Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/76207
\ 26 harmed because the company doesn't proclaim its charitable giving from the rooftops. When giving is loud and os- tentatious, it sounds more like a commercial than an act of generosity. It may be that the best form of giving is de- livering on our promises so that our customers receive what they expect. It's an unusual gift, to be sure, and one that creates respect, satis- faction and loyalty. 8. Stop kidding ourselves. A company president picked up a consultant in his new Mercedes convertible. After talking about it, he said, "It really pleases me that our employ- ees are so happy that I got it." Self-delusion tops the list of all executive er- rors. How long did RIM and Kodak fantasize about the viability of their respective compa- nies? The RIM folks couldn't tolerate the idea that their beloved Blackberrys were history, while the Kodak execs couldn't conceive of a world without film, until it was too late. It's so easy to convince ourselves that our picture of reality is real, even though all the signs point their fallacy. 9. Drop the gobblygook. There's a bizarre belief that just about any business communica- tion will be viewed with authority by using the right words. They range from scalable, silo, core competency, actionable, robust, bulk up, space, foot print, game changer, view from 30,000 feet, think outside the box, low hang- ing fruit, strategic business plan, to drill down and ROI –– as well as a hundred more. Their appeal is that they sound so compellingly "cor- porate." If the truth be told, instead of making those who use them sound smart, gobblygook sends the opposite message. The more they say, the more they make it clear to everyone that don't have a clue as to what they're talking about. The best solution is to avoid all the gobbly- gook and put it all in your own words. 10. Work. It seems as if the people who re- ally do the work in most businesses are at the bottom of the personnel charts and the closer you get to the top, the concept of work tends to be more than a bit fuzzy. Change is in the air these days, so a good calendar of events AUGUST Aug 14 - Aug 16 ACM Course 301 Lakeland, Florida, Cypress Lakes Golf & Country Club Contact: Beth Loftus 850-907-9111 Aug 23 - Aug 24 Arizona Housing Association 2012 Annual Convention, Doubletree Resort by Hilton - Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, AZ Contact: kim@azhousing.org, or phone (480) 456-6530 SEPTEMBER Sep 27 - Sep 28 AMHA 41st Annual Meeting Peabody Hotel, Little Rock, AR Contact: Vicki Hoover (501) 663-8444 OCTOBER Oct 7 - Oct 9 2012 MHI Annual Meeting Hotel Contessa, San Antonio, TX Contact: Cheryl Langley (703) 558-0668 AUGUST 2012 28 THE JOURNAL place to begin is by trashing the high-back leather chair and the "see how important I am" door-sized desk. Those with such trappings, among others, view themselves as invaluable "executives" and the hardest workers of all, who often believe they should be accorded special benefits and privileges. All that should have gone years ago. They cause people to view themselves as important; they have a right to come in late, leave early, fly first-class and be unaccountable. If you want to improve productivity, stop hiring consultants and come to work on time and stay all day. It works wonders. When it comes right down to it, having put all the excuses aside, the firing up of a business is up to us. T J John R. Graham of GrahamComm is a marketing and sales consultant and business writer. He publishes a monthly eNewsletter, "NoNonsenseMarketing&Sales." Contact him at johnrg31@me.com, 617-774-9759 or johnrgraham.com. Oct 15 - Oct 18 2102WMA Convention & Expo South Point Hotel, Casino & Resort, Las Vegas, NV Contact: Regina Sanchez (800) 669-8847 Oct 25 - Oct 26 New York Housing Association 62nd Annual Meeting & Convention Turning Stone Resort, Verona, NY Contact: Nancy Geer (800) 721-4663 Oct 30 71st Michigan MH Assoc. Annual Meeting Suburban Collection Showplace, Novi, MI Contact: Darren Ing (517) 349-3300 #19 NOVEMBER Nov. 11 - Nov. 12 IMHA 65th Annual Meeting Cedar Rapids Marriott,Cedar Rapids, Iowa Contact: Becky Kinney (515) 265-1497 2013 Events JANUARY Jan 23 - Jan 25 Louisville Manufactured Housing Show Kentucky Fair & Expo Center, Louisville, KY Contact Dennis Hill (770)-587-3350 FEBRUARY Feb 24 - Feb 26 2013 Manufactured Housing Institute Legislative Conference andWinter Meeting Sheraton Crystal City, Crystal City,VA/Washington, D.C. Contact: Cheryl Langley (703) 558-0668 APRIL Apr 16 - Apr 18 2013 National Congress & Expo Paris Hotel, Las Vegas, NV Contact: Cheryl Langley (703) 558-0668 news@journalmfdhousing.com Send your upcoming events to