Common Sense ?!?

Did you know that,
“One person’s common sense is another person’s mystery.”
…source unknown
Absolutely! It's true!

Think about this;

We live in a global economy.

We can find out what is happening on the other side of the planet in minutes.

We can talk with people in every hemisphere within seconds.

So….is anything really common anymore?

And how about “sense” ….just because it makes sense to you, doesn’t mean it makes sense to someone in Bulgaria, or even to your next door neighbor, right?


My thought is, the saying “common sense” stems from the old golden rule philosophy of treating others the way you like to be treated…so if you ask someone to use common sense, you are really asking them to think the way YOU think.

Listen…the term “common sense” had its place and time, but it is time to move forward.

Let’s consider The Platinum Rule¹ philosophy; treat others the way they would like to be treated… so let’s all delete “common sense” from our vocabularies and replace it with the words sound judgment.

Now when we ask someone to use sound judgment, we are asking him or her to take action based on the way THEY think.

Mystery solved.
¹made popular by Dr.Tony Alessandra

Bob Gambone's Book  is "A must read!" Ivan Misner New York Time Bestselling author

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Expectations in Leadership - Take a Look Back and See Where You Started

I was looking through my old files and found these training bullet points that I put together back in 1983...

I was 28 years young.

We all need to reflect. Go back; 10, 20, 30 years ago... Ask yourself, what was my vision then and what is it now?


•Positive Attitudes...We are on a stage...Attitudes are Contagious

•Professionalism... We must set the tone and the example.

•Leadership...Respect your Position as a Leader

•Employees expect you to be a leader.

•Integrity...Confidentiality...Honesty.

•Teamwork...you can’t do it all yourself.

•The task is never more important than the customer.

•The customer may not always be right but they are still the customer.

•Reward want you want repeated.

•Manage what you don’t want repeated.

•Recognition must be genuine.

•Set a goal for recognition.

•Treat employees with dignity and respect.

•Don’t Procrastinate...Have a Sense of Urgency

•Take initiative, be assertive, don’t assume.

•Learning is a continuous two -way process

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***This is just a sample!... if you would like a "full-slice" of passionate enthusiasm, be sure to indulge yourself in my upcoming book, "Pecan Pie", fresh from the oven, early this fall!...stay tuned!“Copyright (8-26-2010) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”

"When Are You Going To Get A REAL Job?!

Entrepreneurs!....how many times have you heard this?!

...and to make it worse, most of the time, the question comes from our family and loved ones.

Well, it is time to fight back!

Here are Seven inspirational quotes from entrepreneurs , just like yourself, to use as ammo against the pessimists that challenge you.

"When you reach an obstacle, turn it into an opportunity. You have the choice. You can overcome and be a winner, or you can allow it to overcome you and be a loser. The choice is yours and yours alone. Refuse to throw in the towel. Go that extra mile that failures refuse to travel. It is far better to be exhausted from success than to be rested from failure."
- Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics

"The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It's as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer."
- Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese's

"Innovation is the specific tool of entrepreneurs, the means by which they exploit change as an opportunity for a different business or a different service. It is capable of being presented as a discipline, capable of being learned, capable of being practiced. Entrepreneurs need to search purposefully for the sources of innovation, the changes and their symptoms that indicate opportunities for successful innovation. And they need to know and to apply the principles of successful innovation."
- Peter F. Drucker, "The Father of Modern Management"

"Experience taught me a few things. One is to listen to your gut, no matter how good something sounds on paper. The second is that you're generally better off sticking with what you know. And the third is that sometimes your best investments are the ones you don't make."
- Donald Trump, real estate and entertainment mogul

"The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it."
- Debbi Fields, founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies

"We were young, but we had good advice and good ideas and lots of enthusiasm. Our success has really been based on partnerships from the very beginning."
- Bill Gates

"I never perfected an invention that I did not think about in terms of the service it might give others... I find out what the world needs, then I proceed to invent."
- Thomas Edison

AND....Just in case someone says (like my niece did to me)

"Well Uncle Bob, you're no Thomas Edison"

"You're right", I said, "but who was Thomas Edison before he became "Thomas Edison" ? "
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***This is just a sample!... if you would like a "full-slice" of passionate enthusiasm, be sure to indulge yourself in my upcoming book, "Pecan Pie", fresh from the oven, early this fall!...stay tuned!“Copyright (8-11-2010) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”

"Feedback Is A Gift"

His name was Lou.
Lou was 35 years my senior and started in the grocery business before I was born.
He once told me,
“Bob, always remember when a customer complains to you, make sure you listen to them, apologize to them and mean it, then make them happy by fixing the problem and last and most importantly thank them.”

“Thank them?” I asked.

“Yes!” Lou, a genuine soul, looked into my eyes and said, “Bob, any customer that takes the time to complain to you is really doing you a favor. They want to make your business better; they want to be your customer. In some cases this is your best customer.”

“Lou, come on…are you telling me that customers who complain are my better customers?”

“What I am telling you is, that you should listen to them because in many cases the feedback is very constructive, you really should encourage it… and by thanking them, you demonstrate to them that your really care about what they have to say.
Would you rather have a customer get upset, and simply not complain, and then never return? Did you ever think; a customer, who never complains but never comes back, might be your worst customer?”

Lou was right. Feedback is a gift!

In any business, a customer that is not satisfied with your product or service, does not communicate their disappointment and then never frequents your business again, well …they are your “worst” customer.

Here are 5 easy steps to take upon receiving your “gift” face to face.

1. Listen attentively.
2. Be thankful for the opportunity to fix the problem.
3. Provide a quick fix.
4. Assess the problem.
5. Implement a permanent fix.

Fact: A satisfied customer will share their positive experience with up to 5 people.
Fact: A dissatisfied customer will share their negative experience with up to 20 people.
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***This is just a sample!... if you would like a "full-slice" of passion, be sure to indulge yourself in my upcoming book, "Pecan Pie", fresh from the oven, early this fall!...stay tuned!“Copyright (8-4-2010) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”

Everyone Is Talking About Passion

Do you have the passion to succeed?

Are you passionate about your business?

Do your customers appreciate your passion for service?

Yes, Yes and Yes!!!

If you are an entrepreneur, of course, you have passion.

The big question is, do you also have enthusiasm?

Passion is defined as an internal mind set. (What you know)
Enthusiasm is defined as how others perceive you. (What others see and know)

I recently attended a networking event and was introduced to a financial advisor, who was in his third year of the business. Throughout our 30-minute discussion, he told me how passionate he was to succeed. All the while, not smiling and never providing me with any non-verbal communication that he was actually excited about being a financial advisor. In fact, the person beside me almost fell asleep listening to his story. Would I want this person to handle my money? Probably not.

When you have passion and show it, people want what you have, they want to tap into your ENTHUSIASM!!!

Yes…continue to be passionate…but if you want to take your business to the next level...

Repeat after me...

“Success just doesn't happen…You must GO AFTER IT, with PASSIONATE ENTHUSIASM!”

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***This is just a sample!... if you would like a "full-slice" of passionate enthusiasm, be sure to indulge yourself in my upcoming book, "Pecan Pie", fresh from the oven, early this fall!...stay tuned!“Copyright (7-15-2010) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”