Dr. Dennis E. Hensley.

By Dr. Dennis E. Hensley

For several years I worked as editor-in-chief of a magazine which was produced for graduates of a small college in the Midwest. From time to time my editorial board and I would poll our readers to discover what they liked best about our publication - our front page articles? our feature stories? the photographs we ran? our sports reports? our ads?

The results of these surveys always came back to us with the same opening response, phrased in one form or another: "My favorite section of your magazine is the last page, where the alumni news is printed."

I've talked with dozens of other editors of college magazines and they've told me their surveys elicit the same response. And do you know why this is? It's because people want to see what their old friends have done in life so that they can compare how they stack up against them.

If you are in the habit of reading college alumni news notes, or if you've ever picked up one of those "Where Are They Now?" booklets at your high school class reunions, you've probably already discovered something interesting. Although everyone listed had a similar beginning (same age, same graduation year, same teachers, etc.), no two wound up with identical lives, much less identical accomplishments.

Of the two boys who were co-captains of the football team, there is one who now is a U.S. senator and the other who is a barber. Of the two girls who graduated at the head of the class, there is one who now is a movie star and the other who is a part-time crossing guard. Of your closest chums, there is one who now is a vice president of a computer company and the other who is a piano teacher.

Why the vast differences in outcomes? Why the tremendous variation in success levels? Why the amazing ranges in personal advancement?

Sure, all of your friends are working and supporting themselves and are even serving society in useful occupations. But why is it that some of them have been able to gain wealth, fame, and power while the others have had to settle for routine jobs and run-of-the-mill lives?

The answer is this: each person had a different attitude toward work, and it was this attitude that shaped his or her destiny.

WHAT MAKES A WINNER?

We all want to be successful. In fact, we all want to be more than successful - we want to be powerful. "Every human being with a healthy will to live has a natural drive for power, a drive that goes beyond his need for mere survival," says Dr. Arnold A. Hutschnecker, M.D., in his book The Drive for Power. "It is an urge to unfold as much of his inert potentials as his courage will allow and a wish to gain recognition that aims to give back to the world what he has received from it, possibly more" (Power, 284).

Fulfilling this natural drive for success and power requires hard work, however. We know that the American saga is a long story of super-achievers, people who were convinced they could accomplish anything if they were given enough freedom in which to do their work. Even our national folk heroes - John Henry, Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan - have all been people of strength, whether a "steel drivin' man" or a giant lumberjack. Americans have always admired the person who could roll up his sleeves, dig in, and achieve the seemingly impossible.

As Dr. Hutschnecker puts it, "Our American culture sets a high priority on achievement. The need to excel is a conditioned process deeply ingrained in us from childhood. The philosophy of 'making good' is evident as a driving force in a country that has coined the phrase 'the sky is the limit'" (Power, 285).

So it is, then, that we study our former classmates and our current peers with intense interest. We are eager to know who is "making good" and who is not. And, by comparison, we are also ranking and judging ourselves.

AN ATTITUDE TOWARD WORK

In a free enterprise system such as ours, each person is theoretically limited only by the amount of work he or she wishes to devote to a career. All other things being equal, the sky truly is the limit.

To prove this point, one only needs to walk into the doorway of the Henry Ford Museum in Greenfield Village (Dearborn), Michigan, and glance at the huge photo on the wall. Seated around a campsite are three friends: Harvey Firestone, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford. Each had been a poor boy who had had an incredible personal capacity for hard work. Each wound up an industrial magnate worth millions.

Men like Firestone, Edison, and Ford had the same natural desire for success and power that you and I have. They knew what they wanted, and they were willing to work with a passion at getting it. They were the real-life "steel drivin' men." And, thanks to their efforts, Americans were given a better way of life. These men, as was suggested earlier, were able to give back even more to the world than they received from it.

But in giving this better way of life to Americans, these industrial magnates also did something subtle, yet monumental, to the American work ethic. The cars and light bulbs and cushioned tires and assembly line systems and laborsaving devices which they created and gave to Americans provided us with something we had never had before: an easy way to go. And we rather enjoyed it.

In fact, we did all we could to manufacture more creature comforts. Electric vacuum cleaners made broom sweeping a thing of the past; refrigerators did away with ice handling; telephones eliminated the need to run most errands; and gas ranges put an end to chopping wood for a cook stove.

Along with the influx of these many laborsaving devices there developed a new attitude about the enjoyment of an easy life. The most frequently heard phrases after World War II were, "It's gonna be better for my kid. He's not going to have to work the way I always had to. He's gettin' an education. He'll have 'the good life.'"

And so it was that children who grew up in the 1950s - my own generation - were given things. We didn't work to earn money to buy our toys; we were given toys. We got them on our birthdays, at holidays, at report card time, as rewards for sitting quietly in church, and sometimes just because we saw them in windows and we threw a tantrum until our parents relented and bought them. Before long, we began to feel we deserved all these things.

Back then, we didn't worry about how things got paid for. We knew that our dad worked somewhere and that he seemed happy; so, we let his money pay our way. It was a great life…until we graduated from high school during the late 1960s and then were told to find our own jobs.

"What! Work?" we protested. "You've got to be kidding! We don't work, we receive. That's what you've reared us to do."

But told to work we were. And, as always, when we weren't given our toys (our very livelihood on a silver platter), we threw a tantrum. We marched with signs, we tore up college campuses, we burned our draft cards, we grew our hair down to our shoulders, we called law enforcement officers "pigs," and we ran off to hide away in communes in Canada or Sweden.

And what was gained by this rebellion against our traditional work ethic? Where are we now? It's the 21st century and we're experiencing increasing unemployment, continuing battles against inflation, record long stock market recessions, and dangerous lows in productivity. By letting our work muscles get flabby, we've allowed foreign contenders to challenge our championship rankings.

REGROUPING

Fortunately, in some areas, things are beginning to show signs of a pendulum swing back toward an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. Some unions are accepting cuts in their current contracts in order to avoid further layoffs. Lawyers are starting to advertise their services in direct competition with each other and many are reducing their high fees in order to remain competitive. Young doctors are trying house calls again, recently ordained ministers are not charging fees above their salaries for weddings and funerals, and several teachers are volunteering to sponsor student activities without asking for a raise or "released" time.

These are some positive steps, but they remain more rarities than common practice. A great many other people are still depending upon someone else to watch out for them or to do their share of the difficult work. They've really forgotten how to work hard and be independent. Statistics show that 77% of the public is willing to take government handouts, early retirement, welfare, strike pay, unemployment benefits, and charity if they can get out of working. But that leaves 23% of the American citizenry that is made up of people who have not forgotten how to work hard, nor have they lost any of their self-respect or control of their personal lives. These are the people I call the positive workaholics. They are working hard and enjoying every minute of it.

"Enjoying it?" you ask.

Yes, that's right. And not only are they enjoying what they are doing, they are also helping society to advance. It's a good system.

"But…but I've heard that workaholics are neurotic," some of you are going to respond immediately.

I am very aware of the claims being made by so-called "experts in the field" who say that workaholism is a disease, a mental sickness, a cop-out on life, an escapist's fantasy…and any number of other bizarre descriptions. That is extremism, or what might better be labeled negative workaholism. I am not denying that such a condition can develop; my argument, however, is that using the term "workaholism" as a blanket negative label for all work habits is both misleading and incorrect.

In a book published in the spring of 2001 titled, The Man Who Mistook His Job for a Life, author Jonathan Lazear paints a picture of his parents as negative workaholics. His father and mother ran an at-home business that involved "files, phone calls, typewriters humming and…a house full of unhappy people." This life, he implies, led him to later become a negative workaholic, and he wrote his book to steer people away from any and all forms of workaholism.

Well, had I grown up in such an atmosphere, I would be against it, too. His mistake, however, was in assuming that because his parents led frantic lives, everyone else who becomes self-employed will become that way, too. But that is not true. My own father founded three companies - an artificial eye laboratory, a contact lens company, and a traditional eyeglasses business - and he was president of all three simultaneously. He still had time to be our scout leader, coach our ball teams, run the church's orphan care fund, and serve as President of the local Optimist Club. He was organized, not frantic.

Similarly, in a book released in the summer of 2001 called Downshifting: How to Work Less and Enjoy Life More, author John Drake describes perfectly today's frustrated worker. He says this person is working for someone else; he or she is someone who never leaves the office on time, and he or she has incredible feelings of anger built up inside. Drake confesses that this was a profile of himself until he resigned his job from a giant human resources consulting firm and moved to Maine and started a private business of his own.

Here again, I see his point. Yes, being a workaholic for someone else can, indeed, be a frustrating experience. It doesn't give a person a chance to control matters, increase personal income, or change lives. However, this should not imply that hard work itself is bad. Quite frankly, I would have quit that job and gone out on my own, too. I admire Drake for that.

As far back as on October 8, 1979, there appeared an article in an issue of Newsweek, "The Work Junkies." The article noted that "workaholics are neither good nor bad - simply frustrated or fulfilled" and that large companies like Polaroid are asking, "Where can we get more of them?"

Even farther back in time, an article titled, "The Boss Ought to Take More Time Off" (Fortune, June, 1974), reported that "Many executives say they really like the high-speed, more or less nonstop pace of business. It is, after all, exciting." The article adds, "Like any natural warrior, the executive is more comfortable at the front…than he would be if safe behind the lines. He would rather fight than rest."

Some researchers have actually discovered that hard work is something that keeps people healthy. In a feature article titled "Bored to Sickness" in Psychology Today (November, 1975), it was noted that men who worked 55 or more hours per week were in much better health than men who worked a standard 40-hour workweek. For example, physicians who worked 55-70 hours a week were far healthier than unionized assembly line workers.

"Despite the burden," reported Psychology Today, "doctors were most satisfied with their work. They ranked low in depression, anxiety and irritation, and reported few cases of poor appetite, insomnia or similar stress-related physical problems. Assembly-line workers were at the other extreme. Most of them worked normal hours at a regular pace and had little responsibility. Yet, they were the least satisfied with their work load and they complained about depression, poor appetite, insomnia and other physical problems."

The article cited research done by the University of Michigan which proved that more important than workload, pressure, and other external factors, job satisfaction appeared to be the key in keeping workers healthy.

If these latter researchers are correct - and I'm convinced they are - we then see that the key to a good work record is job satisfaction. And the keys to good health and personal happiness are linked to job satisfaction, too.

But how do we know whether we are satisfied with our work or not? If our job enables us to earn enough money to emulate the people seen in television commercials, doesn't that imply that we are satisfied? I mean, the people in the commercials seem to be satisfied; and since we brush with the same kind of toothpaste they do and drink the same brand of coffee they do and wash with the same soap and wear the same watches and sneeze into the same kind of tissues, shouldn't we be as satisfied as they seem to be? Well, if you think so, there's a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to quote you a good price on.

No, job satisfaction cannot be measured simply by the cash compensation your paycheck registers. In fact, the variables which determine job satisfaction are so diverse from individual to individual, only you can judge for yourself how satisfying your job and career are. To determine this, I suggest you sit down with a pencil and some notepaper and make a career analysis summary of your current occupation. The 16 questions in my "Career Analysis" chart will serve as a starting point. You can think of more personalized questions to add to the list as you go along.

By being honest with yourself in analyzing your career, you will learn why it is that you may not be giving your work that extra effort or why you are not measuring up to the performance of you colleagues. In some instances, you may discover that you lack the right kind of motivation or that you are out-of-date in your thinking or that you are too complacent in your willingness to compete. These are all "curable" problems. But before you try to repair the individual parts, you need to first evaluate the whole; namely, your basic concept of a work ethic.

A PERSONAL WORK ETHIC

We use the term "work ethic" in this country to refer to any form of honest work which is self-initiated by a person who believes in the value and merit of work. Americans have a national history that has at its basis a belief that it is ethical to do good work. Conversely, to accept payment for a job which is done in a slipshod manner is considered cheating or stealing and, thus, unethical.

This is surely true. Accepting full payment for a halfway effort does put one into a position of "bilking" his or her client or boss. But have you ever considered how it may also be cheating the cheater, too?

People who really "dig into" their work, without worrying about what the current circumstances may appear to be, are the ones who later reap rich rewards. Positive workaholics are always reading, studying, working overtime, prospecting new business, which with time leads to career advancement, public recognition, and financial rewards.

The natural drive, this eagerness to work first and expect rewards later, stems from a personal work ethic which defines the natural values of work. As with analyzing a career, analyzing a work ethic must also be determined on a personal basis.

Perhaps you've always assumed that you had an understanding of what you felt your work ethic was. This may be an overstatement. Instead of just assuming this, why not take a moment really to outline what it is that you think a fair and honest work performance should be. After that, define what you think a respectable job or career should contribute to society. Next, explain how you feel the value of work should be determined and evaluated. Finally, make a series of notes as to what opportunities there are in your present career which offer you chances to fulfill the work ethic standards you have now set.

Having established a personal work ethic, you next will want to institute a practice of living up to it. The moment you do this, you will have taken the first step toward a life of positive workaholism. The things you will accomplish will be symbolic works of art…because you will have developed the art of work.

SUMMARY

In a book called The Managerial Challenge, the staff of the consulting firm of Rohrer, Hibler and Replogle wrote, "The traditional American work ethic that puts a value on work itself is often questioned. The national commitment to free enterprise has been eroded by government. Changes such as these, taken together, amount to a groundswell, if not an earthquake, and cause grave concern. It seems highly probable that the work ethic for many is becoming old fashion. [Nevertheless] the superiority of American achievements speaks loudly for the value of the work ethic" (Managerial, 6-8).

These remarks capsulate what many researchers are discovering today. People seem to be competitive, want to be the "star" of the class reunion, and want to have the "good life" for themselves and their families. Unfortunately, many of them have forgotten that this requires work. Often hard work.

America's early culture, from the establishing of the colonial settlements through the days of transcontinental advancement ("I've Been Workin' on the Railroad"), developed with an accent on hard work. But the more advanced the nation became, the more comfortable its people became. And the more comfortable they became, the more distant they became from the natural understanding of a need for continuous hard work. This laxity has caused America some recent economic and social problems.

The answer to the problems lies in a rekindling of the work ethic. If this cannot be done on a national basis, it nevertheless can be done on a personal basis. You can rekindle it for yourself. In our next chapter we'll see what sort of person you will become once you do develop your work ethic.

Dr. Dennis E. Hensley is the author of such best-selling books as Man to Man (Kregel Publishers), How to Write What You Love and Make a Living at It (Random House), and Surprises and Miracles of the Season (Beacon Hill Press). He is a professor of English at Taylor University Fort Wayne, where he directs the professional writing major.

More Business Coming to JP
(Friday, April 30, 2004) - Naked Clay Café, a local business is about to open another store in Fort Wayne, this time at Jefferson Pointe. JP Marketing Manager Molly Jordan tells the Aboite Independent, in addition to the expected pottery business where you can design your own coffee mugs, plates, figurines and so forth, a new craft is being added, stuffed animals.

Naked Clay is planning a Mid-May opening. Ovation Audio and Video will bring its high end products and services to Jefferson Pointe as well. Ovation has multiple outlets at Indianapolis; this will be their first Fort Wayne location. In addition to installing very specialized car audio and video, and entertainment systems in existing homes, Ovation personnel also work with builders to design systems in new homes under construction. Look for Ovation at Jefferson Pointe in early July.

The Fabric Of Success
(Monday, April 26, 2004) - The Savoy, a specialty women's apparel store at Time Corners is celebrating its 40th anniversary. In honor of the occasion, Richard McElrath of Da-Rue, a manufacturer of women's sportswear since 1946, came to Fort Wayne to meet with customers.

McElrath tells the Aboite Independent, "One of the beautiful things for me in this business besides it being about fashion, it's really about people. So often when you work with the buyer, some of the information gets filtered. We need to get right to the consumer, and that's what's called customization. They come out to these events because they want to be heard." McElrath says in a world of mass marketing and giant retailers it's still possible for specialty companies to remain successful.

McElrath says, "It starts really with product. If you've got a good product people are going to find you. Next is the question of where is it made. Is that important? In some ways it's become less important because price has come in, in a big way. But it gets back to fit, quality, and fabric. I always feel in fashion it starts with fabric. That's when you can really do something new. The mills of Europe, of Asia, and of America somewhat, are coming out with new fabrics all the time. Stretch and texture are very, very important, and of course color. This is an exciting time in the clothing industry because we're seeing so many new fabrics. I think we've got a bright future ahead of us. The question is going to become fit and quality, and that's what we're all about."

You can check out the exciting new fashions at www.darue.com, or see them in person at The Savoy.

Cathy Grzybowski.

Manager Cathy Grzybowski tells the Aboite Independent customers will appreciate the Dress Barn's prices and service. "We plan to give excellent customer service here, and we have reasonable prices." The store has a staff of ten, and is located right across from the Food Court and Barnes & Noble.

Dr. Dennis E. Hensley.

Consider for a moment the many catch-phrases we have to explain near-misses: "We were off by just a whisker" . . . "He barely edged me out" . . . "If only I'd arrived one minute earlier."

The list of cliches is endless because, quite frankly, so are the daily experiences with close calls. We have come to accept second place finishes as a part of life. And that's too bad, really. With just a little more effort, you could become the first place finisher.

During the 1982 Indianapolis 500, Gordon Johncock's car developed severe handling problems. Through a concentrated application of skill and determination, Johncock was able to compensate for those mechanical difficulties and finish the race in first place -- 0.16 of a second ahead of Rick Mears.

That fraction of a second earned Gordon Johncock $271,851, which was $66,700 more than the second place finisher Rick Mears earned. Isn't it amazing that so small a margin could be worth so great a prize?

On May 6, 1954, a 25 year old runner named Roger Bannister set a new world record for the mile run. He only shaved two seconds off the old record held by Sweden's Gunder Haegg, yet those two seconds turned Bannister into a sports legend. Bannister's time was 3 minutes 59.4 seconds. He had done the so-called "impossible" -- he had broken the four minute mile. And to do it, he'd only had to run one percent (1%) faster than Gunder Haegg.

The secret that Johncock, Bannister and other champions knew was that superior performance is never measured in quantum leaps but in fractions of improvement.

Now, it may never have occurred to you to consider how important small improvements can be. To help you understand the value of such differences, let's look at a reverse approach. Suppose that instead of improving by a mere 0.1% (one-tenth of a percent) at whatever you do, such as bowling or memorization of homework, you instead lost 0.1% of your ability in one year. Would that be such a big deal?

The answer is yes, and I can prove it to you.

Consider these examples: If your heart was 0.1% inaccurate next year, you'd lose 32,000 heartbeats. (Let's hope they wouldn't be in a row, right?) If the U.S. Postal Service was 0.1% inaccurate in its sorting, it would lose 16,000 pieces of mail every hour. If pharmacists in America were 0.1% inaccurate in filling prescriptions, they would disperse 20,000 incorrect drug orders every year. If air traffic controllers at Kennedy International Airport were 0.1% incorrect in their directions, there would be 11 unsafe landings each week.

Those are horrifying, yet accurate statistics. They prove
that a little difference can be a lot of difference.

If you sometimes wonder if one person, such as yourself, who strives for excellence can make a difference, I can tell you that one person can make a dramatic difference.

I once had a teacher who graded on a bell curve. Most of the students in our class were a bit lazy. We figured that if no one studied, the curve would be so low we'd all pass. So, none of us studied for the next test . . . except one girl named Leslie Ann Combs. When she received an A, it threw the curve off. Each of the rest of us received an F. (After that, we all studied and prepared for our tests.)

Twenty-four lazy students weren't able to hold back one bound-for-excellence Leslie Ann Combs. However, one hard-working Leslie Ann Combs pulled all the rest of us up.

That's your challenge: set the standard of excellence in your home life and in the work you do.

Dr. Dennis E. Hensley is the author of MAN TO MAN (Kregel Publishers, 2003), SURPRISES AND MIRACLES OF THE SEASON (Beacon Hill Press, 2002) and HOW TO WRITE WHAT YOU LOVE AND MAKE A LIVING AT IT (Harold Shaw/Random House, 2000). He is a professor at the Fort Wayne campus of Taylor University.

Josh Brunson.

Brunson says people run for a number of reasons. "Some of us run for pure competition, we like the challenge of pushing our bodies, to see how fast we can go, to see how far we can push ourselves. Fitness and social aspects are also important. For every runner, for every walker, there may be a different reason why they do it. And we're here to serve every single reason."

Eventually Three Rivers Running Company will offer on-line coaching, "We'll start putting together training groups for both walkers, for joggers and for competitive runners."

The first running event takes place this weekend at the Chapel, at Covington and West Hamilton Roads. Pre-registration is Friday evening from 6 to 8, for the run on Saturday.

"We'll also have a table there with some literature, and then the store will be open from 5 to 8pm after the race. We may do some special things as far as bringing in some food for runners after the race."

For more information phone (260) 459-3668, or go to www.3riversrunning.com.

How to Run Effective Meetings - by Dennis E. Hensley, Ph.D.

Dr. Dennis E. Hensley.

Meetings are a lot like breathing: you can't get away from either one for very long.

Every time you turn around there's a staff meeting, a convention board meeting, a sales training meeting, or a business long-range strategy meeting. They're inescapable. Often, they're also dreadful.

But they don't have to be. By learning a few basic concepts about if, when and how to hold a meeting, you can make meetings shorter and more productive.

"The reason most people hate to attend meetings is because they never accomplish anything," says Michele Mansfield, president of Positive Impact Consulting. "People arrive and there is no set agenda. The starting and stopping times aren't pre-determined. People haven't been told in advance what the meeting is about, what they are to bring, or what is to be accomplished. As a result, the meetings run too long, the discussions ramble, and the participants become bored."

Mansfield also notes that if the handout materials are poorly reproduced or the audio-visual materials are difficult to see or hear, this will only compound an already-bad situation.

Additionally, distractions or interruptions ruin the meeting's continuity.

"The worst problem in meetings is uncontrollable people," stresses Mansfield. "If the chairperson allows one person to dominate the discussions or to waste time telling `war stories,' it will prevent others from focusing on the real issues. Similarly, if there are people in attendance who have no idea why they are there, or if you have people there who attack other people personally rather than the ideas and suggestions being put forth, you'll have problems."

WHEN NOT TO MEET

If this sounds like it isn't even worth meeting, that may be your answer. Don't.

"Many meetings fail because they should never have been called to begin with," explains Dr. Edwin Leonard, business professor at Indiana University. "If you can't decide what the meeting is for or what its outcome should be, don't meet until you get this straightened out. If you don't have adequate time to prepare and plan, don't meet. If the key people cannot attend, don't meet."

He adds, "If there's an easier way of handling the matter, don't meet. If the only time everyone can meet is right after lunch, don't meet (they'll all be too sleepy). Furthermore, if the cost of the meeting is too expensive -- hourly wages multiplied by the number of people attending -- then don't meet."

When should a meeting be held? Dr. Leonard says, "If you hold meetings either before lunch or before quitting time, people will get to the point quickly. They can be very concise if they are hungry or worrying about missing a car pool ride."

Prof. Allyn Decker, communications teacher at Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, IN, feels that every successful meeting has four stages: (1) planning; (2) informing; (3) conducting; and (4) following up.

"The planning stage is when the chairperson decides who should attend, when and why the meeting will take place, and what the goals are," explains Prof. Decker. "The informing stage involves getting key information to key people. The chairperson should send a written memo of the agenda and format of the meeting to those who are expected to attend. If materials should be read before the meeting, attach them to the memo. If certain people will be expected to make presentations, notify them in advance that they will be called on (and for what and how long)."

Prof. Decker says there are many "do and don't" aspects of
carrying out the conducting and following up stages.

"It's important to start on time rather than wait for stragglers," he says. "Write on a flip chart or chalkboard what the main purpose of the meeting is and then review the agenda. Ask if there are any modifications or add-ons before you begin. Stick to the agenda and the time allotments. Take the toughest tasks first because people's energy levels wane as the meeting progresses."

He emphasizes that people should keep to the topic at hand and that the chairperson should manage the discussion. Attendees should be kept time conscious by using statements such as, "Our next item is the analysis of the new produce line we've been asked to represent. Remember that we have decided to limit discussion to 25 minutes on this." At the conclusion of each agenda item, decide on a specific course of action, who will be responsible for it, and what the completion time expectations will be.

"Don't let anyone -- including yourself -- hog the meeting time," warns Prof. Decker. "Let ideas flow. Protect people from being criticized for their views and suggestions. In fact, if the meeting is for developing ideas and formulating plans, ask direct questions of people to draw them in. And be careful not to unconsciously manipulate the group with leading questions, such as, `Well, I can't see why anyone would be against this project, right?' That only angers or intimates people."

Meetings should end on time, Prof. Decker says, and he emphasizes that the secretary should write into the minutes what really was said, not what that person's interpretation is of what was said.

TAKING THE MINUTES

Regarding this matter of taking minutes of a meeting, several important aspects of the procedure should be kept in mind. As previously noted, the meeting's secretary should summarize only what was covered or said in the meeting; no opinions or interpretations or extra data should be added. If two differing opinions were expressed during a time of discussion, both points of view should be noted.

Minutes should be kept short, so that people will read them, and they should be interesting to read. They should note when the meeting was held, who attended, its purpose, what was decided, what action will be done and by whom it will be done, and when this action should be completed. Mention also when and where the next meeting will take place.

Always attempt to get the minutes distributed as soon as possible after the meeting. This will allow people to make notes on their copies while information is still fresh in their minds.

Occasionally, you may want to attach a "Follow Up Evaluation" of your meeting so that you can gauge whether or not the meetings are being run as successfully as you hope they are.

FROM THE OTHER END OF THE TABLE

As important as it is to be a good director of a meeting, it is equally important to be a good participant. When serving on a committee you do not chair, you still have certain responsibilities.

Come to the meeting prepared. Know the agenda, read the homework in advance, and bring along your calendar. Give careful thought to the meeting's topic before you show up, and arrive with a cheerful disposition and positive attitude.

Whenever you talk, stay on the subject. If you express a thought or make a suggestion, try to have facts and figures to support your premise.

Help the chairperson, mind your manners, and don't attack other people (even if you strongly disagree with what they are saying). Be cooperative in helping the leader bring the meeting to the desired results.

Meetings can and should be good uses of people's time. This won't happen automatically, but the time you spend in properly planning and running a meeting will net great results. In fact, let's "meet" and talk about that sometime!

Dr. Dennis E. Hensley is a professor of English at Taylor University Fort Wayne and the author of 41 books, including MAN TO MAN and MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE (both Kregel Publications).

He does consulting for companies in the area of time management, creative thinking and problem solving, impact listening skills, business writing, and customer service. He can be reached at DNHensley@hotmail.com.

Dr. Dennis E. Hensley.

Just the same, there are times when mentoring, sharing and advice-giving are necessary in order for business people to work well together or to enhance one another's job performance. Sometimes it falls to a supervisor, manager or crew chief to admonish someone about a matter. Other times one employee may need to tell a co-worker about a problem that is personally annoying or detrimental to their working relationship.

In these instances, the utmost efforts in tact and diplomacy are called for; otherwise, what is intended to be a helpful suggestion may wind up being the initiation of a misunderstanding and perhaps even an argument. Learning how to offer advice in a humble and gracious manner is something everyone should strive to master.

ADVICE AND CONSENT
Before trying to advise anyone on a matter, you must take a moment to qualify yourself as a proper judge or instructor. You can do this by asking yourself specific questions:

(1) Am I certain of my facts?
(2) Am I sure I am not just trying to show off my knowledge or display my authority?
(3) Have I made allowances for the pressures my coworker may be under right now?
(4) Am I calm and in control, or am I angry?
(5) Is there adequate time right now to share my thoughts without rushing?

Most people will turn a deaf ear to advice if they sense that the advisor is neither empathic nor open-minded. Most businesses, organizations, clubs and, unfortunately, even some churches have at least one compulsive advice-giver whose most common expression is, "Like I always say . . . . "

This person speaks from 20/20 hindsight and is always ready to remind you that he "told you so." Talk is cheap for such a person. He'll advise you to "take the risk" in whatever you are contemplating -- and why not, since he has nothing at stake personally. Avoid becoming like this sort of person by carefully examining your motives before offering advice.

"Staging" an advice-giving session is critical to its outcome. If the person you need to confront is a colleague or employee of yours, plan the event for early in the week and early in the day. In this way, you can chat later with this person during the coffee breaks and thus dispel any fears that he or she may have regarding a permanently damaged relationship with you.

Try to talk in private and get right to the point. Delaying the inevitable will only increase the other person's anxiety and make your job tougher. If criticism must be leveled, then have your facts ready. Explain what was done wrong, how it could have been prevented or corrected, and how it should be dealt with in the future. Be courteous and give the other person a chance to explain any factors you might not have been aware of. Sometimes it can even help to take notes so that you can be sure you have reached a meeting of the minds.

If the person you approach does not agree with you, at least be sure that he or she understands what your stance is on the matter, and when and why you may have to take further action. If that person has a counter complaint that you feel is justified, promise to check into it. As soon as possible, report back to that person about your findings.

SUBTLE ADVICE
Often advice can be given to a person so casually that it is not considered to be a form of criticism or redirection. There are at least five ways to accomplish this.

The first way is to use encouraging commands. This is the technique used by a successful businessman who explains, "If I want to redirect or motivate an employee, I will give that person an order that sounds like a compliment. For example, I had a receptionist who always did what her job description called for, but never anything else. She would catch up on her typing and appointment scheduling, and then just sit at her desk reading magazines. This was a waste of time and money.

"One day I announced, `Ellen, I want you to start working with the bookkeeper tomorrow. I can see by the efficiency with which you've done your job as a receptionist that you're ready for more responsibilities and opportunities.' At first Ellen was caught off-guard by my remark, but then she smiled as it sank in on her that I was showing confidence in her. Now, she's busy all the time at the office."

A second technique is to provide explanations. "Many people cannot be motivated to do something unless they understand the rationale for it," explains a teacher at a senior high school. "For a while the students in my French and German classes would never remember to rewind their practice tapes in the language laboratory. As such, I had to spend two hours at the end of each day spooling and rethreading the tapes and rewinding them. The students felt that the next user of the tape would rewind it and then use it. When I explained to everyone that rewinding the tapes helped to inspect them for breaks or damages, and that the recorder's automatic shutoff control would not engage until the tape had been rewound, the students started to remember to rewind the tapes."

A third approach is to give a demonstration. The owner of a successful bookstore uses this approach. "You can advise employees until you are blue in the face that they should read and study the manuals about how to work the equipment in the store, but very few of them will read those booklets. So, instead, I just take an employee aside and say, `This new cash register (or laser disc player or micro-computer or store loudspeaker) is easy to use once you get the hang of it. Watch me do it a couple of times. I'll tell you what I'm doing each step of the way.' The person watches, learns, and then does what I want him or her to do."

A fourth method is to ask telling questions. One woman who serves as sales director at her office says that the other salespeople readily follow her advice and leadership, yet they never feel coerced. This is because she confronts them with nonchalant questions such as, "If I get those figures to you, can I have that report by Wednesday, Ted?" or "I think this new way of doing the treasurer's report is better than our old way, but I want you to try it for three months and then give me your opinion. Okay, Marge?" This approach makes the woman's co-workers feel she is working with them rather than trying to order them to do something. They wind up cooperating and following the sales director's advice, yet their independence isn't threatened.

A fifth suggestion is to use good old-fashioned friendly suggestions. "Kindness never goes out of style," notes a shop foreman in a small factory. "My workers know that I'm the crew boss on our shift and that I'm there to give orders and to evaluate the work being done. The owner backs me in whatever decisions I make. That's all the leverage I need to establish my authority. But I try to go the opposite way and show respect for my workers. Rather than bark an order, I say things like, `That new machine needs to be crated, Mike, so let me help you get started.' Or `I'd appreciate it if you could log an hour of overtime today, Marsha, so that we can wrap up this project.' Usually, that's all it takes."

MUTUAL BENEFITS
The art of advice giving can be mastered, but it takes effort. The objective is to say something that will change a person's behavior without damaging that person's self-respect. It all boils down to a sincere desire to want to help that person. Usually that sort of gracious attitude and genuine cooperation can be sensed by the other person. And that alone will get you off to a good start.
But, then, don't take my advice . . . try it yourself.

Dr. Dennis E. Hensley is a professor of English at Taylor University Fort Wayne and the author of 41 books, including MAN TO MAN and MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE (both Kregel Publications).

Preferred Auto Opens On Illinois Road   1/26
Preferred Automotive group has opened its newest sales and service outlet at 5005 Illinois Road, just a block west of Jefferson Point. A 42-thousand square foot building houses 16 service bays and a full staff of certified technicians and sales personnel. Sales Manager Tom Hinton says it's a state of the art operation...

Preferred Auto.

"Everything will be state of the art, and we're really proud to be able to say that. Along with that comes a couple of things that I'd just like to take a moment to talk about…The first is our reputation. We pride ourselves on the fact that there's integrity here, honesty and the highest of character in every decision that we make, and we believe that our reputation precedes us; and that's a great selling point in this industry. Secondly is preparation, how we prepare our cars before they're ever sold. We give them a 90-day warranty as well as a hundred-thousand mile warranty, which is bumper to bumper. We take care of people, and with the preparation of our cars before they're ever put on the lot, we're able to give that hundred-thousand mile warranty. I can't tell you the number of people that come back a second or third time just because of how they're treated the first time. We plan on continuing that here in a great way."

General Manager Mike Smeltzley says the business is based on selling late-model, low-mileage used vehicles and offers a warranty up to 100-thousand miles, or 6-years from the original date of purchase. Preferred certifies all makes and models, not just those of a single manufacturer. In addition there are customer perks…

"Anybody that purchases a vehicle from Preferred Auto has lifetime car washes on Saturdays; they can just run it through, we have our automated carwash located right here. They can just drive it thru, get their car clean, we'll have our guys there to chamois them off for them, and they drive away in a nice clean car every week if they want."

Financing is available through all local banks as well as Credit Unions. Preferred is presently open for sales on Illinois road and plans call for the opening of Indiana's largest independent service building February 1st, with a Grand Opening Celebration the 2nd week in February.