The Humanity of a Real Book

As a very young child, I remember sitting by the fireplace watching my mom read. She loved books.
From romance novels to history books, my mom read everything.

I would often sit beside her and just watch her turn the pages. She would sometimes read to me, and sometimes let me hold the book and read to her.
Books were in every room of our home. Old books, new books…books with bookmarks in them,
books on bookshelves, in the bathroom, kitchen and even “do-it-yourself” books in the garage.
I love the feel, the look and even the smell of a real book.

Mom died 12 years ago…I was left with her books.

The other day I picked up one her favorites “The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway.
As I skimmed through the pages, I read some comments my mom made (she often did that) and a warm feeling came over me… this book touched my mom, she touched every page, she read every word and now this book touches me.

When I released my book “Pecan Pie” (dedicated to my Mom), I refused to have it published electronically. For the many of you that asked why…I think you now know the answer.

Books are for written for humanity, and nothing can replace the humanity of a real book.

My "Real" book  PECAN PIE, now available on Amazon.com, clink on link below
Click here for a sample  

“Copyright (7-19-12) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”
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Independence Day for Micromanagers

Author: Michelle Braden from The Leadership Courseware Blog

7 Steps to Overcoming the Addiction of Micromanagement

1. Recognize that micromanagement causes people to become resentful or turn their brains off: Why should they think if you are doing all the thinking for them?
2. Become the leader of the team and not the star performer.
3. Get to know your team members individually, learn what their strengths are and how to motivate them.
4. Trust that they are able to succeed in their own way, and give them the room to grow and develop.
5. Create a safe environment for innovation, creative ideas and new processes.
6. Keep  in mind that NO ONE is motivated by micromanagement, no matter what the reason.
7. Never be afraid to have a team of people who are smarter than you. When the team shines, the leader shines!

All aspects of the leadership journey are part of an insightful learning process. We never “arrive” and we are always gathering new information to apply. As leaders, it is meaningful to reflect on our journeys, seeking ways to improve our methods and style. As you reflect on your own journey, ask yourself what you have learned and how you can help new managers along the way.

Beware of The Grazers!

In the supermarket business, we call people who eat all the samples and rarely purchase anything, Grazers.
Guess what?!.... Grazers are everywhere! And to the small businessperson they can eat you alive!

How do you recognize a Grazer? Here are 3 Red Lights!

1.Grazers attend your free seminars, sometimes two or three times but they never commit.
They are very friendly, give you great feedback, and then suddenly they are gone!

2. Grazers love to schedule first meetings with you. They make the meeting all about you; sometimes surprise you by bringing a business partner. Grazers ask you a lot a questions about yourself and particularly all about your business, but when you try to have a follow up meeting to find out more about their business, they make it almost impossible to meet again, or they cancel right before the second meeting.

3. And then there are the EGrazers. They remind me of the people who would eat the sample and then want to fill out an “incident report” claiming they choked or got sick. EGrazers eat up all of your information you have posted on the internet and then use it for their own profit.


What can we do to prevent Grazing? Nothing!, but you can slow it down.

1. Charge a fee for seminar (adds value) and reimburse the fee with purchase.

2. Have an agenda for your meeting or at least know when to stop talking about you and then start asking about them. Say something like, “hey, enough about me for now, let’s talk about you.”

3. Make sure your information on the web is protected, copyright, trademark, etc… best to talk to an expert on this matter.

Al Sandonato, a mentor of mine once said… “Gambone, Grazers will eat everything and never buy anything.”

I would love to continue this discussion. Please email me at bobgambone@bobgambone.com.

***This is just a sample!... if you would like a full slice of "Pecans of Wisdom", be sure to indulge yourself in my book,
"Pecan Pie, 32 Business Success Strategies Passionately Baked To Order." 
Available on   Amazon.com, click on link below
Click here for Pecan Pie 

“Copyright (6-15-2012) by Robert V. Gambone Sr.”
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Big Al

The story was, you hated him, feared him or loved him…I was all three.

His name was Al. 

Al started in retail when he was thirteen and fifty years later died in action.

Al was an old school retail manager who believed that no one could be trusted and everyone should put his or her career first before family.

Al worked 80 hours a week, was a master micro-manager and believed that his day was not over until he fired someone or at least made an employee cry.

Okay, so you ask, WHY did I love this guy? Not for any of the above things, that is why I hated him and feared him. I loved him because I was able to translate his prehistoric management style into lessons that I still utilize today.

Three Lessons from Big Al

1). Al used to say, “The best and easiest recognition program is to have NO recognition program at all.”

            Translation: Employee recognition programs must be managed,  be fair and be consistent or your results could actually weaken employee morale.

2). When Al said, “Just because I’m pissed off at you, doesn’t mean you can walk around here with your tail between your legs.”

            Translation: Wear a smile and have a positive attitude; no one wants to work for a “Debbie-Downer” manager.

3). One day Al looked me right in the eyes and said, “I’m too old to change now Gambone, what you see is what you get…”

             Translation: I always knew where I stood with Al. Al taught me that leaders need to be right up front with people by providing balanced,  fair and concise feedback.

My 18 months as Al’s co-manager was very stressful, yet very rewarding.

Take a few moments to reflect on your old boss, teacher or coach…dig deep and I am sure you will find a few sunny days somewhere in that storm.


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Specific is Terrific

Attention BNI Members!
"A good referral for me is words. Please find me 19 words in the puzzle below without looking at the answers below the puzzle......... Kinda tough,  right?     It may take you a long time and most of you will give up.

BUT...  so much easier to find the words when I give you a "specific" list like the one below the puzzle.

This is the same mental process when asking for referrals...it has been proven that when you ask for a specific person, place, or business, you are helping your chapter members qualify the referral more effectively and efficiently.
"Specific is Terrific!"

                                                     

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ANT APHID BUMBLE BEE BEETLE BUTTERFLY CATERPILLAR CENTIPEDE

COCKROACH CRICKET DRAGONFLY FIREFLY FLEA GRASSHOPPER

HORNET MOSQUITO MOTH SPIDER WASP WORM

Three "Gives" for 2012

Give people confidence; by reminding acquaintances of your name.

Give people hope; by answering your phone “… how can I help you?”

Give people peace of mind; by confirming receipt of their email or txt.

 For more information on how to strategically implement the above tactics, please contact me: bobgambone@bobgambone.com

Make ‘em Laugh…But Don’t Tell Jokes!

Yes, laughter is the best medicine.
And yes, laughter is a great icebreaker when you are speaking to an audience.
HOWEVER… in today’s politically correct climate and social sensitivity, telling jokes is not the way to go.

Why? Odds are you might offend someone.

I suggest telling funny stories about you, we all have them.

“Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused.”…or amusing.

“Copyright (4-13-2012) by Robert V. Gambone Sr.”

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