So this video is for my team in Haiti, great people doing great things.

Here are a couple of trends that will make all the difference. 

The first trend is to develop a large library in your home and READ.  Reading will stimulate your mind and creativity.  Did you know that the average CEO reads four books a month and earns 536 times the salary of their average employee?  While the average American employee reads one book a year and 60% don’t make it past the first chapter.  That is alarming and is a huge wake up call!

Charlie Jones once said, “a person will be the same person as they are today years from now with the exception of the books they read and the people they meet.”

So it is my intention in 2011 to read diligently, learn, develop a love for learning, while engaging others in the world to develop long lasting relationships. Remember, ss an old saying states, “readers are leaders.”

Secondly, create a journal and stimulate your conscious by, clearly defining your goals, asking well worded questions, and handling pressing problems.

Looking at 2011, it can get overwhelming by all the facets of life;  family, health, finance, property, taxes, friends, business, work, etc.  So I am going to keep it really simple, with a balanced approach to clearly defining my goals.

1. Create a balanced condition within my everyday life.

2. Read, learn, teach, and impact others through my knowledge and experience.

3. Be present in everything I do and put fear in it’s place by taking risks.

Creating journals within a journal is the route I am choose to take.  In these journals I will ask questions and not worrying about the answers, always having faith that they will come when the time is right.  I spend a good bit of time away from my family, and I want to include them in my everyday life and allow them to see through my eyes what I experience.  So I have three pages dedicated to my children, and one to my wife.  These pages will be the reflection of my thoughts toward each family member on a daily basis, and hopefully leave a legacy for my children.

I see journalling as an opportunity to aid in handling pressing problems that will arise and allowing an outlet to gather my thoughts before responding to issues, thus avoiding direct criticism of the situation or person. I will strive to handle pressing problems by confronting them with the truth, and encouraging others to hang in there and work through their challenges.

I encourage you to “hang in there”, whatever the challenge may be today or tomorrow.  You can do it!

Thanks for reading and have an amazing 2011!

Jamieson Slough

Important notes from this book:

1. Only have seats for A players. – “tell your people it will be a challenge and demanding.”

2. Who comes before What. Build deep and strong executive teams.

3. Compensation is not a distinguishing variable in moving an organization from good to great.

4. The right people will do the right things and deliver the best results they’re capable of, regardless of the incentive program.

5. Always place greater weight on character attributes than on specific educational background, practical skills, specialized knowledge, or work experience.

6. Only the bet make the annual cut. Consistent exacting standards at all times and at all levels.

7. How to be Rigorous

a. When in doubt, don’t hire – keep looking

b. When you need to make a people change, act.

c. Put your best people on your biggest opportunities, not your biggest problems.

d. Managing problems makes you good, building opportunities is the only way to become great.

e. All debates must be for he common good of the company, not for self interest.

8. Facts are better than dreams

a. Let the brutal facts tell reality.

9. How to build a climate where truth is heard?

a. Lead with questions, not answers. (So, what’s on your mind? Can you tell me about this? Can you help me understand? What should we be worried about?

b. Engage in dialogue and debate , not coercion.

c. Conduct autopsies without blame.

d. Build red-flag mechanisms

“Never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end – which you can never afford to lose – with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”

10. Simplicity within three circles

a. What are you passionate about?

b. What can you be the best in the world at? More importantly, what you cannot be the best at?

c. That drives your economic engine?

11. “Stop doing lists” are MORE important than “to do” lists.

12. Become pioneers in the application of carefully selected technologies.

13. Use technology as an accelerator of momentum, not a creator of it. Make sure the technology fits with the three circles.

14. Preserve the core values and purpose while your business strategies and operating practices endlessly adapt to a changing world.

15. Realize what you are doing is at best a waste of energy.

16. What work makes you feel compelled to try to create greatness?

These last 16 points ring true to the very core of what takes a good company and makes them great.  it never happens overnight, but with consistent effort, drive, determination, and longing to become great with steady faith that it will indeed happen.  Unwavering principles and core vales within the three circles is a must.

I highly recommend you pick this book up and make it part of your growing library!

Other summaries for this book, http://www.wikisummaries.org/Good_to_Great:_Why_Some_Companies_Make_the_Leap…_and_Others_Don’t

All the best in 2011!

Jamieson Slough

It amazes me the faith and conviction of others through rough times.

I think it is really important coming together as a community and enjoying a fun night with friends.  Everyone is busy living life and working hard, so why not spend some time enjoying each other’s company and dancing the night away.  Thanks to everyone that helped out!  From fire-wood, drinks, chili, set-up, you name it, friends helped and I appreciate that soooo much.

So here are a couple of pictures, you know a picture says a thousand words!

It was a great party and special time for Ally as she celebrated #9.  Thanks for everyone who came and all the special gifts she received.

“I would of joined your program but when I saw that you had an Ali statement on there it made me sick,seriously how can you put Ali on your site he is the most disgusting person I have ever seen in my life,how can you take this man who WOULD NOT FIGHT for his country when he was called to do so,and then America turns around and gives him everything in the world,I knew people who would not fight and they went to jail,he is the BIGGEST COWARD on earth for not fighting in the war when others did,and yet people call him the greatest,how PATHETIC.”

My Response

“I commend your passionate statement, and as someone who served our country for 12 years as a Major of Marines an F/A-18 Hornet pilot, I can understand the resentment.

However, to hastily make decisions based on a couple of words shows me a great deal of lack of judgment on your part. When it comes down to any situation, unless you lived that persons life, experienced what they went through, who they were influenced by, molded by, and taught by, then passing judgment on their life decisions is unjustified.

Furthermore passing judgment on this company through a quote taken from someone who showed great courage and inspired many around the globe, shows negatively towards your attitude and the possibility to succeed.

You see, in order to be successful, you need to make lemonade out of lemons.  You need to understand how to use other people’s problems and life stories as building blocks for your success, not as excuses why you can’t do something.

I guess looking back it was a cool experience. Back in the day, life was just strolling along and much less hectic then today’s world. We had 5 channels on tv, count them…5. My dad let us watch 3 of them and the rest of the time it was outside with yard work, riding bikes, or playing sports. Nowadays, we have 1000 channels full of a bunch of crap that tell the kids they need more crap. It is really out of control. Consumerism is a vicious animal and undermines the reason we are here on earth, or at least that’s my opinion.

We are here for one reason. To give. That’s it! Ask anyone how it feels to help another person out through a kind gesture or action. It totally rocks! However, I somehow find myself looking for something that I don’t need and really don’t want. I think the commercials during Survivor have subliminal messages! I go a month without tv and life is amazing. Turn the damn boobtube on, dad’s favorite words, and the next thing I whipping my credit card out to buy something.

So here’s my advice, if you want to listen to a guy that grew up in PA, turn the damn tv off and experience life! Set the example for your kids and take them to the park or play outside. Those experiences create memories, not watching shows.

Another thought from my head…

Please help today…give up your birthday, run, exercise, hike, join a group to help the children of tomorrow, today!

California Speedway NASCAR

In some respects I like to live life on the edge. That is easy to say after being a fighter pilot, father or three, and just a plain nut at times, well most of the time if you talk to my neighbors.  The thing is I just love to live life, have fun, enjoy good company, but most of all challenge myself mentally and physically.

Many times this year I have started a routine of working out, eating, being ‘good’ only to find myself slipping back into bad habits.  Why does this happen?  I think it comes down to self control.  Those who demonstrate self control will achieve better outcomes than people who don’t, easy as that!  Easy my a$$.  I am a self starter and exteremly motivated to accomplish great things, so why is it so hard to get up and exercise before starting the day?

If you study successful people they do one thing very well.  They learn deliberate practice.  What I mean by deliberate practice is to not just practice at working out, eating right, and doing the right thing, make it a perfect practice at those things, or at least strive for that.  You can go on to an elite level only with deliberate practice, period.  It requires attention and focus as well as frequent feedback against a known standard that you can set for yourself.  Set a goal, and then build a plan to surpass your goal.  When things aren’t going well, look back at your standards and analyze why.

If we test ourselves frequently against a known standard, then it becomes a routine and new levels are reached and you can surpass your self imposed limits. So here is what I am doing the next 30 days!  I challenged myself to get up at the crack of dawn, deliver the workout of my life to get the blood pumping and internal fire burning for the day.  Think I can do it?  I will make it a point to write a status report on the 30 day challenge page in this blog..

Go ahead and challenge yourself for the next 30 days.  I would love to hear what you are going to do to surpass your limits!