Good to Great

Hi Friends, Here comes Good to Great in the traditional format…with some excellent thoughts to start with...

1. Its all about YOU - YOU cant send a duck to School (??) -

Is you attitude worth catching?

Excerpt from "You Can't Send a Duck to Eagle School" - by Mac Anderson

Attitude Isn't Everything, but It's Pretty Darn Close. Enjoy!
When hiring someone, start with the premise that attitudes are contagious. Then ask yourself one question...is theirs worth catching?

I've come to realize the difference in success and failure is not how you look, not how you dress, not how much you're educated, but...HOW YOU THINK!

In my business life, I've watched many very intelligent people fail miserably because they have a negative attitude; and I've also observed just as many people with average intelligence soar to success because of positive attitudes.

Southwest Airlines' VP of People is often asked the question: How do you get your people to be so nice? Her answer is always the same...

WE HIRE NICE PEOPLE

It sounds almost too simple to feel important, but "hiring nice people" has been the cornerstone of their amazing success in a highly competitive industry. They understand their competitors may be able to match their price and copy their business model, however, they feel that the spirit and the attitude of their employees will be extremely difficult to replicate.

Never forget...
Great customer service is only delivered by nice, passionate, caring employees. There is no other way it can happen.

Many times it's not what you say, but how you say it, that turns the switch from "off" to "on."

2. Thought for this week B/f Bala

"The best index to a person's character is how he treats people
who can't do him any good, and
how he treats people who can't fight back"

3. Health...Effects of Cold water…B/f Rajan

For those who like to drink cold water, here is something You should know about..It is nice to have a cold drink after a meal. However the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. This will slow down the digestion.

Once this "sludge" reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than solid food. Solid food will lie in the intestine. Very soon this turns into fat and lead to cancer.

It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a heavy meal

4. Management tips.. Top Leadership Skills for Business Success...B/f Prabhakar Part 2

People Skills

Experts classify people skills as a term to indicate four sets of skills:

• The ability to observe people in your business. This gives you the insight needed to take the appropriate action required for the right result.
• The ability to communicate effectively. Contrary to popular belief, it is not easy to get ideas across to a group of people when attempting to make the right decision or reach a solution. A leader should be able to communicate effectively to everyone – not just some people – in order to be productive.
• The ability to motivate gives you the leadership edge to get the best out of those who work for you or with you.
• And adaptability.

Developing better people skills, specifically in the four areas highlighted above, helps you attain your business objectives much faster by working more productively with today’s very knowledgeable generation X and Y workforce. It is about genuinely connecting with those you work with and who work for you. When you connect well with others, you develop a trusting, productive relationship that benefits everyone.

5. Jokes corner.. So much for anonymous good work! ;) b/f Angelenaa

There was a man who worked for the Post Office whose job it was to process all the mail that had illegible addresses. One day, a letter came addressed in a shaky handwriting to God with no actual address or postcode. He thought he should open it to see what it was about. The letter read:

Dear God, I am an 83 year old widow, living on a very small pension. Yesterday someone stole my purse. It had £100 in it, which was all the money I had until my next pension payment. Next Sunday is my birthday, and I had invited two of my friends over for dinner. Without that money, I have nothing to buy food with, have no family to turn to, and you are my only hope.. Please help me? Sincerely, Edna

The postal worker was touched. He showed the letter to all the other workers. Each one dug into his or her wallet and came up with a few pounds. By the time he made the rounds, he had collected £96, which they put into an envelope and sent to the woman. The rest of the day, all the workers felt a warm glow thinking of Edna and the dinner she would be able to share with her friends. A few days later, another letter came addressed to God and in the same hand. All the workers gathered around while the letter was opened. It read:

Dear God, How can I ever thank you enough for what you did for me? Because of your gift of love, I was able to fix a glorious dinner for my friends. We had a very nice day and I told my friends of your wonderful gift. By the way, there was £4 missing. I think it might have been those bastards at the post office !!!!!!!!
Sincerely, Edna

6.Relationships - The Salty Coffee.....B/f Murthy
Senti stuff….but worth every salt!!!…

He met her on a party, she was so outstanding, many guys chasing after her,while he was so normal, nobody paid attention to him. At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him, she was surprised, but due to being polite, she promised.
They sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything,she felt uncomfortable, she thought, please, let me back home..suddenly he asked the waiter: would you please give me some salt? I'd like to put it in my coffee.
Everybody stared at him, so strange! His face turned red, but, still, he put the salt in his coffee and drank it.
She asked him curiously: why you have this hobby? He replied: when I was a little boy, I was living near the sea, I liked playing in the sea, I could feel the taste of the sea, salty and bite, just like the taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have the salty coffee, I always think of my childhood, think of my hometown, I miss my hometown so much, I miss my parents who are still living there. While saying that, tears filled his eyes.

She was deeply touched. That's his true feeling, from the bottom of his heart. A man who can tell out his homesick, he must be a man who loves home, cares about home, has responsibility of home..Then she also started to speak, spoke about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family. That was a really nice talk, also a beautiful beginning of their story.

They continued to date. She found actually he was a man who meets all her demands: he had tolerance,was kind hearted, warm, careful...he was such a good person but she almost missed him! Thanks to his salty coffee!
Then the story was just like every beautiful love story: the princess married to the prince, then they were living the happy life...And, every time she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee, as she knew that's the way he liked it.

After 40 years, he passed away, left her a letter which said:
My dearest, please forgive me, forgive my whole life lie. This was the only lie I said to you----the salty coffee. Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous at that time, actually I wanted some sugar, but I said salt. It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead. I never thought that could be the start of our communication! I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was too afraid to do that, as I have promised not to lie to you for anything..

Now I'm dying, I afraid of nothing so I tell you the truth:
I don't like the salty coffee, what a strange bad taste..but I have the salty coffee for my whole life since I knew you, I never feel sorry for anything I do for you. Having you with me is my biggest happiness for my whole life. If I can live for the second time, I still want to know you and have you for my whole life, even though I have to drink the salty coffee again.

Her tears made the letter totally wet. Someday, someone asked her: what's the taste of salty coffee? It's sweet. She replied.

7. Puzzle...B/f Vijay

Good one..I could not put it down till I solved it..very intriguing & interesting - you would need a paper or an excel sheet.
I solved it, You can too.!!

Answers at the end of the edition

Click on the picture to see an enlarged picture

8. Interpersonal relationships..B/f Dev, Deepa

A Swami was having a conversation with GOD one day and said. 'GOD, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.

GOD led the Swami to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the Swami looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the Swami's mouth water. The people sitting! around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished.

They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The Swami shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. GOD said, 'You have seen Hell.

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The Swami said, 'I don't understand.'

'It is simple,' said GOD. 'It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.'

9. Useful Tips - What to do when you are trapped in a lift?? B/f Sumathi

We never know when and where accidents will happen to us OR people around us.

A imaginary situation with a real meaning:

One day, while in a lift, it suddenly broke down and it was falling from level 13 at a fast speed. Fortunately, I remembered watching a TV program that taught you must quickly press all the buttons for all the levels. Finally, the lift stopped at the 5th level.

When you are facing life and death situations, whatever decisions or actions you make decides your survival.

If you are caught in a lift breakdown, here are some simple life saving precautions you could take
First - Quickly press all the different levels of buttons in the lift. When the emergency electricity supply is being activated, it will stop the lift from falling further.
Second - Hold on tight to the handle (if there is any). It is to support your position and prevent you from falling or getting
hurt if you lose your balance.
Third - Lean your back and head against the wall forming a straight line. Leaning against the wall is to use it as a support for your back/spine as protection.
Fourth - Bend your knees. Ligament is a flexible, connective tissue. Thus, the impact of fractured bones will be minimised during fall.

Answer to the Puzzle...

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