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Robert Gates on the Essentials of Leading Change
IN A TIME when change is not just inevitable, but must be encouraged and led, Robert Gates' A Passion for Leadership is a must read.
Gates has led and continues to lead in a wide variety of organizations and organizational cultures. His collected wisdom serves to inspire us to lead others where they don't often want to go and improve people's lives. In addition to serving on numerous corporate boards, he has served as a United States secretary of defense, a director of the CIA, served eight presidents, served as president of Texas A&M University, and is currently the chancellor of the College of William and Mary and president of the Boy Scouts of America.
The one feature of the institutions with strong cultures he has led has been a strong sense of family. He describes it as a "commitment to taking care of one another at all times but especially in adversity or times of need." All great cultures do have this sense of family.
At the same time, it is easy then to become insular and tolerate long-standing but inappropriate practices and behaviors because they are a tradition. It is important to define what traditions must be defended and those that must be changed to enable future success. "A good leader," writes Gates, "must keep coming up with new perspectives, new ideas, new improvements. Only a committed leader can keep an organization—a bureaucracy—on its toes, continuously adapting, innovating, improving."
Gates recognizes that we need leaders at all levels in an organization that are able to mobilize the willing and bring about productive change. More often than not those leaders are there, they just need to be liberated by the person at the top in an organizational culture of leadership. Not surprisingly, he identifies listening as the most critical thing a new leader can do. "Never miss a good chance to shut up."
CIA director Bill Casey gave him some good advice early on. "Bill advised me not to focus on what I disagreed with but to see if there were one or two kernels of information or wisdom worth seizing on—finding a little wheat amid all the chaff. Just because 95 percent of what someone says is nuts, he would say, laughing, doesn't mean you should ignore the 5 percent that might be useful. (He was always handing me pamphlets or books to read, warning, 'This guy is crazy, but there's an interesting idea on page x.')"
To be an effective leader, one must demonstrate from the start an understanding of and respect for the role and views of the career employees in an organization and be clear that the new boss intends to make them participants and partners in reforming the place. This is the best possible preparation of the bureaucratic battlefield.And that doesn't mean just rearranging the organizational chart. "The main target is how people do their work, not where."
Gates offers from experience, strategies, techniques, and principles for implementing change. He includes many examples from the organizations he has served.
Leading change is hard work and can't be done from on-high. Gates cautions that while micro-knowledge is necessary, micromanagement is not. "For a leader to get the big things right depends a great deal on knowing the little things, especially when implementing difficult and controversial change. Without micro-knowledge, you are the prisoner of your bureaucracy and your staff, and they will play you like a cheap fiddle."
☙ You can be the toughest, most demanding leader on the planet and still treat people with respect and dignity.
☙ A self-confident leader doesn't cast such a large shadow that no one else can grow.
☙ Leaders who think they don't need frank, critical advice every day are usually doomed.
☙ To change bureaucracies effectively, a leader must first make his people proud and eager to excel.
☙ Formal education can make someone a good manager, but it cannot make a leader, because leadership is more about the heart then the head.
☙ Core to leadership is the ability to relate to people—to empathize, understand, inspire, and motivate.
☙ If you fundamentally don't like or respect most people, or if you think you are superior to others, chances are you won't be much of a leader.
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Posted by Michael McKinney at 06:56 PM
Balancing the 3 Boxes
ULTIMATELY our future is not in linear—incremental—improvements. It is in nonlinear—nonconforming, breakthrough—change. But the future is built now and that's the problem. What should we be doing now to insure we have a future?
Dartmouth professor Vijay Govindarajan writes, "As much as we might pay lip service to the fact that the future will differ dramatically from the past, we often behave as though it will be exactly the same." There is a tension between and what we have to do now to continue on as an entity and what we need to be doing now to create our future along with the things that we are doing that get in our way of doing any of it. How do we create the future while managing the present?
Vijay Govindarajan has incorporated good principles for managing change into a framework he calls The Three Box Solution. It is a method to simultaneously meet the performance demands of your current business—one that is still thriving—while dramatically reinventing it for the future. It's about managing preservation, destruction and creation.
In each Box there is a function that needs to be performed to lead a sustainable business:
Box 1: The Present Box – Manage the present core business at peak efficiency and profitability.
Box 2: The Past Box – Selectively forget the traps of the past by identifying and divesting businesses and abandoning practices, ideas, and attitudes that have lost relevance in a changed environment and would otherwise interfere with your focus on inventing the future.
Box 3: The Future Box – Generate nonlinear, breakthrough ideas and convert them, through experimentation, into new products and businesses. It's not about predicting the future btu it is about being prepared for circumstances you can not control.
The Three-Box Solution requires an ability to think and act simultaneously in multiple time frames. Each requires different leadership and you must maintain balance across the 3 boxes. It's a balance.
Most businesses focus on Box 1 – preservation. And understandably so: the rewards are immediate, it is a known quantity and the risks are relatively low. Here's the challenge:
The greater your success in Box 1, the more difficulties you are likely to face in conceiving and executing breakthrough Box 3 strategies. This "success trap" typically arises not from willful intention but from the overwhelming power of success that the past has brought. The most pernicious effect of the success trap is that it encourages a business to suppose it already know what it needs to know in order to succeed in the future.Boxes 2 and 3 are about creating the future. In Box 1 there is a value in sticking to what you have been good at, but in Box 3 you throw it out. The idea is to be building the future continuously instead of waiting until you are forced to do something. By then it is generally too late.
Boxes 2 and 3 are easy to ignore because "when you neglect the future today, you don't see the damage today."
Box 2 is especially difficult because it is hard to give up on the assumptions that got you where you are today. (Even if they are not working for you, to be frank.) Our resistance to selectively give up the past is arrogance. It reflects a desire to control our world. But it changes and we must strategically change with it. Box 2 issues limit our futures. They are obstacles to Box 3. "It is harder for an organization to admit to itself that it's time to stop doing something than to know when it's time to invent something new" in part, because we have so much invested in the past. It becomes an emotional issue.
If you "ride the obedient horse of Box 1 all the way through Box 2 and into Box 3 without stopping to consider what needs to be forgotten, you end up stuck in your comfort zone."
Box 1 must be performing or Box 3 concerns are much more difficult to deal with.
The 3-Box Solution is a daily operational balancing act.
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Posted by Michael McKinney at 10:29 PM
First Look: Leadership Books for May 2016Here's a look at some of the best leadership books to be released in May.
Learning Leadership: The Five Fundamentals of Becoming an Exemplary Leader by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner
Fix It: Getting Accountability Right by Roger Connors and Tom Smith
The Power of the Other: The Startling Effect Other People Have on You, from the Boardroom to the Bedroom and Beyond—and What to do About It by Henry Cloud
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss with Tahl Raz
For bulk orders call 1-800-423-8273
Build your leadership library with these specials on over 100 titles. All titles are at least 40% off the list price and are available only in limited quantities.
"Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new after all."
— Abraham Lincoln
Posted by Michael McKinney at 10:33 AM
LeadershipNow 140: April 2016 Compilation
Here are a selection of tweets from April 2016 that you might have missed:
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Posted by Michael McKinney at 09:03 AM
Making Sense of Speed, Agility and Innovation
This is a post by Jeffrey Phillips and Alex Verjovsky authors of Outmaneuver: OutThink, don't OutSpend
Every executive knows that speed is important. Meg Whitman at Hewlett-Packard declared recently that "the future belongs to the fast." But is speed enough? If you can simply accelerate the current activities, products and strategies that your business implements, will that help you win in the future?
Or what about being more "agile." Agile was originally a software technique, meant to shorten software development times and make the development team more accountable to customer needs. From there, everyone is adopting the concept of "agile." There's agile marketing, introduced by thought leaders at CMG. Can agile help you win more? Of course. Is it, by itself, enough? Probably not.
Or, think about innovation. There's probably no other topic that has the same level of emphasis across industries and geographies. Everyone knows innovation is important. But again, if you can innovate successfully, is that enough? Do any of these factors, by themselves, help your company win?
We believe that each of these factors is important, but left to themselves, implemented in a discrete fashion, without integration or coordination they won't make a significant difference. But if you could create a framework in which each of these activities were a vital component leading to a completely new way to compete, then you'd see a significant impact on your revenues, profits and market share.
Maneuver Strategy
Fortunately, such an integrated framework exists. In our book OutManeuver we detail a new competitive strategy that leverages speed, agility, insight and innovation to win the most at the least possible cost. Maneuver stands in opposition to existing "attrition" strategy, where firms fight expensive battles over small differences in market share based on essentially similar products. Feature to feature competition fought over a fixed market leads to commoditization and price wars, ignoring differentiators like speed, agility and innovation that may open new markets or create new alternatives.
Maneuver, like attrition, is a military strategy that has been adapted to business competition, yet to date attrition has been the predominant business strategy. That's because attrition requires less planning and less insight, and is often easier to implement initially, because it simply copies what competitors are doing and seeks to damage or destroy competitors. Maneuver, on the other hand, seeks to identify and win valuable but unoccupied markets, segments or channels, or, if attacking a competitor is required, discovering vulnerabilities that can be exploited at the least possible cost. Thus, while attrition requires little upfront thinking, it has a high cost of implementation, while maneuver requires more reconnaissance and intelligence and has a lower cost of execution.
The "what" and the "why"
In truth, factors like speed, agility and innovation aren't all that valuable by themselves. They are enablers to a larger capability – maneuver strategy. Many corporations are focusing on the "how" – more speed, more agility and more innovation, without thinking about the "why." Speed, agility and innovation aren't required in an attrition strategy, but are definitely important in a maneuver strategy. But without the appropriate strategy, speed, agility and innovation may not pay off. OutManeuver develops the importance and applicability of maneuver strategy, and demonstrates how to use enablers like speed, agility, insight and innovation to win more at the least possible cost. So, the next time someone tells you that the "future belongs to the fast," or that you must increase your innovation output, ask them about their strategy. If your corporate strategy is based on attrition, there's little need for more speed or innovation, because attrition is an expensive but broad based battle against incumbents. Instead, you could assist with a rethinking of strategy, to introduce maneuver strategy and tactics, which will leverage speed, agility and innovation and reinforce new strategic thinking, to win more at less cost.
Outmaneuver: OutThink, don't OutSpend. Phillips leads OVO Innovation, an innovation consulting company in Raleigh, NC. Verjovsky is a consultant, an entrepreneur, and a pioneer in the biodiesel market.
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Posted by Michael McKinney at 11:58 PM
Booknotes: Bob Benmosche - Good For the Money☙ Bob Benmosche came out of retirement in August 2009 to lead American International Group's turnaround. Although few doubted it was even possible, under his leadership, AIG repaid the $182.3 billion taxpayer bailout, with the government claiming a profit of more than $20 billion.
☙ His my-way-or-the-highway style worked well in this turnaround/crisis situation. He was just what AIG needed. A colorful and outspoken leader, his memoirs are full of colorful stories. Throughout his career he dedicated a great deal of time to leadership development throughout the organizations he led. Benmosche died of lung cancer on February 27, 2015 six months after he left AIG. Here are some quotes from his memoir, Good For the Money: My Fight to Pay Back America:
☙ Within any organization, leadership is indeed a shared responsibility. That idea must become part of the entire operation's DNA. People must feel they have the freedom to do all kinds of things, including making mistakes, or they will never succeed.
☙ If it ain't broke, break it and make it better.
☙ Play the hand that's dealt you. If there's a less-than-perfect opportunity, but it's the only one on the horizon, you grab it and make the best of it you can.
☙ If you have no choking chain of debt around your neck, you don't have to be obligated to do things that don't make sense. If you do not have that financial freedom, you find yourself trapped in life.
☙ Could the nation's crisis been handled differently? But we needed to do something. But instead of just acting, and moving forward and fixing, we started to play the blame game. That's where we failed. We failed by saying we're going to create laws, we're going to put people in jail, there should be a law against people who make bad judgments. If that happened the entire country would be in jail because all of us made mistakes in our lives. That's the issue I have. It's not with the actions the nation took; it was the blaming and the viciousness that went on after the actions were taken.
☙ I needed employees to stay with proper compensation. The expertise of those who understood the deals was crucial to undoing the damage.
☙ I understood the public's anger. But there is a difference between appreciating the outrage and becoming captive of it. There was no way we were going to save this company if I dwelled on it. My responsibility was to rebuild, not atone. Bad business practices got us into the mess, but the country had to be reassured that good practices could get us out of it again.
☙ These bonuses are not rewards at all; they're part of one's normal compensation.
☙ Being yourself is never a mistake. Even if what you do is sometimes taken the wrong way.
☙ When you talk to people about what you're doing, just tell them the truth. Don't sugarcoat it. Tell it like it is. And if you manage to do what you're saying you're going to do, if you can pull that part off, it will pay off for you over and over.
☙ Sometimes, the most obvious observations simply need to be verbalized.
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Posted by Michael McKinney at 06:53 PM
The One Ingredient You Must Demonstrate in Your LeadershipPerry Noble suggests that there is one ingredient that would make a lot of leadership issues go away. In The Most Excellent Way to Lead, he turns to the advice of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13.
And then at the end of chapter 12 he lists some of the roles needed in the church, but then he says in chapter 13 that no matter who you think you are or how gifted you think you are, if you can't do it in love—outgoing concern for others—then you are nothing. Your leadership doesn't matter. You aren't doing it right.
It sounds like Paul is just saying play nicer, but he's talking about serving others in some of the most difficult ways possible.
"The most excellent way to lead is also the most difficult. It goes against our natural tendencies and the culture we live in, and it highlights the fact that leadership is ultimately about the leader."Paul is taking about being patient with others when your patience has run out.
Being kind when they don't deserve it.
Being supportive of other people's success and helpful when they stumble.
Looking out for the best interests of other's before yourself.
Never keeping a tally of other people's failures and wrong behaviors.
Always seeking the truth even when gossip is more believable.
Choosing to trust others when it would be easier to be suspicious of them.
Being optimistic even when circumstances compel you to do otherwise.
And never giving up on people even when you are discouraged.
Noble does a good job explaining each of these and more both on a personal level and organizationally. "The way we look at other people is important," writes Noble, "and when we see them through the lens of love, our capacity to lead significantly increases." Without love, as Simon Sinek has pointed out, "people are forced to spend too much time and energy protecting themselves from each other."
Mark Sanborn adds, "when we allow love to define who we are as we work, we become irresistible leaders with a contagious passion for what we do."
This is how we get things done through others. This is how we develop others and allow them to flourish under our leadership. It's how we build more leaders to carry on after we are gone.
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Posted by Michael McKinney at 10:02 AM
First Look: Leadership Books for April 2016Here's a look at some of the best leadership books to be released in April.
The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future by Steve Case
Good for the Money: My Fight to Pay Back America by Bob Benmosche
Negotiating the Nonnegotiable: How to Resolve Your Most Emotionally Charged Conflicts by Daniel Shapiro
The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues by Patrick M. Lencioni
The Three-Box Solution: A Strategy for Leading Innovation by Vijay Govindarajan
For bulk orders call 1-800-423-8273
Build your leadership library with these specials on over 100 titles. All titles are at least 40% off the list price and are available only in limited quantities.
"Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new after all."
— Abraham Lincoln
Posted by Michael McKinney at 05:29 AM
LeadershipNow 140: March 2016 Compilation
Here are a selection of tweets from March 2016 that you might have missed:
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Posted by Michael McKinney at 12:11 AM
First Look: Leadership Books for March 2016Here's a look at some of the best leadership books to be released in March.
Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus: How Growth Became the Enemy of Prosperity by Douglas Rushkoff
The Mindfulness Edge: How to Rewire Your Brain for Leadership and Personal Excellence Without Adding to Your Schedule by Matt Tenney and Tim Gard PhD
The Art of Strategic Leadership: How to Guide Teams, Create Value, and Apply Techniques to Shape the Future by Steven J. Stowell and Stephanie S. Mead
Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
Under New Management: How Leading Organizations Are Upending Business as Usual by David Burkus
For bulk orders call 1-800-423-8273
Build your leadership library with these specials on over 100 titles. All titles are at least 40% off the list price and are available only in limited quantities.
"A capacity and taste for reading gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others."
— Abraham Lincoln
Posted by Michael McKinney at 08:26 AM
LeadershipNow 140: February 2016 Compilation
Here are a selection of tweets from February 2016 that you might have missed:
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Posted by Michael McKinney at 01:52 AM
Originals or How Non-Conformists Move the World
THERE ARE SO FEW originals in life.
"We find surface ways of appearing original—donning a bow tie, wearing bright red shoes—without taking the risk of actually being original. When it comes to the powerful ideas in our heads and the core values in our hearts, we censor ourselves."
Originals by Adam Grant—a professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton business school—is about the people who choose to champion originality and move us forward. They are not that different from the rest of us, but in spite of inner doubts and a world geared toward uniformity, they press on and change the world.
For most of us we are not like the conceptual innovators that formulate a big idea early on in life and act on it. We are probably more like the experimental innovators that move through idea after idea, learning and evolving as they go. "While experimental innovation can require years or decades to accumulate the requisite knowledge and skill." writes Grant, "it becomes a more sustainable source of originality."
Interestingly, it is not the child prodigies that go on to change the world. While they are rich in talent an ambition, they don't learn to be original. "Practice makes perfect, but it doesn't make new." Most prodigies never make the leap to originality. "They apply their extraordinary abilities in ordinary ways, mastering their jobs without questioning defaults and without making waves."
How Do We Get More Original Ideas?
If you want to do original work, do more work. "On average, creative geniuses weren't qualitatively better in their fields than their peers. They simply produced a greater volume of work, which gave them more variation and a higher chance of originality."
Quantity is the most predictable path to quality. Our most brilliant work will be found in the mass of our less brilliant work. It is important to mention also that originals expose themselves to influences far outside their official arena of expertise. Nobel Prize winners are "dramatically more likely to be involved in the arts than less accomplished scientists." Notice more and look for connections.
How Do We Bridge the Gap between Insight and Action?
The best judges of creative ideas are fellow creators. Fellow creators are more open to original ideas. "The more expertise and experience people gain, the more entrenched they become in a particular way of viewing the world."
Critical reviews are often viewed as better—more intelligent. "Prophets of doom and gloom appear wise and insightful." Too much optimism comes across as salesmanship. No one wants to be sold. When you are trying to sell an original idea people are looking to reasons why it won't work. Next time try presenting a candid discussion of your ideas weaknesses. In trying to sell investors on his company Babble, Rufus Griscom described the hurdles he faced in his own business. He came across not only as knowledgeable, but also honest and modest. "When I led with the factors that could kill the company, the response from the board was the exact opposite: oh, these things aren't so bad."
We often undercommunicate our ideas because we are so familiar with them that we think there is no need to repeat them. Our audience needs more exposure to accept them.
Developing Original Ideas
Procrastination can improve our creativity. In one example Grant notes, "It was only when they began thinking about the task and then deliberately procrastinated that they considered more remote possibilities and generated more creative ideas. Delaying progress enable them to spend more time considering different ways to accomplish it, rather than 'seizing and freezing' on one particular strategy."
Being original doesn't mean being first. "It just means being different and better." When originals try to be first they tend to overstep. They move before the market can support their idea. They tend to take bigger risks and are prone to make impulsive decisions. "When you are the first to market, you have to make all of the mistakes yourself." Those that follow can more easily learn from you mistakes and improve on your idea.
When presenting original ideas they can't be seen as too radical or people will never accept them. When selling them you have to give people something to connect with. "Instead of assuming that others share our principles, or trying to convince them to adopt ours, we ought to present our values as a means of pursuing theirs. It's hard to change other people's ideals. It's much easier to link our agendas to familiar values that people already hold."
How to Build a Culture of Originality
Too many rules and they way we understand them can greatly affect our creativity. "In one study, parents of ordinary children had an average of six rules, like specific schedules for home work and bedtime. Parents of highly creative children had an average of less than one rule and tended to 'place emphasis on moral values, rather than on specific rules.'" Grant also adds:
If parents do believe in enforcing a lot of regulations, the way they explain them matters a great deal. New research shows that teenagers defy rules when they're enforced in a controlling manner, by yelling or threatening punishment. When mothers enforce many rules but offer a clear rationale for why they're important, teenagers are substantially less likely to break them, because they internalize them.In this regard, nouns are better than verbs. It's better to ask children to be helpers than ask them to help. It speaks to their identity. In the same way being told not to cheat is not as effective than saying "Please don't be a cheater."
Dealing with Groupthink
Cohesion in a group doesn't cause groupthink. "There's a fine line between having a strong culture and operating like a cult." When organizational performance is down, leaders tend to search for people who share their perspective. When what they need to do is look for advice that challenges them. "If you're going to build a strong culture, it's paramount to make diversity one of your core values." It's what separates a strong culture from a cult.
You need a loyal opposition. You need a devil's advocate. But here's the thing, you need to find one, not assign one. "When people are designated to dissent, they are just playing a role. This causes two problems: They don't argue forcefully or consistently enough for the minority viewpoint, and group members are less likely to take them seriously. But when it is authentic, it stimulates thought; it clarifies and it emboldens."
To keep this process constructive, organizations must prioritize their values. This provides a framework for new ideas. "The more principles you have, the greater the odds that employees focus on different values or interpret the same values differently."
In Originals, Grant utilizes new examples and counterintuitive research to inspire us to lead—to change the world. He concludes with 30 Actions for Impact for unleashing originality. A 15 question Originality Assessment can be found at adamgrant.net.
Of Related Interest:
Are You a Giver or a Taker?
Hacking the Creative Process
Be a Coach, Not a Critic
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Posted by Michael McKinney at 12:37 PM
10 Ways You Earn Respect
Great leaders appreciate every job that is done well; it doesn't matter whether it's in the C-suite or the mailroom. Great leaders also understand that respect isn't an entitlement linked to a particular job title. They need to respect others before others will respect them.
So, how do you earn respect in business? Here are 10 ways:
This post is by Ritch K. Eich. He is the former Chief of Public Affairs for Blue Shield of CA and is a Captain, U.S. Naval Reserve (Ret.). He is the author of three books: "Truth, Trust + Tenacity: How Ordinary People Become Extraordinary Leaders" (2015); "Leadership Requires Extra Innings: Lessons on Leading from a Life in the Trenches" (2013); "Real Leaders Don't Boss: Inspire, Motivate and Earn Respect from Employees and Watch Your Organization Soar" (2012).
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Posted by Michael McKinney at 02:51 PM
5 Leadership Lessons: What if the Rules to Winning Were Different than You Thought?
WHAT IF GIVING VALUE beat extracting value every time? What is seeing others succeed was the greatest reward?
It is a Remarkable! culture that does that every time.
A Remarkable! culture is one where people believe the best in one another, want the best for one another, and expect the best from one another.
In this business fable—Remarkable!—authors Randy Ross and David Salyers present how to build a workplace culture that inspires your team members to bring the best of who they are to the table every day, creating an environment that maximizes value creation in every endeavor. It requires shifting into "growth gear." Importantly, they point out that if we want something to change, we need to add fresh oil—humility. "Where there is defensiveness and resistance, people pull away from one another and erect emotional barriers. When authenticity and humility are present, unity is often the result."
If you have an engagement problem, then you have a clutch problem. The clutch is the mechanism that provides for the engagement of two or more components to produce motion. A clutch situation is any encounter that requires the engagement of two or more people to create progress. The clutch, as you well know, provides the linkage between the engine and the transmission, which ultimately provides power to the drive shaft. When the clutch is engaged, the power produced by the engine is harnesses and transferred to the drive shaft to produce motion. If the clutch is disengaged, then the engine continues to produce power, but it's uncoupled from the drive shaft, rendering it incapable of turning wheels and garnering traction. You literally cannot "get things into gear" when the clutch is malfunctioning.
As human beings we are designed to create value in life. There are essentially two approaches to life: one seeks to extract value from every endeavor, and the other seeks to create and bring value to every endeavor. We want our presence to make a positive difference. We want to be appreciated and affirmed for our work. We want to leave a lasting legacy. But this desire to bring value can often become twisted into a drive to achieve. Some people think life is defined and measured by pay scale and material possessions. But that's a perversion of a natural longing for significance that comes through creating value. A sense of satisfaction and significance comes from understanding who you are and how you can best bring value to every relationship and every endeavor in life.
For any company, a primary consideration should always be, "How do we structure our organization to allow everyone to think and act like owners?" Taking ownership for your actions and seeking to strengthen relationships in everything you do make a world of difference. The emphasis shifts to doing what's right and what will bring the most value to life. It becomes less about comparison and more about contribution. It becomes less about competition and more about collaboration.
To move out of a focus on the self] you must focus on bringing the greatest value to everyone whom the decision may impact. Such a decision-making process is others-focused. Also, we must focus on long-term value generation versus the immediate benefits of any decision. The clutch question is what is the superior choice? The superior choice is always the one that creates the greatest value.
What we need to do to reach our full potential is allow our values to drive our business. We need to define, articulate, and embody our values. When I say "values," I'm referring to how people evaluate certain aspects of the world around them. Values are shaped by how much importance an individual places on certain elements in a decision-making process. [For instance, if you have to make a choice between safety and timeliness, your decision shows what you place more value on.] The problem is that many companies do not clarify what is of greater importance.
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Posted by Michael McKinney at 12:56 AM
9 Ways We Sabotage Ourselves
FROM PEOPLE whose job it is to sabotage the efforts of others, we can take a lesson or two.
In Simple Sabotage, authors Robert Galford, Bob Frisch and Cary Greene explain that in January 1944 the OSS (Office of Strategic Services—predecessor of the CIA) published the Simple Sabotage Field Manual to train resistance members in the art of sabotage. "The Manual detailed easy ways to disrupt and demoralize the enemy's institutions without being detected."
One section of the Manual provided eight tactics specifically designed to disrupt the enemy's organizations. The authors have added a ninth in keeping with the times.
One thing you will notice from each of these tactics or behaviors is that none of them are all that bad on the surface. One could easily find a rational explanation for engaging in them—to a point. And that's the problem. That's why these are insidious.
Too often we insist on reproducing a behavior long after the sell-by date. We don't let it go when we should and so we unwittingly sabotage our best efforts. Here are nine acts of sabotage we unintentionally get caught up in:
Sabotage by Obedience
Insist on doing everything through channels. Never permit shortcuts to be taken in order to expedite decisions.
Sabotage by Speech
Make "speeches." Talk frequently as possible and at great length. Illustrate your "point" by long anecdotes and accounts of personal experiences.
Sabotage by Committee
When possible, refer all matters to committees, for "further study and consideration." Attempt to make the committees as large as possible—never less than five.
Sabotage by Irrelevant Issues
Bring up irrelevant issues as frequently as possible.
Sabotage by Haggling
Haggle over precise wordings of communications, minutes, resolutions.
Sabotage by Reopening Decisions
Refer back to matters decided upon at the last meeting and attempt to reopen the question of the advisability of that decision.
Sabotage by Excessive Caution
Advocate "caution." Be "reasonable" and urge your fellow-conferees to be "reasonable" and avoid haste, which might result in embarrassments or difficulties later on.
Sabotage by Is-It-Really-Our-Call?
Be worried about the propriety of any decision—raise the question of whether such action as is contemplated lies within the jurisdiction of the group or whether it might conflict with the policy of some higher echelon.
Sabotage by CC: Everyone
CC: Everyone. Send updates as frequently as possible, including in the distribution list anyone even peripherally involved.
In each chapter the authors use examples to help you identify the behavior and root it out—which is not as simple as you might think. Perpetrators can easily defend their behavior, but that's what makes these behaviors so effective. For the same reason it is also difficult to see in ourselves.
Simple Sabotage is about the day-to-day routine interactions and processes we rely on as we work that are undermined by unintentional sabotage. By identifying and removing the hundreds or even thousands of small, barely perceptible irritants—the "sand" that clogs the machinery—you will transform your workplace or workgroup experience and the experience of those around you.
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Posted by Michael McKinney at 10:15 AM
The Superboss Playbook
IMAGINE A WORLD a world where the person who you call your boss changed your life by helping you accomplish more than you ever thought possible.
In every industry there is a leader that stands out. A Superboss.
In Superbosses, Sydney Finkelstein discovered that although they may differ in leadership styles, they share a playbook that leads to extraordinary success founded on making other people successful.
Superbosses can be fierce or gentle, belligerent or self-depreciating, but whatever their style, they do a much better job inspiring and teaching because they get in their trenches with protégés, leading by example and giving them personalized attention they require to move up quickly.Here then is the outline of The Superboss Playbook – Techniques, Mind-Sets, Philosophies, and Secrets of the World's Best Bosses:
Superbosses recruit people who "get it."
They look for people who are drivers of change. They are unusually smart (Ralph Lauren looked for people with a kind of fashion sense), creative (people who see things differently), extremely flexible (people who can do more than one thing). "One critical way superbosses do that is by adapting the job description to fit the person, rather than make the person fit the job."
Superbosses motivate exceptional people to do the impossible.
They inject possibility into their workforce. They give them the confidence to believe that they can make things happen. Superboss Michael Milken said, "We are all capable of performing at a far higher level than we have. Faced with a challenge, we can do it. Maybe we're not challenging ourselves enough." Finkelstein adds, "Superbosses credibly push others into their discomfort zones because they model high performance themselves."
Superbosses are uncompromisingly open.
While superbosses protect the "why," they invite people to rethink everything else about the work they do. Most bosses are not really open to new ideas. "Rather than weaving innovation into the fabric of daily work, they contain and limit it by setting up special task forces, committees, and project teams devoted to adaptation and change. They 'carve out' time for innovation rather than living and breathing it every minute. It is particularly difficult to find bosses who are uncompromising in what they do and open to almost constant change."
Superbosses embrace the apprenticeship model.
They "use this informal manner of instruction not only to convey knowledge but also to exert a powerful, almost parental influence on their protégés." Operating a masters, they forge sustained, all-encompassing, intense, and intimate" relationships with the people that work for them.
Superbosses are traders in opportunities.
They trust their people and delegate. In the process they compress learning and growth. "Superboss organizations are widely regarded in their industries as launching pads—places where employees can, in word of their protégés, 'find themselves' and become 'capable of doing what we were ultimately meant to do." They give people the chance to succeed.
Superbosses fashion teams that function as a "band of brothers."
They "inculcate a cultish sense of difference in their protégés." Protégés are treated as leaders. "For superbosses, extreme collaboration and meaningful competition aren't opposites; they go hand in hand." Finkelstein explains: "One reason healthy, balanced competition is so valuable for organizations is that it generates a 'cohort effect' when it comes to talent; the more you help people become better, the more they help one another get better."
Superbosses create a strategic alumni network.
"Superbosses make an effort to stay in touch with their disciples, even years after they have left." When an employee walks out the door, the superboss does not consider the relationship over. It's in their best interests to do so. It increases their own prestige and influence. Successful protégés in their alumni network attract more talent to the superboss.
We need new approaches to nurturing people and the Superboss Playbook presented by Finklestein, is completely learnable by any leader who is fearless, competitive, imaginative, credible, and authentic.
Superbosses is a fascinating look at the leaders that flourish and often change their industries by developing a future generation of leaders.
If you are not working for one, this book will help you to become one.
The Three Types of Superbosses
Glorious Bastards: These superbosses care about one thing: winning. They're the ultimate hard drivers, yet they realize that to get the very best results, they need to develop the world's best people and teams. So they do.
Examples: Larry Ellison, Michael Milken, Bonnie Fuller, Julian Robertson, Jay Chiat
Nurturers: These coaches and teachers resemble traditional mentors the most. They take pride in bringing others along and care deeply about the success of their protégés. They help people accomplish more than they ever thought possible.
Examples: Mary Kay Ash, Bill Walsh, Michael Miles, Norman Brinker, Tommy Frist
Iconoclasts: These executives usually operate in creative fields, where their single-minded passion for their work inspires their protégés.
Examples: Ralph Lauren, Alice Waters, George Lucas, Jon Stewart, Lorne Michaels, Robert Noyce
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Posted by Michael McKinney at 08:40 PM
First Look: Leadership Books for February 2016Here's a look at some of the best leadership books to be released in February.
The Industries of the Future by Alec Ross
Strategy That Works: How Winning Companies Close the Strategy-to-Execution Gap by Paul Leinwand and Cesare R. Mainardi
Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant
Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent by Sydney Finkelstein
Remarkable! Maximizing Results through Value Creation by David Salyers and Randy Ross
For bulk orders call 1-800-423-8273
Build your leadership library with these specials on over 100 titles. All titles are at least 40% off the list price and are available only in limited quantities.
"Seeing a book on my shelf reconnects me to the ideas inside. And that's why I read."
— Michael Hyatt
Posted by Michael McKinney at 02:37 PM
LeadershipNow 140: January 2016 Compilation
Here are a selection of tweets from January 2016 that you might have missed:
See more on Twitter.
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Posted by Michael McKinney at 04:30 PM
4 Rules for Getting Valuable Work Done
TO THRIVE IN the new economy—the current information economy—you need to master these two core abilities:
Cal Newport bases his book Deep Work on the Deep Work Hypothesis: The ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. As a consequence, the few who cultivate this skill, and then make it the core of their working life, will thrive.
Learning is an act of deep work. An act of intense focus. "To produce at a peak level you need to work for extended periods with full concentration on a single task free from distraction."
The reason deep work is rare is because we encourage distractions by the way we design our life. "An interruption, even if short, delays the total time required to complete a task by a significant fraction." Deep work is not a priority. We are what we focus on and that is increasingly, the superficial.
Shallow work adds to our sense of meaninglessness. Science writer Winifred Gallagher observed that "when you lose focus, you mind tends to fix on what could be wrong with your life instead of what's right." Newport adds: "A workday driven by the shallow, from a neurological perspective, is likely to be a draining and upsetting day, even if most of the shallow things that capture your attention seem harmless or fun."
To fight the drift into the superficial we need to cultivate some strategies to develop a deep work habit. Here are a few Newport suggests:
Find Your Deep Work Philosophy
Newport describes four approaches to making time for deep work. There is the Monastic approach that eliminates or radically minimizes shallow obligations. The Bimodal approach that suggests binging on deep work for various lengths of time. The Rhythmic approach makes deep work a habit by scheduling a regular chain of deep work in your day. The last approach and the one Newport prefers, is called the Journalistic approach. Using this approach you fit deep work wherever you can into your schedule. This last approach however, requires a great deal of willpower and practice. The Rhythmic approach may work best to get you started.
Take Breaks from Focus
Make deep work a priority by taking breaks from focus, not from distraction. "The idea motivating this strategy is that use of a distracting service does not, by itself, reduce your brain's ability to focus. It's instead the constant switching from low-stimuli/high-value activities to high-stimuli/low value activities, at the slightest hint of boredom or cognitive challenge, that teaches your mind to never tolerate an absence of novelty."
Quit Social Media
Network tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and infotainment sites like Business Insider and Buzzfeed, "fragment our time and reduce our ability to concentrate." The overuse of social media unwittingly cripples our ability to succeed in the world of knowledge work. "To master the art of deep work, therefore, you must take back control of your time and attention from the many diversions that attempt to steal them." Newport recommends that we only use a tool if its positive impact on the core factors that determine our success and happiness, substantially outweigh it negative impacts.
If you give your mind something meaningful to do throughout all your waking hours, you'll end the day more fulfilled, and begin the next one more relaxed, than if you instead allow your mind to bathe for hours in semiconscious and unstructured Web surfing.
Be Intentional with Your Time
Have a plan for your day. Confine the shallow work you must do, don't eliminate it. If you start your day with blocks of deep work scheduled in, you stand a much better chance of actually getting some deep work done. "Your goal is not to stick to a given schedule at all costs; it's instead to maintain, at all times, a thoughtful say in what you're doing with your time going forward—even if those decisions are reworked again and again as the day unfolds."
"To succeed," writes Newport, "you have to produce the absolute best stuff you're capable of producing—a task that requires depth. A deep life is a good life."
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Posted by Michael McKinney at 08:54 AM
Leadership Value is Defined by the ReceiverWE ALL RESONATE with the clarion call for leaders to build on their strengths, be authentic, and demonstrate emotional intelligence. We can envision these noble, resonant, and genuine leaders as icons of effective leadership. But these virtuous leadership attributes are not the essence of leadership effectiveness.
Building on one's strengths is incomplete unless one's strengths strengthen someone else. Authenticity without a positive impact on someone else is more narcissism than leadership. Effective leaders turn their emotional intelligence into helping others find their purpose and meaning.
An underlying principle of effective leadership is that value is defined by the receiver more than the giver. This value-added principle applies in almost every relationship. When I give my wife a gift, she defines the value of the gift. When I was newly wed, I got her tickets to sporting events and she often suggested I enjoy myself. I have learned that the real gift is figuring out what will be meaningful to her, not me. Likewise, effective leaders recognize and serve the stakeholders who are impacted by their strengths, authenticity, and emotional style. They then work to deliver value to these stakeholders in ways that matter to the stakeholders.
When leaders focus on the value they create for others, they think less about who they are and how who they are, will make others better. They realize that the value of their values is in that others will achieve what matters to them. Ultimately, leaders are measured by what they leave behind and how their present actions shape future success.
Leaders should be asking themselves, "Who are the stakeholders I care about? Who do I want to make better because of what I do? Who will benefit from my choices today? How will my actions be seen by and affect others?" When pondering and responding to these questions, leaders matter because they create sustained leadership in others.
Value creating leaders talk more about "we" than "I"; they build on what is right more than what is wrong; they help others feel better about themselves when leaving an interaction with them; the work to institutionalize their ideas so that they are sustained; and they relish success in those they mentor.
It is time to look beyond a leader's personal strengths, authenticity, and emotional well being to define how leaders' build value for others.
This post is by Dave Ulrich. He is the Rensis Likert Professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan and a partner at The RBL Group, a consulting firm focused on helping organizations and leaders deliver value. He studies how organizations build capabilities of leadership, speed, learning, accountability, and talent through leveraging human resources. He has helped generate award winning data bases that assess alignment between strategies, organization capabilities, HR practices, HR competencies, and customer and investor results. He has published more than 200 articles and book chapters and 23 books, such as Leadership Code, Leadership Brand, Results Based Leadership and most recently The Leadership Capital Index: Realizing the Market Value of Leadership.
Posted by Michael McKinney at 07:07 PM
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I want to disable the annoying clicks that the UIPickerView generates upon scrolling up and down. Is there a way to do this? I want to play short sounds for each item that the picker view lands upon. It gets ruined by the built in sound.
I understand that the picker sounds can be turned off globally by switching off the keyboard sounds in iPhone/iPod settings. But is there a way to programatically do this?
Any help will be much appreciated!

subset: commoncrawl


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Dr. Sonia Fahmy joins Cyber Center
September 16, 2013
We are very pleased to announce that Dr. Sonia Fahmy has joined the Cyber Center in Purdue's Discovery Park as Scientific Director of Network Systems. Dr. Fahmy is a professor of computer science at Purdue, a member of the Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS).
A graduate of Ohio State University, Dr. Fahmy joined the Purdue Computer Science Department in 1999. Her research interests lie in the design and evaluation of network architectures and protocols and she is currently investigating network simulation/emulation, Internet measurement, network security, and wireless sensor networks. She is a member of the ACM and a senior member of the IEEE.
More Information
ONR Grant Awarded
February 2, 2016
Cyber Center's Scientific Director of Big Data Analysis, Gesualdo Scutari, received an ONR Award for the project "Distributed On-line Optimization and Learning for Nonconvex Big Data Analytics over Dynamic Networks".Read Full Story
Graduate Student of Gesualdo Scutari Receives Best Paper Award
January 14, 2016
Peiran Song, graduate student of Gesualdo Scutari, Scientific Director of Big Data Analysis, received the 2015 IEEE Signal Processing Society Young Author Best Paper Award.Read Full Story


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Update on SoledadThis is Soledad. Her previous loan was a big help in her business. She was able to buy more newspapers and some grocery items for her stall. She has this business for twenty years now. She is a widow and she works hard to provide for her family's everyday needs.
She would like to apply for another loan, this time for 20,000 PHP, to buy different products like newspapers, cigarettes, beverages and other items. Her profits from her business will definitely help her to cover their daily needs. She looks forward to this financial increase with gladness and thankfulness in her heart.
Soledad hopes to have their own house and dreams that her business will continue to grow. She meets up with her co-fellowship members to share stories of her life and business every week and she also draws strength and inspiration from the Word of God that she studies there.
* All CCT community partners/clients are organized into fellowship groups that meet on a weekly basis. A fellowship group is composed of 15 to 30 community partners. The fellowship groups gather each week to study the Word of God, build social capital, and repay micro-finance loans.
Previous Loan DetailsThis is Soledad. She previously accessed a loan of 14,000 PHP that she used to buy more newspapers and grocery products. Her earnings were a big help in her personal, household, and business expenditures. She would like to apply for another loan of 18,000 PHP to buy newspapers, grocery produc... More from Soledad's previous loan »
Additional Information
About the Center for Community TransformationThe Center for Community Transformation (CCT) is dedicated to the development of communities and lives via spiritual transformation and access to financial services. CCT offers loan products to address the needs of micro-entrepreneurs in the Philippines. The organization's loan products include small business, education, and housing loans. CCT utilizes a community-based approach to provide a variety of non-financial services that include training and development programs, clinics, disaster relief operations, a low-cost medicine program, and social service programs. CCT offers a unique "Pavement Dweller" program designed to provide food, housing, and job training. CCT also provides education support services to the poorest groups in the Philippines. Find more information about CCT on their website or join their lending team.
Concurrent and Successive Loans
Our Field Partners often work with borrowers over a series of loans as the borrowers build credit, take out bigger loans, and expand their businesses. In order to make it easier for our Field Partners to post loans for borrowers who have been listed on Kiva before, we allow them to post successive and concurrent loans for their Kiva borrowers. This means that our Field Partners are able to post a borrower's second, third, etc., loan on Kiva without having to re-enter all of the borrower's information.
This borrower has been listed on Kiva before, so you'll see an updated loan description, as well as excerpts of the original descriptions from earlier loans. Most borrowers take out loans consecutively, meaning that they receive a second loan after having repaid the first. However, sometimes our Field Partners give out concurrent loans, allowing borrowers to take out one primary loan and a secondary "add-on" loan along with it. These "add-on" loans are typically smaller than the borrower's primary loan and serve a different purpose. Because Field Partners can now post loans as successive and concurrent loans, you will be able to track borrower progress over time and see the various ways a borrower is working with our Field Partners through funds from Kiva's lenders.
About Philippines
420View loans »
Success!! The loan was 100% repaid
- Repayment Term
- 6 months (Additional Information)
- Repayment Schedule
- Monthly
- Pre-Disbursed:
- May 23, 2013
- Listed
- Jun 7, 2013
- Currency Exchange Loss:
- Possible
- Ended:
- Oct 20, 2013


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Despite a fashionable tendency to talk down this grape in favour of riesling, chenin blanc, semillon, pinot grigio, viognier, anything, in fact, but chardonnay, none of these varieties can match its crowd-pleasing ability. The lack of personality is its chief virtue. It is infinitely malleable, and its compatibility with many foods is incomparable.
Twenty-odd years ago, exorbitantly priced and delectable white burgundy inspired the chardonnay revolution. But when New World chardonnay at first tried to beat white burgundy at its own game, the result was a rash of powerfully alcoholic and oaky wines, some so heavy that they proved to be one-glass wonders. The 'food wine' backlash went too far in the opposite direction, producing irredeemably lean chardonnays.
Now, chardonnay producers have learnt, according to Dick Ward of California's Saintsbury Winery, 'how to get concentration and richness without too much alcohol'.
Basically, chardonnay divides into two broad styles. The 'Opal Fruits' style offers a spectrum of flavours reminiscent of melon, peach or pineapple. Mostly fermented in stainless steel, it may be supercharged with a touch of residual sugar, cosmetic oak chips or even oak barrel. This refreshing, early-drinking style is deliberately geared to the value-for-money end of the market.
In the more sophisticated style, the primary fruit tends to be subordinated to subtler nuances of flavour and character. Here, the producer uses all the tricks in the book. Fermentation in new or nearly new oak barrels is the key, offering better integration of the toasty, spicy and smoky flavours of new oak, plus added texture, richness and backbone.
Further refinements include stirring the grapeskin lees and converting malic to lactic acid (by fermentation) to give the wine the seductive character of butterscotch or popcorn. The best versions are often distinguishable from top white burgundy only by the price tag.
The fruitier styles are uncomplicated, but for under pounds 4 you can still find plenty of character in the Chardonnay Tradition, Vin de Pays d'Oc, from Ste Hilaire ( pounds 3.99, Oddbins; and at Waitrose, as Le Gineste Chardonnay), a rich and fruity young wine, or the fresher, crisper and mouthwateringly bone-dry 1993 Giordano Chardonnay del Piemonte ( pounds 3.99, Marks & Spencer).
South Africa's Danie de Wet is a master of the superbly refreshing, unoaked chardonnay. Try the 1993 Chardonnay sur lie ( pounds 4.39, Oddbins and Safeway).
Chile, too, makes bracing young chardonnays such as the tangy 1993 Montenuevo Maipo Valley Chardonnay ( pounds 4.45, Waitrose). And back in Burgundy, 1993 Macon Davaye, Domaine des Deux Roches ( pounds 5.99, Oddbins), is outstandingly bright and lemony. However, for sheer purity of exuberant ripeness, my vote in this style goes to the exotically fruity 1993 Tasmania Wine Company Chardonnay ( pounds 7.99, Sainsbury's Vintage Selection).
In the 'white burgundy' style, a recent tasting of Australian chardonnays revealed many 1993 vintage wines to be lighter and more complex than ever. The 1993 South Australia Barrel-Fermented Chardonnay ( pounds 6.25- pounds 6.99, Oddbins, Victoria Wine selected branches) has Wolf Blass's characteristic sweet spice and charry coconut oak, but is more restrained and fruity than hitherto. In a lighter, crisper, tropical-fruit style, the delicately oaked 1993 Goundrey Langton Chardonnay ( pounds 4.99, Asda), from Western Australia, is on top form, while the 1993 Mitchelton Preece Chardonnay ( pounds 5.99, Majestic Wine Warehouses, and at Oddbins soon) has intense fruit and elegant style.
South Africa, too, is making up for lost time, if the powerful, toasted-oak bouquet and rich, nutty fruit of 1993 Avontuur Le Chardon Barrel-Fermented Chardonnay ( pounds 4.99, Waitrose) and the clove-and-butterscotch fruitiness of 1992 Backsberg Chardonnay ( pounds 5.95, Waitrose) are anything to go by.
It is still possible to find very stylish, complex white burgundy under pounds 10, such as the deliciously buttery Meursault-like 1992 Bourgogne Blanc, Domaine Charles et Remi Jobard ( pounds 8.95, Lea & Sandeman, London SW10, 071-376 4767) and the 1992 Saint Romain, Verget ( pounds 9.60, Laytons, London NW1, 071-388 5081), a subtly oaked style from one of the lesser-known appellations of the Cote d'Or.
Meanwhile, although Oddbins is rapidly running out of Louis Carillon's stunning 1992 premiers crus Les Champs Canet ( pounds 18.99), Les Referts ( pounds 19.49), Les Perrieres ( pounds 19.99), it still has good stocks of the seductively nutty-rich Puligny Montrachet, pounds 14.99.
- More about:
- Chardonnay
- Shane Warne
- Western Australia
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Special Order
Iona: daughter of a brilliant father who changed the Earth's weather and a martyred mother who led rebels against the despotic Gaia Dome theocrats. Reared in secret by a hermit, she crossed the dead zone to seek out the destiny her parents had planned for her years before.
Kull: son of slaves, privileged ward of a Dome ruler, reluctant solo argonaut to cannibal shores, and guerilla tactician. Together, they would gather a ragtag army of cave-dwelling warrior children determined to wrest their freedom from the corrupt Gaia clergy and bring a ravaged planet back to life.
About the Author
Robert Balmanno has worked as a library specialist in a Silicon Valley library for 30 years. He is a trade union activist and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa, working with cattle in small villages in Dahomey (Benin). Balmanno earned his bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara and did post-graduate work at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and the University of London, King's College.


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Appointments & Offices
Check insurance plans, locations and make an appointment
Is Michelle Boonthawesuk accepting new patients?
If you are a new patient, please check with Michelle Boonthawesuk before scheduling an appointment.
Office Locations
- Simi Valley Hospital EMR
- 2975 Sycamore Dr
- Simi Valley, CA 93065
- (805) 955-6000 (Office)


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Dr. Bosworth's Experience
Research training, expertise and qualifications
Dr. Bosworth's Care Philosophy
Dr. Bosworth's Specialties
- Internal Medicine
Procedures Dr. Bosworth Performs
- Abscess Incision and Drainage
- Breath Testing
- See all 9 procedures
Conditions Dr. Bosworth Treats
- Addiction
- Anemia
- See all 17 conditions
More About Dr. Bosworth's Background
Hospital Quality
The right hospital is as important as the right doctor
- Sanford Usd Medical Center
- 1305 W 18th St
- Sioux Falls, SD 57105
9 Facts About Hospital Quality
Patients' risk of dying during a hospital stay for heart bypass surgery could be 87.4% lower, on average, at a hospital rated 5 stars compared to a hospital rated 1 star for that procedure. Choosing the right hospital is critical to your health. View Slideshow
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Motorola Talkabout Headset with Swivel Boom Microphone (VOX) (53725)
Made by Motorola
Product Description
- Use with Voice Activated Transmission capable radios for hands-free communication
- Hear messages clearly without disturbing others
- Headset band fits over cycle safety helmets
- No batteries required
- Compatible with Motorola radios in the following series: MS, EM, FV500, FV600, FV700, FV800, MH, MJ, MR, SX500, SX600, SX700, SX800, SX900, T5420, T5500, T5710, T5720, T5800, T5900, T6200, T6300, T6400, T6500, T7100, T7200, T7400, T8500, T9500, T9600.
When used with Voice Activated Transmission (VOX) capable Motorola Talkabout radios, this Talkabout Headset with Swivel Boom Microphone provides a hands-free solution for convenient talking and listening. The headset allows you to hear messages in quiet areas, without disturbing others, whilst also allowing you to hear clearly in noisy areas. With this headset, there's no need to remove the radio from your belt or carry case.


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Reading the coverage ...
Houston Texans
The Texans return from their bye with only the Bills on their mind, as Houston gets ready to face its former first-round pick, defensive end Mario Williams, says John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. Ben Tate's hamstring injury from the Baltimore game is one concern going forward.
Texans midseason awards from McClain.
Kareem Jackson is coming into his own in his third season as a Texans cornerback, says Nick Scurfield of the team's website.
To which I say: Jackson really has made great strides. He's done well not letting the criticism get in the way of him doing the work to catch up to a lot of the rest of the defensive personnel.
The Texans are doing just fine without Williams, says Battle Red Blog.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts' future may not be so far away, says Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star. "They are growing up, something most of us figured would happen further on down the line this season, or maybe next season."
The Titans played prettier football, but the Colts were gritty and won, says Phil Richards of the Star.
Indianapolis was running in overtime, and the Titans knew it and couldn't stop it, says Phillip B. Wilson of the Star.
Upset that the Colts weren't winning at the half, Reggie Wayne riled up the Colts with a halftime speech, says Mike Chappell of the Star. "Sometimes you have to do more than lead by example,'' Wayne said.
To which I say: Wayne's ability to snatch Andrew Luck's passes had me thinking he is playing as well as he ever has. Titans nickelback Ryan Mouton was right with him several times, and Wayne caught seven passes for 91 yards with what I will call a "casual flair."
Running through fake-toss-39-taxi-naked-right-screen-left with Wilson.
Kravitz's report card.
Luck is as calm as a rookie can be, but the biggest clutch plays by the Colts came from the running backs, says Reggie Hayes of the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel.
Vick Ballard's spin to win rewarded Bruce Arians' aggressiveness, says Conrad Brunner of 1070 The Fan.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars executed a game plan and looked better, but still made enough mistakes to lose, says Vito Stellino of the Florida Times-Union. "(Mike) Mularkey said before the game that the Jaguars were two plays from 3-3 and one from 0-6. Now they're four plays from 4-3 and one from 0-7."
Blaine Gabbert took a big step forward in the eyes of Gene Frenette of the T-U. "On a day when the short-handed Jaguars put up a credible showing as a 15-point underdog, Gabbert having his first 300-yard passing output in a 24-15 defeat was the primary consolation prize."
Frenette's grades.
The Jaguars were too slow getting set up before the blocked punt, and Mularkey said that was his fault, writes Stellino.
Gabbert's day may eventually be seen as a big step, says John Oehser of Jaguars.com.
The Packers blocked the punt even though they only had 10 men on the field, says Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
Playing without three of their top four defensive backs, the Jaguars still did a pretty solid job against a dynamic passing offense, says Ryan O'Halloran of the T-U.
To which I say: A more effective four-man rush was a major key to the effective pass coverage, and it's what the Jaguars have been in need of all season.
The passing game showed progress despite the injury to Gabbert, says O'Halloran.
Tennessee Titans
A questionable late call killed a chance to win it, and the Titans ultimately unraveled, says Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean.
When they lost the overtime coin toss, they lost the game, says David Climer of The Tennessean. "When you play defense like the Titans, you're living on borrowed time. For a while, you can survive by bending but not breaking. Eventually, though, you break."
To which I say: I actually felt like I saw progress as it felt like the Colts had to work really hard on the 80-yard drive that tied it late and the 80-yard drive that won it.
A lot looked good statistically, but mistakes ended some scoring chances and cost the Titans big, says John Glennon of The Tennessean.
Wyatt's report card.
Luck flashed "a capacity to hang in against the rush, make plays with his legs and come up with the right throw at a crucial moment," says Josh Cooper of The Tennessean.
Mike Munchak had tough decisions in this one, and sticks by them, says David Boclair of the Nashville City Paper.
The Titans should have won despite the questionable calls, says Andrew Strickert of Total Titans.


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This is the new home of The Steve and Julie Show on 979WVOK is up and running. Visit the page to see what Steve and Julie are up to today.
Wanna become our next Listener of the Week? Send entries to email@example.com to register and you could win a very stylish Listener of the Week Tshirt from the Opportunity Center in Lenlock!
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|Justin Bieber / Love Yourself
|Adele / When We Were Young
|Charlie Puth / One Call Away
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|Mike Posner / I Took A Pill in Ibeza
|The Chainsmokers / Roses
|Ellie Goulding / Something in the Way You Move
|Sean Mendez/feat Camilla Cabello / I Know What You Did Last Summer
|The Weekend / In The Night
|Selena Gomez / Same Old Love


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John Lewis Shaving Mirror, Chrome
Product informationUse both hands to shave with this handy stand mirror. It's fitted with a 10x magnification mirror, so you can get a clean, neat shave.
- Brand
John Lewis
- Eligible for International Delivery
- Mirror dimensions
- H18 x Dia.13cm
- Mirror shape
- Round & Oval
- Mirror Type
- Free Standing
- Room
- Bathroom
Additional Info
This freestanding shaving mirror is the perfect partner to your daily cosmetic ritual. Featuring a massive 10x magnification, it ensures precision, for a super-smooth and neat shave.
Finished in eye-catching chrome and positioned on a stylish stand, it is a modern addition to any bathroom setting.
Click & collect
- Click & collect from John Lewis and Waitrose shops tomorrow from 2pm
UK delivery
- Standard delivery within 5 working days
- £3.50
- Named or Saturday UK delivery
- £6.95
- Named day UK delivery pre-10.30am
- £9.95
International delivery not available
We want you to be happy with your purchase. If you're not, depending on the type of product, you can make free returns in the UK via John Lewis shops, Royal Mail, Collect+, or MyHermes. If you need to arrange collection of large or heavy items, call us on 03456 049 049. For international returns queries, call us on +44 1698 545 454. Find out more about returns.
You'll find returns information on your delivery note. Unless faulty, we'd like you to make your return within 90 days of purchase. Exceptions apply to certain products - find out more about our refund policy.
Q & As
UK delivery£3.50
Standard delivery within 5 working days
Click & collectFREE
Click & collect from John Lewis and Waitrose shops tomorrow from 2pm


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Energy industry tax incentives considered
With crude oil prices soaring and state budgets still tight, some policymakers and industry observers are questioning whether the oil and gas industry should continue to receive some of the tax incentives it has enjoyed.
The Oklahoma Policy Institute, a nonprofit group that analyzes state government spending, on Wednesday called for the Legislature to consider reducing, capping or eliminating a tax incentive for producers who use horizontal drilling techniques.
"There was a time when horizontal drilling was a new technique that required new equipment," said Oklahoma Policy Institute Director David Blatt. "But now most of the drilling in Oklahoma is horizontal drilling. The companies have invested in this technology. The procedures are established. It is much less risky than it was before, and at least on the oil side, producers are making record profits."
Oil and natural gas producers, however, say the tax incentives are still necessary.
"These tax provisions are designed to create jobs," said Cody Bannister, spokesman for the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association." They're doing that, and that benefits all of Oklahoma."
Blatt suggests the Legislature either set the incentive to kick in only when commodity prices drop below a certain level or that the state should cap the tax incentive each year.
"Given the scarce resources and the real competing demand for tax dollars, I think we need to think about how expensive these tax breaks could get," Blatt said. "I think you could have productive conversations about what the cap should be and how you would allocate the credits. But they should not be unlimited like they are now."
Blatt pointed out that tax rebates to the state energy companies for 2010 and 2011 totaled $297 million, nearly twice the estimated amount of $150 million.
Producers typically pay a 7 percent gross production tax on the oil and natural gas they recover within the state. They then apply for rebates based on the various tax incentives. After rebates are applied, producers using horizontal drilling can see their gross production tax rate reduced to 1 percent for the first 48 months of production. Horizontal wells tend to peak within weeks of production and taper off significantly within several months.
While producers have benefitted from the tax reduction, they have been using the savings to create jobs, Bannister said. Oil and gas industry employment surged 17 percent in 2011.
"When you talk about creating jobs and creating tax dollars, the oil and gas industry is doing its part," Bannister said. "Eliminating and cutting tax incentives that encourage job growth in Oklahoma is not in the best interest of the state."
The tax credit changes have been discussed in the Legislature as part of Senate Bill 1234.
When you talk about creating jobs and creating tax dollars, the oil and gas industry is doing its part. Eliminating and cutting tax incentives that encourage job growth in Oklahoma is not in the best interest of the state."
Cody Bannister


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- From the President
The Highwaymen: Friends Till the End
tells the story behind this super group. It airs Friday at 9pm on WXXI-TV.
Have you heard about WXXI Passport?
It's a member benefit that offers extended on-demand access to programs.
National Memorial Day Concert 2016
airs Sunday at 8 p.m. and again at 10:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV.
Well-known non-profit leader Dan Meyers
shares stories of his 30-year career at Al Sigl, Thursday at 8:30pm on WXXI-TV.


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Kevin Brown, of Brockton, Mass., gets an early seat near the finish line to watch the running of the 118th Boston Marathon Monday, April 21, 2014 in Boston. Brown created the memorials to the 2013 bombing victims sitting near the the line, center rear. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) ORG XMIT: BX113
NHL 22m ago
The cutest group of real-life penguins are hanging with a mini Stanley Cup
They seem mildly interested.
NFL 30m ago
Brandon Browner on time with 'weak' Saints: 'Took that few millions and ran with it'
The Saints will have paid Browner just over $7 million for one season of work.
Soccer 1hr ago
Kidnapped Mexican soccer player escaped by beating up his captor
"In one of the calls, Pulido said police were outside and starting to shoot so he described what he was wearing to avoid being (…)
MLB 1hr ago
Mets minor league team to honor Prince with awesome jerseys for 'Purple Game, Purple Game'
The Columbia Fireflies will give free parking to anyone arriving in a Little Red Corvette.
Soccer 1hr ago
Real Madrid player is giving away his Champions League medal on Facebook
Alright, Real Madrid fans: Let the games begin. The team's right back, Marcelo, announced on his official Facebook page on Monday that (…)
Tennis 1hr ago
Djokovic borrows a fan's umbrella at the French Open and twirls around the rainy courts
It's absolutely delightful.


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Flawed? It is time we move to a rejigged Mibor
It is smart to learn from your own mistakes.It is smarter still to learn from the mistakes of others.
Post Libor scam: Financial markets to move away from 'polled' to 'traded' rates, may fix Mibor
Learning from the Libor scandal, Indian financ...
Banks discontinue Mibor loans to shore up margins
With interest rate going up, banks have completely stopped one of the widely used corporate loan products.


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By blaming promordial hatred for the sectarian violence in Iraq, the Bush administration is ignoring the effects of the war and other decisions made by the United States during the occupation that have fueled the violence.
Issues / War & Peace
The "war on terror" disguises military aid that is more likely to be used against domestic political opponents.
Many citizens look back over the 20th century and see the Supreme Court championing individual freedoms and standing in the way of government abuse of power. But this is not the case in many issues involving foreign policy, an issue raised when Samuel Alito was appointed to the Supreme Court. It's Congress, not the courts, that needs to step up to exert its Constitutionally-mandated role of checking executive power.
It is customary early in the New Year to recommend good books to read. And the "Tao Te Ching" should be at the top of President Bush's list. Careening from crisis to crisis with approval ratings drooping, the president should consider the opening lines of chapter 80. "If a country is governed wisely, its inhabitants will be content."
Lost amidst the predictably negative reaction to the victory by Hamas in the Palestinian parliamentary elections is the crucial role that the U.S. government had in bringing the radical Islamist group to power.
Iran is not the only major challenge to the NPT regime.
On May 17 a legal summons on behalf of the World Tribunal on Iraq (WTI) requested the attendance of President Bush and Prime Minister Blair to defend charges that they are in "violation of common values of humanity, international treaties, and international law" for waging war in Iraq.
A critical evaluation of President Bush's State of the Union address highlights inconsistencies and contradictions in the Bush administration's foreign policy.
A comprehensive look at the issues at stake in the London Conference.
Conference in London shapes Afghanistan's future through crafting of new compact.


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What is spirituality? How can I grow spiritually?
Do these questions seem to go unanswered? The Muhammad Ali Center has just the right program for individuals who are interested in learning more about how spirituality plays an important role in their lives! Individuals are encouraged to attend the FREE upcoming program #Spiritual YOUth on Saturday, May 18th, 2013 at the Muhammad Ali Center. The program will begin at 10:30 AM and last until 2:30 PM. A tour of the exhibits will follow.
The purpose of the program is to encourage individuals ages 14-24 to explore their spirituality through a participatory dialogue about inner peace and meditation. This event will prompt individuals to reflect on their spiritual journey through interactive activities and creative performance. RSVP to Marcel Parent, Senior Director of Education and Curation at the Muhammad Ali Center at email@example.com or (502) 992-5325.
Contact Information
- Muhammad Ali Center
- 144 N. Sixth St., Louisville, KY -
- 502.992.5325
Event Time
- Saturday 18th, May 2013
- Free


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Nikolai Obukhov: Mystic Beyond Scriabin
Nikolai Obukhov ( Obouhov, and in French publications, Nicolas Obouhow) was born in Kursk on April 22, 1892 and died in Paris on June 13, 1954. Obukhov studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatoire with Shteinberg and N. N. Tcherepnine. His early compositions, written soon after 1910, were first heard at a concert of new Russian music organized by the journal Muzikal'nyy sovremennik in 1915. The following year, in St. Petersburg, the same publishers organized a similar event incorporating pieces written in Obukhov's new notation. The family moved to Paris in 1918 to try to escape the extreme instability sweeping through Russia. In Paris, Ravel seemed interested in his music, and there is some documentary evidence of this in the Obukhov archive in the Bibliotheque Nationale. Together with Pierre Dauvillier he constructed a very early electric instrument, like a species of the Ondes Martenot, which he called the "Croix Sonore." The instrument was consistently used in his works. Koussevitzky became interested in Obukhov's magnum opus, "La Livre de vie" ("The Book of Life"), and played the Prologue in 1926. The pianist Marie-Antoinette Aussenac de Broglie, who studied with Obukhov, became one of his most devoted and consistent proponents. There was little composition during World War II, but Obukhov codified his theories in a book, Traite d'harmonie tonale, atonale et totale. In 1949 he was injured in an attack by some hooligans and was unable to compose during his last five years.
Obukhov is important as a Russian composer who experimented very early with a species of 12-tone organization and electronic sounds, the first attempts going back to around 1914. He saw the twelve tones as a kind of total musical world, and therefore developed concepts such as control over intervals and nonrepeatability of notes. He created a special notation for accidentals, and also began to use a kind of maltese-cross rubber stamp to give him bar numbers, as his religious fervor increased over the years. The system of notation for accidentals which he claimed to invent (on July 8, 1915, according to his manuscript) also appeared in the music of Golyshev at approximately the same time, apparently independently. We have no way of knowing, at this stage, whether the two emigrés met. Most of Obukhov's manuscripts are prefaced with a diagram setting out the new notation, and giving the date of invention. I have made a copy of this in my own hand, giving English rather than French note names (Figure 21.1). An interesting volume, printing some standard and new works in this notation, was published by Durand in Paris (see works list below). Since Obukhov was happy


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Alberta's provincial cabinet grew by six today as Premier Rachel Notley announced an early 2016 cabinet shuffle. These appointments bring the size of Alberta's cabinet up to 19, which is larger than the initial 12 cabinet ministers appointed after the… Continue Reading →
With all the polls showing the 43-year long governing Progressive Conservatives trailing the NDP and Wildrose across the province, there could be a race to watch in every constituency in Alberta when the provincial election polls close at 8:00 p.m. tonight. Here are 12 races that… Continue Reading →
With the four provincial by-elections over, the focus will soon turn back to nominating candidates to stand in Alberta's next general election. The next election is scheduled to be held sometime between March 1 and May 31, 2016, but can be called earlier if… Continue Reading →
With most attention focused on Edmonton's mayoral election, it is important to remember there are a number of contest for City Council that could produce interesting results on election day. There are seven Wards that I will be keeping a… Continue Reading →
Scrambling to fill $55 million in missing funding for the proposed Katz Group downtown arena, City Councillors voted last week to postpone any final vote on financing the project. Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel won the support of enough Capital Region… Continue Reading →
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Treatment Centers in Fort Thompson
Browse top rated Fort Thompson treatment centers specializing in drug and alcohol addiction treatment. Get on the road to recovery by choosing the right treatment center in Fort Thompson, South Dakota.
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Click Here for a 10% Tuition Discount at the Master Samurai Tech Academy 05/24/2016Memorial Day Special: 10% tuition discount off any course or course bundle at the Master Samurai Tech Academy through the end of May! Enroll today and become a great tech!
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text: I live in Mumbai and just last month I purchased a Reliance Netconnect for internet service. The internet plan for which I had applied was to give me 3.1 Mbps of speed and 5 GB of data usage per month. But when I started using the internet, I realized that the speed of the internet was very low according to the mentioned 3.1 Mbps. I checked the speed and found that it was running at 1.3 Mbps. During middle of the week, this speed of internet went even low. When trying to find out the reason behind it, I found that I was actually using some other plan rather than what I had subscribed for. I contacted the Reliance customer care and talked about this problem with them. They said that they will need to check their database. After calling some two days later, they said that they will be sending their technician to verify the problem first had. But no one came till I called them again after three days. Even this call went in vain. Is there any other person who has faced problems due to bad customer care provided by Reliance?


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Simple Iced Tea
Total Time
Prep 2 mins
Cook 2 mins
I got this from Nathalie DuPree years ago. It's the best iced tea EVER, and keeps for weeks. The "20" servings is a guess. It depends on the size of your glass; how strong you like your tea; how much ice you use, etc.
Ingredients Nutrition
- 3 -4 tea bags
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- water (enough to fill your kettle)
- I use a little tea kettle for this. I put water in the kettle, and then add the tea bags and get the water to boiling. Take the kettle off the heat, and add the baking soda (it will foam over so make sure it's not over the burner or too full). Let it set and cool off.
- I put mine in a pitcher in the fridge (some times with ice; some times just as is). It's almost black in color, and very strong. You need maybe 1 tbs. in a glass of water/ice, depending on how strong you want your tea. It keeps, without having that nasty taste, for well over a week (i've actually kept it almost 2 weeks and it's still delicious). Just remember it's VERY strong, and you need very, very little added to your water.
Most Helpful
Couldn't be any easier!
this is really good tea! I have to say I was a little skeptical about using a tablespoon or two but believe it or not it is perfect! I made the tea just as bliss's recipe and will be making this way from now on. thanks bliss.
I love this tea! What a great recipe. It's easy to make and the best part is that it keeps for days in the refrigerator. I made a batch about a week ago and it still tastes wonderful. Thank you Bliss for posting this recipe. I'll be using it from now on to make iced tea.


text: More than 150 years ago early settlers depended on water-based transport to move goods and people giving birth to the Mosquito Fleet. Thanks to Kitsap Transit, visitors can still hop abroad the historic Carlisle II - from the original Mosquito Fleet still in in operation today. Runs weekdays between Bremerton and Port Orchard about every 30-minutes. $2 cash only. Click for schedule. Learn more about the Mosquito Fleet at the Kitsap County Historical Society & Museum and the Sidney Museum in Port Orchard.


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In transportation, sometimes it's the little thingsNovember 11, 2013
Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff
To rip off Former U.S. House Speaker and Massachusetts quote-machine Tip O'Neill, all transportation is local.
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A Sister's Story of Love, Murder, and Liberation
If I Am Missing or Dead
A Sister's Story of Love, Murder, and Liberation
That same spring Janine Latus was struggling to leave her marriage -- a marriage to a handsome and successful man. A marriage others emulated. A marriage in which she felt she could do nothing right and everything wrong. A marriage in which she felt afraid, controlled, inadequate, and trapped.
Ten weeks later, Janine Latus had left her marriage. She was on a business trip to the East Coast, savoring her freedom, attending a work conference, when she received a call from her sister Jane asking if she'd heard from Amy. Immediately, Janine's blood ran cold. Amy was missing.
Helicopters went up and search dogs went out. Coworkers and neighbors and family members plastered missing posters with Amy's picture across the county. It took more than two weeks to find Amy's body, wrapped in a tarpaulin and buried at a building site. It took nearly two years before her killer, her former boyfriend Ron Ball, was sentenced for her murder.
Amy died in silent fear and pain. Haunted by this, Janine Latus turned her journalistic eye inward. How, she wondered, did two seemingly well-adjusted, successful women end up in strings of physically or emotionally abusive relationships with men? If I Am Missing or Dead is a heart-wrenching journey of discovery as Janine Latus traces the roots of her own -- and her sister's -- victimization with unflinching candor. This beautifully written memoir will move readers from the first to the last page. At once a confession, a call to break the cycle of abuse, and a deeply felt love letter to her baby sister, Amy Lynne Latus, If I Am Missing or Dead is an unforgettable read.
- Simon & Schuster |
- 320 pages |
- April 2007
Reading Group Guide
In a memoir that is by turns harrowing and humorous, Janine Latus recounts both her own and her sister Amy's dealings with men, beginning with their father. From the traumatic childbirth experiences of their mother to the daily reminders from their father that their looks are what matter most, both Janine and Amy take away from their childhood's a sense that, as young women, they are unworthy, even sinful, by nature. In spite of their strength, intelligence, and strong bond with each other, both Janine and Amy find themselves trapped in relationships with abusive and controlling men. Fortunately, Janine is able to escape this cycle. Amy, however, does not.
If I Am Missing or Dead explores issues faced by all women in our society and particularly by those who have experienced physical or emotional abuse. Janine's story vividly illustrates the wide spectrum of abusive behavior and depicts the cycle of self-doubt that can lead smart, attractive women to remain in abusive relationships. If I Am Missing or Dead is also the story of a woman finding her voice and making sense of her own story: for herself, for her sister, for women everywhere.
Questions for Discussion:
1. Why do you think Janine chose to tell her own story alongside Amy's story?
2. Both Amy and Janine have troubled relationships with their bodies. While Amy see more