It's another New Year's Eve

It’s time for happy New Year wishes for everyone. This past year was much more dramatic and exciting than any of us could have imagined. I’m predicting 2009 will be more of the same: who knows what will happen next. If the one constant in the universe is change, after all the changes the universe is still constant. The sun still rises, the tides continue to follow the moon, birds will sing and flowers will bloom.  

 

The following will also happen 2009: 

 

Economists will be right in theory but wrong in practice 

Politicians will believe they are right today and right yesterday, even though they said two different things. 

Loose credit will be the fix for the economy that was broken by loose credit. 

Wives will annoy their husbands. 

Husbands will ignore their wives. 

Kids will ignore everyone in an effort to establish a new high score on the video game of the moment.  

People will ignore everything to view email on a PDA. 

Hurricane forecasters would be more accurate if they quoted Broadway show lyrics than use computer models. 

Movies will be released, and some of us might go see them. 

 

That covers the big stuff. Hope all you readers have/had a safe New Years Eve. See you (more often) in 2009!  

 

The countdown to Big 2

For about three weeks now I’ve been rolling over in my head what I wanted to place on the blog about the financial assistance that the Big 3 auto makers are looking for. I had to address how I feel about this, and complete some research that would go into supporting my opinion.

 

On the first item, here is the shortest version of my opinion. I’m offended and insulted buy this situation.

 

I’m offended because as a taxpaying US citizen, I have to ask “When will companies stop getting on line for their handout?” I’m a believer in the free market ideas, and when that means you have made bad decisions, you have to pay the price for them. If the price is standing up in front of your employees and saying “We made mistakes, they weren’t on purpose, and we are really sorry, but as of Monday we are out of business”, take it like a grown adult. Stop the stream of companies running to the government for their infusion of cash because they are too big to fail. It’s not about size, it’s about politics.

 

I recently completed my second college degree; an MBA with significant emphasis on business and global strategy. I’m insulted by the automakers because I know they have a lot of MBA’s at the top of their companies and they all are making the mistakes that MBA programs teach you address: innovation, leadership, strategy, brand management, and business communications. Right now these guys couldn’t get credit for like experiences or test out of a pre-requisite class. Bob Nardelli got tossed out of Home Depot and Alan Mullaly didn’t leave Boeing in the best of shapes. These two al least got the negotiations part right. Remember, Nardelli left HD with a huge package and Mullaly can afford the $1 salary with that signing bonus he got for joining Ford. Rick Wagoner just appalls me. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School. The HBS model for MBA studies is the cornerstone for MBA level instruction, including almost all the work I did for my MBA. I know the level of critical analysis that is expected. Rick and whoever reports to him have not been operating at that level. Maybe Rick should have kept up on his subscription to the Harvard Business Review.  For $109 a year, GM’s collapse could have been avoided.  

 

As for the second item on my list, my heart felt thanks goes out to John Helyar and Doron Levin at Bloomberg.com. Although not specifically for me, they did a lot of research into this situation and came out with this (Already Bankrupt GM Won’t be Rescued by U.S. Loan) excellent piece. Somebody has to do the hard work. I sure don’t have the time.

Seasons of Love

Thanksgiving for 2008 has come and gone. Although I have plenty to be thankful for this year having the super large lottery jackpot winning ticket would have been nice. Finishing a graduate degree, changing occupations, and taking on this blog just weren't satisfying enough.

 

It's all part of human nature, to want what you haven't got, to covet thy neighbor's cattle, to be in the other half of the world, to have the greener grass. Recently (and again) I was subject to family members (the people you can't really choose to avoid) complaining about not being born into rich families on wishing their last names were "Trump" or "Entenmann's", although I haven't heard anyone wish they were a "Ford" lately. Although there are a few rich families that aren't struggling now (the Johnsons come to mind, all those adhesive bandages made somebody very rich), somebody had to start the family empire. Why put energy into complaining who you aren't? Use that time and creativity to make yourself someone!

 

How do you measure a year? Give yourself the task of improving your position in one year. You have between today and this day next year to make yourself and your world better. I measured the year between Thanksgivings in web hits. Was it worth the effort? Every second How far have I come? Further than I would have come if all I did was complain about it. The journey of 1000 miles begins with buying a ticket for the bus ride.

 

Happy belated Thanksgiving! 

You don't know what you think you know.

Really, you have no idea until you take a test that you don’t know the things you need to know. Head on over to Intercollegiate Studies Institute American Civic Literacy Program Website http://americancivicliteracy.org/index.html  and take the 33 question test to find out how uninformed you are. All those things you were supposed to pay attention to up to the end of high school, they are coming back to haunt all of us now.

A pair of websites for you

Here are a pair of websites that bring a little fun to the economy.

 

Wallstrip  -  Where pop culture meets stock culture. It's a straight forward review of stocks that's the perfect length for the modern attention span.

 

Minyanville   - Animated stock market analysis, it's like CNBC meets Pixar, only funny and informative.

Keep Your Head in The Political Game

You may think this is a partisan website, but it is actually a great site for tons of information on the U.S. Government. Sign up for the weekly updates and stay informed. It will make you a better citizen. You may have just jumped on the bandwagon, but you will to do some work to stay there.

 

The White House - http://www.whitehouse.gov/  

I kid you not, this is a real show !

I’m sharing with all of you something I found a while searching through Comcast On Demand. I thought I was finding a cooking show, but what I really found was a “too hot for the Food Network” show. Oddly enough you can’t watch the episodes on the website, only on digital cable.

 

http://www.bikinibbqs.com/

 

youtube.com - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf1FxHYO5x0

 

Yes I'm retired

July 18, 2008

 

I am having the best week of my life. I am in mini-retirement.

 

You read that right. I am spending nine days retired. This opportunity came about because “luck favors the prepared”¹.

 

I received a great career opportunity that arrived with some flexibility. I moved on from my prior career with professionalism. While this is occurring I have some financial freedom.

 

With the change of jobs I had the chance to take a week off from any job for one week. For the last week in my old job, I was joking around and telling people I would be unemployed. Sounds like I just up and quit without a strategic plan. I wasn’t. In fact I am very excited about this career change.

 

Then I remember a chapter from a great book “The Four Hour Work Week”². The author writes about taking mini-retirements at multiple points over your working career. He provides numerous recommendations for why and how you should take these mini-retirements. My interpretation is this: the opportunity to control the transition time between stages of a career, relocation, or anything else in your life.

 

Why wait forty years for something that may not ever get here? Personal finances, health, family obligations, home ownership, business ownership. All of these are barriers to the “retirement years” that have been programmed into the collective mindset of society.  I’m not even talking about the fact any of us may not reach age 65. We may not be able to stop working at age 65. Go check the Medicare eligibility rules and ask anyone who just turned 65 years old. It’s an eye opening experience and those of not near Medicare eligibly age are in for a shock.

 

So for this week, I’ve been doing what I want to do: golf, shopping, nice lunch, catching up on the reading, even yard work. It all feels better knowing it is part of a development plan. When this is all done, I’ll be a better person. I’m feeling that already this week. The difference is so noticeable some people told me I should have taken three or four weeks off.

 

For my next mini-retirement, I will.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

1 – Edna Mode “The Incredibles” http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Incredibles

2 - http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/

 

Accountants do it with numbers.

I’m at a party, without my wife. I happen to start talking about my wife. Suddenly everyone wanted to know more about my wife. Where is she from? What does she cook for dinner? Would she wear open toe shoes with knee length skirts?

 

I’m at a business networking event. I happen to mention my wife. Everyone wants to know about her Network. What kind of organizations does she work with? What kind of charity work does she do? When will she be in Europe again?

 

I’m chatting with a business contact, who has never met my wife. They say to me “we are having an end of season party and we would love it if your wife could make it.” You can come along with her if you like!”

 

I was being interviewed by someone for a report they were doing. I have never met this person before. At the end of the interview, they look at my wedding ring and say “I see you are married, tell me about your wife?”

 

This has to be what’s like to be married to a supermodel. Who would want to talk about a guy when his wife is on the cover of multiple magazines at the same time? Are they that beautiful when they wake up in the morning? Do they cook? Do they get to take guests to those exotic locations?

 

My wife isn’t a supermodel, which she will gladly admit to. What seems to attract people’s interest is that she is an accountant.

 

That’s right, an accountant. The profession that put Al Capone behind bars. The people at the IRS you don’t want to talk to. The ones that can take a $4 billion dollar sale and turn it into a $6 billion dollar loss.  The characters played by Gene Wilder and Matthew Broderick the movie versions of “The Producers”. One of them.

 

When you become a dad, your existence becomes three tasks: put it together, clean it up, drive us someplace. Apparently somewhere along the line “task creep” set in and “pencil behind the accountant’s ear” was added to my world.

 

“Are going to the meeting with that thing in your hair?”

“Oh, sorry that’s just my husband. Good thing you noticed before the client got here.”

 

I’ve been wondering if I need a plan to try to resolve this. There are a few aspects about myself I’d like to discuss: my M.B.A, my successful diversified work experience, my hobbies and interests.

 

Then again, is being adding machine candy such a bad thing?

 

You have to love Bea Arthur ........

Bea Arthur deserves much more credit for her acting than she has ever received.

 

Sex and the City Parody http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMLITlAA0QM

A Little Something About The Price of Crude Oil.

I was going to do a lot of writing about gas prices. Instead I’m going to do a little writing and provide you with a few good links to follow up with.

 

The United States is not the center of the crude oil universe. As soon as we understand that, the better position we will be to manage our consumption and use of petroleum products. This is turn will lead to stability in the price of a gallon of gas. The relative supply and demand for a product will determine its price in the market.  We are not in control of the global supply or the global demand of a global commodity (crude oil). It’s going to be a real challenge for the US consumer, but we are a tough bunch and we will get through it.

 

CNN Topic Gas Prices - http://topics.cnn.com/topics/gas_prices

 

Petroleum Industry - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_industry , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum

 

Speculators affecting the price of oil - http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5800462.html

 

Oil Executives Testifying to Congress - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/23/business/worldbusiness/23oil.html#

 

Congress Votes to Stop Stockpiling Oil - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/14/business/14oil.html

 

What Does Gas Cost in Other Countries? - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12452503/

 

Oil Price History and Analysis - http://www.wtrg.com/prices.htm

 

 

 

Yes I can back it up.

I got an e-mail directly from someone who read my last blog post. He asked me to support my position regarding stock analysts not being all that smart. Check out this article “The New Math” by Jack Hough from the May 2008 issue of Smart Money magazine. His objective is to show how a new formula can predict stock prices. He has some great comments on what it takes to be a stock analyst.

 

So, bobbytwotimesgetthepapers@aol.com, take that!

I'm calling out the professional stock brokers ....

Here is my great revelation on the stock market. Nobody has any real clue what’s going on.

 

During my time working on my MBA, I realized a great expansion of my understanding of financial markets. I started actively watching the stock market. I expanded my financial education so that my own investments in the markets would have positive returns. I started investing this year with my own brokerage account.

 

My revelation is not shocking to the people similar to me: small individual investors. The professional investors will tell you otherwise, but I know better. Here are my reasons why I believe I’m right and most of the paid professionals are wrong.

 

ü      Analysts are not interested in the same metrics as executives. I believe analysts are interested in one main metric: net income.  However a company makes that bigger, so be it. Reduce expenses, grow sales, and increase prices.

ü      Expectations are the measuring stick. Watch what happens to a stock price when a company releases record earnings, but didn’t meet “the survey of the industry analysts.”  You try hitting a moving target.

ü      Investors want good news. Keep an eye on the Dow Jones Industrial Average on days when there is what investors would call good news. An example would be positive earnings report from a major company. A vast majority of these days the DJIA goes up.

ü      Stock brokers make their money when you buy. Seen anyone issue sell recommendation lately? Seen anyone issue a second sell recommendation? Every year there is at least one article about how lopsided the buy recommendations are to the sell recommendations.

 

What did I do? I grew my financial knowledge and developed my own style of investing. My theories are borrowed (if I like the person) or stolen (if I don’t like the person). I took inspiration from various other investors.  I recognized my own risk/reward level.

 

So far I’m a genius. My portfolio is up 13% in four months. Of course there is winner and a loser in the pile. I’m okay with that. It’s my call to buy, sell, and hold. I don’t have the boss standing behind be saying “The minute I laid eyes on you, I knew you were no good.”

 

Hopefully I’ll score big on my speculative play. Then I can update the blog every day!

 

I have a story for everything, the first one in free.

I have been told the following three things:

Recently by a manager at work:  “You do an excellent job effectively using stories and analogies to emphasize a point.”

Previously by friends: “Dude, you have a story for everything!”

In my past by my mother: “Would you get to the point already?”

 

So, I’m reading a small blurb in the Travel section of the Star-Ledger this week. Yankee Magazine’s 2008 Special Travel Guide has come out with its list of the top five New England Diners. Among the eateries is the Modern Diner, East Ave, Pawtucket RI.

 

Here is my story.  

 

NFL history shows the game between the New York Jets and the New England Patriots of November 28, 1993 as a final score of Jets – 6, Patriots – 3. It also shows the weather as a rainy, windy, 63 degree day.  Let me tell you the parts I remember. Fourteen years will erase only so much.

 

ü      The big weekend in Boston turning into leaving the night before because somehow no one on this trip was actually able to leave when we said we could.

ü      It was raining the night we left

ü      Leaving late because I went to “Joe’s house” instead of “Joe’s house”.

ü      Sitting in the back seat of a 1993 Ford Thunderbird with two other guys, my head on the speaker, and very loud Metallica on the radio.

ü      A fried shrimp platter at the Howard Johnson in Mystic CT (it’s raining while we are having dinner)

ü      Checking into a Days Inn in Pawtucket RI, where the key didn’t open the door to the room and the security guard had to let us in whenever we left the room.

ü      A lot of keys on the security guard’s key ring.

ü      The bars in Rhode Island closing before we checked into the room.

ü      Playing touch football in the hotel parking lot the next morning (still raining).

ü      Going for breakfast at the Modern Dinner. The greatest breakfast I ever had in my life.

ü      Arriving in the parking lot at Foxboro Stadium (still raining).

ü      The kickoff, when the rain suddenly morphed into freezing monsoon.

ü      Two field goals.

ü      My big winter coat I wore in preparation of the 30 degree snow storm that should have arrived in New England that day

ü      My water logged “Michelin Man” winter coat when the game was over.

ü      The waterfalls on the stairs and lakes in the concourses in the stadium

ü      Going back to the car when the 3^rd quarter was over.

ü      “Don’t get the inside of the car wet!”

ü      The rain stopping as soon as we pulled out of the parking lot.

ü      Making the trip home from the game in about two hours because the driver had a date that Sunday night.

 

You might think I didn’t like that trip. It’s more memorable to me than other trips and is discussed quite frequently among the attendees. Every time I’m out in a storm I’ll say “I haven’t seen a storm like this since my trek into hostile Patriots territory in 1993”.

 

Here is my free piece of philosophy from this story:  if you can take one lesson out of an adventure, it was an adventure worth having.

 

The next piece of philosophy will cost you fifty cents. I’ve got hosting charges to pay.

 

Imagine they had MBA degrees.

 

Just sharing a little something with everyone.

 

If you thought that bad management existed only in your own little world, check out this article from the LA Times of April 16, 2008. Span of control, accountability, delegation, expense reports, it’s all in here.

 

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-qaedaculture16apr16,1,4892591.story

  

For reference material to support this story, check out this report: http://www.ctc.usma.edu/harmony/pdf/CTCForeignFighter.19.Dec07.pdf  or http://www.ctc.usma.edu/

 

A Very Special Posting....

This has been an exciting spring for my oldest son and me. I assembled his first baseball bounce-back. I taught him how to make the alligator with his glove and his hand. Tomorrow I’ll take him to his first baseball practice. Actually it’s tee-ball. He is going to be six years old this summer. And I’ve been having those thoughts that parents have at this point in their child rearing years. “Where did that little baby that I brought home from the hospital go to?”

 

For me, this thought goes a little deeper. All of my children were born premature. My first one arrived eight weeks early. He spent 28 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. When we brought him home from the hospital we had an apnea monitor and a prescription for caffeine. That was to make sure that his heart was beating and he wouldn’t forget to breathe. That little boy needed to be held and walked around the room for fifteen minutes before he would fall asleep and stay asleep.

 

My second child, a girl, arrived three weeks early. She was the short-timer, spending only ½ a day in the NICU. She didn’t bring any extras home with her. She would hit me in the chin with her bottle when I fell asleep holding her. Today she is almost four years old. I think she is four years old, she acts likes an inquisitive fourteen year-old. I have some long years ahead of me dealing with her.

 

My third and final child, another boy, arrived four weeks early and spent 10 days in the NICU. This time my wife and I are old pros. The Pulse-Ox needs to read 95 or higher, the purple light is for the jaundice, turn off your cell phones when you come into the ward. He just turned two years-old. He thinks he’s six. He can eat an entire hamburger.

 

We were lucky. Our three children show no signs of being premature. The experiences we had serve as reality checks on a daily basis. There are a great many people who did not get or do not have any healthy premature babies.

 

Our family is actively involved with the March of Dimes. The mission of this charitable organization is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Today roughly 12%, or 1 in 8, of babies born in the United States are born premature.

 

On April 27, the March of Dimes will have their yearly March For Babies fundraiser. I have provided a couple of links below for you to find out more information on this. I hope that you are moved to support their cause or take part in a March of Dimes event.

 

This isn’t for my children. My family isn’t involved for our own good. This is for someone else’s unborn children. Today, tomorrow, and after that.

 

Thanks for your time.

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The March of Dimes Home Page - http://www.marchofdimes.com/

The March For Babies Home Page - http://www.marchforbabies.org/#

Make a contribution to the March For Babies through our family’s involvement - http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?si=&w=201001652&u=team_ey

Check out this video for additional information about the March For Babies - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ1CsZbjY0g

Facts about premature birth from Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premature_birth

 

 

 

 

 

Poetry Rocks !

I have a special announcement. Based on overwhelming feedback, the poetry page on my website www.robertraber.com will get its first posting on Friday April 4, 2008.

 

My poetry was launched the way most people’s poetry is launched: high school senior year creative writing class. The assignment was “write five original pieces of poetry.” Pretty simple stuff eh? Of course I got an A on the assignment. I was on the honor roll in high school.

 

Over the years I went back and created more poems. At one point I had enough to compile a book. Okay it was a half-inch three ring binder with a group of plastic sleeves holding a print out of each poem. I even went so far as to do some typesetting so each poem and a “look and feel” on the page. I titled it “Random Emotions From An Over-Worked Mind”.

 

Let me frame your expectations for this original poetry. None of this stuff is remotely Maya Angelou, Billy Collins, Robert Frost, or Henry David Thoreau. It will never be required reading along with Beowulf, the Divine Comedy, or The Canterbury Tales. Don’t look for a sonnet, a pantoum, or a villanelle. Some of it will make you snicker and most of it will make you say “Yikes I didn’t know Robert was such an emotional wreck”. I’ll include a brief snapshot of what, when, or who was the muse behind each submission. This way I don’t have to do any explaining later.

 

For me the biggest question I found in reviewing the pieces was “what happened to that guy?” I mean this in the sense of the things that you lose over time: innocence, adventure, improvisation, desire, courage. The feelings that you get when you listen to “Born to Run” while going over the Driscoll Bridge. (This reference placed to meet the requirements of residing in New Jersey. If I was living in Canada, I would have quoted “Red Barchetta”).

 

I don’t write near as much poetry as I once did. It’s been at least a year since any kind of new composition. Hopefully posting some items from the vault will bring about new inspiration. I promise to share it with all of you.

 

Feel free to send me any questions about the pieces. Hope you enjoy them.

 

(I did not provide any links in this posting on purpose. Go Forth and Search!)  

 

 

 

 

Financial Education

I’m a bystander to all this housing market stuff going on these days. I’m not trying to buy or sell a house. I’ve got a mortgage with a locked in interest rate and income that will cover the payments. None of my investments are in any mortgage backed securities. But I am very concerned with what is going on, and not for the reasons one might guess.

 

I could talk all day about predatory lending, agreeing to unaffordable re-payment terms and rates, excessive leveraging of investments, or whatever else could be brought into this subject. My view is that all of this is another example of a lack of financial education in our society.

 

I still to this day can hear something my father said a lot when I was a kid.

 

“When you get a job, make sure it has good hospitalization.”

 

Not really the best financial education. He really should have been telling me this:

 

“When you get a job, invest some money into an asset that will provide you a consistent stream of income into the future.”

Or

“When you negotiate your mortgage, make sure the deal favors you, and not the bank.”

Or

“Anyone can get paid for how much they sweat. Get paid for how much you know.”

 

These are all examples of a sound financial education we need to learn and to teach. For me it wasn’t until I was married, with a family, and in the midst of a graduate education that it hit me that I did not have a financial education. Not really the best time and place to learn that. Since then I’ve worked very hard on improving my financial knowledge. I’m not talking about knowing when my credit card payment is due. I can set up an automatic electronic transfer to take care of that. I mean having understanding that disposable income spent paying down debt takes away from the opportunities to invest for future income. The other day I was very excited when an interest rate on a loan I have adjusted with the most recent Federal Reserve cut.  Why? Not because any new balance would have a lower rate, but because my future payments would allocate a greater amount to reducing the principal than to interest. It was like a party in my wallet! It felt really good to know that this was getting me closer to financial independence.

 

Luckily, I don’t personally know anyone who may be losing their home. Maybe they just won’t talk about it with me. I believe that they have the financial knowledge to keep them out of that position, and if they wanted to talk about it I’m here for them.

 

I have three small children. They aren’t ready for any of these things now. But my oldest child is excited every day to know that Daddy’s stock portfolio is up or down. He likes to tell people “when the people at the hot dog store (Costco) do good things, Daddy makes money”. I’d like him to remember that we talked about things like that.

 

Here is my advice on anyone else’s financial education. Go get one. Get it from wherever you can. It’s not in one book, one class, or one seminar. This is because everyone needs a financial education for their own level of risk. You need to know a few things, like how to get a better interest rate from the credit card company. But if you don’t have the stomach for the Dow Jones gyrations, you don’t need to have an in-depth knowledge of trading options.

 

Take a little time, take stock of what you know, and then ask yourself if you want to know more. You will be surprised by the answers.

 

Some of my financial education resources: Rich Dad, Poor Dad; The 4 Hour Work Week; Jim Cramer’s Real Money; The Wall Street Journal; CNNMoney; Google Finance; Bloomberg Radio/TV; Fox Business; CNBC.

 

Merry Holidays to anyone who blogs!

So it’s a Monday afternoon and I’m on my way home from work and I’m wondering what to write about for the blog this week. I walk into the door and my wife says to me “Did you hear about Eliot Spitzer and the prostitute?”
JACKPOT BABY! For every blogger, comedy writer, radio show host, talk show host, this is every holiday rolled up into one. Since this blog is about me, here are my three main thoughts about this.
Since I live in New Jersey, I’m just happy that this scandal did not involve out governor for a change. Jon Corzine chalks up one controversial subject a month (click here) Christie Whitman had her share (click here) Richard Codey was a good guy caught but got caught up in a spat (click here) and of course there is the ongoing saga of Jim McGreevey (wikipedia, not wikipedia) and his wife Dina Matos (most recent divorce update). It’s really unfortunate given the great people I have met here in New Jersey, that as a state we don’t always elect the best candidates. This time the residents of some other state get to take the verbal beating. Until this news item came out.
I work in the insurance industry, one of the many that Eliot Spitzer took aim at when he was Attorney General. I’ll admit, I’m feeling a little schadenfreude right now. Maybe he felt above the law, maybe he thought he wouldn’t get caught, maybe he rationalized that this behavior was okay. When you are in the spotlight for any reason, there are people who want to sour the spotlight. Reality stars will have naked pictures posted on the web. Actors will have addiction problems, politicians will have sexual escapades. There are a lot of people who smiled when they heard this news. The biggest parties are on Wall Street.
I am really starting to wonder about the female role models this world is developing. Mrs. Spitzer, Mrs. McGreevy, heck even Hillary Clinton, are standing behind their husbandsduring the time of crisis. Where are the women who should be smacking their husbands in the back of the head and saying “Take off you hoser”. It’s okay to forgive the act, but can you forgive being stupid? When is a woman going to stand up and demand some r-e-s-p-e-c-t? Are we going to be left with the woman from The Moment of Truth? Yikes!
Thanks again for stopping by. As always post your comments. Next week I'll be back on track for subject I have planned.

In my own mind I’m never late for work.

You came back for more? Great! So did I!

First, an announcement about the blog. The Robert Blog is now appearing in two locations: www.blog.robertraber.com and http://the-robert-raber-blog.blogspot.com/. It’s the same content in both places so feel free to access it from either site. Also, you should find the subscribe link on this page (look down or look to the left) and set instant notification of when the blog is updated. That will get you back here sooner rather than later.

I received some great feedback regarding the blog. Please continue to feel free to send along your comments and support. Some of the comments I received were recommendations about what subject to discuss next. Always feel free to post your comments directly on the blog itself.

Recently I was over at www.linkedin.com and was posting answers to questions when I stumbled across this one “Would you show up to work on time if it increased your chance for success??” (permalink) Of all the different ways you could look at this question, here is my thought. It doesn’t matter how many hours you put in, it matters the ideas you bring in. It’s not because Henry Ford took five years to make an assembly line work, or because Ray Kroc spent his life growing McDonalds. Their success was from having an idea that was able to strategically change their industry. Did it really matter if they came to work at 10:00 AM? When your responsibilities are critical analysis or strategic transformation or sales leads, which is more important: that you contribute to the success of the company, or that you spent 40 hours in week developing a plan? In the information age with mobile devices I’m sure there are already people doing their entire jobs waiting on lines at amusement parks. With the opportunities for telecommuting, remote employees, and virtual teams many people don’t even need to go to work these days. Let me fill you in on something about Voice over Internet Protocol systems (VoIP). I’m keeping this example really simple. The phone plugs into the computer. The computer plugs into the network. Does it matter where in the world the computer is? Wherever I am, that’s were my phone rings. From a management perspective I love VoIP. Makes business continuation plans very easy to design.

It is unfortunate that throughout my career I have seen, and continue to see, credit given to employees who work longer hours than others. This actually goes against everything I have been taught and learned myself as a manager. There are employees who come in early, work through lunch, and are the last ones out of the office. What do I think of this group? They can’t prioritize their work or eliminate time bandits; they have no work life balance; they are working harder instead of smarter. Or, to think even worse thoughts, they might be trying to take advantage of the workplace or might already be taking part in something a manager needs to know about.

I am not advocating we all go to work for only five minutes tomorrow. The workplace needs to have operating hours to be productive. Planes fly, trucks drive, customers call and place their orders. There are designated start and end times for multiple shifts everyday. You are risking your job if you are 30 minutes late everyday. Getting to work on time will help you keep your job. I believe, and I want to nurture this as a member of management, that an employee’s knowledge and ability far outweighs the fact they are always 15 minutes early for work.

As always thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit my sites:

www.robertraber.com www.rjrabersports.com

Venti black iced-tea with classic sweetener, and one piece of the lemon loaf.....

Today I’m going to write about Starbucks, and never mention coffee.
I have always enjoyed Starbucks both the company, and consuming their products. When Starbucks’ strategy was to be “your third place” (first place being home and second place being work), things were going well for Starbucks. They have been credited for taking a basic commodity beverage and making it a premium item (insert you own joke about $3.50 lattes here). I believe their true success was taking coffee from an “on the go and sipped from a blue cup from the diner” into “sit down and enjoy your time”. They created true customer based brand equity. I went to Starbucks because I felt good about having a Starbucks beverage. It was an enjoyable experience, and I was willing to pay the premium for that experience. I think they may have opened a few too many stores, but a lot of companies would like to have their sales volume.
On day I noticed that the customer service at Starbucks was declining. Okay that’s being nice. The customer service tanked. I would order a venti no-fat hot chocolate, a black iced tea with classic sweetener, or a Grande vanilla bean blended crème (based on the season of course). For about a year, in any location I went into, I really had no idea what I was going be served. I tried; I went to multiple locations across multiple states. I did drive-thru, store front locations, airport kiosks, even the shops inside Target and Stop-and-Shop. The service was going downhill. After six calls to customer service and being sent free beverage coupons, I just gave up going to Starbucks.
As a company they are having additional challenges. I’ve read the articles and heard the analysts:  they removed the fresh ground beans and the smell of fresh beans is why people came to Starbucks; they started making sandwiches which made them more like fast food places; the weather was warm and more cold beverage orders means more prep time and longer waits; they shouldn’t go into movies and music.
Those are attempts at expanding the brand equity. The strategy people are supposed to develop line extensions and category extensions. Somewhere along the line the customer service aspect was lost. You remember when they used to call out your beverage?
I’m writing this in the Starbucks in Somerset, NJ. I had not been in this Starbucks in about a year and wandered in the other day. They have completely re-modeled; I love the display board with the music they are playing. Most of all I got the drink I ordered, and made properly. I always wondered how people were able to foul up iced tea. I wanted to sit here and have an experience. Exactly the feeling Starbucks would want me to have.
I see this company doing the right things for the customers, their procedures, and their investors. Today is my third trip back to this Starbucks location. They got my order right, promptly, and friendly. I noted that the area behind the counter was reorganized and supported the customer service process. The company’s commitment to controlling expansion and adjusting staff, those things will make stock analysts happy. Once the free wireless access arrives, I’ll have a place to go for lunch everyday. Starbucks is working its way back to being the third place, for me and for a lot of their fans.

So I thought I would talk a little bit about why my favorite websites are my favorite websites. (If you are viewing this blog on blogper.com, hit the link to the right to go to my site.)
For the most part, I already enjoyed these subjects, before they had a website. For some, the site is a way I stay connected to the things I enjoy.
Rockapella – This five member acapella vocal group has gone though a few personnel changes over the years, but the sound has always been amazing. To really appreciate their sound you need to experience them live. The show is an incredible performance with just enough interplay with the audience that you feel like you are in their living room for a private show.
RUSH – There are three idols in Canada – Ice Hockey, Molson Beer, and this band. I’m sure you know “Tom Sawyer” and “Closer to the Heart”. If that is it, you need to get back to listening to their music. They are on tour again this spring/summer, so you have a chance to see them live.
The Walt Disney Company Home Page – I love this company, and not just because the theme parks are magical. Brand management, cross-selling, development of new characters, entertainment channels, a presence in so many industries. I can’t get enough of it.
Tikiman.com – When I travel to Walt Disney World in Florida, I always stay at the Polynesian Resort. This site (unofficial of course) brings a lot of the resort into my everyday. It’s worth it just to browse.
Staying on the Disney theme, if you are a fan of the Walt Disney World Resort you need to check out The WDW Radio Show. This is a weekly podcast covering news, rumors, interviews, trivia, and a few surprises. Like potato chips, you can’t listen to just one.
The March Of Dimes – O.K. here is the reality check, but not in a bad way. Premature birth affects anyone. This site will allow you to help out.
Haven’t we had enough of social networking sites? Check out linkedin.com, networking that is oriented to careers and business. No chance of an inappropriate picture getting posted here.
Visit my fantasy football site - r.j. raber sports. I’m leveraging my sports knowledge to satisfy my entrepreneurial side.
So that’s it in brief. Check them out, and send me recommendations of you favorites. To access the sites, click here.

Let Eli be Eli

For this week’s post I had a whole bunch of subjects in mind. Then the NY Giants went and won the Super Bowl. So I changed my mind on what I wanted to write about.
I read a great book about team building. It’s called The Five Dysfunctions of a Teamand it was written by Patrick Lencioni. While watching the Giants through the playoffs and the Super Bowl, I was not thinking about this book. I was doing a lot of jumping and fist pumping in the living room. And I enjoyed every second of this run to the championship. In the last three days, with all the hindsight being done on this football season, I noticed that these Giants came together in the manner described in the book.
Back around last Thanksgiving I was talking to a fellow Giants fan. The conversation went something like this:
Me: I think the Giants need to consider moving on from EliMy friend: Let Eli be Eli.
The key for me was when I watched the Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys. Eli Manning led a scoring drive at the end of the first half. At that moment it came to me: Eli needs to be Phil Simms (comparatively speaking). The Giants will always be a ball control and defense oriented team. They need a quarterback who can control the offense, make the right decisions, get first downs, find the open man, and don’t turn the ball over. That’s the system and he fits it. Suddenly I realized this team will be successful.
I’m sure you are wondering how I related this to a book about team building. Every successful sports franchise is successful at team building. For me I could not miss the parallels to the Five Dysfunctions book. I do not want to tell you (and probably can’t for legal reasons) everything in the book. It’s a book that really needs to be read to appreciate. I will pass along this. What I saw in this Giants team was true commitment to the plan. They believed in their coaches, their players, their skills. The fans doubted at times, that’s what fans do. The media doubted at times, they get paid to do that. This organization made a decision and stayed with it. As a fan, I showed my appreciation by buying my commemorative shirt on Tuesday.
Check out the book for great ideas on Team Building.
Feel free to post any team building book recommendations of you own.

Welcome

Many years ago, before the information age really got started, I remember a small news story. A man who was having trouble finding a job self produced a television commercial and bought some advertising time. His intention was to sell himself so he could get a job. The spot was going to run during some odd overnight hour when ad time was cheap. This was such an interesting story that the local news channel featured it in a brief segment during the 11:00 PM newscast.
I have no idea what happened to the guy. He probably wasn’t the only person to have done it. I thought of this story during the past few weeks while starting to assemble this website. Today we are surrounded by personal brands: video sharing sites, networking sites, web logs, text messages, reality shows, reality shows featuring people from other reality shows. The objective is to strategically develop your personal brand. It needs to attract attention, resonate with consumers, and have transferable equity. Most people don’t even know they are nurturing this environment. Which way do you view “twittering”: as a way to know what your friends are up to, or as an opportunity to send a brand message?
We have been in this “branding age” for quite some time. In the 1980’s we were living in a material world. The 1990’s were the beginnings of the digital age. This decade I’m calling the “branding age”. This is about calculating your value and having consumers purchase your goods and services. This is as simple as changing your view of employment. “My employer is buying my services. I am going to find a customer that will pay a premium price for my product attributes.” It took me about five minutes to realize that my brand is undervalued. I don’t mean “I’m not paid enough at my present job”. As a brand, which is every attribute I have, I am not being rewarded in every manner I could be.
This blog, along with my website, is my opportunity to dive into the branding age. To reach out to everyone (potential customers) and present my knowledge and skills (brand attributes). If successful, I’ll be a case study in Kevin Lane Keller’s customer-based brand equity pyramid. If not, then I’ll be a different case study. Either way, future MBA candidates will be saying “I have to read that Robert Raber case for class tomorrow night.” I would call that brand management.
Check back in about a week for my next post. The plan is for each post to be on something different. Feel free to comment on the blog. Thanks for stopping by.