DW's Blog

Idle Talk or Rumor

by DW Green — April 13, 2016

He’s a real slob

I didn’t think I ever gossiped. Yea right! We all gossip at times. Yet it’s not a positive thing to do, and benefits no one. Like most everything in life, personal responses involve awareness and being PRESENT in the moment. When you’re aware you’re in a gossip conversation, you can choose to participate or not. Reactions are about choices, and when you’re aware and conscious of what’s happening in the moment you can choose how you want to respond. For me, it’s about limiting my “automatic, ego centered” reactions. Not easy to do. But with awareness and presence in the “now” I can make a conscious choice on how I choose to react.And yes it’s true…my office is cluttered and a mess!...

by DW Green — April 6, 2016

Is your business blooming?

Differentiation is the essence of competition. I love the word differentiation. It’s a difficult word for me to spell and pronounce—the word inaudibly tumbles out of my mouth, often landing on deaf ears! But aside from poor enunciation skills and misunderstanding, differentiation is a very powerful business tool.Everything can be and is differentiable, even such “commodities” as steel, cement, money, chemicals and well, meat sauce. Success goes to those who differentiate themselves in ways that attract differentiably superior numbers of customers to themselves.Though clothes may not make the man, they help make the sale. And if they do, the customer is buying something beyond the generic product that the salesman offers. That is what is meant by “differentiation.”Positioning is about performing different activities from rivals or performing similar activities in different ways, differentiation then, arises from both the choice of activities and how they are performed.See http://dwgreen.com/2010/03/activity-breeds-success/Adam’s

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Food for Thought—Gentleness

by DW Green — March 30, 2016

Some 2,500 years ago, Lao-tzu spoke of ‘the four cardinal virtues’ and noted that when we practice them as a way of life, we come to know and access the truth of the universe. These four virtues don’t represent external dogma, but a part of our original nature—by practicing them, we realign with Source and access the powers that Source energy has to offer. According to the teachings of Lao-tzu, the four cardinal virtues represent the surest way to leave habits and excuses behind and reconnect to your original nature. The more your life is harmonized with the four virtues, the less you’re controlled by the uncompromising ego.The Third Cardinal Virtue, deals in part with Adams blog today.The Third Cardinal Virtue: Gentleness
This virtue personifies one of my favorite and most frequently employed maxims: ‘When you have the choice to be right or to be kind, always pick kind.’ So many of your old thinking habits and their attendant excuses come out of a need to make yourself right and others wrong. When you practice this third virtue, you eliminate conflicts that result in your need to explain why you’re right. This virtue manifests as kindness, consideration for others, and sensitivity to spiritual truth.Gentleness generally implies that you no longer ...
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Misnomer

by DW Green — March 23, 2016

Messy Office

I remember my chiropractor once told me that mental multitasking is a misnomer. Sure, multitasking can apply to motor skills, like walking and chewing gum but mental multitasking is not possible. You can’t talk and listen at the same time or read and write at the same time. Mental activities require 100% attention to the task at hand. What happens when you read or write and daydream simultaneously? Well, it can’t happen. You’re either reading, writing or daydreaming. Wouldn’t want to mess up a great daydream by reading a book!

The greatest gift you can give another person or yourself for that matter, is presence. Try being totally present in every thing you do. Try being completely present in the shower tomorrow morning!...

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Food For Thought

by DW Green — March 16, 2016

Reflecting on the wisdom of others is a very meaningful activity for me. My wish is you will find value in doing so too.An excerpt from Mark Nepo’s excellent book, The Book Of AwakeningRepetition is Not Failure. Ask the waves, ask the leaves, ask the wind.By Mark Nepo“There is no expected pace for inner learning. What we need to learn comes when we need it, no matter how old or young, no matter how many times we have to start over, no matter how many times we have to learn the same lesson. We fall down as many times as we need to, to learn how to fall and get up. We misunderstand the many voices of truth as many times as we need to, to truly hear the diversity that surrounds us. We suffer our pain as often as necessary for us to learn how to break and how to heal. No one really likes this, of course, but we deal with our dislike in the same way, again and again, until we learn what we need to know about the humility of acceptance.”...
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You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

by DW Green — March 9, 2016

We have a very successful retail client in the Seattle area who is wholeheartedly dedicated to the training and development of their employees. They invest heavily in programs that benefit their staff…both professionally and personally. Their commitment to employee development is a core value of their company. And their commitment to development contributes to the success of their organization and clearly differentiates their company in the marketplace.It is through our relationship with this client that our company was introduced to Gale Leadership Development in Bainbridge Washington. Over the years I have attended many of the courses offered by Amba Gale as have many of my associates. I can’t speak highly enough of the course material and the personal benefit I have received from participating in the work.Next week, Adam Zack and Judy Navarro, one of out lead designers, are attending The Heart of Leadership in Seattle. The Heart of Leadership is the foundational program of Gale Leadership courses and is the requisite course for all other offerings.As a small company investing in this training is expensive. Knowing that some employees will leave our company for other career opportunities, the communication and leadership benefit to DW Green Company is short lived, but the benefit to the employee will last a lifetime.It has been said that, “You know what you know. You know what you don’t know. But you don’t know what...
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B.S.

by DW Green — March 2, 2016

Adam’s blog on whether employees “like you” matters is actually a philosophy of life question that everyone needs to answer for him or herself. A question that needs to be answered whether one is in a leadership position or not. To me it’s an integrity question.If you strip away the ego B.S. that shows up everyday…power, authority, company politics, control, judgment and approval…life is about choices. On how we choose to react to what happens to us. You can choose to accept the situation, try to change it or leave. Choosing which way to respond is both simple and difficult. It is the awareness of the choice you are making that’s important. If you choose to accept an uncomfortable, difficult or demeaning situation then at least you know you are making a conscious decision to do so. When your personal integrity is at stake, you will eventually do what is best for who you are as a person.Rather than worrying yourself with how others are treating you, just be concerned with how you are treating others....
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And In The End

by DW Green — February 17, 2016

And in the end, the love you takeIs equal to the love you make.”—Lennon-McCartney, The End, Abby Road 1969“And in the end”, when your career has concluded, and when life on Earth is over, what truly matters, is that the love you received is equal to the love you gave. This isn’t a Pollyanna mind-set, it’s a Universal Truth.In the long run, whether you’re negotiating with vendors, or working in relationships with employees or customers you always get back what you are willing to give. In Adam’s The Pope blog, Milt Jones is remembered for his kindness, generosity and loving spirit. While a shrewd negotiator, Milt’s success was built on his compassion and commitment of service to others.Love ‘em or otherwise, the Koch family has built an incredibly successful and financially rewarding business. “As CEO of Koch Industries, Inc., I am proud to work with principled people who help themselves by helping others improve their lives. I am dedicated to pursuing only a certain kind of profit—what we call ‘good profit’. …Good profit comes from making a contribution in society—not from corporate welfare or other ways of taking advantage of people.”—Good Profit, by Charles G. Koch. It’s an excellent book, well worth your time ...
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A Guide To Product Storytelling

by DW Green — February 10, 2016

The following questions can assist buyers and marketing team with product storytelling by helping to identify the product stories—and selling points—that need to be communicated to your customers.How was the product developed?How did the idea for this product come about?What happened and who was involved?How is the product made today?How did the product get its name?Does this product have something special that competing products do not?Other questions:1. What methods are used to ensure freshness, quality or better tasting products?
Does the producer use any special technique (ex. air-chilling chicken, cave-aging cheese, dry-aging beef) and why does this make it better?
Is it made using a family recipe that has been passed down through generations?
Is the product handmade or hand-selected? (In this day of mass-produced products, handmade and hand-selected products say that special care was given to the product.)
Does it use natural, sustainable or environmentally friendly production methods? (Ex: Cage-free eggs, hormone and antibiotic free meat or organic produce grown without chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers.)
Is it baked fresh, prepared in the store or made to order?
How often is it delivered to your markets? (indicates freshness)
2. Where is the product from and why is that a benefit to the customer?
Be specific if possible....
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How Can Custom Signage Increase Super Bowl Sales?

by DW Green — January 28, 2016

What do New Year’s Eve and the Super Bowl have in common? Parties! In fact, Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest day in the United States for food consumption, right behind Thanksgiving Day! And Super Bowl Sunday is the Number 1 at-home party event of the year, even surpassing New Year’s Eve. Super Bowl is one of the five big pizza days of the year. The other four? Halloween, the day before Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Take advantage of Super Bowl sales this year while enhancing your price perception with custom designed end cap and in-line shelf signage. In addition to conventional manufacturer T.P.R allowances, create your own set of in-store specials. Consider discounting all items consumers may purchase for their Super Sunday Party and tag them with custom designed Super Bowl Savings bib tags and display signage. This sign and price strategy makes sense for every holiday. Reducing prices on holiday related items will have a huge impact on consumer confidence and price perception. Not only will a well-signed effort increase sales and penny profit but will also ensure you are getting credit for your temporary discounted pricing. The key is to develop a custom sign for the specific holiday so that it stands out from your typical day-to-day value pricing signage. There is time ...
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