Is peace, hope and security a pipe dream?

Is peace, hope and security a pipe dream? Will we ever see a world devoid of man's inhumanity to man, where crime, war and terrorism are things of the past rather than the present and future?

Two Indianapolis businessmen, Ron Sukenick and Joe Newman, believe it is possible to change the world with a process which starts with character development. The pair has introduced Little Rox (www.littlerox.com), a "rock-in-a-box" to deliver and reinforce messages based on character traits.

20 distinct rocks, such as granite, obsidian, sandstone, shale and marble are matched with one of the twenty characteristics Sukenick and Newman hope people will embrace. The complete package includes a rock, a book, a printed character trait and The Declaration for Humanity.

According to Sukenick, "Joe and I felt if people worldwide adopted character traits such as benevolence, deference, dependability, forgiveness, generosity, honesty and humility, it would have a significant impact on mankind. To support our Little Rox, we created a Declaration for Humanity, modeled after the Declaration of Independence. Our goal is to get commitments from as many people as possible to join us in this important mission."

"Each Little Rox is imbued with a personality and quotes attributed to the rock. For example, Granite, one of the 20 featured Little Rox said, "It is an enormous project with 6.6 billion people in the world, but there are more rocks than people and we can get this message out. Little Rox Can Make a Big Difference," added Newman.

The legendary Don Quixote describes his quest by saying, "To dream the impossible dream..." To us, stated Sukenick, the impossible dream is a world of peace, hope and security. We hope the Little Rox get the message across...it starts with character development."

Ron Sukenick is President of Relationship Strategies Institute; Joe Newman is CEO of the American Basketball Association (ABA). For more information, call Ron Sukenick at 317 216 8210 or Joe Newman at 317 844 7502 or email Ron at rs @ littlerox.com or visit www.littlerox.com.

Wonder what that was all about?

You should have seen my face yesterday at the very moment my cell phone go flushed down the toilet into the Louisville Sewer System.

You heard me right.

Can you imagine?

Taking a poop and when I got up to leave the bathroom, my phone fell out of the case and down the toilet…..

Wow! Was I shocked..

Has anything so weird like that ever happen to you?

Wonder what that was all about?

So I lost my cell phone yesterday afternoon, and that evening, I found someone else’s cell phone. And was fortunate enough to return it safely to them.


I wonder what was going on yesterday.


Any thoughts?

What are you doing to exceed expectations?

I had the chance a few years back to host a radio talk show. It was a weekly Saturday morning get together of people who would interact with the audience sharing ideas, information and other resources.

The topics focused on building business strategies to use to create the level of success for which we are looking.

About a year and a half into the show, I realized that the demands were getting greater and that people’s expectations were becoming unfulfilled.

So I did an informal survey asking the audience to call in, send in, or just tell me, “What have you been doing to exceed people’s expectation?” The results were amazing.

After interacting with approximately 3,400 people, less than two percent could easily tell me what they do to exceed people’s expectations.

In fact, 68% of the people felt that what they were currently doing was exceeding expectations because they would receive compliments for the work performed.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.

Doing what is expected, doing a good job, or getting complements doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re exceeding people’s expectations. It simply means that you’re doing your job.

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. If you do a good job for someone, will they always do business with you?
2. If you do a good job for someone, will they always tell others about you?

The answer to the above questions is a resounding no! Unless you’re exceeding people’s expectations in the relationships you’re developing, it is always possible for them to go elsewhere.

Here is an example from a Construction Project Manager. Let’s call him Phil. Phil is well liked and knows his job well. Whenever he has a construction project to estimate, no one seems to do a better job. He always builds the project for less then the budget allows.

Now ask yourself another question: Is Phil exceeding people’s expectations, or is he simply doing a great job? Or, from a cynical perspective, is it possible that Phil always over-budgets and just brings the project in for what it really took the company to build it?

Kind of gets you thinking, doesn’t it?

You see, even though Phil might think that he is exceeding his company’s expectations, he isn’t. He is just doing a great job and the company knows it.
In fact because Phil always comes in below budget, the company expects that Phil will do just that: come in below budget.

So what can we learn from this story? Consider this rule of thumb:

If others always expect that you’ll do a great job,
you’re probably not exceeding anyone’s expectations.
It’s when your doing things that are not expected
and doing a great job
that you’re getting closer to exceeding others expectations.

It’s About Knowing People

What I’ve grown to realize and accept over the years is this one simple fact. The more we know about people, the more likely we can help. But the real question is this: What does it take to know people? How about this for an answer: What I’ve learned from years of interaction and observation, is that it takes approximately 2000 hours to get to know anyone. To put this into perspective, let me illustrate it this way. Working 40 hours a week for 50 weeks, would be 2000 hours. Now the question, how likely is it that you will be able to devote 2000 hours in any given year to getting to know someone? In my opinion it is not likely, but should this be a goal of ours? In my world, while the number of 2000 certainly reflects one’s commitment to building the relationship, and I suggest that you start on this road, it’s also important that each and every one of us take the time to pause, and to pace ourselves on how we build our relationships.

Has this ever happened to you?

Have you ever been to a networking event where you stumbled successfully upon an individual and before you can introduce yourself, they take the lead and start telling you everything you can imagine about them self?

Now picture this. They’re doing all the talking, and you can’t seem to get a word in edge wise. After approximately five minutes, they say “It was a pleasure meeting you,” and then they leave to go find someone else to talk to. You meet them, you have no chance to tell them about yourself, they did all the talking, and then they tell you it was a pleasure meeting you and they leave.

Most people I speak with have the impression that they really didn’t get anything from the exchange because they really have no understanding of who you are. But I want to challenge your thinking just a bit, and ask you to remove yourself from the equation to understand the real power of what just took place.

What might the person have gotten from the exchange? The answer is a joyful experience of them self. It’s that simple. You provided a forum for them to feel good about them self. In my opinion, it doesn’t get any better than that. If you can get out in the community and provide joyful experiences for others by listening to their story, their entire story, and their entire story first, then you’ll find yourself on the path of heightened friendships and deepened relationships with others.

How are you living your life?

Each of us comes to a point in our lives when we ask essential questions. How am I to live my life? What is my unique path and intentions for my life? What are the relationships that support my personal and professional growth? How can I better support others?
How we answer these questions help us live and choose more purposefully in all aspects of our lives.

Strange is our situation here upon earth.

Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why yet seeming to divine a purpose. From the standpoint of daily life there is one thing we do know. That we are here for the sake of others… Many times a day I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of others, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received and am still receiving.

Albert Einstein