Friday, June 05, 2009
QUICK HITS - ITS FRIDAY FOOL
1. One step closer to communism. A PAY CZAR!!
2. Joe Biden needs to call Balmer and tell him to get his skin in the game. I don't blame Microsoft.
3. This story is just sad. Mexican daycare fire.
4. If a transgendered person isnt a freak then I don't know what is.
5. Good news!!!!!!! Steve Jobs is back in a couple of weeks. This guy is one of my personal heross.
6. In true dictator form, Obama plans on buying the next election.
7. Obama, friend of Iran, enemy of France.
8. Obama, friend of Cuba, enemy of Germany.
9. Pelosi gets briefed by people she believes are liars. This makes no sense.
10. Got Job?
HEADLINE OF THE DAY
South Carolina Mom Charged With Concealing 555-Pound Son
Thursday, June 04, 2009
MINO THURSDAYS
I am an American History Lover (yes with capitals letters), I even teach American history “USA History by Angelo’s way” I do by impersonating normal, daily, regular and common people from our history. I can be Willie the Bullwhacker the guy driven the oxen in the
Willie does not talk only about the painful journeys of the trails; he also talks about leadership and personal development. Please enjoy a talk and an encounter with Willie
Willie the Bullwhacker:
Leadership Lessons from the Trail
Everyone knows how important the opening of the free exploration to the West w
as to
people. The opening of new routes and the discovery of new unsettled territories was
amazing.
The Bullwhacker was the wiser man, the right hand of the Wagon Master (CEO) he will pick only the best oxen to do the job each with specific “responsibilities”. The Wheelers were the one closer to the wheel (front line worker). The Swingers got their due to the way they will move and swing their heavy bodies as helping the wheeler to pull the load of the wagon. The Pointers will be kind in the middle of the “labor force” sharing the job with the wheelers and swinger, and the leaders where no the stronger but the best training oxen and their position was in front of the pack, and of course Willie the master mind of the journey.
This is what a learned from Willie: (a Servant Leader)
The SERVER Leader
See and focus on the future. (Goal-setting)
Engage everyone in the mission. (Inspire,
motivate and lead)
Re-engineer your projects. (Look for change
and improvement)
Value and respect your team player. (Share
and delegate)
Energize people one more time.
(Commitment and accountability) 
Responsibility, the first and last goal for a
leader (Setting examples and passing the torch) an extra R: respect people of all levels
“TRUE leadership has nothing to do with
one’s level in the organization.”
How Can I use the oxen experience in today’s daily business journey? Here it goes
Fit, Do Not Fix
Wheelers: Frontline workers
Swinger: Cross-trained workers
Pointers: Supervisor and supporters
Leaders: Opening the path for the pack
Willie: The “real” leader
Wheelers
Let’s change the way we hire people. From now on, we will select people of character
and we will develop their skills and teach them the company’s culture. Hire them by
their behavior, character, and attitude. “Great leaders” don’t become leaders in a
moment (or in a month or a year). They become great leaders one day at a time,
throughout their lifetimes. In other words, fit your people into your company’s needs.
Understand that values are the beliefs that drive our behavior, passion, and love. They
drive our attitude and commitment, and our character. Let the candidate know you very
well. They need to be sure about you and your company.
Swingers
Cross-training is important. Employees need to understand what everyone does and value
the support that they provide to the “chain of success.” It may sometimes be difficult to
determine where the enterprise is heading, but heading somewhere is a MUST. Devote
your time to seeing the big picture, also. Sometimes heads up; sometimes heads down.
Pointers
Never take your eyes away from the future. You must have the right people in the right
roles fully engaged under the let’s-see-the-future doctrine. Everything that you as a
leader accomplish hinges on the people you have around you. The pointers will help to
make your job easier by “taking time today to ensure that there is a tomorrow.” Here is
where you will find that if you do not select the right people for the right job, you have
made a SERIOUS leadership mistake. And never underestimate the time, energy and
money necessary to fix it. Selection is too expensive. We cannot afford
it. The worst thing is that MORALE will suffer. The cost of declining performance
and missed business opportunities, the need to hire somebody again for the same
position, and selecting trainers and new workers will impact and hurt the morale of
your team.
Leader
My former boss used to tell me that “with every pair of hands you hire, you get a free
brain. Use them! Collect them!” It was easy for me to complete the sentence with: the
brain is connected to the heart. These guys will help you so that you don’t waste human
potential. Leaders are the role models. They will generate all levels of engagement. They have clear goals and understand you. They are raving fans of your company’s culture.
Willie
This guy is flexible with his people, but he is strong with his principles and values.
He develops opportunities for his people. He invests a lot of time in the development of
his team. He knows that this is the only way to create expectations for learning and growing. Educational resources are his everyday gift to his people.
He does not care about his people’s ID, he cares about his workers’ IDP (Individual Development Programs). He does not care about people’s DL, he cares about his team members’ CDL (Complete Direct Leadership). He does all this because he understands that strengths will FIT; weaknesses we have to FIX. He concentrates only on the positive
side of team members, and does not expend too much time talking about weaknesses. He
makes everyone on his team understand that training is not a disciplinary or corrective
action, it is a retention tool!
When was the last time you pick your oxen correctly?
Angelo H. Mino
HEADLINE OF THE DAY
Texas Mother Charged With Feeding Her Child Feces
Cops Say North Carolina Man Arranged Wife's Rape on Craigslist
Mom Accused of Trying to Duct Tape, Kidnap Daughter's Boyfriend
THE WIRE - PANIC ZONE
Back in the mid 80's there was a rapper that called himself the Arabian Prince. The dude only had two songs that were any good so you MIGHT not of heard of him. Anyways one the songs "Panic Zone" is a very fitting song for "The Wire" today.
1. Hispanic robbers are at least passionate. Just ask this lady who got a kiss from the criminal that just jacked yet another Hispanic Market. Blind, deaf & dumb people have yet to make the connection to the Mexican Mafia. That is why you have me.
2. Luck #13 for 7-11 on Wornall.
3. Public intoxication enough to commit suicide? You Wyco bastards are crazy!
4. When its a little muggy outside it is a good idea to take your stabbings indoors. Good thinking KCK.
5. Isn't it good sportsmanship to shake hands before a fight? They got this story all wrong.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
JOCO HISTORY
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WEDNSEDAYS WITH BILL
Coke or Pepsi?
Ok, so I’m really NOT going to talk about soft drinks! We all know Pepsi is better anyway, right? What I am going to talk about today is brands of paint, is one really better than the others?
For the most part, the answer is yes! But only when comparing apples to apples. Just like the soft drink battles, one may prefer Coke over Pepsi or vice versa, but we can all agree that the quality and taste are pretty consistent from batch to batch. Throw in a generic brand of soft drink and the situation may change. It may be “ok”, but not up to the standards of the big brands.
Most paint formulations are basically the same. For many paints, water makes up the largest percentage of the ingredient list. For exterior paints, the next larges ingredient is the Acrylic, which is basically the “plastic” that give a paint its body. The more Acrylic content, the better the paint. The most expensive ingredient in paint is Titanium Dioxide. This naturally occurring compound give paint its UV inhibiting properties and makes the paint “whiter,” among other things. Generally the more TiO2 in your paint, the better it will perform and the longer it will last. This is especially true when it comes to dark colors!
All that technical stuff being said, most paint performs pretty well these days. As long as you are using comparable products, you should get comparable performance. For example, Sherwin Williams’ SuperPaint will perform about the same as Kwal’s Ambassador or Porter’s Acri-Shield. They are all 100% Acrylic exterior paints. The same would go for the “lifetime” paints I’ve discussed in the past. Sherwin Williams’ Duration should perform about the same as Kwal’s Legacy and Porter’s Permanizer.
Just like I’ve also discussed before, ignore the warranty! Performance is what you are looking for. Regardless of the brand of paint you purchase, plan on repainting every 5-7 years here in the Midwest. As long as your painter is doing a good job of preparing your home, this is the proper interval for painting. The more your home is shaded, the longer your paint will last.
I guess the moral of the story here is when picking a paint, make sure you are using a name brand, quality paint. All paint stores will match their paint to another manufacturer’s color. DO NOT let the colors you choose dictate the brand of paint you use! Again, it all comes down to the painter you choose. Even the best paint in the world won’t last if the painter doesn’t do his job properly! Be sure to check their references, check them out with the Better Business Bureau. If he’s an independent contractor out on his own, check him out to make sure he isn’t a felon or sex offender. Most of the time reputable companies won’t hire them so they go to work for themselves. Cover all your bases!
Check out my blog for other articles or if you have any questions: http://billthepainter.blogspot.com/