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Hey, even though we’re in the midst of serious change… it never hurts to stop every now and then to smell the onions!

So once again the sun sets on yet another exciting month here at the Zone. Thrills, chills, spills – and that’s just what happened at MY desk! Just imagine what else has been going on out there…

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen – it’s that time of the month once again (no, silly, not that time of the month); the time has come for another exciting edition of… OOB!

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How to Know Your Wife is Trying to Kill You Dept.

Man, talk about your heavy sleepers! A Florida man woke up with a headache so severe he asked his, ahem, darling loving wife to drive him to the hospital. Naturally, they popped him into an X-ray machine which revealed (much to the man’s surprise)… a bullet in the head? Yikes! (Click on photo for larger view… if you’re not squeemish!)

Anyhoo, in a brilliantly-planned move obviously planned to avert suspicion, the man’s wife immediately jumped up and fled the hospital in a panic. But not to worry, folks, she didn’t get far. A quick search of their home revealed the weapon, whereupon she confessed (i.e., she cracked like an egg), claiming she “accidentally” shot him while he was sleeping. Um… yeah, sure, whatever.

Fame and Fortune Dept.

Have you ever wanted to be so rich and famous that you made it to the cover of Wired Magazine? Well, have I got a deal for you! Now, you don’t even have to be rich OR famous to get there – you can put yourself, along with the headlines of your choice on a Wired Magazine cover all by yourself! Give it a try! (Click on photo for larger view… but send the children out of the room first!)

Amaze your friends! Impress your co-workers! Play a joke on a family member! To be the first on your block to have their mug on a magazine cover, have the digital photo of your choice ready, then go to this site. But please… be nice. (Thanks to my buddy Dennis McMullin)

Blame it on Global Warming Dept.

It used to be the atom bomb. Then it was the internet. Now all manner of evil things are being blamed on the latest big hot button issue: global warming (sound of terrified scream). Yep, next time you see a stray cat wandering the streets, blame it on global warming. Too many Scottish grey seals? Global warming (once again, with feeling - terrified scream). Not enough prostitutes in Bulgaria? Yep, you guessed it: global warming (sound of - well, you know).

Hey, why not? Personally, I think the phenomenon called global warming is essentially a no-win debate. I mean, for every proponent on one side, no matter what their credentials, there are always equal or better on the other.

But that’s not even the point. Maybe it’s just me, but doesn’t it seem pretty silly to blame everything on it?

Dept. of Stupidity

A 20-year-old Estonian blind man was arrested while driving his car the other day. Yep, you read it right; he’s blind. Not only that, but this is the second time it’s happened! The story goes on to say that not only was he drunk, but there were three people in the car giving him directions. So who’s the most stupid person in this story?

Now, of course, the police want to confiscate his car. Gee, ya think? Oh, the inhumanity! (Click on photo for larger view.)

What’s My Lion? Dept.

Further proof that if there’s something you like doing; something that really gives you a thrill, whatever you do, don’t try to make a business of it! That giant whooshing noise you hear might just be all the fun being sucked out of it.

A fellow named Scott Mueller, of Baraboo, Wisconsin (wouldn’t you just love to be able to say, “I’m from Baraboo?” I just love that name!) is finding that out the hard way after finally achieving his childhood dream of being a lion-tamer. The worst and hardest part of the job is (sound of drum roll) the paperwork! Um, is anybody out there surprised?

Seems there are about a million forms and documents involved in the day-to-day mundane activities of such a profession. I mean, you got your dangerous predator forms, your travel document forms, your health code forms (for the lion, not for him; one can assume that if a lion-tamer is still upright, he must be OK) for practically every county he has to pass through, etc., etc., ad nauseum.

But before you go “Aww, that’s a shame”, I have to tell you that in my humble opinion, when it comes to complaints Scott hasn’t got a leg to stand on (and no, it’s not ‘cause it got eaten!) Wanna know what he used to do? He was, er, um, in the insurance business.

Dept. of Self-Promotion

Did you know there’s a new installment of OOB every month? Yes indeedy! So if you’re interested in an even bigger helping of the strange, the unusual, and the just plain whacko (that is, as opposed to extraordinary whacko), you might want to check out previous editions.

Hey, it’s easy! Just go to the categories list over there on the left and click on “OOB“. In fact, I double-dog dare you! (But don’t say I didn’t warn you.)

(By the way, if you have any great suggestions for future OOB items, by all means drop me a line at rhruzek@sbcglobal.net. If I use one of your suggestions, I’ll mention your name and link to you.)

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

Welcome, my friends, to another enlightening edition of Great Quotes, a monthly compendium of, well, great quotes collected from all over.

Hey, since we’re in the middle of our What I Learned From… Change group writing project, perhaps you can use them as inspiration for changing something in your own life! I think you’ll agree they may even impart a bit of wisdom – along with a bit of fun.

So, if you find yourself searching for some encouragement, inspiration or perhaps even just a chuckle or two, you’ve come to the right place! Check these out:

• The truth that makes men free is for the most part the truth they do not want to hear. – Herbert Agar
• I have enough money to last me the rest of my life, unless I buy something. – Jackie Mason
• You can’t have everything. Where would you put it? – Stephen Wright
• A short saying oft contains much wisdom. – Sophocles
• Give me the luxuries of life and I will gladly do without the necessities. – Frank Lloyd Wright
• The price of freedom of religion, or of speech, or of the press, is that we must put up with a great deal of rubbish. – Robert Jackson
• So much of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to work. – Peter Drucker
• If the phone doesn’t ring, it’s me. – Jimmy Buffet
• A wise man can see more from the bottom of a well than a fool can from a mountaintop. – Unknown
• If we don’t change direction soon, we’ll end up where we’re going. – Professor Irwin Cory
• Character is what you have left when you’ve lost everything you can lose. – Evan Eser
• The shortest distance between two points is always under construction. – Noelie Altito
• The difference between a violin and a viola is a viola burns longer. – Victor Borge
• The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lighting bug. – Mark Twain
• Never be afraid to laugh at yourself, after all, you could be missing out on the joke of the century. – Dame Edna Everage
• I have learned to use the word “impossible” with the greatest caution. – Wernher von Braun
• You probably wouldn’t worry about what people think of you if you could know how seldom they do. – Olin Miller
• Don’t accept rides from strange men, and remember that all men are strange. – Robin Moran
• Ethics are so annoying. I avoid them on principle. – Darby Conley
• An adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an annoyance wrongly considered. – G. K. Chesterton
• The glory of great men should always be measured by the means by which they acquired it. – Francois de La Rochefoucauld
• The prime purpose of eloquence it to keep other people from talking. – Louis Vermeil
• The doctor can bury his mistakes but an architect can only advise his client to plant vines. – Frank Lloyd Wright

And finally, if you’re one of the millions out there who ever said to themselves, “Selves, I think I’ll write a book!”, well here’s some wonderfully unsolicited advice from Edward Gibbon:

• Unprovided with original learning, unformed in the habits of thinking, unskilled in the arts of composition, I resolved to write a book.

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

WELL!

I seem to’ve gone and put my foot in it this time, haven’t I (sound of stepping in something soft and squishy)! Now that I’ve challenged y’all to change something, I guess I’m gonna have to do the same, aren’t I?

Now if you’re wondering what I’m talking about, well, you’ll just have to go back and read these two posts (I promise it won’t hurt a bit):

• Don’t Just Sit There, Change Something!
• Special Edition: What I Learned From Change

So, are ya ready? Hmmm… perhaps I sense a bit of uncertainty? Hey, no problem, Dr. Bob has just the prescription! To help get things rolling this week, I thought reviewing a few of my old posts about change might be just the ticket to get things rolling. Perhaps a few words of inspiration might help kick things off, don’t you think?

• First of all, here’s one I wrote while at SOBCon07 back in May. In Find Your Passion, Change a Life, I share a little about Director Tom, and how he used film to change several students’ lives. A truly inspirational fellow!
• In Here Be Dragons, I mused a bit about folks who simply refuse to get out of their familiar part of town (a comfort zone if there ever was one) and see what the rest of the world has to offer. It’s about comfort zones gone really bad!
• Here’s a little something called Invisible Changes about how changes can sneak up on you without notice.
• Ever been delayed at an airport? You might appreciate Change the World: A Word of Encouragement, about how much effect a simple word or two can have on someone under pressure.
• Then there’s Change the World: Sensitivity about a really, really smart waiter.
• Finally, check out Comfort Zones, and Other Impediments to see if you’re right-thumbed or left-thumbed. Believe me, you’re gonna wanna know!

Well, that ought to be enough to get things going. Remember, you have plenty of time (unless you’re a procrastinator; in which case I, er, have a suggestion about something you might want to consider changing), but whatever you do, don’t wait too long!

Hey, we’re out to change the world, and the world is counting on YOU!

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

Note from the Proprietor: This is part 2 of a 2-part post (see yesterday’s post for part 1)

All righty then! Now that everyone within the reach of my voice has decided to change something in their lives (uh, you have made that decision, haven’t you?), I’d like you to do one further thing (sound of groaning). Don’t worry, it’s simple! Besides, if you’re a blogger, you’re doing it already.

How about writing a post about it? Yep, you read it right, folks! This officially kicks off September’s What I Learned From… project! And, because it’s such a powerful topic this time, instead of a week, you have an extra 10 days (that’s 17 days, folks!) to come up with your entry. Could it get any better than that?

So, your challenge, should you decide to accept it, is to a) make a change (big or small, no matter - as long it gets you out of a comfort zone), then b) write about your experience (sure, you just started, but so what?)

You’ve got plenty of time, too: you have until midnight CST (-6 GMT) on Sunday, September 9th to get your entry submitted. And by the way, to make this month’s project even more effective, I would humbly ask that those who are willing please publicize this on your sites. (If you choose to do so, please let me know and I’ll toss a few more links your way! Everybody wins!)

Here’s all you have to do to participate:

1. Write a new post on your blog with a reference to THIS POST (uh, the one you’re reading now). There are no limits to the number of words you can use, so feel free to be as eloquent (or concise) as you like. C’mon, show off if you like!
2. Title your post “What I Learned From __________” (and, um, don’t forget to fill in the blank)
3. Send me an email (rhruzek@sbcglobal.net) containing your name, the title of your post, and the permalink of the post. (I usually see trackbacks, but this will make sure I don’t miss it.)

That’s it! I will post the entire list of entries on Monday, September 10th.

As always here at the Zone, there are just two simple rules guidelines:

1. For the sake of the general blogging audience, please keep it G-Rated. Please note: this is a request, not a demand, since after all it’s your blog and you can do what you want. (However, fair warning: I reserve the right to link to you or not.)
2. Be nice.

So, just tell me about what you did, why you did it, and what happened; you know, that sort of thing. As usual, I’ll compile everyone’s posts into one grand list. Just think! You’ll change your life, share the experience, maybe change the world, and get some link love out of it too! Other than getting’ paid for it (*sigh*). Hey, what more could a blogger writer ask?

(Oh, lest I start hearing outraged cries of, “Hey, Robert! What have you changed lately to get out of your comfort zone?” – well, I just started a new business that saves people money on their energy bills, and can show them how to earn a residual income from electricity. It’s something I’ve only casually mentioned about 10,000 times now.)

C’mon y’all! Together, we can change the world!

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

Note from the Proprietor: This is part 1 of a 2-part post. Tune in tomorrow for part 2

Are you predictable? What I mean is, do people who know you occasionally think they know what you’re about to do or say? And are they right? Now, follow me on this one… Has something like this ever happened to you?

In the engineering business, there are generally two types of employees: direct or contract. Direct employees work directly for the company, while contract employees are basically temporary help, usually hired via some agency or job shop.

The thing to keep in mind is that due to the nature of the business, contractors are well-known to be an independent and somewhat… um (let’s see, how can I put this?) well, mobile bunch, depending on factors like the work environment (”What, no free donuts? I’m outta here!”), hourly rates (“Hey, I hear So-and-So down the street is paying $0.50 more an hour, plus free donuts! I’m outta here!”), or even personal reasons (“Whaddaya mean I can’t have that day off? I’m takin’ my donuts and I’m outta here!”)

OK, I was a contractor myself for quite a few years, and well, maybe it wasn’t quite that bad (at least, not most of the time). BUT (and that’s a pretty BIG ‘but’!) it’s still true that engineering contractors as a group do have something of a reputation.

Many years ago, Joe (another older experienced piping designer) and I were asked to travel to our job site the following week in order to take measurements and make field sketches. Naturally, we had to take a few things with us, so on the Friday before the trip, we left work burdened down with briefcases, drawings, and sketchpads.

At the airport on Monday morning Joe told me a funny thing that happened to him when he got home from work on Friday. As he went into the house, his 16-year old son happened to notice he had his briefcase with him. His son just looked at him, shook his head and said, “What’d you do, Dad? Drag up again?”

After we had a big laugh over that, Joe’s final comment was, “Well, obviously I’ve been a contractor too long!”

So, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, here’s the question once again: Are you getting too predictable? Hmmm… let’s try putting it another way. Are you stuck in a rut? A comfort zone? Has your life become just too… comfortable?

Here’s the thing.

(Warning! Long sentence alert!) Having become inspired by Liz’s Change the World series, and in light of a couple of my own recent posts (Comfort Zones, and Other Impediments and Immortality, and Making a Difference), plus one from a while back (A Light in the Darkness), and prompted by a comment Joanna Young left the other day (bless her pea-pickin’ little heart!), it’s now time for me to do my part in making a difference (sound of Donald Duck muttering, “Uh-oh!”).

THE CHALLENGE

I’m issuing a challenge (sound of terrified screams) to everyone within the reach of my words (which to my continual amazement, pretty much stretches across the entire planet – see that ClustrMaps thingie in the right sidebar). I’ll warn you though - should you decide to accept it, you just may end up changing your life – and possibly someone else’s!

OK, is everybody ready? Here it comes!

The short version: Change something!

Got it? What, not clear enough for you? OK, then just to make absolutely sure you understand it completely, I’ll let you have the long version as well.

The long version: Change something now!

Well, perhaps just a little longer version might help a bit? Hey, no problemo!

Here’s what I want you to do: Take a look at your life and identify places where you’ve gotten into a rut; places where your comfort zone is making life so smooth, it’s now very hard to do anything different (and if you say you don’t have any, well, I’ll believe you – but practically no one else will!)

Then, I want you to deliberately change something about that situation. And, just to make it fun, do it cold turkey; don’t try to analyze or agonize over it, just… do it!

C’mon y’all! We can change the world!

(Don’t forget - tune in tomorrow for part 2 of this 2-part post.)

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

What I Learned About Leadership by Writing a Book About Leadership

by Kevin Eikenberry, Remarkable Author

When Robert asked me to write a “What I learned” story, I was honored and pleased. After all, I’m always asking my consulting clients and workshop participants to reflect on things that happened as a way to learn and improve. After thinking about it for a minute I decided to write about what I learned about leadership from writing a book about leadership (Remarkable Leadership: Unleashing Your Leadership Potential One Skill at a Time).

Some might think this idea is counter-intuitive – that I should know something about leadership before being so bold as to write about it. I did know some things about it before I began, but I know more now. Here are five of the things I learned:

I learned a lot about the publishing process. While I’ve been a contributing author many times and while I’ve written a book that was published by a small publisher, working with Jossey-Bass was a new experience. I learned that timelines matter (and yes, I met them) if you want to get your book to the market on time. I learned that my editor and everyone involved on the J-B team cares about books (which is comforting), and I learned that they like to think long-term, which also makes me happy.

I learned how to clarify my leadership values and beliefs. It is one thing to consult and training on things, writing them down is a more rigorous process than either of those other pursuits. Writing forces focus and drives clarity on what you really mean. All of us know that, but in this process it became even clearer to me. I now know at a much deeper level how all of the pieces of my beliefs about remarkable leadership are inter-related – more than I ever thought possible.

I learned about sharing responsibility, and not just delegating. When writing one chapter I asked a number of colleagues to tell me how they felt about the concepts of delegation and sharing responsibility. I asked them to consider their answers both from the perspective of the leader and the receiver/follower. The answers and the resulting conversations made it very clear that the difference is much more about the intent of the leader than anything else. Delegation feels like dumping work – sharing responsibility is about building competency. Which do you want to receive? Which do you want engender in your organization. This is a simple concept to type onto my screen, but I believe the implications of this difference for us as leaders are huge.

I learned the power of role modeling. If I write something that my team (or my clients or my kids) read, then I better be doing it! Do you think I hold myself to a higher standard in a variety of areas now? You bet I do. While I learned this through writing, I believe all highly effective remarkable leaders must be clear on what is important and share that with their team – even if it requires them to work harder to live up to those standards.

I learned that the line between personal development and leadership development is even finer than I previously believed. I’ve always thought there was a fine line between personal and professional development. I now realize that when we become better leaders we become better humans. 90+% of what I wrote applies to everyone, regardless of their job description. These skills make us better neighbors, parents and co-workers too. It is exciting to recognize this fact. As I allowed it to sink into my subconscious, it has improved my approach to learning and accelerated my progress in many areas of my life.

This certainly isn’t all I learned, but these are five of the most valuable lessons for me – all five of these lessons will help me be more effective (dare I say remarkable?) as both a professional and an individual.

Thanks for the chance to share, Robert!

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

Picard turns back to Kirk, cradles the dying man’s head in his lap. Kirk’s eyes flick open, and he takes a ragged breath.

Kirk: “Nice shot.” Kirk coughs. His eyes flutter. He’s fading fast.

Picard: “I’ll find a way to contact the Enterprise. You’re going to be all right.”

Kirk: “Did we do it? Did we make a difference?”

Picard: “Yes. Thank you.”

(Scene from Star Trek: Generations, Paramount Pictures, 1994)

Not long ago, I changed my cable service over to AT&T’s alternative, U-verse. It’s been a few months, but I’m afraid the jury’s still out on whether it was a good move or not. Sometimes it works flawlessly (the TIVO-like recorder has 4, not just 2 channels), but other times…

Ironically enough, though, what Mrs. MZM and I enjoy the most aren’t the TV channels (5,387,391 channels - and there’s never anything good on!); nope, it’s the music channels, and I’ll tell ya, there’s something for practically every taste. Disney, Rap, Smooth Jazz, Oldies, Reggae-Hip Hop-Gangsta… and of course, our favorite, “Easy Listening” (and no snide remarks from the peanut gallery over there).

Anyway, we had the music turned up the other day while just schmoozing around the house, and I noticed they were playing a very quiet, easy listening classical guitar version of the Beatles’ “Hey Jude”, and it suddenly struck me (sound of dull thud) that for a musician, true immortality must be when they take your music and turn it into… muzak!

Well, I got to thinking (that grinding noise you hear) about that scene from Star Trek Generations, where the indomitable Capt. Kirk, as he lay dying, asks Capt. Picard, “Did we make a difference?” (Although… since he’s, you know, dying, I guess indomitable doesn’t mean what I think it means.)

Alright, alright; I know it was a movie and not real (can you hear the anguished cries from all the Trekkies out there?), still, it illustrates the innate desire most of us have to do something with lasting meaning; something that makes a difference.

Now, I’m not going to regale you with tales of “things I’ve done” or even “things I sorta thought about doing but never got around to”; naw, that’s not my point. So what is your point, you ask? Hey, glad you asked!

OK, my fine feathered friends, I’m giving you a homework assignment. This week I’d like you to consider what it is you are doing, right now, that will make a difference in someone’s life that isn’t your own. No need to proclaim it or anything; just think about it. That’s all I ask.

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!