Are we turning into a 3rd world Country?

Sorry it's taking me so long to come up with a new post this month. In fact, I was putting a nice one together - but I need more time.
However, I came across this interesting headline on Yahoo! That really bothered me:
Separate but unequal: Charts show growing rich-poor gap
(The rest is found HERE)
I am NOT much for politics. Unfortunately, I do not follow economic trends as often as I'd like. That is not the point of this blog either. It's about "Leadership". After living 5 years of my youth in Peru - I know the signs of a 3rd World Country. I am so afraid that we are heading in that direction.
The way I see it... the economic health of a nation is a good measure of its leadership. Maybe it's easy for me to say this since I am not rich (yet). However, isn't it the responsibility of those in power to lead with vision? Unfortunately, my memories of living in a 3rd-World country is a lot of defensive language- placing the blame for their situation on other countries, or other circumstances. On the inside, the rich blame the poor, the poor blame the rich. Once the blame-game begins, there's no turning back.
Remember ENRON ? - a "small" example of what can happen when those in power are driven by goals that are not aligned with principles and values that favor the people as a whole. In Peru, one of those 5 years I was there - the country experienced a "hyperinflation" (about 200% +) . I'll never forget how stores would horde the milk and wait for the price to go up before they would sell it. Sound familiar? Instead of milk, we see something similar with gas. In Peru, everyone found out after the fact, that the leaders' interests where those other than what was best for the people. I won't go into the details here. I'm sure there are those that will argue in the presidency's defense. Is there a common thread?
Anyway - I hope I'm wrong. No - Let me rephrase that: Can someone please prove me wrong?

Chicken Soup! (Wingin' It)

Hello everyone! Welcome to a "Special Edition" of my Blog. Since I know hardly anyone reads this, and it is a wintery winter here in the North East... I figured I'd share a chicken soup recipe my wife and I enjoy! It really is "Mamita's Chicken Soup" recipe. That's right, my Mom's. The one she used to make when any of us were at our "death bead" getting over a cold or flu. As much as I can try, I doubt mine will ever be as good as Mamita's. However, I wing it. What matters is that you use chicken on the bone, you enjoy making it and eating it. Your body will thank you as you should feel an extra energy boost and revive you from fighting a nasty cold or flu of doom. Don't just take my word for it (Nature's Cold/Flu Remedy)(Healing Properties of Chicken Soup)
Since I do not approach soup-making as an exact science, I call it "wingin' it". Not because there are chicken wings in it. In fact, thighs and drum-sticks are best :-)
In a large pot bring about 6 cups of water to a boil. You can also add a Box of Chicken Broth in lieu of water. Low-sodium and as close to "natural" preferred. So, instead of 6 cups of water, it can be 4 cups... then the rest Chicken Broth.

How Powerful is Imagination?

Who loves Lego? My earliest childhood memories consist of building zany things with all sorts of Legos. Unfortunately, I did not have the luxury of the types of Lego systems available today! I had to “engineer” whatever I wanted to create my vision with whatever I had – which wasn’t much in terms of variety. Most pieces looked like little bricks of different sizes, shapes, textures and colors. I did have a lot of them, which ensured I would never get bored. I know that I would’ve had a blast with the plethora of the ones I see in stores today. Regardless, what is most important is that they kept my imagination going and going for hours.

If anyone has similar childhood memories of being extremely creative and using your imagination to your fullest – this entry is for you.

Less is More: The 7 Habits vs. The Pyramid of Success

I am a firm believer that “less is more”. Do I live the life of a minimalist? Not at all. Never shall I complain about women having “too much clothes” or “too many pairs of shoes”. Quite simply,  I am guilty of too much junk. Not spread-out everywhere though! It’s neatly tucked away and out-of-sight. If we take a brief look at nature, there is so much going on that is out-of-sight as well. Overwhelmingly complex, and simple in its majesty. If we give it more thought, everything – absolutely everything is some type of matter-energy conversion. Wait. I promise not to go into details here. However, as a fan of science-fiction and theoretical physics, I must briefly mention the popular “Quantum Theory vs. Relativity” conundrum. I know what you are thinking… “What does physics have to do with The 7 Habits or the Pyramid of Success?” Just as nature simplifies in “Higher Dimensions” – so can we. The 7 Habits and the 15 building blocks of the Pyramid of Success can be meshed together and then simplified to 3 “Basic Blocks” plus . After I finish reading “The 8^th Habit” – there may be the need for 1 more. This one will coincide with the “Top” of the Pyramid: “Competitive Greatness” which I looked at last month and will continue to explore in the coming months ahead as I read “The 8^th Habit”.

In the beginning of the Universe, there was the “Big Bang”. It is theorized that all forces (gravity, electro-magnetic, strong/weak) where one in the same. Quantum theory explains how all energy is “quantized” as some type of particle – basically, matter. Relativity explains how all (even matter) is some form of energy – (the famous E=mc² equation). Although we are close to discovering the equation that ties them all together (Unified Field Theory), it is believed we have yet to discover the mathematics required.

Everything that makes us who we are as individuals may be just as complex (if not more) than all the forces and the matter-energy relationships that makes the Universe “go round”. However, if our habits and our way of thinking are focused on what really matters to be successful, it can be simple enough so that you do not need to “memorize” so many details.

Let’s look at the Pyramid ”Color-Coded”  in a matter that is in-line with the 7 Habits:

If we rearrange them so that they are now grouped – and Habits 1-3 form the new “Base of the Pyramid”, the other Habits can be stacked on it in “order”:

Lastly, let’s simplify. By “fusing” some of the blocks together, we can see that there are simple, “Higher Dimensional” Habits that will encompass that attributes that where once numerous.

NOW - If I bring the 1st 3 Habits together at the base, Followed by Habit 4 on top - then put Habits 5 & 6 together on top of that... we have the "3 Building Blocks" I was striving for. The "mortar" to keep it all together is Habit 7: Renewal.

Here we can see that “Less is more” by narrowing it down to 3 “Big Blocks”. We realize that:

1) By having CONTROL over ourselves we become “forward thinkers”, we define our principles and values our goals and priorities (self-disciplined). 2) Then we can be mature and think of OTHERS and realize it is not all about you.  3) Only then can we BUILD GENUINE RELATIONSHIPS, embrace our differences and have the courage to stand for who we are as well. We keep it all together by RENEWING ourselves: mind, body and soul. Only then can be our best and strive to succeed (in any arena). So – the “Bottom to the Top” approach works. What about "Competitive Greatness"? Without everything else, it would probably topple. Once I read "The 8th Habit" - I will revisit this and give it its proper explanation.

For those of us who are wondering about the “virtues” at the sides of the pyramid, they basically fall into the “paradigm shift”. That is, in order to go from being independent to interdependent (Maturing) we need to have integrity, honesty, sincerity. It’s the “glue” that keeps things together.

In closing, I truly sincerely mean no disrespect to the works of either Dr. Covey or the late John Wooden. They stand alone as great works  that I am trying to implement in my life and recommend others to read and make up their own mind. I hope no one takes anything as written in stone either. It's only my analysis in hopes of simplifying extremely great concepts - so they are not only "easier to memorize" but to understand since all I want to do is bring into light concepts and awareness of what makes us who we are. True leadership and success is not about memorization. It is about being genuine.

“You cannot fail at being yourself. A cat doesn’t try to be a tiger and you shouldn’t try to be something you aren’t. You are a process, not a product. Your job is to discover what you are and create that creature. You still won’t be perfect, but success isn’t about perfection, it’s about authenticity” 

– Bernie Segal

Competition – Performing at your Best

I cannot imagine what it must be like to be a single child. My earliest memories of going to school and trying to “do my best” meant being as good, if not better, than my older sister. She was that “A student” getting great accolades from her teachers and making Mom feel proud during “Report Card time”. Living in the shadow of an older, successful sibling can expose you to being competitive early in life. Not necessarily in a bad way. It most definitely gives you something to shoot for, to strive for.

In every industry I have worked in, one of the major drivers for innovation was competition. Not only is “innovation” a great business buzz-word, it should be at the heart of every company. Without adapting and adjusting to changing markets and trends, a company can suffer a fate similar to that of any life form that did not adapt or change. Just ask the Dinosaurs. Here’s a great article that speaks to this.

I feel it is safe to say that healthy competition is not only good for a person as an individual, but for a group or team striving to “be #1”. In a corporate setting, not every company can be #1 in their respective industry. However, aiming for the top, companies can thrive in a competitive environment where employees, customers and end-users can benefit. Let’s say there was a sole provider of “widgets”, called “SPW”. I’m sure improvements in the design or manufacture can be justified through cost-reductions to improve their margins. However, if there was no one to compete against SPW – would there be a reason for them to strive when they already are “the best”? In a “widget monopoly”, widget buyers/distributors could be at the mercy of fluctuating prices, availability and quality. End-users would not have to go with the one and only product and price. Interestingly enough, as soon as a new provider of widgets comes onto the scene, the dynamics change. Let’s say NPW’s pricing, availability and quality is par with SPW. Now, what if NPW also offers un-paralleled customer service and the ability to create custom widgets? Shortly thereafter, another provider of widgets emerges, APW. This company also provides custom widgets, outstanding customer service, with the same availability and quality as SPW and NPW. Their competitive advantage? APW’s pricing is lower. NPW quickly adapts and creates a similar pricing scheme. If the original company, SPW, cannot adapt in time, they could start losing market share as customers turn to the lower-price sources with great customer service and custom options.

The past example is over-simplified, and just on the surface. To have the true “adaptability” in any market, a company must first look within itself – its culture. I found this great article on “the leadership hub”. Just like a person must look within himself if they want to change, so must a corporation. This is by no means something that can occur “overnight”. Although I have yet to read “Good to Great” by Jim Collins, I believe the premise of the book is that many companies do not make the “leap” to great because being good can “get in the way”. That is, being “good” means that you may remain complacent and not find the need to change. In addition, the fear of change may play a part in keeping things the way they have been. Here are two great books on change that I highly recommend:  “Who Moved My Cheese” by Dr. Spencer Johnson and “Our Iceberg is Melting” by John Cotter. Both are great for business/corporate applications. I found "Who Moved My Cheese" to also apply at a personal level as some of us may find it difficult to adjust from our "routine".

In closing, I would’ve liked to have sited a Sci-Fi example. As I did, I started to imagine what our world would have been like if Earth did not have a “sibling” like the Moon. Not only did our Moon inspire generations to look up to the heavens, it was something to “aim for”. Great minds like Sir Isaac Newton realized the Moon was falling towards the Earth, spawning his theories on elliptical orbits, gravity and of course, Calculus. Without the Moon, the “Space Race” may not have happened (the way we’ve come to know it anyway). The types of technological feats that where achieved as a result of us aiming for the Moon pushed us forward in ways we may not have otherwise. See the U.S. Apollo Missions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_program) and the amazing, but not-so-popular Soviet Rover Missions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunokhod_programme). Therefore, not only did the Moon provide something to “aim for” – but created the type of competition amongst nations that brought out the best in us.