There's a Charge for That?!?

Just when you thought the 'service' provided by air carriers couldn't fall any farther, along comes Spirit Airlines to prove to us, yet again, that there's always further to fall.

Yes, it's this Spirit Airlines that will, after August 1 of this year, begin charging passengers for carrying a bag on board. (They already charge to check a bag.) The fee to carry your own bag on the plane will be $30/bag if you pay in advance and $45/bag if you pay at the gate. (Members of their discount fare club -- people who pay $39.95 annually for the privilege of getting discounts on Spirit -- will have to pay only $20/bag. Such a deal!)

But wait. There's more!

Spirit also announced, rather quietly, this week that they will also offer what they're calling 'pre-reclined' seating on their planes. What's pre-reclined seating, you ask as did I? Pre-reclined seating is Spirit's spin on seats that don't recline at all. These seats, they say, are lighter, have less moving parts (since they don't move at all!) and will, therefore, require less maintenance and less fuel to fly around.

What they're not telling anyone, though, is that if you have seats that don't move you can squeeze more of those seats into an aircraft cabin. Which, after all, is what Spirit wants to do: Pack each plane with as many people as entirely possible. And eliminating the reclining capability of a seat is one way to do it. All, of course, to increase revenue.

Am I alone in this, or does the image of canned sardines come to mind?

Which, of course, got me thinking. (Something I try not to do too often, as is evident by these posts.)

Rather than fight 'progress' being made by airlines as they struggle to wring ever last dollar from us, why not provide some much-needed help? So what if they're simultaneously draining our good faith, our interest in exploration, and, very sadly, the romance that was once air travel? So what if they're making what was once a luxurious and relaxing mode of transportation into one of the least comfortable, most anxiety-producing, infuriating way to get from one place to another? So what indeed!

I say it's time to help. (I'm a consultant. I'm here to help.)

So, in the spirit of Spirit Airlines, that brash innovator, that champion of the people, that crusader for revenue generation at all costs, we offer the following suggestions to airlines interested in following in Spirit's noble footsteps. Here, then, are our (initial) ideas about ways for airlines to gouge, er, create new revenue streams.

We suggest, most humbly, that airlines charge for:

• Seat belts (like they're going to help if the plane goes down)
  
• Oxygen masks (I mean really. Should everyone get one?)
• Window seats (Oh, wait. Some already charge for this.)
• Aisle seats (Ditto.)
• A working light over your seat (Want to read, sir? That will be $5.)
• Calling for a flight attendant (Need help, ma'am? That will be $5.)
  
• Not sitting next to someone who we might politely refer to as 'super-sized' (defined as anyone who doesn't fit entirely in their own damn seat!)
  
• Not sitting next to someone with a lap baby
• Not sitting next to someone with a loud lap baby
• Not sitting next to someone who is loud, regardless of age
• Not sitting next to someone who wants to talk, even though you're wearing headphones, working feverishly on your computer to meet a deadline and have already said at least 10 times that you've got work to do (Dude, you know who you are!)
• Bathroom usage (With an escalating scale where the fifth minute, say, is far more expensive than the first)
  
• The order in which checked bags are returned
  
• Checked bags being returned at all
• Use of the jet bridge to board the plane, and, of course,
  
• Arriving at your actual destination (Hey, just because they said they were flying to JFK doesn't necessarily mean that they'll land there. There's always LaGuardia, Newark, or, for those unwilling to cough up the dough, the Hudson.)
  

This is just a start. Help us help the airline industry. Offer your suggestions. We'll take our ideas, develop a nice prioritized list, and then shred, burn and otherwise obliterate it so that it never sees the light of day.

If the airlines are hell-bent on screwing us, they'll have to do it all on their own.

The Kindness of Strangers

If there was ever a time for compassion, for giving, this, without doubt, is it.

Millions are out of work; many with unemployment benefits ending soon.

Thousands at home and abroad are still effected by natural disasters.

The Tea Party continues to create hostility wherever it goes, while Rush, Glenn, Bill O. and the rest of the Fox News gang spit venom daily at any and all non-Republicans.

We've become a nation polarized by the colors 'red' and 'blue', a country unable to discuss political differences with any civility.

Goldman Sachs continues to steal us blind.

We have two wars that may never end.

Not to mention a volcanic cloud that threatens to disrupt air travel for weeks.

And if all of that wasn't enough, now we learn that one airline wants to charge for use of its bathrooms while another is planning to charge for carry-on bags. (The nerve!)

Think it's time for a 'time out'?

I do.

But not just any 'time out'. Not a simple respite. No, instead, a game-changing 'time out'.

That game-changer? I propose that we commit to move from hostility, insensitivity, and alienation to compassion, kindness, and giving.

To do so, we will have to commit to lead with our heart instead of our head.

Because here's the deal: We, as humans, have the amazing -- and incredibly useful -- ability to rationalize. Most of us can, and do, justify anything.

Admit it: You know you're good at it. Hell, you're brilliant at it! If you weren't, you'd certainly exercise more, stay away from fatty foods, quit smoking, drive the speed limit, help that co-worker who's struggling, and give a buck to that guy on the street you walk past every day. If there was a Galactic Championship of Rationalization, you'd be in the finals year in and year out. What, you say? You'd win it every year?

Point made.

The problem, though, is that as long as we use our world-class rationalizing skills -- a sophisticated, cognitive skill housed in our brain -- it will be rather effortless for us to continue on our same, insensitive, self-centered path. BUT, if we shift the power from our brain to our heart -- an organ, thankfully, unable to rationalize -- we open the door to wonderful possibilities. Possibilities that include, by definition, having and showing more concern for those around us. Offering to help those in need. Extending a hand to others. Providing kindness, even to strangers.

Yes, even to strangers.

And the not-so-well-kept-secret about helping others? It feels good. Really good. Sometimes for days.

So, let's take that time-out and resume play, so to speak, having made the mid-game adjustment of now leading with our heart. You'll play better, feel better, and, in the process, undoubtedly help someone in need.

Even though we'll probably still avoid exercise, continue to eat fatty foods, and drive too fast. So be it, as long as we begin to provide kindness to strangers.

Start today. You'll feel great.

The Factor of Fear

One of the many joys of my profession is the opportunity to work intimately with people from throughout the world. As a student of human behavior -- and how that behavior can influence the performance of an organization -- it is continually amazing to observe how similar and yet how entirely different people can be. All depending, in no order of importance, on the region or country in which they live, the influence of religion, their socio-political environment, their economy, the 'culture' of their company, their point in the life cycle.

And while many generalizations can be made, one similarity overwhelms all others.

At this moment in time, fear is rampant.

It's so very sad and so very true. Yet, not at all surprising.

And those fears, those powerful feelings of dread which have invaded the reality of many of us during these depressing and uncertain times? Those fears which have found a warm, nurturing home in our hearts and are thus unwilling to leave? Of what fears do I speak?

Here are but a few:

• The fear of losing one's job
• The fear of never again being able to find work
• The fear of losing everything -- possessions, lifestyle, dignity, respect, honor
  
• The fear of getting sick, getting really sick
  
• The fear of more earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural disasters
• The fear of global warming
• The fear of universal health care
• The fear of the Democratic Party
• The fear of the Republican Party
  
• The fear of the Tea Party
• The fear of the impact of Obama's presidency
• The fear of a Palin presidency
  
• The fear of a prolonged economic downturn
• The fear of another market crash
  
• The fear of two never-ending wars
• The fear of terrorism
• The fear of living in poverty in retirement

And those are just the fears people discuss. Imagine what other fears -- rational and otherwise -- lurk in the darkness.

The problem with fear -- an emotion like anxiety, but on powerful steriods -- is that it can either facilitate or debilitate. Fear, in small doses, can actually be helpful in spurring one to action. In larger doses fear may cause one to become immobilized.

Remember back when that term paper was only days from being due? If you experienced fear and turned in a completed paper on time, that's an example of how fear can facilitate action. If you experienced a great deal of fear yet failed to turn in a completed paper on time, that's how fear can immobilize. (Or maybe it was the alcohol.)

So, aside from the feelings of dread -- sometimes overwhelming -- that accompany fear, the larger problem with being afraid is that it can have the debilitating effect of causing you to not do the things you most certainly should do. In short, fear can cause under-performance or even failure. And when that happens, you fall into that horrible, cyclical place where your fear is actually validated.

We have time for an example, one that is, unfortunately, widespread: Worried about losing your job? So fearful, in fact, that you are afraid to do anything that might cause your manager to think ill of you? Like talking openly about how to improve efficiency, providing new ideas to increase quality, challenging those who think things are 'good enough as they are', asking for help when you need it? Whether you lose your job or not as a result is irrelevant. What is relevant is that fear has helped diminish your ability to contribute. Fear has caused you to under-perform. Fear has changed who you are.

And that, psychologically speaking, sucks.

So, I ask that you keep a few things in mind:

1. Fear ebbs in the face of action. Scared? Do something -- anything -- that might undermine what you're afraid of. Afraid you'll never get another job? Double your search efforts.
2. Focus on what you can control. List your fears in descending order of importance, deleting all that you have no power to influence. Forget about those and, instead, attack those that you can control.
   
3. Talk about your greatest fears and how you might attack them. Talking helps. Even if you have no one to talk to, talk to yourself. Out loud. Talk about your fears, one by one, and what you can do to eliminate them. It will help.
4. Develop a plan and execute it. See #1 above. Unless you like feeling fear, do something about it.

Because here's the thing: The emotion of fear can be quite powerful. It can transform the irrational into something that appears fully real.

But -- and this is an important 'but' -- sometimes fear has little or no basis in fact. For, indeed, sometimes a school yard filled with birds is just that: A school yard filled with birds.

If you know what I mean and I hope you do.

Choose Happiness

Is it just me, or have you noticed that the number of people -- adults and children -- looking, sounding, and acting happy these days appears to be on the decline?

Have you seen fewer of those toothy, genuine, bright smiles -- the kind where the eyes sparkle, the face shines and joy exudes radiantly?

Have you heard less laughter, real laughter -- the generous, uninhibited, explosive, contagious kind?

Have you seen a decline in playfulness -- exuberant, energetic, fun play -- in those around you?

Have you watched while accomplishments -- wonderful, amazing, miraculous accomplishments -- are greeted with a matter-of-fact, ho-hum, no-big-deal reaction from those who produced the miracle?

Have you seen less enthusiasm, less ambition, less optimism in those close to you?

Have you noticed how some have actually assumed an 'I-can-accept-being-unhappy-because-it's-too-hard-to-do-otherwise' posture?

I have. And I'm bummed because of it.

I know, I know. I hear you. What's to be happy about?, you ask.

The economy is difficult -- horribly difficult for many -- pressures at work abound (for those fortunate enough to be working), the winter has been oppressive, we've had way too many earthquakes and floods, much too much bad behavior from our elected officials, and seemingly no end to two wars. Everyone knows someone in pain. People are stressed. It's a hard time, a very hard time. And you talk of happiness?

Well, yes. I do.

Because here's the thing: Happiness is what life is about. Happiness doesn't just happen, but is definitely worth the fight. And, most importantly, happiness is a choice.

I say choose happiness. And find it as quickly as you can.

As a public service, here is a set of ideas that might help you begin your road back (assuming, of course, that you need to get back and have opted to do so):

• Take a walk everyday. Start slow and build to a 30-45 minute walk. Walk your neighborhood, then other neighborhoods. Parks are good, as are golf courses. Beaches are fabulous. This is a no-cost activity and no special clothing is required. You'll feel better after the first outing. Watch out, though, because it's habit-forming, but in a very good way. One rule: Say 'hello' to everyone you pass -- even if they're wearing headphones and make no eye-contact. (Someone's got to teach these people some manners and I ask you to help.)
  

• Play something, anything, daily. A musical instrument, a sport, an outdoor game, a board game. No need to play it well. Just play.

• Contact a long-lost friend. Someone you'd love to talk to, see again. The cool thing about this option is that it will brighten the day of two people.

• Find and read a good book. Enjoy trashy novels? Thrillers? Fine literature? Biographies? Short stories? Humor? Cool. It matters not. Just get ye to a library or your local independent bookseller today.

• Sing. One song a day is all we ask. Depending on your talent (you know who you are!), consider doing this alone, while you walk. But sing. Loudly. And with attitude.

• Make someone smile or, better yet, laugh. I'll leave this to your creativity and resourcefulness. But, please, do this every single day. Do not sleep until you've brought a smile or a laugh -- the louder the better -- to someone close to you.
  

These suggestions, of course, do not deal with the causes of unhappiness. (We'll solve our economic woes at another time. Watch out, Wall St.) Instead, the above ideas are tried and true, scientifically-validated methods for increasing joy and, dare we say it?, happiness. Try them. They're sure to make you -- and others around you -- feel better fast.

Because happiness is a choice and we urge you to choose it.

Following Your Heart (and other lame ideas)

A warning to the tame: This week's blog is not for everyone. (Like that's news.)

It's not for the faint of heart or for those who have no yearnings.

It is for those who have dreams -- but who are afraid to hear the voices screaming to them in the night, while driving, while daydreaming at work or wherever or whenever those voices speak.

Yes, this week's blog is for those who are lucky enough to hear voices but who are afraid to (1) admit it, and, more importantly, (2) do anything about it.

Before we move on, let's clarify. We're not talking about seeing dead people (so last century), visualizing spontaneous combustion (Carrie's got the corner on that market), or hearing voices that urge you to cause harm (call 911 now).

We're talking, instead, about the 'voices' in your head, speaking to you from your heart, that are urging you to live your life to the fullest. (Too sappy? Okay, you may be right. But these times could use a little sappiness, no?)

Given my work, I regularly have the opportunity to discuss the aspirations of others. The session typically begins with a review of professional goals -- a conversation that is remarkably 'corporate' and, as such, is devoid of emotion. A rather matter-of-fact, dry discussion, all things considered.

Every so often, though, that conversation evolves to a much more profound and sensitive arena. With a certain shyness, a visible apologetic affect, and not unlike a child opening a hand to reveal a special marble or stone, the individual slowly describes a dream she or he has had for years about the career longed for, about the the life truly desired. No longer is this a monotonic conversation! On the contrary, this is a discussion filled with passion, longing and hope. The voice quickens, the eyes brighten, and you can almost hear the heart sing.

Not unlike Kevin Costner's character in Field of Dreams -- where voices were actually heard. Voices telling him, say it with me, to 'Build it and they will come', or 'Go the distance', or, even better, 'Ease his pain.'

Messages he didn't understand. Messages that caused conflict and pain. Yet messages, from his heart, that led him truly home and fulfilled him in a very big way.

On a personal note, I've often wondered how I'd react if I heard a voice or -- in somewhat more culturally-acceptable terms -- had a calling. A voice or calling urging me to pursue a different career, devote my energies to a new or different cause, choose a professional path substantively different from my own. Would I acknowledge it? Would I listen, really listen? Would I do anything?

I wonder.

Indeed, it's a truly magical moment when an individual has the courage to admit to oneself and to me that a voice from the heart has been heard, that a passion boils, that a dream exists. In many ways, there's nothing quite like watching someone connect to the truth that lives within.

So, I pose two questions:

1. Is there a voice, a passion, a dream living unrealized within you? And, if so,

2. What are you doing about it?

Count yourself among the very lucky if 'Yes, there is' is your response to #1. Lucky because having a passion, a dream, is amazing and puts you in a special category, given the dearth of humans who appear to have them. Also lucky because passion fulfilled makes for an amazingly enriched life.

Count yourself among the vast majority of humans if your answer to #2 is 'Nothing yet, anyway.'

And herein lies the opportunity, summarized so cleverly in the title of this blog: Follow your heart! Go for it! Now!

That said, there's no need for any rash decisions. Instead,

• Listen carefully to the passion that is speaking to you
  
• Consider what it would be like to pursue your dream
• Develop a few steps to begin the pursuit, and, of course
• Take those first steps.

So, you've always wanted to be a dancer? Cool. Don't quit your day job just yet, but do enroll in a local dance class. Thought that being an artist would be wild fun? Great. Take an art class or two. Dreamed of being a major league ballplayer? Join the club (no pun intended) and find a local league in which to play. Love music and always wanted to sing on stage? Wonderful. Find a teacher, practice, and see what you've got.

Because here's the thing: Going for it is what it's all about. Maybe you've got talent; maybe you don't. Sure, it would be nice to have the requisite talent to achieve your dream. But, far more importantly, it's the pursuit of your dream that's essential. For, without doubt, that journey will enrich your life exponentially.

And, who knows, maybe if you build it they will come.

A Rallying Cry: Fuerza

The Job of Work comes to you this week live and in living color from the beautiful -- and damaged -- city of Santiago de Chile. Evidence of the huge earthquake that hit this country on February 27 abounds. While the streets are largely clear of debris, roofs, walls, windows and, in some cases, entire neighborhoods, have been destroyed. Older buildings, constructed before seismic standards were instituted here, appear to have taken the brunt of the enormous power of the initial 8.8 magnitude quake and the numerous aftershocks that followed.

And we haven't yet seen the coast, where the devastation is even more profound.

Like many modern cities, Santiago's older buildings and neighborhoods define its charm. More importantly, they define its history. As a close Chilean friend bemoaned while assessing the damage, "We have lost our past. Our history is gone."

We who live in and around San Francisco know exactly of what he speaks.

Yet, there is a bright side. Courage and conviction often are born from disaster. And nowhere is that more evident than here in Santiago. Indeed, the earthquakes and tsunamis have served to rally the people of this great city and country.

Their rallying cry: Fuerza. Strength.

The people of Chile are using the disaster as a catalyst -- a catalyst to accelerate change.

These photos, plus others like them, are being used widely to bolster national and civic pride, to replace fear and loss with strength and determination.

A national marketing campaign, if you will, to sell courage and conviction.

And it's working.

You see it in neighborhood clean-up efforts.

You see it as people assist others whose homes were damaged.

You see it in the care offered to the injured.

You see it in the support offered to those who lost loved ones.

You see it in the patronage of businesses disrupted by this natural disaster.

You see it in the drive to rebuild.

And, importantly, you see it in the determination people express as they talk of the progress their country has made during the last two decades -- a progress that, most would say, cannot be wasted.

Indeed, the people of Chile have endured a great deal during and since Allende. Their recent history has very dark periods. Not surprisingly, it's an era few here will discuss openly. Also, not surprisingly, it's a time most Chileans want to move beyond.

Even so, the biggest fear that exists in Chile is not that another earthquake will cause more damage. Or that there will be more loss of life.

No, the widespread fear here is that the rallying cry will, in the end, be ineffective. That it will lose its power. That Chileans will, too soon, go back to their pre-disaster routines. That the urgency produced by the earthquake will abate. That the passion to become one of the world's great countries will wane. That, ultimately, the destruction caused by the earthquakes and the tsunamis will have been for naught.

And that, most believe, would truly be a disaster.

Fuerza, Chile. Fuerza.

Who Will Be First?

It didn't take long. Far less time than even I could imagine. With the wonderful images of Costa Rica still strong, it took but a few minutes of listening to the radio on the drive home from the airport to bring me back to the realities of our economy.

Impending layoffs at Cisco. Severe revenue shortfalls in the City & County of San Francisco, forcing the mayor to eliminate 15,000 full-time jobs and hire most of those people back as part-time employees. Unemployment climbing. Many electing simply to walk away from homes that have lost more than 50% of their value nearly overnight.

That was the news at midnight last Sunday. (Note to self: Next time try music.)

Which of course raises two questions:

1. Is there any possibility of the San Francisco Giants moving to Costa Rica, making my decision to move there that much easier? And,

2. When will this end?

Given that the first is somewhat unlikely -- even though the Giants are 3rd on the All-time Futility List, having not won a world championship in 56 years (behind only the Cleveland Indians and, yes, the Chicago Cubbies) -- let's consider the second.

This horrific economic climate will end when companies again begin to hire.

It's not as if many companies don't have the financial where with all to begin hiring now. (Sorry for the double negative. Speaking Spanish for three weeks will do that. Also sorry for the use of 'where with all'.) Indeed, many companies are awash in cash. Billions of dollars, all things considered. Even so, the vast majority of companies are reluctant to add to their overhead.

Why, you ask?

It's rather simple, actually. For any public company, stock price is king. 'King' may be an under-representation. 'Supreme Poo-bah, All-powerful Ruler of The Universe and Holiest of Holy Grails' is likely more accurate. Stock price up is a good thing; stock price down is bad. Why? Because, class, those who have invested in the company -- the actual owners -- want to make a pile of money from their investment. And they want to make that pile of money now. And again next week. And again the week after next. And on and on and on.

No need to criticize. Anyone who buys a piece of a company, no matter how large or small that piece is, expects the proverbial 'return on my investment'.

So, most public companies are in the unenviable position of needing to grow their top and bottom lines each and every quarter. And if income isn't growing (the top line), then the way to 'grow' profit (the bottom line) is by cutting costs. And the #1 cost in nearly every company on Earth? Yes! People.

The circle is a vicious one:

• Sales slow
• Some analyst writes a report saying that your company may have its investments tied up in companies that may not be rock-solid (sound familiar AFLAC?)
  
• Stock price drops precipitously
  
• Cost-cutting needed
• Tons of employees laid off
  
• Profits improve
  
• Same analyst writes another report saying that your company is taking 'aggressive and appropriate action to address its significant issues'
  
• Stock price improves

And everyone smiles. Everyone except the millions who are out of work. Everyone except those who have lost their homes. Everyone except those who have lost much of their dignity as their joblessness sees no end in sight. Everyone except those who, shockingly enough, need money to pay their monthly bills.

The overall economy still sucks because fewer people have money to spend and those fewer people aren't spending as much as before. They're buying less clothing, fewer cars, fewer homes, fewer expensive bottles of wine, less jewelry, traveling less and going out less often. There are simply too few people spending money.

Let's take a brief time out and ask yet another set of questions: Wall St. analysts, whoever they may be, what of them? Who are they? Do they do anything? Why does anyone listen to them? (Reminding me of the wonderful scene in Bull Durham when Kevin Costner asks Susan Sarandon, "Don't you think you're a little over-dressed for the Caroline League? Who are you? Do you have a job?")

These analysts have the power to undermine even the most conservative, solid corporations with only their opinion -- opinions which may be wrong. These analysts, many of whom have never produced, marketed or sold anything, are compensated obscenely because their 'reports' produced millions, if not billions, of dollars of income for those who do nothing but make money when a company succeeds or fails.

And when the analysts are wrong, and layoffs result, is there ever an apology? An 'Oops, I messed up. So sorry!' No, of course not. So, just a thought, given the harm analysts often do: How about we start our economic turn-around by tarring and feathering analysts and driving them screaming from the country? I hear that Antarctica has room.

Thanks, I needed that.

Time in. Back to our vicious circle.

So, if the economy needs more people to spend money -- which it does -- and many companies are awash in cash as a result of the cost savings they realized following their layoffs, I ask this:

Where are the companies with the courage to put an end to this? Which company will be the first to say 'Enough is enough!' and begin to hire? Which firm will use its sea of cash to stop the unemployment bleeding, turn the tide and begin to employ the many talented, experienced, hard-working people who are out of work largely because their company needed to 'enhance profitability'?

Because enough is enough. Unemployment is bad for everyone. And because we're better than this. Indeed, it's time to put America back to work. Now.

Do I hear an 'Amen'?