After a bit of a sabbatical, back to blogging.

For the record, before it begins, here is my initial handicap of this season’s Celebrity Apprentice.

First off, general thoughts.  The first season of Celebrity Apprentice was awesome because you had some really colorful personalities.  There was a touch of nasty with the Piers – Omarosa feud, but then you also had some great entertainment with diverse and fun personalities.  Gene Simmons was my favorite celebrity ever in a Celebrity something-or-other show.

Last season was exhausting.  What appeared to be another mix of terrific personalities quickly degenerated into a week in and week out cat fight.  Turns out the women were strong but not pleasantly so, and the men were soft … other than Dennis Rodman for whom CA became a trailer for his appearance on Celebrity Rehab with Dr Drew.

Once again in looking over the list it seems like this could be a great season featuring a diverse and entertaining group.  But as we’ve seen, you never really know how it’s going to evolve until you mix them all together in a batch of boardroom stew.

So, for the individuals and my general prognosis …

Summer Sanders:  (olympic swimmer)  Athletes have tended to be rather passive and soft-spoken on CA.  Perhaps it’s because this isn’t their type of competition.  Early out.

Sinbad:  (comedian, actor)  I don’t know.  It’s hard to take the guy seriously.  But I can see him being one of those generally pleasant people who manage to stay under the radar for a while.  Middle of the pack.

Michael Johnson:  (olympic track star)  See Summer Sanders comments.  Early out.

Daryl Strawberry:  (former pro baseball player)  Straw is more than just an athlete.  He is a larger than life personality.  Since then he has also confronted his personal demons and written a lively tell all book about his days with the Mets.  Hard to tell how this one will go.  Can he still trade on his star power, or will he have the cautious demeanor of a recovering addict.  Middle of the pack.

Selita Ebanks:  (Victoria’s Secret model)  Hmm … eye candy on Trump’s show?  No way.  Obviously each case is different, however this type of candidate tends to get by on their “charm” which disguises their lack of initiative and creativity.  Unless there is a driven Annie Duke type who wants to use her for a pawn, Ebanks is probably an early out.

Maria Kanellis:  (former WWE Diva)  Another one that’s hard to peg.  Is she an athlete?  Is she eye candy?  Coming from WWE, she’s got to understand the marketing thing.  Upper middle of the pack.

Holly Robinson Peete:  (actress, philanthropist, on air personality)  OK, I have a tough time with this one.  I know her from 21 Jump Street which was waaay back.  Generally long ago celebs don’t fare will in things like this.  It’s like they’ve adjusted to being out of the limelight.  However I do see that Peete has experience in non-profit fund-raising which is one of the primary skills demanded on CA.  Upper middle of the pack.

Cyndi Lauper:  (singer)  Lauper strikes me as the strong artistic type.  An artist is generally not a candidate to win the whole thing, but can be a valuable creative force that teammates will want to keep around.  Contender.

Bret Michaels:  (rock star, Poison)  Without any buxom, blonde, brain-dead teeny-boppers Michaels could be out of this league.  However, Rock of Love revived his career so he’s got some star power in the bank.  Middle of the pack.

Carol Leifer:  (comedienne)  I could see Carol rocking this show.  She is hilarious and strikes me as the kind of person who is probably just as sharp and appealing when she isn’t on stage.  Serious Contender.

Curtis Stone:  (celebrity chef)  I really don’t know the guy.  A chef has to know something about business and marketing and should be able to bring some creativity to the table so I’ll give him some benefit of the doubt.  Middle of the pack.

Goldberg:  (actor, pro wrestler)  Again, those sport entertainment folks have to know the marketing and star power game well.  Middle of the pack?

Rod Blagojevich:  (former governor of Illinois) … and major sleazeball.  On the one hand he’s probably got a skill set that could serve him well on CA.  On the other I can just seem him taking some unethical shortcut that will piss the Donald off prompt one of his patented immediate firings.  He (the Donald) found out about Khloe Kardashian’s past DUI and had no mercy.  I guess a history of abuse of power and corruption is ok?  Middle of the pack.

Sharon Osbourne:  (TV star, music manager and Ozzy’s wife)  This my pick.  You can just see her taking this whole season over much like Piers did two years ago.  And the bonus is, she can be strong and entertaining at the same time.  Seeing her name on the list gave me real hope for this season.

So, I guess just looking at it person by person I came up with Sharon Osbourne and Carol Leifer as my top two.  I could also see Blagojevich in the finals.  Especially if the Donald is angling for a man vs. woman finale, which we haven’t had yet on CA.  Blagojevich definitely has the strongest potential of the guys.

So, the Get Motivated conference is in the books.  Great day.  Great people.  I really enjoyed it.  Took pics with my phone, but unfortunately while we got great seats, we were so close that the spotlights overwhelmed my poor little Motorola.  Anyway, some reflections …

Leon Patillo:  I did not know that he used to be the lead singer for Santana.  He’s just always been a Christian artist to me.  Of course outside of Smooth, I’m not a big Santana guy.  Anyway, he did a good job with a song here and there to break things up.  I appreciate that he didn’t feel the need to embellish the National Anthem, although the conference added in some unnecessary pyrotechnics.

Dr. Robert Schuller:  Let me reiterate one of my tweets:  It was just so refreshing to be at a public, secular venue, where the speakers, and artist, felt at liberty to discuss matters of faith.  It was not wall to wall religion, but God came up more than once.  And I’m happy to report that the mention of both God and Ronald Reagan elicited vigorous applause in this crowd.

I was impressed at the Dr’s wit and effectiveness.  Let’s face it, he’s an old-school preacher, and he’s getting on in years.  But he inspired and held the audience.

“When you lose something, never look at what you have lost.  Look at what you have left.”

“Nothing is impossible unless you say it is.”

Rick Pitino:  I think, just for myself, and from talking to some other folks sitting in our area, one of the most intriguing things coming into the day was Pitino’s fresh scandal.  But that’s a long discussion in itself so I’m saving that issue for a separate post.

Pitino is a great speaker and obviously a great motivator.  One neat thing … well first, I realized today that for me, whether or not a speaker is genuine is the key to whether or not I’ll accept their message.  That’s a pretty general truth for most people, but for me it’s a big go / no go test.

The great thing about Pitino is that as he’s talking, and peppering his content with stories about his players from different teams, you can tell that he truly cares about them to this day, and has a passion for what he does and it’s from the heart when he says …

“Being great means impacting the lives of others in a positive way.”

Rudy Giuliani:  I have to admit, I’m a big Giuliani fan.  His highs and his lows have been played out in the public eye, and he’s weathered it all with grace and class.  Today he was his warm and charming self.  And, from a leadership perspective who better to learn from?  In running New York city he was in charge of one of largest enterprises in our nation.  And he led a city, and at times a nation, through the biggest crisis of our age.

My favorite part of his talk:  Like Pitino, Giuliani talked about “relentless preparation” as one of the principles of leadership.  And then he seemed (key word there) to contradict himself when he said that no matter how much you prepare and anticipate, things will change.  But, relentless preparation will help you overcome the unanticipated.  So, now I’m puzzled.  How can you prepare for what you can’t even anticipate?

Well, obviously 9/11 stands as the ultimate unanticipated event of our time.  But RG talked about how he was able to take bits and pieces from other, anticipated situations and put them in play.  They had to evacuate masses of people from Manhattan.  For this RG drew on evacuation plans they had drawn up in the event of flooding in that area.  They were also able to use measures that had been planned for the event of a low-level nuclear detonation in that area.  They had arrangements to procure generators from GE in the even of blackout.  And on it went.  It was really cool to get that behind the scenes look at the mind of a great leader.

No quote, this is a paraphrase – I wasn’t able to get it down verbatim:  Courage is not fearlessness.  The world is dangerous – fear is real.  Courage is overcoming fear to do what you have to do.

Terry Bradshaw:  OK, this guy was a blast.  Not a lot of meat though.  I think his role was just to get everyone reenergized after lunch.  Hilarious from start to finish.  He went through and goofed on pretty much every member of the offense on those great Steeler teams of the 70’s.  He did impressions of them, although outside of Franco Harris and Lynn Swann it’s not like we would have known whether or not the impersonations were spot on.  He dinged Franco for his aversion to being hit, which was a pretty common theme in those days.

He also got a dig in on Joe Montana.  He talked about how Tight End, Bennie Cunningham wanted TB to hit him on short pass routes, but TB liked to throw long to John Stallworth.  He said if Cunningham wanted short passes he should have gone to San Francisco and let Montana throw to him.  Nice one.  I wonder what Joe Montana says about him.

It was all in fun, and he brought it around to say that he didn’t do what he did alone, and none of us does what we do alone.

He also kept coming back to being thankful for what you have.

Zig Ziglar:  This was almost sad.  ZZ has had a fall recently which still affects his memory and leaves him with a bit of vertigo.  So they had to seat him and have his daughter up there with him.  They did a little bit of live talk with her interviewing him, but a lot of Zig’s content we got via a video.  However, since this incident he has been working on a book, Living Life on Life’s Terms.  I’m not in sales so ZZ isn’t quite the guru to me that he is to some.  But, knowing the circumstances, that will probably be one to check out.

I really liked his talk about the things money will and won’t buy.

“I like the things I have that money will buy, but I love the things I have that money won’t buy.”

“You’re what you are and where you are because of what’s gone into your mind.”

Laura Bush:  Here again, I am just a huge fan of the former President and First Lady.  And over time it has become less and less about politics and more and more about the grace they both showed despite being constantly under fire.

As with the others, I really enjoyed her behind the scenes perspective on things that happened during their tenure in the White House.

It was also interesting to hear the combination Mother Hen / First Lady in her.  She mentioned that she had learned from her mother-in-law how to make even the White House a home, and how she felt at peace at night when her whole family was there, safe, and under the same roof.

She talked about being in the White House and sensing not just the ghosts of past Presidents who struggled with their own wrenching decisions, but also the echoes of current citizens exercising their voice.

Finally the former First Lady got to the question I would ask, if I had a few minutes to pick her brain.  How could you stand the things that were being said about your husband on a daily basis?

“It bothered me, but it didn’t get to me.  … I know who I am and I know who George is.”

And that’s really how she comes across; someone with a great sense of herself, exuding grace and class.

Colin Powell:  Yet another inspirational, classy figure who has been a prominent part of recent history.

Funny line.  The General talked about how he is always pressed to say what he misses most about being out of military and political leadership.  Not much, but if there is one thing … “I miss my plane.”  And then he told the story of his first civilian flight after leaving office, and how, by arriving late with no luggage and paying cash he fell under the scrutiny of the TSA Systems he had helped design in the wake of 9/11.

He discussed his approach to transitioning to non-military leadership roles.  This was of interest to me as I have, at times, struggled to come to grips with these same differences.  I was surprised to hear him say that he really approaches it all the same way, because that’s all he knows.  And, “Leadership is leadership is leadership.”

He did go on to talk about his basic principles, and I’m sure that, while the principles may be the same, the manner in which he executes those principles changes with the context.

Gen Powell did talk briefly on current events, but didn’t get too controversial.  Although on Afghanistan he advised that if more resources and troops are invested there, they must be sent with a clear understanding of their mission.  I believe he is right, and I also believe that that won’t happen with an administration that hides behind ambiguity.

“A terrorist can not change the nature of our society. … Only we can do that to ourselves.”

—

So, as I look back over the list … what a group!  Not just excellent speakers, or motivators, or leaders, or successes in their fields.  These were all people who excelled at all of the above.  And they are all people who were selected and elevated by history.  They were the right leaders, in the right places, with the right tools at the right time.  That’s the “always be ready because you never know” lesson for us all.

Also, these weren’t leaders who’ve simply experienced unmitigated success.  For most of them, we’ve watched their struggles with adversity on the evening news, and we know of their blemishes.  And it’s the grace that they carry through it all that has truly endeared them to us.

To me that was the common thread.  Grace.  And class.  With each of them, before they’d even said the first word you could just feel it.  These qualities helped make them the successes that they are, but I’m sure that their pursuit and perseverance through the things that they are noted for has also made those qualities stronger.

Overall a wonderful day.  Some of the extras, the hype, and a few sales presentations, I could have done without.  But honestly, to hear just one of these great leaders I would have sat through that stuff.  To get them all in one day was awesome.

… and tiring.  Night all.

So, tomorrow I’m going to a conference that I’m actually looking forward to.  I’d be psyched to hear anyone of these people, but all in one venue … awesome!

And yes, even Rick Pitino.  The guy still knows his stuff.  If I’m going to write off anyone who has done something stupid I might as well not even get out of bed in the morning.  But wait, that’s my idea and I’ve done stupid things, so I guess I can’t do that.

So anyway, tomorrow should be awesome.  Will probably be tweeting some – seems like a good occasion for it.

After reading about the Young Republican fiasco I’ve got a rant simmering.  But until then …

You know, I imagine that each morning, all across America, thousands of business men and women are convinced that Scott Adams is a pen name for someone who works in their organization.

Hurray!  I’m not alone.  This morning I was happy to discover View from Harvard Business’ Best EMail Tip:  The Two Minute Rule.

The vast majority of emails I get can be “handled” quickly.  Read and delete, read and save in a directory, or read and quick response.  My approach has always been to quickly dispatch those emails that can be quickly dispatched.  This helps to avoid “daunting, overloaded inbox syndrome,” and makes it easier to keep organized the remaining emails which will require more attention.

Surprisingly, approaches to handling email that are much longer and more laborious are commonplace.  Maybe there are certain types of employees for whom this works better, but not this one.  Why spend 15-20 minutes organizing something that can be eliminated altogether in a fraction of the time?

Finally got the new site migrated over and up and running.

The Office Avenger (http://office-avenger.com) will focus on information and tips for the business up and comer.  Give it a look!

The View from Harvard Business has this shot across the bow of conventional “wisdom”:  Employees who waste company time are more productive.

Unfortunately, that’s about all I dare say, other than … I KNEW it!

… hmmm, how to breach the ramparts of bureaucracy with this flaming arrow of insight …

So, I keep getting these offers in the mail – a special “deal” if I add a land line to either my cell service or cable service.

In my perfect world, if they could figure out that I don’t have a land line, they would also figure out that I haven’t had one for five years and deduce that if I had any use for said land line I would have figured it out by now.

OK, I’m back. And I’ve got a burr in my saddle so let’s get busy.

- – B – -

Memo to David Letterman: the point is, your joke was crass and lewd not to mention not funny. The fact that your intended target was barely the age of consent instead of 14 doesn’t make it any less so. And it doesn’t matter whose daughter it was. Poor taste is poor taste. Whether you cut into a political friend or foe is irrelevant. I don’t believe you should be fired because hits and misses are part of the business you are in. But you do have to own your poor judgment. A straight up apology is called for.

- – B – -

Already relegated to the dustbin of history is Lebron James’ last-second three-pointer to save game two of The Eastern Conference Finals for Cleveland. Such heroics lose much of their cache when they aren’t a stepping stone on the road to greater things. Turns out that shot merely saved the Cavaliers from being swept. They were still rudely ushered from the playoffs in a season when they should have been in the Finals.

- – B – -

After decades of government intrusion into every aspect of people’s lives, California is in a shambles. New Jersey tried to boost income by raising taxes on the wealthy, only to see revenue decrease. Germany is abandoning cap and trade because it’s killing their industry. And has anyone ever talked to someone in Canada or Europe about their Health Care Systems? They freaking hate them! Just about everything Obama and Congress are trying to do has been pretty clearly proven not to work.  “Those who don’t learn from history …” hell, those who don’t learn, period.

- – B – -

It’s good to see that the “at least I didn’t” defense is alive and well. Manny Ramirez, upon his return from a steroid suspension, put things in perspective by saying, “I didn’t kill nobody. I didn’t rape nobody.” Now really in the current situation he could simply have said, “I didn’t kill no dogs.” As it is we are now stuck trying to sort out the cases of the returning superstars. Michael Vick didn’t rape nobody and he didn’t kill no human. But, he did kill some dogs yo, so does that count?

Of course if Ray Carruth ever comes back then the whole scale has to slide. He’s always got the “at least I didn’t go crazy and shoot a bunch of people in a shopping mall” defense. And, of course the “triple dog dare ya” in this whole sequence is, “at least I’m not Hitler.” That still stands as the ultimate. Since the only person we can hold accountable for anything, Hitler, is dead, I really don’t see why we need a judicial system at all. As long as people mind their own business and refrain from killing six million Jews, it’s all good.

- – B – -

Finally a word on incompetence. Incompetence doesn’t really accomplish anything because it’s … incompetent. It tries to accomplish keeping others from accomplishing things. It doesn’t support, it attempts to reduce others to its own level of pathetic uselessness. It muddles on leaving a trail of futility in its wake. We progress despite incompetence, certainly not because of it.

Yeah, you read that right. I’m giving Obama an “A”. Hear me out. I’m not saying I agree with very much, if anything, of what he’s doing. I just think that he’s doing a yeoman’s job of accomplishing what he’s trying to accomplish.

He’s not trying to do things that I agree with ideologically, so why would that be the criteria? And his incompetence hasn’t hindered his pursuit of agenda in the slightest.

So, I almost have to chuckle at my compatriots who proudly announce that they’ve given our President “F’s” on his report card. Like he cares. He knows you disagree with him. The time to have that argument was last fall. Actually it was last spring when you were busy nominating John freaking McCain. But it was also in fall when so many Republicans were itching to fall in love with the cool candidate who gives good speech.

They were looking for a reason, any reason, to drink the Kool-Aid, and that’s exactly what Obama gave them. Just enough rope. He didn’t campaign as a moderate. He campaigned as whatever the audience he was speaking to at the moment wanted him to be. If you looked past the smoke and mirrors at his tell-tale record, there was no reason to believe he’d be anything other than an ultra-liberal. So if you’re surprised, it’s on you, not him.

Yes, he paid lip service to bi-partisanship, and transparency, and change. Every candidate does that. And in reality he’s simply same old. Every politician also does that. So if you’re surprised, it’s on you, not him.

Now it’s the morning after. You’ve got a pounding headache and horrified “What the hell did I do?” pangs in your gut. Nowhere to turn. You surely can’t admit this to your friends. All you can do is quietly wallow around in your own shame for four years and pray that you aren’t the next person Herr Commandant decides to fire as he wrestles with his own “reluctance” to control everything.

– B –

And then we have the Arlen Specter story, underscoring the fact that the solution to our problems in government is not as near as some would like to think. This story points out two kinds of politicians. I’m tempted to say THE two kinds of politicians as most are one or both of these.

First you have Specter, the opportunist. He pretends that his decision to come out of the closet that we all knew he was in had something to do with conviction and principles. Actually it’s just the opposite. His decision to switch teams shows a complete lack of principles and conviction. He’ll do or be whatever he needs to do or be in order to win elections.

Voters are culpable here as well. The moment Biden introduced the Senate’s newest Democrat, Specter became the favorite to win his own seat in 2010. Apparently Specter isn’t the only Pennsylvanian who could care less about integrity.

The second kind of politician is one who runs about wringing his hands and counting R’s and D’s on the Senate roll. Other than calling himself a “Republican” what good was Specter to the party? He was a major pain in the ass to GWB’s judicial nominees. And any time you heard about a vote where three or four Republican Senators crossed party lines, you knew he’d be one of them. Card Check was a minor miracle.

Medved was even on this the other day, talking about how the Republicans needed to recruit candidates to compete in blue states and districts. So you have someone who will vote like a liberal but call themself a Republican. Again, what good is this? The only reason you want numbers in Congress is so you can pass legislation. If you’ve got a contingent of representatives who will consistently oppose what you are trying to do, they are effectively not in your party, regardless of what label they wear.

It’s not about the name, it’s about the core values. Something which we see, once again, being in short supply in Washington.

– B –

Also, would someone please tell anyone named McCain that the election is over and we don’t have to pretend to respect them as Republicans anymore. This is even more annoying than the angry little man’s “I wanna try! I wanna try!” every four years.