Monday 23 September 2013

Honesty pays off for homeless man

Honesty pays off for homeless Boston man

"James said a medical condition made it hard for him to work, but God had always looked after him", reports Pia Harold

Donations of more than $110,000 (£67,000) have poured in from across the US for a Boston homeless man who returned a lost bag with $42,000 in it.
Glen James alerted police after he found the backpack containing cash and traveller's cheques last weekend, and the bag's owner was then tracked down.
A complete stranger later started an online fund for Mr James after reading media reports about his honesty.
The man, Ethan Whittington, now plans to meet Mr James to give him the money.

Mr Whittington, who lives in Midlothian, Virginia, said he was so overwhelmed by Mr James' honesty that he decided to start the fund.
"The fact that he's in the situation he is, being homeless, it blew my mind that he would do this,'' Mr Whittington was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
He said his idea of starting donations on a crowdfunding website for Mr James "caught on like wildfire ever since".
"It's brought me a lot of hope. This isn't only about rewarding a great guy. I think it's a statement to everyone in America.
"If we come together and work toward one thing and work together, then we can make it happen."
Meanwhile, Mr James, a former Boston courthouse employee, said that he would not have kept "even a penny" of the money he had found in the backpack - even if he were desperate.

Tuesday 10 September 2013

A Point of View: Why embracing change is the key to happiness



Imagine three identical boxes. Two are empty and one contains your heart's desire, perhaps love, perhaps a nice cup of tea. A kind, if slightly perverse, person says you can pick one box and own its contents. Let's say you select Box A. The person then shows you Box B is empty. So either Box A - your choice, or Box C - a mystery, contains your happiness. Now, you can change your choice to Box C, or stick with Box A. But what gives you the better chance? Should you change or not?
If you're like me, you won't want to change. Even if things aren't wonderful, but are familiar, I would rather stay with what I know. Why meddle with something for which there is a Latin, and therefore authoritative, term: the status quo. I studied dead languages at school - no chance of sudden changes in grammar or vocabulary there. So I'm aware status quo has roots in the longer phrase "in statu quo res erant ante bellum" - the state in which things were before the war. I feel the implication is that without the status quo there will be chaos. There will be war.

About the author

AL Kennedy
  • AL Kennedy is a writer and performer
  • A Point of View is usually broadcast on Fridays on Radio 4 at 20:50 BST and repeated Sundays, 08:50 BST
But I am quite change-averse. I began to dislike my first boyfriend when he changed the spot where my coffee jar was kept. The new spot wasn't dangerous - it was just different and therefore wrong. Equally, although he proved to be a truly dreadful boyfriend, once I'd got used to him, his dreadfulness became a part of me. His absence - as I eventually discovered - was a charming relief, but it was also a change and therefore troubling.
Some of my hope should come from the possibilities of positive change, but I ignore this. Because things change by growing older, wearing out, because there is death, I spend a good deal of time fearfully ignoring unavoidable changes so I can still get up in the morning.
So I battle inevitable changes, avoid hopeful changes and when I'm not therefore engaged in pointless combat, I'm pretending change doesn't exist, which is even more pointless and can make me cruel. I may assume the homeless man I see in the street was somehow born homeless, that everyone's state is fixed beyond remedy.
New situations, new people, new languages - we can interpret any of these as an unwelcome, if not threatening, change. Which is bad news for how we police crowds, carry out overseas peace-keeping actions, or treat unfamiliar people. Our overreaction to what can feel like chaos may actually produce real chaos. When change finally overwhelms us we can get so scared we forget other humans are human and behave badly. Why not? We're in chaos.
Even if change-avoidance forms a prison, walking outside it can seem appalling. Being without love, or novel interactions, might be awful, but their presence might change us. And when something, or someone we already love is taken, by accident, by bereavement, by changes we can't control - we're not only hurt - their absence changes us. This does nothing to make change attractive.
We may try to control our own superficial alterations - buying the latest iThings, taking risks, not only swimming with sharks, but with sharks we've never met - seeking what's new and then newer. But that's just as rigid a behaviour as my sad clinging to defunct electrical goods, neat solitudes and tales of doom involving shark attacks. Real change will still happen.
Supporters of Barack Obama in 2008 during his first campaign to become US presidentChange was an important idea in President Obama's 2008 election campaign
And every analysis of what makes lucky and happy people lucky and happy demonstrates they adapt fast and well to new situations and people, and so are defended by complex social circles and acclimatised to change. They offer and request help and are free to embrace what's positive in life's inevitable alterations. They don't try to impose stillness on a universe which is in motion. They know real security involves a degree of exposure.
Sadly, most human authorities play to our fears and offer us stasis. They build us, if you like, shark cages for our time in the ever-changing water - consoling little pens which can't protect us when something huge and horrible arrives and we end up like Richard Dreyfuss in Jaws - all at sea. They offer apparently eternal values - eternity being unchanging and therefore reliable - the brotherhood of men, the wisdom of the free market, the evil of outsiders, the true path to heaven, the rewards of obedience. An incumbent government will warn against "changing horses in midstream" and we may accept a dire status quo because of how much worse the alternative might be.
When we are told something threatens "our way of life" that can feel easily, dreadfully true and encourage us to tolerate all manner of prohibitions, oppressions and compulsions. Populations encouraged to fear change may only pursue it when their situation is already savage, perhaps reassured by some of those eternal values. The more savage the situation, the easier it is to offer equally savage solutions.
As individuals and nations, this can keep us from safety and mercy. If that homeless man on the street could never have been like us then he's beyond helping and we can't gain the humility to know we could also be painfully changed, we needn't try to make the world safer as a project to benefit us all. And when we intervene in other countries, we usually cling to familiar, failed templates. We are as inflexible as possible in worryingly fluid situations and quickly scared people face other scared people in self-perpetuating battles between rigid values. Change resistance produces a nightmare, which change denial means we'll pretend has been eternal.
A UN vehicle drives through Homs in 2012A UN vehicle drives through the Bayyada district of Homs in Syria, in 2012
A relatively unreflective part of my identity once defined the Syrian city of Homs as a holiday destination - I wanted to visit the picturesque ancient quarter. Now it's easy to define Homs as a city that has always been in torment. Its fragile possibilities for positive change disappear. How much easier for a government, for personnel in combat to avoid subtleties, imaginative solutions. Area bombing and civilian casualties - can't we move beyond the old, failed strategies? The best that Homs can hope for shouldn't be to simply slip from one nightmare to another. The international community offering something better, something truly beyond self-interest - that would be a beautiful change.
If we're lucky and our society is relatively stable, our fear of change can still lead us astray. If we get divorced, get married, get ill, if we're in a recession, if we lose our job, if we believe "our way of life" is changing outwith our control, maybe our alarm won't be harnessed by opportunist politicians. Instead, we may simply embrace magical thinking, an old, failed strategy, to wish change away.
During periods of uncertainty what I'll call the mystical industries always prosper. We begin to rely on apparently unchanging good luck charms, access to online tarot readings, hot stock tips. We can end up penning ourselves in expensive cages, while the unavoidable alterations of life - the hurts, the miracles, the gifts, the deaths - will still arise and we'll respond to them wildly or not at all. If we withdraw from reality's true nature - that it changes constantly and so do we - we become lost to ourselves, punished by our troubles and by their ineffective cure.
But what, for example, is the best solution to that three-box problem? Remember we picked Box A of the three. Box B was empty. Now we can stick with A, or change to C. But should we? Yes, we should. Switching from Box A to Box C won't guarantee success, but will massively improve its odds. And yes that is counter-intuitive. Our intuition doesn't like change either, but we can overcome it. Approaching the changing reality of reality with sensible flexibility is the best strategy for happiness. I don't believe it, but it's true. And if I can change my mind, I can change anything else I need to.

Wednesday 4 September 2013

Oprah Winfrey :15 Inspiring Business Lessons from the worlds most powerful woman

 is a self-made CEO worth about $2.7 billion. By most accounts, she’s the greatest black philanthropist in American history and the most influential woman in the world.
But she could have been just another talk show host.
In 1984 she got her dream job: hosting a show called ‘AM Chicago’. Under her watch, it went from last to first in the ratings. Two years later, the program was being syndicated nationally as ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’.
That’s when Oprah made the decision that transformed her from an entertainer to an entrepreneur with a salary of $290 million a year. I’ll explain that decision and how you can adopt Oprah’s mindset in the 15 lessons below.

15 Inspiring Business Lessons from Oprah Winfrey

#1 Be True to Your Self

“I had no idea that being your authentic self could make me as rich as I’ve become. If I had, I’d have done it a lot earlier.”
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah has been captivating audiences since she was three years old. Her local church had nicknamed Oprah “The Preacher” for her ability to recite Bible verses.
She had a knack for interviewing too. Back then, Oprah’s favorite game was to ask question of her doll and the crows on the fence of her family’s property. In other words, Winfrey was pretty much born to be a talk show host.
If you feel like your job is a round hole and you’re a square peg, it’s time to make a change.

#2 Respond to Prejudice with Excellence

In the early 1970’s, Oprah landed a job as the first black female news anchor at Nashville’s WLAC-TV. In 1976 Winfrey got an offer to anchor the six o’clock news in Baltimore. Ten years later, she was the host of The Oprah Winfrey Show – the number-one daytime talk show in America.
Oprah knew all along that she wasn’t what TV producers wanted in front of the camera. As TIME magazine wrote, “In a field dominated by white males, she is a black female of ample bulk.”
Knowing this, she could have given up. But Winfrey believed that she could overcome prejudice in her industry by being the best in her industry:
“Excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism.”
Oprah Winfrey

#3 If You Haven’t Fallen, You Haven’t Walked

“Go ahead. Fall down. The world looks different from the ground.”
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah, like mostly insanely successful people, doesn’t believe in failure.
What most people think of as failure, Winfrey considers to be a new perspective, a new lesson, another stepping stone to her destination.
This is the advice she has for those afraid to fail: “Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better.”

#4 Find the Good in the Bad

When Winfrey was co-anchoring the evening news in Baltimore, a botched hair treatment destroyed her hair and left her totally bald. Winfrey was devastated, knowing how important a good head of hair is for a news anchor.
But she was also able to look on the bright side. Years later, Oprah told Ms. magazine, “You learn a lot about yourself when you’re bald.”
“Turn your wounds into wisdom.”
Oprah Winfrey
Winfrey’s past is full of struggle – she grew up poor, was sexually abused as a child, and had a son at the age of 14 who died in infancy – but she credits these events for giving her more capacity to relate to the pain of others.
I’m not going to tell you that “everything happens for a reason,” but I can promise you that there are two sides to every coin. As Winfrey puts it, “every single event in life happens in an opportunity to choose love over fear.”

#5 Challenge the Status Quo

School teaches kids that success is achieved by following instructions and by doing things the way they’re “supposed to be” done.
But life and business teach a different lesson.
When Winfrey got her first job as a news anchor, she didn’t read the news in a dry, objective tone (as it was “supposed to be” read). She spoke with emotion and empathy, as if she was really experiencing what she was reporting. It was different, but audiences liked it – and so TV producers did too.
After a few years of hosting ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’, she again wanted to challenge the norm. Winfrey explains:
“I’m sick of people sittin’ in chairs stating their problems. Then we roll the videotape… then we have our experts on the topic… I’m in the ‘What’s next?’ phase of my career.”
What was next for Winfrey was a different kind of talk show, one that focused less on tabloid stories and more on broad issues like health, politics, and spirituality. Again, Winfrey’s willingness to forge her own path paid off: ‘Oprah’ ruled the day-time TV ratings until it went off the air in 2011.

#6 Follow Your Gut

“Your gut is your inner compass. Whenever you have to consult with other people for an answer, you’re headed in the wrong direction.”
Oprah Winfrey
A few years ago, I was faced with a big life crossroads. I wanted to choose my path in the most rational way possible, so I made a weighted chart with all of the positives and negatives, analyzed the data, and determined the “right” choice.
But something didn’t feel right.
Oprah would have told me to go with my gut. She’s a strong believer in her instincts, saying they’re “where true wisdom manifests itself.” She’s made her big decisions (like deciding to retire from ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’) just based on a gut feeling.
Instinct-based decision making is faster, less stressful, and more holistic. So if you’ve been making all of your decisions based on rational analysis but you’re not 100% happy with the results, try following going with your gut for a change.

#7 Make Your Own Luck

You can’t earn $2.7 billion without getting lucky at least once.
Oprah understands that she’s been lucky, but she doesn’t see luck as pure chance:
“I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity.”
Oprah Winfrey
Every entrepreneur hopes to land a huge client or get a sudden spike in traffic, but if they’ve spent all their time hoping (and not preparing) then when that huge opportunity finally does come along, their business won’t be fully equipped to make the most of it.
Instead wishing for luck, think about what opportunity you would most like to receive in your life. Are you completely prepared to make the most of it?

#8 Help Yourself by Helping Others

Not only has Winfrey started her own charity (Oprah’s Angel Network), she’s also given more of her own money to philanthropic causes than any other performer in America (estimated at $303 million in 2007).
The main reason that Oprah does this is so that she can make a positive impact in the lives of others, but she also has a selfish reason:
“The surest way to bring goodness to yourself is to make it your intention to do good for somebody else.”
Oprah Winfrey
As entrepreneurs helping others, we demonstrate our value, encourage reciprocal help, build our networks, and create good karma. Doing good for others is doing good for yourself.

#9 Say “Thank You” More

 “The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”
Oprah Winfrey
To celebrate two decades on national television, Winfrey thanked her hard-working staff by taking them and their families on vacation to Hawaii (1065 people in total). That’s a pretty big thank you.
Oprah’s such a fan of saying thanks, that she’s created an app called the “Thank You Game” which aspires to thank a half a billion people.
Feeling thankful for what we have and what other people have done for us is a great way to foster contentment in our lives. But Oprah also believes that it’s a key to finding success and getting more of what you want in life:
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”
Oprah Winfrey

#10 Know How to Slow Down

The life of an entrepreneur is hectic. As I type this sentence, I have about five very different tasks on my to-do list and all of them probably should have been done yesterday.
Oprah’s life is even busier and much more stressful, which is why it’s so important for her to have ways of coping:
“Sometimes in the thick of life, when my call list is longer than the day and people are lined up waiting for meeting after meeting, I just stop. I still myself. And look at a tree. A flower. The sun’s light reflecting off the window. And I remember love is available. I inhale it, exhale, and get back to work.”
Next time you’re in a crunch and you’re ready to throw in the towel, remember Oprah’s method for slowing things down and regaining your clarity and focus. If she can put on a daily television show while working as CEO of Harpo Productions, there’s a chance you can get everything on your to-do list checked off today as well.

#11 Choose Your Friends Wisely

“Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.”
Oprah Winfrey
Peer pressure is a powerful thing. We take on the habits, attitudes, and tastes of the people we spend our time with. I’ve read several places that your income will be the average of your five closest friends.
But the more rich and successful you are, the more important it is for you to have true friends. Oprah knows this well: “Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.”

#12 There is No Big Secret

“The big secret in life is that there’s no big secret. Whatever your aim, you will get there if you’re willing to work.”
Oprah Winfrey
Every successful entrepreneur who I’ve profiled is different, but they have one thing in common:  each has worked hard to accomplish their goals.
Oprah Winfrey pulled in a $290 million salary last year, but that figure represents 40 hour weeks piled on top of 50 hour weeks piled on top of 60 hour weeks.

#13 It’s Easier to Succeed While Doing What You Love

“You know you are on the road to success if you would do your job, and not be paid for it.”
Oprah Winfrey
When you’re doing what you love, then you’re probably going to do a better job.
You’ll also have more energy. Oprah says, “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.”

#14 Own Everything You Do

“This is your moment. Own it.”
Oprah Winfrey
Winfrey chose to take ownership of her show when she founded Harpo Productions. Being CEO of Harpo empowered her to have control over every aspect of her show. It also opened the door for Winfrey to produce films, broadcast radio programs, and publish a magazine.
Oprah’s refused countless offers to endorse other company’s products. Everything that Oprah says, creates, or lends her name to, she owns. And she’s done it with virtually no outside investment: Winfrey owns 90% of stock in Harpo.
Not satisfied with just her own show, as of 2011 Winfrey has her own network. Naturally, its name is ‘OWN’ (Oprah Winfrey Network).

#15 You’re In Charge

“We’re each responsible for our own life. No one else is or even could be.”
Oprah Winfrey
I talk to a lot of people who have adopted a passive mindset in their life. The way they see it, things just happen to them and all they can do is react. These people allow other people and external forces control them.
Oprah never thought that way. She once said, “I don’t think of myself as a poor deprived ghetto girl who made good. I think of myself as somebody who from an early age knew I was responsible for myself, and I had to make good.”
You’re the only person in control of your hands, your feet, and your brain. What you choose to do with them will make all the difference in the world.


About Nick

Nick is an American writer, musician, and entrepreneur.
He makes creative web videos with his company Next Level Ink.

Monday 2 September 2013

8 Rules For Good Customer Service

Good customer service is the lifeblood of any business. You can offer promotions and slash prices to bring in as many new customers as you want, but unless you can get some of those customers to come back, your business won't be profitable for long.
Good customer service is all about bringing customers back. And about sending them away happy - happy enough to pass positive feedback about your business along to others, who may then try the product or service you offer for themselves and in their turn become repeat customers.
If you're a good salesperson, you can sell anything to anyone once. But it will be your approach to customer service that determines whether or not you’ll ever be able to sell that person anything else. The essence of good customer service is forming a relationship with customers – a relationship that that individual customer feels that he would like to pursue.
How do you go about forming such a relationship? By remembering the one true secret of good customer service and acting accordingly; "You will be judged by what you do, not what you say."
I know this verges on the kind of statement that's often seen on a sampler, but providing good customer service IS a simple thing. If you truly want to have good customer service, all you have to do is ensure that your business consistently does these things:
1) Answer your phone.
Get call forwarding. Or an answering service. Hire staff if you need to. But make sure that someone is picking up the phone when someone calls your business. (Notice I say "someone". People who call want to talk to a live person, not a fake "recorded robot".) For more on answering the phone, see How to Answer the Phone Properly.
2) Don't make promises unless you will keep them.
Not plan to keep them. Will keep them. Reliability is one of the keys to any good relationship, and good customer service is no exception. If you say, “Your new bedroom furniture will be delivered on Tuesday”, make sure it is delivered on Tuesday. Otherwise, don't say it. The same rule applies to client appointments, deadlines, etc.. Think before you give any promise - because nothing annoys customers more than a broken one.
3) Listen to your customers.
Is there anything more exasperating than telling someone what you want or what your problem is and then discovering that that person hasn't been paying attention and needs to have it explained again? From a customer's point of view, I doubt it. Can the sales pitches and the product babble. Let your customer talk and show him that you are listening by making the appropriate responses, such as suggesting how to solve the problem.
4) Deal with complaints.
No one likes hearing complaints, and many of us have developed a reflex shrug, saying, "You can't please all the people all the time". Maybe not, but if you give the complaint your attention, you may be able to please this one person this one time - and position your business to reap the benefits of good customer service.
5) Be helpful - even if there's no immediate profit in it.
The other day I popped into a local watch shop because I had lost the small piece that clips the pieces of my watch band together. When I explained the problem, the proprietor said that he thought he might have one lying around. He found it, attached it to my watch band – and charged me nothing! Where do you think I'll go when I need a new watch band or even a new watch? And how many people do you think I've told this story to?
6) Train your staff (if you have any) to be always helpful, courteous, and knowledgeable.
Do it yourself or hire someone to train them. Talk to them about good customer service and what it is (and isn't) regularly. (Good Customer Service: How to Help a Customer explains the basics of ensuring positive staff-customer interactions.) Most importantly, give every member of your staff enough information and power to make those small customer-pleasing decisions, so he never has to say, "I don't know, but so-and-so will be back at..."
7) Take the extra step.
For instance, if someone walks into your store and asks you to help them find something, don't just say, "It's in Aisle 3". Lead the customer to the item. Better yet, wait and see if he has questions about it, or further needs. Whatever the extra step may be, if you want to provide good customer service, take it. They may not say so to you, but people notice when people make an extra effort and will tell other people.
8) Throw in something extra.
Whether it's a coupon for a future discount, additional information on how to use the product, or a genuine smile, people love to get more than they thought they were getting. And don’t think that a gesture has to be large to be effective. The local art framer that we use attaches a package of picture hangers to every picture he frames. A small thing, but so appreciated.
If you apply these eight simple rules consistently, your business will become known for its good customer service. And the best part? The irony of good customer service is that over time it will bring in more new customers than promotions and price slashing ever did!
Susan WardBy Susan Ward