You can read my review over on Amazon or click below to see the video!

“Instant Turnaround!  Getting People Excited About Coming to Work and Working Hard” by Harry Paul and Ross Beck

I’m always on the lookout for books that focus on people as part of the business process — after all, you can’t have any type of successful business if your people are the last thought on your mind. In "Instant Turnaround!" the author walks us through a very easy to read fable about how focusing on the people in your company can have dramatic effects on performance and the bottom line. Through a fictional setup he walks us through a company that goes from an atmosphere of pure dread to work at to one where the employees and the CEO actually know each others name — and productivity soars.

This is the type of book every manager, supervisor and CEO should have tucked away for an easy read on their next plane trip. It’s such basic principles — focus on your people, take an interest in their lives and their work, and don’t be afraid to admit you are wrong — that you probably have heard them a thousand times already. If so, then as the author points out, why haven’t you acted on them and started putting some of them into practice?

Books like this are written for executives who have had enough of the old way of doing things and want to bring about change. They want to run their company with all the excitement they had when they were 21 again instead of acting like an 79 year old dictator from some 3rd world country.

It’s such an easy read and is packed with so many ideas and notes that there is only one question left — what’s your excuse for not reading it?

Now it should come as no surprise that the old Ma Bell telephone companies love to charge for this service – have you made a call to 411 on your landline (remember those?) lately?  If so, you know that you can get socked with an outrageous charge just to find a phone number.  So when Google launched their 411 service it was an instant hit with me.  Now I could use it anytime, anyplace without worrying about having to pay for it.

And so I did… and was happy with the service.. until Bing launched their 411 service.  Then I was no longer happy – I was addicted!

Bing continues to impress me – more relevant search results, and the ability to find what I am looking for within the first ten results.  That alone has made me a fan since day one.  Today I came across a Twitter post about Bing 411 and had to try it out.  I spent a good 15 minutes just playing around with it.  This was what 411 should be – this wasn’t basic 411 from the phone company or the business-only 411 Google offers.  This was 411+.

Weather, traffic – even cheap gas prices – all waiting for you to just ask for it.  My first lookup on Bing 411 was for Copeland’s Auto Service in Boonville, MO.  For some reason Google 411 has an awful time locating this business that has been around for over 10 years and it takes me at least 4-5 tries to get it to find it.  Not so with Bing!  The very first result was what I was looking for.  Woo hoo! 

Next I decided to have fun with the cheap gas locator.  Now, granted, its still in beta – but sure enough it worked!  I found a station near me in zip code 65201 that had gas for 3-cents a gallon cheaper than what I thought was the cheapest gas in town!  Woo hoo!

About 5 minutes later I had deleted Google 411 from my cell phone and replaced it with Bing 411.  Because, I’m telling you, this thing is just plain cool.  It’s like that Black Eyed Peas song “Boom Boom Pow” – Bing seems so 3008 and Google seems so 2000 and late.

Interested in trying Bing 411?  Just call 1-800-BING-411 and enjoy!

At the ripe young age of 35 I don’t think you’ll be finding me on a skateboard anytime soon. But who knows, life is too short to not have fun! I’ve come to discover that skate shoes are not just for the kids out there — they are downright comfortable for anyone who enjoys a good shoe with a lot of grip. I bought a pair last summer on the advice of a friend, and have been buying ever since.

I like something other than boring brown and black shoes — and C1RCA really delivers in that department. The shoes are not only comfortable, but they are very stylish and colorful. These are great shoes to wear on the weekend, going to the mall or just out for a drive. I find I can wear them for hours with the same level of comfort from beginning to end.

So don’t grow old before you have to. Pick up a pair, try them on, and who knows — maybe you will pick up a skateboard and do a few tricks yourself!