolf yourself, bring a sales wolf in to manage your team. You will be far better off financially.
Repeat after me...
I will hire only sales wolves using a valid sales personality test.
I will never, ever, ever, ever expose my sales wolves to posers during the onboarding process because I respect myself and I respect my sales wolves.
A Client recently shared what happens when they notice a salesperson is not performing as well as they should be or is failing to live up to the Culture Standards of their sales team. It sounded so familiar.
The Sales VP said, "I initially notice something not quite right... Then I take observe and take notes... Then I observe some more and take more notes... Then I put them on a performance improvement plan... Which most fail to improve... I noticed that it all really starts when I begin taking notes... When I start taking notes, it is pretty much over for them."
The salesperson from hell... I am not referring to the obvious low performing salesperson. If you are smart - you will help your low performers quickly move on.
The "salesperson from hell" is that person who does not quite perform up to par and / or they violate the Culture Standards of your sales team and they are stuck at this performance level.
The fact is - by doing nothing - YOU make this person the "salesperson from hell".
The salesperson from hell is on the edge of hope and hopelessness. The salesperson from hell is in that "middle space" between not performing well enough and performing well enough to give you false hope that they may actually make it.
That "middle space" is what I call the "Performance Edge".
Your failure to take action to move them out - means you sentence yourself, them, and your team to a time period of emotional rollercoastering, anguish, anger, fear, and eventually loathing. Everyone loses.
While you are definitely not alone, the bad news is these salespeople destroy potential in a significant way if you do not address them (move them up or out).
How many times have you said, "Alright... One more time and will I let them go."? Then they go do something smart or perhaps brilliant - or they demonstrate loyalty and you have second thoughts? Or worse yet - they have a life / family issue making you feel like you have to keep them.
I have been-there-done-that. Oh yes I have. Makes me sick reflecting.
Today, I know better.
Yes, I have held onto salespeople longer than I should have and when I finally pulled the trigger... I walked away saying, "I will never do that again. It cost me too much time, energy, money, and sanity." Plus my wife is tired of hearing about it!
Like you, I have several PhDs from the "School of Hard Knocks". I have learned many of the same valuable lessons / insights that you have. It is time for both of us to heed them.
The biggest signal to me is the "Fred Test". If over the course of a week I ask the question, "Would I hire Fred again?" every day and most days the answer is, "No.", then I know I must take action immediately.
Hey... It is time to stop banging your head against the wall in futility. For whatever reason, that salesperson on the "performance edge" is not working out. It is probably mostly your fault and a little theirs. It is time to get on with your life and them to get on with theirs.
That feeling in your gut... It feels strangely familiar to the other times you have been at this point with past salespeople on the "performance edge". You know from experience, prolonging the agony for you and for them is not the right answer.
It is time to help those on the "performance edge" find something to do somewhere else. The sooner the better because the longer you allow them to stay - the more they will damage your culture, your team, your bottom line, and your reputation.
If you are like me, you are asking yourself, "How do I keep this from happening in the first place?"
Glad you asked... The answer is likely far easier than you may believe.
Reflect on the hiring process that helped you hire this salesperson on the "performance edge". I would be asking myself, "Where did I go wrong?" Chances are you hired this salesperson based on a "good interview", gut intuition, good references, a nice resume...
And that is where you went horribly wrong, my friend... You did not use a valid multi-science sales personality test with validity backed by brain research.
This all could have been prevented.
Several years ago, I worked with a privately-held business that was quite successful with twenty outside salespeople. John (not his real name) was there from the very beginning. He was salesperson number two - right behind one of the founders.
You know where this is headed...
For almost twenty years, John never actually sold anything. He was like the company dog that would not die. High performers joked about him behind his back and I think he knew it.
John was good at taking the occasional order, managing his fantasy sports teams, coming in late / leaving early, taking long lunches, and constantly checking in with his friends and family on company time. John made about $150k and he did not deserve 70 percent of it.
And EVERYONE knew it.
Then the company was sold and guess what happened to John...
You guessed it. John was shown the door. The acquiring company quickly figured out that John could not close a book in a library.
Imagine the damage the CEO and sales VP caused by allowing John to stay.
Interestingly... The people that paid the most for John were the founders - the two primary shareholders. They literally lost millions because of John.
Today, this company practices "rank and yank".
The Definition of "Rank and Yank"
"Rank and yank" is the practice of ranking employees according to their individual performance - A, B, and C players are identified (20/70/10) with C players or under-performers removed or "yanked".
Rank and yank, also known as forced ranking, forced distribution, and stack ranking has been demonized by the "employee engagement" movement. Many blog posts have been written by armchair quarterbacks (many who have actually never been in charge of a bottom line) demonizing "rank and yank" as bad for morale and being immoral.
I have been fascinated by the "employee engagement" and "everyone-is-super-special" movement. There is a widespread mindset that companies owe it to their employees to give them a voice - a seat at the table.
I agree and disagree. I agree employees should have a voice - in fact I strongly believe companies who do not engage the hearts and minds of their employees are making a grave mistake. However, I fervently believe that employees who do not fit their jobs should have no voice - they should not be employed in the business.
"Employee engagement" does not make employees who do not fit their job - fit their job.
In a WSJ opinion piece - 'Rank-and-Yank'? That's Not How It's Done, Jack Welch shared his sentiments regarding "rank and yank" - I recommend checking it out. Following is a particularly impactful quote.
"Unlike "rank-and-yank"—I hate even using that term—differentiation isn't about corporate plots, secrecy or purges. It's about building great teams and great companies through consistency, transparency and candor. It's about aligning performance with the organization's mission and values. It's about making sure that all employees know where they stand. Differentiation is nuanced, humane, and occasionally complex, and it has been used successfully by companies for decades."
Jack Welch is absolutely spot on. This man shaped one of America's greatest success stories and the futures of dozens of companies.
Companies are in business to profitably serve Customers.
Profit-maximizing companies, should never act as a charity through employment of subpar talent - particularly salespeople who cannot sell.
Yet the argument continues...
No, it is not.
I have seen again and again first hand where sales management either did not have the intestinal fortitude to remove a low-performing salesperson or the CEO would not let them. There must be a system of forced ranking that requires a company to recalibrate their talent periodically - to force transparency regarding performance - to hold accountable for what is or is not being produced.
Cultivate and protect thy sales culture.
Top-performing salespeople model personal accountability and they expect the same of others.
If you want to destroy the morale and sales culture of your sales team - particularly your top performers, then do not practice forced ranking. Do not hold salespeople accountable for their poor performance - instead, keep paying them - "protect" them - in fact, raise their base pay so they do not have to actually sell.
Yet keep in mind... You are not fooling anyone. Go into any sales team and ask team members who the top and bottom salespeople are and you will get a consistent, honest answer. "Sales wolves" - top performers know precisely who the bottom performers are and they not only want nothing to do with them, they do not respect you for allowing them to stay.
Robbing Peter to pay Paul is immoral.
When you retain low performers - chances are they are not even holding their own weight - they are not paying for themselves. Their compensation must come from somewhere.
Low performers are being subsidized through the sales performance of high performers and that is morally wrong.
There is nothing humane about keeping a low performer who cannot sell
Chances are you have looked into the eyes of a low-performing salesperson like I have. It is difficult to do - especially when it has been allowed to continue for decades. When you do look... And you must... You know that the low performer knows that you know that they do not have what it takes to even be average. Where is their dignity? There is no dignity. It is immoral to allow a low performer to get to the point where they lost not only the respect of others - but also respect for themselves.
If you do not have a transparent way of engaging your high, average, and bottom performers, it is time to develop a means to do so. You owe it to your Customers, your shareholders, your salespeople, and your legacy to do so.
If you seek to avoid having to let low performers go, then consider using a valid sales personality test like the Trimetrix® HD to identify top sales talent from the very beginning.
Do the right thing with your low performers on an annual basis - move them on to "greener pastures". Call on us. We are here to help guide you.
If you are fortunate enough to have one or more true sales wolves on your team, you already know that they consistently outsell 80-90 percent of the rest of your sales team. Naturally, you wish you could clone them because sales would go up - SIGNIFICANTLY.
Sales vampires are the opposite of the sales wolves. They suck the lifeblood out of your bottom line and they destroy accountability in your sales culture. Unfortunately, most sales teams have plenty of sales vampires...
How many sales vampires do you have?
The good news is you can consistenly hire only sales wolves and avoid the sales vampires if you use a valid, multi-science sales personality test with a Job Benchmark.
Recently, a new Client began using our sales personality test and algorithm (think Moneyball) to hire a couple of sales wolves. After a half dozen candidates, I could tell they were becoming frustrated. They were frustrated because the only candidates they were attracting were sales vampires.
How were they attracting sales vampires? Because they were following the standard practice that many companies use to attract and identify sales candidates. Most companies put a notice up on their website, place an ad in the local newspaper, perhaps use a local free ad website, and perhaps use a job board.
Some companies are more aggressive and more strategic. They advertise on Linkedin and / their Facebook page. And some have a full blown recruitment program that still attracts primarily sales vampires.
While the above-described strategy can work at times, it is based more on luck. The outcome is you get "has beens" and "never will be" salespeople this way.
In most cases the salespeople that are looking for jobs either are fresh out of college or they have burned through their draw against commission. The people applying to work in your company who burned through their draw are usually "sales vampires" and they are hunting you.
If you truly seek sales wolves then you must "hunt" for them where they live. Few sales wolves are looking for a job and the primary reason is simple - sales wolves do not have to actively seek employment opportunities - jobs come to them.
Jobs come to sales wolves because others notice their sales performance and keep them in mind until they have a hiring need.
If you are committed to maximizing profits, you must be a full-time sales wolf hunter.
Always use a multi-science sales personality test with a Job Benchmark - Even sales wolf sales managers have difficulty identifying sales wolves accurately on a consistent basis. Trust but verify.
Be a "sales wolf only company" - Every industry has the company everyone wants to work for - particularly sales wolves. And those companies often have such a selective hiring process that sales vampires select themselves out of the hiring process by not even applying. Be that company.
Look to your competitor from hell - Do you notice that a particular salesperson from a competitor is taking business away on a consistent basis? I would assess them to identify if they are a true sales wolf. When you interview them, ask them the names of salespeople they hate to compete against.
Engage the salesperson selling your car, furniture, or cell phone who impresses you - When you encounter a sales professional who does a particularly good job - assess them to identify if they are a true sales wolf. Ask family members and friends to share their recent positive sales experiences and then hunt those salespeople down.
Implement an "Always Be Hiring Program" - Strategic companies are always on the hunt for strong sales talent regardless of whether or not they are actually hiring officially. You cannot go broke selling at a profit. The same applies when hiring a sales wolf - you can always afford one.
Step one is to decide to hire only sales wolves and let your competitors hire the sales vampires. Right now would be a good time to develop a sales wolf recruitment strategy.
Vince Lombardi was right.
The following questions are a wake-up call for you to consider...
Over the last 14 years, I have seen way too many CEOs, sales managers, and sales teams who are way too accepting of losing the sale. In fact, I believe the "you win some you lose some" mindset is a serious disease that infects the mindset of the sales team, the company, and destroys shareholder value.
If you are in the noble profession of sales, there is one reason to play. Play to win.
To say "I hate to lose" is an understatement. I am not a sore loser. I just take losing as a sign that somewhere somehow I failed and I refuse to keep failing. When I lose or my team loses, there is no second place prize. My commitment to winning consistently requires me to identify precisely where I failed, learn from it, and improve.
There are three reasons why has it become acceptable for sales teams to lose...
Blame soccer Moms (and Dads) who have been telling children all that matters is that "you try". Scoreboards across the country are shut down if the score spread is too high so that young boys and girls can avoid learning about losing.
The result... After 15-20 years of "happy talk" across society, we have a culture of greatly-reduced personal accountability. It is ok to lose as long as you try and it is destroying our competitive potential.
Today, I see salespeople getting annual awards they did not earn - they got lucky and everyone on their team knows it - or they were the favorite of management. This nonsense destroys morale, shareholder value, and causes "sales wolves" to flee to companies where winning is expected and losing is a true lesson.
In sales, there are winners and losers. Period. Second place gets nothing.
From my experience, the larger the company and the more competition in the industry, the more likely it is that the average salesperson job fit is higher relative to smaller companies and less competitive industries. Why? Competition. In a more competitive industry, companies are forced to hire and retain only the very best salespeople.
In small and large companies with little competitive pressure, it is more likely there are "salespeople" who cannot sell.
Committed CEOs and sales managers use a valid, multi-science sales personality test to identify and hire only the best salespeople. They also use this invaluable tool to onboard and coach.
The popular press, well-meaning bloggers, book publishers, and airport bookstores are conspiring to change the world through sound bites and warm fuzzies about leadership and employee engagement. These "thought leaders" are the "soccer Moms" of the corporate world and they are polluting the mindset of many sales leaders and managers.
These pundits (many who have never actually lead a real team) are proclaiming that management must provide freedom and a nurturing environment to create employee engagement. Listen. All the freedom and nurturing will not fix a salesperson who cannot sell. It only prolongs the hemorraging of lost sales.
And the damage these pundits are doing is often severe. I have seen far too many "get it" sales managers who have only done their jobs by holding salespeople accountable for lack of sales performance who are forced to bow down by well-meaning CEOs who read a book on an airplane or attended a conference where a pundit spoke about how to create employee engagement.
When you hire and retain only "sales wolves" and hold them accountable, you create employee engagement.
The good news is you can make a change today.
Decide. Every important decision begins with the decision to commit to a course of action leading to the desired outcome.
Hire only "sales wolves" - The best-of-the-best companies use a valid, multi-science sales personality test.
Autopsy what worked and what did not - Learn what went wrong by identifying what went wrong.
Establish and enhance selling systems. - Improve your selling systems incrementally to win more frequently.
The choice is yours to make. Your legacy depends on the right answer.
Despite the evidence, few CEOs and sales managers of small to medium-sized companies commit to hiring only sales wolves. Given this fact, the commitment and execution of a "sales wolf only hiring strategy" can become a powerful competitive advantage.
There are three primary reasons why CEOs and sales managers do not hire more sales wolves.
Following are seven powerful strategies necessary to execute a "Sales Wolf Only Hiring Program".
Ultimately, the choice is yours. The legacy is yours to maximize and protect. Ask yourself, "What would Steve Jobs, John Wooden, and Peter Drucker do when it comes to hiring great sales talent?
There is no question that Steve Jobs will go down in history amongst the greats - Alexander Graham Bell, Einstein, Thomas Edison, Frank Lloyd Wright, and others who served mankind by what they created and what they influenced.
When it came to design, Steve Jobs did not negotiate.
Your legacy requires that you not negotiate.
To maximize sales tomorrow, you must be committed to getting the design of your sales team right. Committed CEOs and sales managers carefully design their sales teams through...
Does it say, "artisan quality"?
Recently I watched a Charlie Rose interview of Jony Ive Senior Vice President of Design at Apple and industrial designer Marc Newson. If you are passionate about getting design right, you have to watch this video clip. I have several times. Following is an excerpt of a particularly powerful segment...
16:56 into the interview - Jony Ive shares... "I think one of the things you get a sense of is the degree of care. How much did this group of people care to make this and make it right. And they didn't do it for themselves - it's in service to the people that are gonna use or buy their product. I think there is something - the humanity of that I think is extraordinary...
...How something's finished on the inside. You can argue that you will never see that... But I think we believe and it is very difficult to explain why. But I think part of the human condition is that we sense care. And sometimes it is easier to realize you sense carelessness. We are surrounded by a manufactured environment - so much of it testifies to a complete lack of care. Which isn't whether you know - that's not about your attitude towards an object - it's about your attitude toward each other.
That sort of commitment or passion become fanaticism of really caring to get it right whether you see it or not."
Many CEOs and sales managers sacrifice their future for the what they can have right now. We live in a high pressure disposable world of "I want it now! I want it now! I want it now!" (I have actually said that.) It is easy to go cheap - to go disposable. It is easy to put a band-aid on a problem to temporarily fix it. And way too many people do. Artisans take the long-term approach.
The three greatest challenges I see in sales include:
This happens because you, Mr. or Miss CEO, VP of Sales, or sales manager allow it to happen.
He would blaze a trail that others would use as an example. Then he would iteratively improve it. Tomorrow would be incrementally better than today. He would set the standard for the industry. Your competitors would poach your talent to figure out your "secret sauce".
If your sales team were truly a masterpiece of design, your salespeople would sense the care that goes into it. Your sales team could actually become a talent magnet of the best sales talent.
Now is the perfect time to clear your mind and capture your thoughts. Then draw a line in the sand and stop negotiating.
My challenge to you in 2014 and beyond... Design carefully. Design your sales team, sales processes, and sales culture like Steve Jobs would.
2014 can be your turning point. You just need to decide.
It is that time of year again. The time where many people reflect upon the 350 plus days prior and they consider what they will "try" to do differently in the next.
This is the time of year when a Client asks, "Chris... What strategy should I/we undertake in the New Year."
My response is always the same... "The same strategy you must be using every day if you are committed to succeeding."
For those who are committed to increasing sales on a consistent basis - they do all four of the following - every day - year round.
Sounds so simple, doesn't it? The problem is most people are interested in improving sales but not committed. Interested people do what is convenient. Committed people do whatever it takes.
Which are you? Interested or committed?
If you want to know how serious a manager or CEO of a company is, ask them them what their average Job Fit is of their salespeople. Our Clients call it the "Rainmaker Score".
Most companies have zero understanding of how well their salespeople fit the job nor how to coach them effectively. Smart companies that want to own their future and own the competition are serious about understanding sales talent and hiring the best-of-the-best salespeople possible.
It is a talent war, folks. If you are not using a multi-science sales personality test you are not hiring the best salespeople possible. That would make you a dinosaur.
Do not be a dinosaur.
Besides... How do you know how to effectively coach a salesperson if you do not know their Behaviors and Values? You can't.
Your talent must be your competitive edge in 2014.
There is a serious lack of personal accountability in the workplace today. Oh so much blame going on... Employees are blaming management... Management is blaming employees...
Hey management. It is YOUR FAULT!
Hey employees... It is YOUR FAULT!
OWN IT. Both of you. Power comes from owning the problem and owning the solution. The best sales teams and companies have EVERYONE owning the problem - regardless of where it came from. Get Personal Accountability today.
Personal Accountability must be your competitive edge in 2014.
Look. You need a strong CRM like Salesforce - and no, I do not own the stock. I wish that I did. We have been using Salesforce for almost 13 years. Salesforce is a game changer.
Napkins, notebooks, sheets of paper, spreadsheets, and Outlook are not a CRM. You cannot do a search of your notebook from a keypad. It does not work. Sales managers cannot coach effectively if they do not know what their salespeople are working on.
A CRM creates intelligence. A CRM creates accountability.
And while I am mentioning CRM implementation - please allow me to address CRM use. EVERYONE must use the CRM - salespeople and sales management. There can be no golden children here - regardless of past heroics.
Is your business a charity disguised as a business?
As a business owner, I get calls at work. "Chris, will you donate to The Human Fund?"
My response is always, "I am sorry, George, but we do not make charitable donations through the business."
All donations are made personally - never through the company.
Why is that? Simply because my Clients and employee team members count on me to be "for profit" when I am at work. My businesses are in the business of making a profit.
However, my wife and I are not-for-profit at home. We do donate.
Unless you and/or your employees want to be confused about your profit status, you must follow the same practice.
How do you know if you are a nonprofit? If you are a 501c3, you are nonprofit. If you are an S-Corp, C Corp, LLC, or LLP, you must be "for profit".
Right now you are saying, "Of course I am "for profit..."
And my response is if you are thinking at all like a nonprofit, then your employees and Customers will "smell" it and behave accordingly. And that scares the hell out of your employees.
If you allow low performers to keep getting paid and have access to the best accounts who got lucky a few years back and sold a big deal but today sell nothing, you are a nonprofit. You are telling all of your employees that you will keep people who suck on the bus.
If you hire salespeople without knowing their job fit and you "take a chance" on people - you are nonprofit. You need to hire salespeople that PUSH you and your sales team to greater heights.
Never, ever mingle a "for profit" business and nonprofit mindset. Oil and water. Doing so confuses you, your employees, and your Customers.
There you have it. The "secret sauce" to rockin' it in 2014. Make it your best year ever.
Now get to work.
Sales wolves are truly a special breed. Sales wolves are the best-of-the best salespeople. They possess the Behaviors, Motivators, and Acumen (sales personality) to consistently produce in the top 10 to 20th percentile of all salespeople and it is no accident.
Not only are top sales wolves "wired" to sell - sales wolves create "mindset habits" that help them perform at the highest possible level.
Sales wolves know that their own worst enemy in achieving their goals is their own thinking.
Sales wolves have "mindset habits" that maximize their productivity and results. Furthermore... Sales wolves carefully guard their thinking.
The mindset habits sales wolves include being...
For best results...
While you can and should help all of your salespeople develop these mindset habits, it is best to hire true sales wolves. The only way to know if you have a true sales wolf is to assess them using our sales personality test.
Then... Carefully devleop these eleven mindset habits through what you talk about and model.
Sales Wolf Homework Assignment...
If you and your sales team members were to score yourselves... Which of the eleven are strengths?
Which are "growth opportunities"?
Take 15 minutes to get clear about the mindset habits you and your team need to create in order to maximize success. 2014 is around the corner. Now is the perfect time to start.
"Fred" (not his real name of course) was one of the first hires 20 years ago when the company started. He is a childhood friend of the founder.
Fred is the "golden child". He is untouchable.
Twenty years ago, Fred was a "hero" and today he is destroying more value than he is creating.
There was a time when Fred added value... In the early days, the founder did all of the selling and Fred took care of the accounts. It was a magical combination. Today, Fred makes $250k annually and works 20 hours a week. If Fred comes into the office, it is usually from 10 am until 3 pm and he spends a lot of his time tracking his favorite sports teams. That's IF Fred comes in...
Fred has not made a true sale in over a decade. He has not needed to actually sell until recently. Fred takes orders and collects cash. The only "value" he adds to "his" Customers is by keeping the price lower than everyone else and by giving away service. He protects "his" Customers from price increases. One by one the people he "sold" to are retiring. The replacements are seeking something more than a price discount.
Fred is in serious trouble. He and everyone knows it.
Fred's sales are decreasing because the old days of "relationship selling" as the primary reason to do business are going away. His Customers are increasingly expecting value - not price and Fred cannot deliver.
Fred knows he needs to make changes but his personality, lifestyle, and habits will not allow for it. Fred knows he needs to add value to "his" Customers or they will leave him but he cannot make the shift.
Everyone knows what Fred really is... Fred is a "golden child" - a model of no accountability. The CFO, the other 22 salespeople know, and the service department knows... Everyone knows that Fred is a farmer making the big cash - even the CEO knows. A newly-hired account manager (what Fred really is) makes $50-60k.
The sales manager would like to do something about Fred but cannot because he would like to keep his job as sales manager.
Who is to blame?
Today, the company is in trouble. They must grow their sales and profits.
The CEO brought us in to turn the sales team around. Our recommendations were obvious...
What do you think happened after we provided our recommendations? If you said, "nothing" - that pretty much sums it up. I would like to say this Client listened to us but unfortunately their commitment to Fred was greater than their commitment to profitability, their Customers, their shareholders, and their employees. With the value Fred was destroying, the company would have been better off doubling Fred's pay and having him stay home.
When you allow a "golden child" to remain on your bus... You are not fooling anyone. You are destroying Customer and shareholder value. You are also teaching every salesperson and every other employee a valuable lesson... It's not what you know - it is who you know.
The best and brightest sales talent want a "level playing field" where they have a real shot of real rewards for adding value, working hard, and modeling the values of the company.
When you create a level playing field... When you show existing and new sale talent that by playing by the rules of adding value, doing the right thing, working hard, and following the company code - you open the door to new potential.
Do you have a Fred or two on your sales team? I would like to tell you this is an extreme situation but it is not. Unfortunately, this story is very, very typical. Most sales teams have a "golden child" or two who are untouchable.
From my experience, when the cost of the status quo are fully-understood, it is much easier to make the required changes. Ultimately, you must remove the "golden child" from your team or the consequences will be severe.
No salesperson should ever be untouchable. Every single salesperson must be accountable to an appropriate activity level and outcomes as well as to how they are living the "code".
If this sounds like your sales team, the most important step is to decide to make a change for the right reasons.
Remember... Interested people do what is convenient. Committed people do whatever it takes.
If you are committed... If you are ready to dramatically grow sales and to create a culture of accountability, give us a call and we will help guide you.


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Stella McCartney chose Art Basel week to launch her Spring/Summer 2013 collection for adidas, showcased Tuesday at a swank party at a waterfront home in Surfside. Models wearing her newest pieces were perched by the pool and paddled on paddleboards off the deck. Synchronized swimmers, outfitted in her one-piece cut-out swimsuits, performed in the pool.
McCartney, who also made an appearance at Sephora Aventura for her new scent Lily, said she always designs with a global perspective. Still, she acknowledged that her latest Spring/Summer adidas by Stella McCartney collection, full of pastel and citrus hues, metallics and tropical prints, fits in well with the Miami sun.
I do like it here, and we seem to be very welcome here as a brand, she said. It makes me want to hang out here more.
McCartney has been designing the line, adidas by Stella McCartney, since Spring/Summer 2005. Focused on performance technology with playful silhouettes, the collection includes styles for running, swimming, yoga, cycling and tennis. High performance footwear and accessories like totes and caps add to the collection, which is only for women.
I felt women were not getting the technology we deserve and not getting the design we deserve, said McCartney, who enjoys a range of exercise, including running, skiing, yoga and tennis.
You want to be confident when youre working out, said the mother of four (husband is entrepreneur Alasdhair Willis). It takes a lot to work out. You have to feel you look good to make you want to work out.
The line will be available starting in January on adidas.com and in 793 stores worldwide, including adidas Sport Performance stores, Neiman Marcus and Stella McCartney stores, including her newly opened eco-chic shop in Bal Harbour.
Ina Paiva Cordle
Maddy Marr contributed to this report.

subset: commoncrawl


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Results 1 to 8 of 8
Thread: Loud Backlash
Loud Backlash
I have a 2008 Crew, 4.8, 3.23 gear/ locking dif. AT. When I'm just rolling to a stop and sometimes come to a complete stop, I hear a sound in the rear end that sounds and feels just like having a 1 7/8" ball with a 2" tongue. It just has started and since I bought it in Oct. 2008 I don't have long before the warranty is out! I've just pulled a motorcycle trailer with it twice since I had it. Is this a common problem?
Thanks in advance.
06-10-2013, 10:31 PM #2Check the slip joint in the drive shaft.
This sounds like the common slip joint problem.
Three methods of solving the problem Ivr heard of are:
Greasing the slip joint and ensuring its packed with grease.
Placing a small rubber ball inside the slip joint to take up the slack.
And replacing the yoke with a nickle plated yoke that can be purchased from your favorite GM dealer.
by all means use your warranty first to diagnose/repair the problem.
1995 Silverado 4x4
6" BDS Suspension Lift-3" Body Lift-Add A Leaf in rear -Trailmaster SSV Shocks-Duel Steering Stabilizer Kit -AirAid Cold air intake-
4.56 Gears with Detroit Auburn Locker-Pro-Comp Traction Bars with duel shocks-Aluminum Skid Plate Kit-38.5" x 16.5" Mickey Thompson Baja Claws-Constant Dropping fuel gauge
2005 Yukon XL Jet Power Programmer, Bilstein Shocks, Bilstein rear springs, Helwig Anti-sway bars, EGR Window Visors, EGR Hood Shield, Denali Headlights, Headlight harness upgrade, GE NightHawk Bulbs, White Night Rear lighting system http://www.gmtruckclub.com/forum/sho...5-GMC-Yukon-XL
2002 Silverado ext cab 2wd (Sold)
2003 Yukon XL (Totaled)
06-11-2013, 08:37 AM #4Get on their case about changing to a plated yoke bc they will tell you just to change the tcase fluid. So change the fluid then get the truck dirty so it doesnt look like it was just changed but has been changed recently then bitch at the service manager for a new yoke.
line-x'd front brush guard with KC Daylighters, 6000k HID lows and highs, rewired highbeams, Trans-go mild shift kit, custom stainless duals, 3500 dually OEM taillights, K&N CAI. Still have OEM fender flairs and leveling kit in boxes waiting for time.
07-05-2013, 08:24 PM #5Thanks guys, I'm just now seeing these post. Normally I received a notification that someone replied.
Steve liked this post07-06-2013, 07:14 AM #6this problem of a bump when slowing down just before a stop or almost a stop seems to me to be the transmission is not dropping down to 1 st gear as it should .the transmission at times is in a higher gear at the very slow speed. could be the transmission fluid or the solenoids sticking.
how often have you replaced you drive train fluids ? what are the miles on this vehicle ?
07-06-2013, 09:12 AM #7Only 26k and I haven't changed the fluids yet. I'm going to change it but it does sound like the differential. Thx
make sure the rear diff cover is removed and the box is cleaned out along with the magnet.
inspect for any gear damage.
these eaton locking diff require a 1000 mi break in. no long high speed drives. no towing/hauling during this first 1000 mi. then at 2000 mi drop diff cover clean inspect and it is good until 40K mi or so depending on your loading.
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This is a very well made video demonstrating the power of words.
Let me know what you think....?
Added by Bryan Hutchinson on April 16, 2012 at 1:23am — 13 Comments
7 Crucial Tips for Parents and Teachers of Children with ADHD "Uncommonly helpful, down-to-earth, immensely practical and readable Book." - David A. Crenshaw, Ph.D., ABPP. Director of Rhinebeck Child and Family Center, LLC
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This site is dedicated to talking about Australia and providing a guide to those who want to visit Australia. This site is the brainchild of a guy who traveled far and wide across the world yet found his soul in Australia. Despite seeing a lot of beautiful the world has to offer, Australia has caught and held his attention and heart. There are a host of reasons why he loves Australia and why he believes that everyone will love Australia too. | While in the city, the first place you may want to visit is the Sydney Opera house which was designed by the famous architect John Utzon. Here, you can catch a glimpse of the front of the building as well as the backstage. You also have the option of touring nearby sites such as the Jenolan Caves, Hunter Valley Wineries and Darling Harbor among others. In fact, the city also has other great places where you can eat and shop such as Parramatta and Chatswood. | Australia boasts of more than its fair share wonderful creatures, most of which can't be seen anywhere else in the world. You get a first-hand experience with over 300 species of mammals, over 800 species of reptiles and a wide variety of bird species. Most of these animals can be seen in zoos but the best place to view Australian wildlife is in their natural habitat. A wildlife tour to Australia will be more than you bargain for in so many ways. | A Darwin camping experience in scenic spots gives you an opportunity to do quite a wide variety of fun activities outdoors. If you are near water and own a boat, then you can bring that along and go boating during the day. If you have four-wheelers, you can spend a day exploring the area around you. If you chose a place that has hills around then you may want to go for a hike.You may love playing games with those who go with you. |


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Corporation Database Download
This allows for the downloading of certain corporate/ucc databases, currently encompassing:
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Travel Bib
Our innovative bib has meal time wrapped up, wherever you are. The b.box Travel Bib comes complete with:- Loop to hang bib on your bag or stroller
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Firefox 'CPU resources' issue better but not gone
Firefox's use of CPU resources has improved but hasn't gone away completely.
The popular Web browser has had a longstanding CPU (central processing unit) utilization issue that--in some cases--overtaxed the CPU, causing noticeable heat issues in small laptops.
I wrote about this last November after I had been grappling with this issue for more than a year. First, on an Hewlett-Packard business ultraportable and then on the Apple MacBook Air. As I stated at the time, my theory is that many users don't notice Firefox CPU utilization on large, well-ventilated mainstream laptops. But it can be an issue on ultraportables, which are more sensitive to heat because of the obvious design constraints (typically under an inch thick).
On the HP ultraportable (model 2510p, running Windows Vista), CPU usage became a major concern. The cause was twofold. First, at least one HP 2510p SKU (using a 1.33GHz CPU--the configuration I owned) had a design problem. When the unit got hot, it would shut off without warning. That, combined with Firefox's CPU usage issues, as spelled out clearly by Mozilla in the link above, made for an unstable mix. Firefox, I determined after much trial and error, triggered most of the shutdowns on my HP laptop.
While this never happened running Firefox on the MacBook Air (which I use now), it did continue to cause overheating. I have both the original MacBook Air (which uses an older 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor) and a newer version (which has a newer 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo processor). Running Firefox on the older Air became unsustainable at times because of the heat issue. While moving to Safari didn't completely alleviate the heat problem, Safari did not generate the level of heat and fan activity that Firefox did.
Before I go any further describing the issue, let me say this: that was then. Mozilla has made strides--at least for the Web pages I access most often--in improving Firefox CPU utilization on the Mac.… Read more


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NCPA Opposes Florida's Medicaid Waiver Request to Implement Unproven Pilot Program Statewide
Alexandria, Va. - August 29, 2011
The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) is urging the federal government to reject of Florida's request to extend and expand its Medicaid managed care pilot program statewide from 5 to 67 counties. Details can be found in a letter NCPA sent to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
This follows the Florida Legislature's enactment of expansion legislation earlier this year. The federal government must sign off on any changes to Medicaid, the shared federal-state program that provides health care to economically disadvantaged and disabled Americans.
"We understand Florida's budget crunch and the need to rein Medicaid costs. But if the past is prologue, then expanding Florida's Medicaid managed care pilot program statewide would be a mistake," said B. Douglas Hoey, RPh, MBA, NCPA executive vice president and CEO. "For those who would dismiss our concerns about Medicaid managed care, consider the independent study from Georgetown University Health Policy Institute. It revealed that Florida's five-year old pilot program hasn't produced verifiable costs savings and has caused significant disruptions to beneficiary access and patient-provider relationships."
Hoey added, "We know the status quo is unsustainable. That is why NCPA recommends Florida find real savings and better results through more proven coordinated care and higher generic prescription drug utilization rates, two initiatives that independent community pharmacies excel at. Florida's approximately 1,300 independent community pharmacies stand ready to assist in those efforts."
The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA®) represents the interests of America's community pharmacists, including the owners of more than 23,000 independent community pharmacies, pharmacy franchises, and chains. Together they represent a $93 billion health-care marketplace, have more than 315,000 employees including 62,400 pharmacists, and dispense over 41% of all retail prescriptions. To learn more go to www.ncpanet.org or read NCPA's blog, The Dose, at http://ncpanet.wordpress.com.
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How a New York Times Trend Story Is Made: A Tale of Twinkies, Desperation and VJs
Friday night, former MTV VJ Dave Holmes posted a story on his Tumblr to mourn the liquidation of Hostess Brand Inc. Although we now know that Twinkies will probably survive after the dissolution of parent company Hostess (as well as the upcoming apocalypse), you have to remember that on Friday, we were all uncertain about the fate of our favorite artificial-ingredient-based cake product.
Mr. Holmes's little vignette was about his friend/fellow air jockey Jancee Dunn, who in 2001 was trying to pitch her first story to The New York Times Style section. And while we've always assumed that most trend pieces are born more out of temerity than truth, apparently they are sometimes also created from a throwaway comment your friend makes about Twinkies before your pitch meeting. Read More


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bc 26, franklin 24
Bluffton comes from behind for dramatic 26-24 victory over Franklin
October 27, 2001Game statistics
Quarterback Brad Moore celebrates with the BC offense after his game-winning touchdown with 1:28 left in the game. |
Bluffton College junior quarterback Brad Moore's one-yard touchdown run with 1:28 left in the game gave the Beavers a dramatic 26-24 come-from-behind victory Saturday afternoon on Parent's Day in Salzman Stadium. Bluffton improves to 4-4 overall and 3-2 in the Heartland Conference.
Bluffton took a 20-9 lead at halftime, but two Franklin touchdowns in the fourth quarter put the Grizzlies on top 24-20 with 7:07 left in the game. Moore then engineered a 17 play, 73 yard drive to score the winning touchdown on an option play.
Senior Jeff Company returned this interception 48 yards and added nine tackles. |
Moore passed for 207 yards and three touchdowns in the game, with senior Jon Spradling on the receiving end of six of those passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Jim Dwenger caught four passes for 69 yards and two touchdowns.
Sophomore Pat Craun led the defense with 10 tackles and returned an interception 17 yards. Senior Jeff Company collected nine tackles and returned an interception 48 yards, while junior Cam Staley picked off a third Grizzly pass, this one on a desperation bomb on the final play of the game. Senior Ben Schwab recovered two fumbles in the game, the second of which ended a Franklin drive following Bluffton's go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Sophomore Pat Craun led the defense with 10 tackles and returned this interception 17 yards. |
Franklin, who came into the game with a perfect 2-0 record on the road this season,
falls to 2-6 overall and 1-3 on the season.
Senior Jon Spradling caught six passes for 106 yards, including this 12-yard touchdown in the second quarter. |
Sophomore Jim Dwenger gets congratulations after hauling in a 33-yard TD pass in the first quarter. |


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- Description
This high-protein dog snack is made from pure premium meat giving your dog the protein they need support strength, health and vitality. Got a smaller dog? No problem. These treats are easy to break into smaller pieces for small dogs or a high protein training treat.
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Exodus Video
Lhasa to Kathmandu by Bike
For many cyclists the chance to ride their bike from Lhasa to Kathmandu, crossing the Himalayas and stopping off at Everest Base Camp would be a dream come true.
This film captures some of the highlights of this incredible trip and will hopefully give you some inspiration in where to book next year!
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Results 1 to 9 of 9
Stepper motors, gauge overlays and needle kits?
I'm in need of a stepper motor, gauge overlay, and needle kit for my truck, as I'm going to try to add a transmission temp gauge to my existing gauge cluster. (@moogvo has indicated this is fairly simple, so why not give it a shot?) I am curious if anyone here has replaced stepper motors, the gauge overlay, and/or needles and has recommendations on where to buy/what to use. Tips/tricks are also appreciated...
07-11-2012, 01:31 PM #2Was an on dash transmission gauge ever an option?
I know some of the later models have it through the DIC.
07-11-2012, 01:47 PM #3@tbplus10,
See @99'HEARTBEAT's comments in this thread:
Apparently our trucks are pre-wired for it.
So, one option is to replace the cluster, outright ... which I'm trying to avoid as that has title impacts (plus I don't feel like paying a stealership). The other option, per discussion with @moogvo during our recent NC mini-meet, is to solder into place a stepper motor, change the gauge overlay, and add a needle. That's much more appealing to me as I'm decent enough with a soldering iron and tasks that require patience... plus I can customize the dash a little bit and learn something in the process.
07-12-2012, 01:58 AM #4I've looked into just installing the stepper motor for the gauge because I'd like the trans temp gauge and don't want to have to replace my whole cluster. It has been done, but the people I found who isntalled the stepper motor still had to go to the dealer because the instrument cluster itself wasn't programmed for that gauge to be active and it wouldn't work until the instrument cluster was reprogrammed.
2001 Silverado Reg. Cab Not-So-Base -- SOLD
2003 Avalanche Z71. No Cladding. Check out my Mod thread.
1974 Triumph Spitfire 1500 - Work in Progress
2003 Sierra 3500 Duramax. The Newer, Better Work Truck
07-12-2012, 09:54 AM #5There is a place near my home that will replace all the stepper motors and bulbs in the cluster for $210. I too have a bad stepper motor and may have them just do the entire thing. You could probably call them and ask them about adding a trans temp gauge. They seem to be very knowledgeable. The name is Specmo (248)307-2570 or (800)545-7910.
1995 Silverado 4x4
6" BDS Suspension Lift-3" Body Lift-Add A Leaf in rear -Trailmaster SSV Shocks-Duel Steering Stabilizer Kit -AirAid Cold air intake-
4.56 Gears with Detroit Auburn Locker-Pro-Comp Traction Bars with duel shocks-Aluminum Skid Plate Kit-38.5" x 16.5" Mickey Thompson Baja Claws-Constant Dropping fuel gauge
2005 Yukon XL Jet Power Programmer, Bilstein Shocks, Bilstein rear springs, Helwig Anti-sway bars, EGR Window Visors, EGR Hood Shield, Denali Headlights, Headlight harness upgrade, GE NightHawk Bulbs, White Night Rear lighting system http://www.gmtruckclub.com/forum/sho...5-GMC-Yukon-XL
2002 Silverado ext cab 2wd (Sold)
2003 Yukon XL (Totaled)
07-12-2012, 10:27 AM #6I've read there's about a 50/50 shot as to whether it will or won't work based on this very issue. There is, however, still benefit to doing it this way as the vehicle retains its factory cluster and, therefore, there's no title statement that has to be made with regard to mileage if the vehicle ownership is ever transferred for any reason.
Thanks for the tip. I can solder, so adding or replacing a stepper motor is a cakewalk, as it's a measley 4 posts. You could likely do it, as well, even with no experience ... just practice your heat control with something you don't care about before trying. There are a number of youtube videos out there that show how simple it is to change a stepper motor -- they may help save you 175+ dollars, as you can buy a 6 or 7-pack of stepper motors on fleabay for 18-30 dollars.Last edited by SurrealOne; 07-12-2012 at 10:29 AM.
07-12-2012, 10:27 PM #7Definitely keep this thread up-to-date on how it goes. If it works for you without programming, I'll give it a shot too. I need a bit of hope first though, considering km/h gauge faces are a bit more difficult/expensive to get.
Other than that, there are a bunch of different ways to install needles that people have used... I'm not sure which is best. For what parts to get though, If you're looking to go a bit custom while you're at it, I've heard US Speedo has some pretty good stuff. A lot of conversion companies use their products for gauges on their truck packages.
2001 Silverado Reg. Cab Not-So-Base -- SOLD
2003 Avalanche Z71. No Cladding. Check out my Mod thread.
1974 Triumph Spitfire 1500 - Work in Progress
2003 Sierra 3500 Duramax. The Newer, Better Work Truck
07-12-2012, 11:18 PM #8I'm actually looking to keep it very stock (if I customize it might be by replacing LEDs). I'm currently endeavoring to find a donor cluster from a 2500HD on the cheap. That's not proving to be easy; for the cost of what people are asking I could get a fully rebuilt one with all new stepper motors. :(
07-13-2012, 08:15 AM #9Ok, I'm committed. The parts breakdown was as follows:
$25.00 - 7pk of MCR stepper motors (I avoided the swiftecs as they have known issues)
$40.00 - 7pk of white gauge needles
$80.00 - New OEM 2500HD Instrument Cluster Overlay (Gasser, MPH)
$55.00 - New OEM 2500HD Instrument cluster Lens
$200.00 - Total (including tax and S&H)
I could have saved $25.00 by spending $15.00 on the standard orange OEM needle kit, but I wanted white needles as I may later choose to change the lights ... and white needles will carry whatever colour I elect to use.
By comparison, I used a locator service to find salvage 2500HD instrument clusters and the cheapest was $179.00 + tax + S&H. Note that if I swapped it in I'd have to take it to the dealership and have them program the mileage ... and pay whatever fee they wanted. OR I'd have to send it to a shadetree programmer (via fleabay) and pay a fee there. (And in either case I'd also have to make a statement about the odometer being adjusted if I ever transferred the title.)
Also note that I could have purchased a rebuilt cluster with programming (a la a shadetree programmer via ebay) for $240-$300 (depending on what I chose) ... conditional to coring my old cluster.
So -- IF this works out, I'll save a minimum of the stealership programming fees or a minimum of $40.00 if I'd bought a rebuilt unit that'd be programmed by a shadetree programmer ... and I will have white needles as I wanted. If it doesn't work then I may have to take it to a stealership to have the cluster programmed/enabled for the tranny gauge (presuming they can/will) ... which will eat up my savings but still leave me with the white needles I wanted ... and also leave me with a cluster that I don't have to make any special title declarations on. (This is in addition to a few spare stepper motors.)
I've already perused this guide (which is very thorough) in preparation for the work when the parts come in: http://z71tahoe-suburban.com/iboard/...howtopic=19909
Keep your fingers crossed, @pmf608!Last edited by SurrealOne; 07-13-2012 at 01:08 PM.
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HS All Americans Sweep Day 1 at Rosslyn |
National Teams - Age-Grade Men | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The High School All Americans finished Friday 4-0 in Group G play at the Rosslyn Park 7s. The American team, playing in the massive tournament, which features over 7,000 teenage rugby players in a variety of divisions, did well despite only a couple of days of training together. Led by captain Nu'u Aiava, a Hawaiian-based halfback, the HSAA opened their weekend with a 47-0 thrashing of Welsh school Ysgol Dyffryn Taf. They followed that up with a 61-0 shutout of Lycee Francais Charles de Gaulle, a London-based school for French students. That set them up with by far their most competitive match of the day. Nottingham High School, won by the HSAA squad 33-22. This was an odd result given the fact Nottingham ended up only 1-3 on the day. King Edward VI Grammar School was up next, and another shutout – 42-0 for the HSAA team. That left the Group G standings as follows:
Scores for High School All Americans at Rosslyn Park 7s: |


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European Perspectives, The Radiant Line
An exhibition of European artists who focus on light, line and color.
Where: Zane Bennett Contemporary
Phone: 505-982-8111
Address: 435 S Guadalupe St.
Website: http://www.zanebennettgallery.com/
An exhibition of European artists who focus on light, line and color.
Photographic works from O'Connell, Conventional Entropy.
The museum hosts ARTiculations in Print, a museum-wide focus on the medium of printmaking with seven print-based exhibitions featured: Tony Tiger, Full Consciousness of Being; Group Show, Bon à Tirer: Prints from MoCNA's Permanent Collection; Sallyann Paschall and Alex Peña, The Place Between; Group Show. Through March 31. Crow's Shadow Institute of Arts Collection (Main Gallery); Kenojuak Ashevak, Kenojuak Ashevak (1927-2013) (Main Gallery); John Hitchcock, Traces of the Plains (Fritz Scholder Gallery); David Sloan, T'ah aniiłtso Yéé'bii' Neiikai (Endangered Species). All Through July 31.


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Event Planning
A talented event planner is a gift you give yourself...and then wonder how you ever thought you could manage without one. Our event planning members have years of coordination expertise under their belts, the right connections, and the experience to bring all your lovely details together. No matter what your dream wedding entails, they will exceed your expectations.
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The LG G2: Announcing a world's first
The smartphone industry is buzzing over the announcement of the LG G2 –the first smartphone launching worldwide that incorporates the new, ground-breaking Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 800 processor.
Carriers are making you wait less to upgrade
When it comes to having the hottest Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ powered smartphone or tablet, two years can feel like a long time to wait before your carrier lets your upgrade to a new device with special discounted pricing. To help you get the phone you want, T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon are changing their upgrade plans to shorten the amount of time you wait for your next smartphone.
Good things come in small(er) packages with the HTC One mini
The HTC One has become one of the most popular Android devices this year, known for its sleek design and intuitive user experience. The newly announced HTC One mini, powered by the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 400 processor, designed for battery-optimizing high performance, is perfect for those who love the HTC One but are looking for a device that's just a touch smaller and more affordable.
The sweet sounds of the HTC 8XT: Sprint's first Windows Phone 8 smartphone
Available July 19th, the HTC 8XT, with a Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 400 processor, is the first Windows Phone 8 smartphone to be available on the Sprint network–and is the very first Windows Phone with HTC BoomSound™.
41 million reasons to get excited about the Nokia Lumia 1020
These days, most smartphones have pretty good cameras built in (especially those with Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ processors). Which is why you're probably taking more pictures with the phone in your hand than the camera collecting dust in your closet. Here's where the newest Nokia smartphone comes in and takes center stage.
8 tips for great summer photos with your smartphone
With summer in full swing, vacations and road trips may be in your sun-filled horizon. And with a Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ processor in your smartphone or mobile device, the power to capture a beautiful memory is built right into your smartphone and mobile devices. Check out some tricks and tips to help you get the most out of the camera features on your Snapdragon powered smartphone.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processors: A leader in the smartphone revolution
There was a time in the evolution of mobile phones that smaller was clearly better.
Beyond the ordinary, 5 reasons to say wow to the Sony Xperia Z Ultra
There are a lot of reasons it's called Ultra. As one of the first smartphones with a Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 800 mobile processor, and boasting several cutting-edge features Sony's newest offering, the Xperia Z Ultra, is fast becoming a must-have large-screen smartphone.
Snapdragon processor powered Sony Xperia Z comes to T-Mobile
If you spend a lot of time gazing at your phone, set your sights on the Sony Xperia™ Z. Initially announced at CES 2013, and already released and widely popular outside the US, Sony announced today that T-Mobile will be the exclusive US carrier to bring the phone to eager fans.
Presale of rugged GALAXY S4 Active joining Samsung family starts today
Capitalizing on the success of its flagship smartphone, Samsung is releasing a more rugged spin-off of the GALAXY S4. Dubbed the "GALAXY S4 Active," the new phone will meet the IP67 standard for durability, designed to allow it to handle conditions the majority of consumer electronics can't. You'll find this tough new device on sale at AT&T locations starting June 21, with presale starting today
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Alumni Input
First off we would like to thank any and all alumni for the kind donations to the chapter. As always these donations will help make improvements to the overall look of the house. Second we would like to thank the our Chapter Advisor Andy Carson, for his hard work in bettering the chapter. Along with Andy, Mike Carson, Brett Ballou, & Larry Fox, are huge in keeping the success of our chapter going. We hope for all alumni to come up and visit the chapter house, and meet the men that are running the Delta Upsilon Chapter. The Manhattan & Johnson County Sigma Chi alumni chapters are also very helpful in helping work with the undergrads to make the house successful. We all look forward to working with all of you in the future. Once again every alumni of the chapter is greatly appreciated for the work that all of you put in.
-The Men of the Delta Upsilon Chapter of Sigma Chi


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Photo: Thinkstock I grew up revering goals of all kinds: big, small, and bite-size; readily attainable; wildly ambitious; broken up, written down, projected on the stars. My attitude was hardly surprising, given the adages that are central to our culture: If you can see it, you can be it; if you don't know where you want to go, you're never going to get there; the road to bliss is paved with goals. Okay, I made that last one up, but a lot of us seem to believe it.
Which is why Stephen Shapiro, a cheerful subversive in casual business attire, comes as a shock to the system: He's making a cottage industry of what he calls goal-free living. (His book is titled—what else?—Goal-Free Living.) If you want to be happy—successful in the broadest sense—he suggests you take your nifty five-year plan and your lifetime to-do list and throw them out the window. And while you're at it, get some air. Shapiro had a long track record of running motivational workshops for major corporations when he had his epiphany on the road. He had published a book called 24/7 Innovation and was planning to interview business leaders throughout the country for what he envisioned as a sequel. Not far into his research, though, he spotted a pattern: The most fulfilled people were also the most spontaneous and the least goal oriented. Fascinated, Shapiro chucked his agenda and drove 12,000 miles in his techno-wired car (equipped with cellular Internet access, digital recording equipment, and everything else short of an espresso bar), interviewing risktakers and box breakers, and asking for their suggestions about who else he should meet. He spent time with everyone from Doug Busch, a VP and a chief technology officer at Silicon giant Intel, to John T. Martin, then curator of one of the world's only voodoo museums, as well as 148 others thriving in such fields as education, technology, and philanthropy. After learning about the circuitous paths they'd taken, Shapiro was convinced that the key to happiness lies in checking out the detours and back roads, literal and figurative, without fear of changing course. Road maps for life, he believes, might lead to material gain, but there's a good chance that if you follow them unquestioningly, you'll lose yourself. "I was giving a speech on a cruise ship recently, and the other speaker was a professional athlete," he says. "Her session was on setting goals, and mine was on not setting them. Someone in the audience raised her hand and said, 'I have a question. I've been very good at setting goals and very good at achieving them, and I'm still miserable. Why is that?'" Give Shapiro a minute, and he'll rattle off the reasons, as he did that day at sea, and as he does almost every day, everywhere he can. "Number one I'm calling 'Whose goal is it, anyway?'" he says. "Most people's goals aren't their own. They tend to be driven by society and family pressure." Second, he says, when you focus on a goal, "you put blinders on. You lose your peripheral vision and miss out on all the great opportunities around you. Third," he says, hardly pausing for breath, "you're always living for the future. You end up saying, 'I'll be happy when....' You sacrifice today in the hopes that something wonderful is going to happen tomorrow. But it almost never does." Yes, you might win the promotion or bag the trophy, but you rarely feel the lasting satisfaction you'd imagined. "Mountain climbers have a concept called the false summit, where they get to what they think is the peak and then they realize they're only at the bottom of an even bigger mountain," Shapiro says. "That's what happens with goals. You're constantly chasing them. The fourth issue is that you're courting failure." Meaning, he says, you become attached to one outcome, and even if you get it, reality seldom matches the dream in all its Technicolor splendor. Next: How to be goal-free without being aimless From the November 2005 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
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The Fort Bend County Black Nurses Association celebrates the 10th anniversary of their fight against today's most serious public health problem, obesity.
Prostate cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed forms of cancer in the United States. When compared with Caucasian males, African American males are diagnosed much later and the mortality rate is 2.4 times higher. Part of the problem is a lack of knowledge in the African American community, but nurses can combat the disparities through creative outreach.
It's no secret that health care professionals must identify, respect, and care about their patients' differences, values, preferences, and expressed needs. Some patients' backgrounds might be similar to those of the care provider and some may be different. It's the differences that cry out for attention.
Over 25 million Americans currently have diabetes. Perhaps more troubling is the 18.7% of all non-Hispanic blacks aged 20 years or older who currently have the disease. Fortunately, nurses can help combat this trend by fostering a partnership with optometrists, a key ally in early diabetes detection and prevention.
Five nurses and their mission to improve culturally competent mental health and substance abuse care across the United States
How nurses can address the growing crisis of high preterm birth rates in minority women and help give infants of all colors an equal chance for a healthy start in life
Women of minority status have been historically underserved by the medical community and little research has been done to assess their health and experiences with breast cancer.
Ask the average American on the street what President Barack Obama's health care reform plan is all about and he or she will probably start talking about insurance—and more specifically, the controversial proposal known as the "public health insurance option." After all, everyo
Where Sugar Hides in Your Diet
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