Freaky Team Building

Old time freak shows are a popular pastime of my friend, Antonio. He works at an old movie theatre that shows the classics and other forgotten films on Thursdays and Fridays at a special midnight showing. He named it the hour of good and evil films. Recently, the theatre had a showing of the film ‘Freaks.’ He has the movie Freaks and several documentaries detailing the circus and carnival way in general. He actually has one about the film. In it an old roustabout in a denim shirt and face lined like a road from the many roads he no doubt has rode about, spoke about the freaks he would meet along his travels from circus to circus, city to city, each one waiting to be delighted with the laughs and frights a circus could alternatively provide. A lot of them he claimed were quite the prima donnas. Each entertainer thought their show and deformity was the most interesting and brought about the largest crowds. There was not a lot of room for solidarity or any team building programs to be sure. But then again, the corporate world and its offerings were not available to them. Most of them he said preferred being freaks because it was about the only job they could get. No one else would hire them for what others might call normal jobs: a cashier with no legs would not do the old days before discrimination laws, for instance. It could be quite lucrative for those with deformities and good managers too.

There was one freak my friend was in particular enthralled with. Her name was Frances O’Connor . She was an armless woman who could shoot a gun with deadly accuracy, and drink a glass of wine like an elegant movie star. She was quite beautiful, which is why my friend adores her. He is still young enough to get away with hanging a homemade poster of her at home above his bed just like the hundreds of boys throughout the years to idolize beautiful women, from Marilyn Monroe to Pam Grier.

Within a couple of weeks, their theatre is undergoing leadership training . He plans to stay out of the way of the managers and hole up in the projector room: some of them believe their leadership is just fine, thank you very much, but Antonio knows better. Either way, he and a picture of Frances will be up in the projector room this Friday: he put a picture of her in one of those homemade keychain charms for his collection of keys, watching ‘The Women’.

Passing It Along

Growing up in Canada is something that’s rather impossible to forget.  The neighborhood where your parents live will always hold a special place in the heart, being the seat of so many first memories and first experiences of the world.  After the initial memories of sensations, of the first time you accidentally touch something hot, or the feeling of snow on bare skin, there’s some dim memories of how the parents related to the people in the community.  There were favorite neighborhood dogs, grocery stores, and postal carriers, and all of these things go into some great memory bank somewhere.   It takes awhile, sometimes a decade or more, to even realize that these memories of a community are very special.

It’s probably because there is a sense of community here.  It may not be the same as it was during the last generation, or the one before that, but it’s certainly still here.  It’s one of the things that makes Canada such an attractive place to live in the world.  It’s something that they seem to understand, too, at TransGlobe Property Management.  They’re very convenient, and very friendly, and have thousands of properties to choose from, but there’s a very personal touch here that lets you know there is a sense of what the communities and the neighborhoods here are really like.

It’s difficult to find this kind of commitment and compassion for place these days.  Based on the memories of childhood, there seems to be no better place for this kind of commitment.  We have something special here in Canada. TransGlobe Property Management has a particularly splendid staff, who are well-trained and efficient, but they also live and work here, too, and share the same enthusiasm for place.  This is one thing that can make it easier to make the transition from one place of business or living to another, because enthusiasm can remind us of where we came from, and what we can pass along.

Soft Sells

It’s always a pleasure to have an experience making a large purchase when you don’t feel pressured by the salespeople, and also where you feel that, in the end, you’ve made a good decision and no one talked you into something you didn’t need.  These are both excellent selling points that make working with Steven Barbarich a pleasure, which can be a rare thing in the high pressure market these days.  But it’s also extremely refreshing, and adds some optimism to how things might be changing for the better in the world at large.  Conscientious selling practices are essential for the kind of world we want our children to grow up in, and this is one of his biggest strengths.

One of the best things about shopping online is the lack of pressure.  It’s something you can do in your own time, and at your own pace.  One of the best ways to make a large purchase, so the experts say, is to proceed without rushing, and browsing over the internet makes it possible for you to bookmark the pages you particularly like, so you can return to them over a period of days, while deciding for yourself if this might be exactly what you want.  His sites are very easy to negotiate, so you can see a large selection very quickly, and the pages are very informative, giving detailed descriptions of the products.  This makes for a very easy, low pressure environment in which to do your shopping, and some preliminary decision-making.

When you have decided, and have narrowed it down to a couple of choices, or have one in particular with a few questions you’d like answered, this next step is also a pleasure.  His staff is very well-educated and trained in the products they carry, and there is a focus on the customer’s needs.  This means that when you call or email, they’re not going to try to push the last model of a closeout into your lap so they can get it off their hands.  They want to keep you as a customer, and depend on excellent word of mouth to grow their business, so they will only try to help you with what you need.  It’s an excellent way to develop customers for life, and it’s also a wonderful thing for new and return customers to experience.

Customer Care Skills in Essential Services

Providing excellent customer service is an essential aspect of all businesses, whether they are direct service oriented or not. Retail companies are fully aware of the demanding need for excellent customer service while some of the more consumer removed or even essential non optional oriented service providers take a more relaxed or even dismissive attitude about the need for excellent service to costumers. Steven Barbarich is one of the ethical business professionals that understands that respect for the customer is an essential foundational aspect to any business or industry.

When providing an essential need such as health care, legal services and even utilities, maintaining a respectful customer service perspective often takes a back seat to busy schedules and job related stress. However, this does not mitigate or reduce the need for customer respect and great service in these fields. It is easy to understand that the medical field requires attention to the service of patients or clients and this has traditionally been referred to as bedside manner. However, it has traditionally been left to the discretion of the doctor or nurse, whomever is providing the service. In addition, it has frequently be viewed as the nurse’s job to provide the personal care for the patient while the doctor issues diagnosis and treatment plans.

This is an unfortunate perspective when considered in context with the importance of the doctor patient relationship. Great trust is required on the part of the patient to reveal detailed personal information and this is not easily established when a patient is forced to wait an hour for their scheduled appointment and then only sees a doctor for up to five minutes. In today’s medical field, the patient is assuming greater responsibility with their own health care and this requires more respect and interest on the part of the professional care provider.

TransGlobe Continues the Work

With an excellent record for customer service, we’ve been serving the Canadian communities for over 15 years, and there’s a bright future ahead, to accentuate this fantastic present.  We have thousands of rental properties, for business and residential use, and we have buildings all over Canada. Certainly there will be something for you, and chances are, there will be many choices.  Once you start browsing through our extremely user-friendly database, you’ll see all the possibilities, and may even start decorating and arranging in your mind.  We love our buildings almost as much as our clients, and we work to make sure you know you’re in good hands with TransGlobe Property Management.

Not only do we take care of you at the very beginning, when you’re looking, we’re with you all the way through, answering maintenance calls promptly and efficiently.  It’s important to us that you’re happy, and that you enjoy your new neighborhood.  Neighborhoods are very important to us, too, you’ll soon see.  Our fleet of fuel efficient vehicles can often be seen around town, attending public events, and charitable fundraisers.  We at TransGlobe Property Management like to give back to the communities that have been our source of livelihood, as well as our homes, for all these years.

We recognize that good communities are created and not inherited.  The generations that came before us worked so that we would have the right infrastructures in place to create the communities we want, but it’s up to us to continue the work with love, and with vision.  Knowing our clients and knowing our neighbors is an important way to begin creating the kinds of communities our ancestors were working toward.  We respect their efforts, and integrate them in to the way we work with each other, to continue to make Canada’s reputation as having one of the highest quality of life ratings on the planet.

Japanese business culture affects how corporations train employees

Reading a book about Japanese etiquette will not suddenly provide you with the tools necessary for a successful business transaction with a Japanese cooperation. Even something so simple as a greeting can permanently mar a business relationship. Leadership skills development must not only include how to be a good leader in the business world of a hometown culture, but the host cultures you will soon be doing transactions and negotiations with.

For example, if you did not exchange a business card with a Japanese business person, it would be most offensive, and similar to not shaking hands in Western companies. It is best to make a hundred or so business cards with you on a trip to Japan to hand out during meetings. Incidentally, business cards in Japan are called “meishi.” No person in Japan will be very forgiving if you should accidentally run out of them either. It is a real stigma to not possess any business cards: it is a silent way of demonstrating in a culture that you might be unemployed.

Bragging knows no bounds in Japanese culture either. What might seem rude in a Western culture and tantamount to arrogance is actually a way of illustrating how great a company it is that you work for. Documentation such as press releases and news clippings will cement the achievements of your cooperation while also showing its influence.

Additionally, as in Western companies, it is very rude to be late, if not more so in Japan. You can presuppose that the Japanese associate you will be working with will have done much research on your company. While this is a given in any company culture, it must be followed even more strictly in not only the Japanese culture but other cultures as well. It makes you appear weak if you are not prepared in every manner possible. There will be no point to organizational development or any other kind of development if you cannot abide by such simple ways of life.

Further, the way people are seated at meetings is a very complicated affair based upon the relationship to your client, who has seniority, how and when people will be arriving, and even the most seemingly insignificant things such as where the door is in the room where you will be meeting. It is vital people learn such customs. The people get their drinks refilled also have rules and regulations. Things the business world in the West might take for granted gets turned on its head in other places. The unspoken rules of a culture can make or break a relationship. No where is this most important than in the business relationship.

The Suspicious Activity Report and Keeping an Eye on Money Laundering

Bank employees are required to fill out an SAR, or Suspicious Activity Report, when something about a transaction seems amiss.  Which situations should an employee find suspicious?  There are many indications that illegal activities may be occurring.  If a young teenager comes into a bank with a paper bag full of money, this is suspicious activity requiring a report.  If a teller notices many withdrawals, deposits or transfers occurring within a short amount of time, this is suspicious.  Any large cash transaction must reported, whether it seems out of the ordinary or not.

This is not only a weapon that is useful for banks to discover crimes involving the financial world, but crimes on the international level such as terrorism or extortion and political corruption.  Once a report is filled out, the proper governmental agencies will begin an investigation.  No report goes unnoticed.  Money laundering is just the by product of a previously committed act of crime, and therefore, these stiffer regulations have served to bring to an end many cases of drug dealing and trafficking, tax evasion, and any individual involved in smuggling or terrorism rings.

Any individual that cannot provide valid documentation that they are conducting legitimate business will be under suspicion.  Money laundering is a world wide problem, and officials in the law enforcement agencies estimate that close to two trillion dollars a year is laundered in the international financial institutions.  Another institution that must remain watchful, is any business that sells and redeems money orders or travellers checks, as well as institutions such as Western Union, who provide money transfers and wires daily.  Money launderers have in the past been known to target such institutions.  However know they too are required by the Bank Secrecy Act, to fill out reports on such transactions.  Check cashing locations are still not required by law to fill out the SAR, but many are opting to do so anyway, as a measure of protecting themselves.

Thinking about Delegation

Winding down another week and so much to do before it is over. Well that is normal, always in a rush and hurried. Between family, work and my investment properties. From one to the other I go and without a lot of time for anything else. So heading into another weekend with a lot left on the to do list and family plans filling the entire weekend, work will be carried over to another week once again! Fortunately, no one will die, it is not that critical, however it does have a level of importance for those affected. I keep thinking I need to get some of this work off my plate. Doing some thinking of what is appropriate to delegate out and what I need to keep close. Obviously family can not be delegated, well and that is where I will be spending any of the time I free up anyway.

What stood out first and fore most are the tenant calls, property and maintenance questions following up on delinquent renters and so much more that pops up all the time while managing investment properties. Someone else could do this. Hiring someone to do this didn’t make sense to me, I mean another body on the payroll is not a solution. So I began to look into management companies. Where else do I turn these days, of course the Internet. Search results came back with what appeared to be an interesting prospect to me a company named Transglobe property management. Needing professionalism and availability to to meet they seemed a good prospect. I was happy I was able to contact  Transglobe property management via Twitter and got responses very quickly. It was impressive beginning to my research into their company.

Looking like I may be getting out from under the property management I can focus on the SEO for my online business and get that built up to the point where pieces of it can be handed off. Moving myself closer to the goal of having time for creativity and expansion.

Ethics and Political Corruption

What does one think of when considering corrupt leaders?   The terror or the torture they inflict on their people?  Or perhaps the evil way they appear when photographed for newspaper articles and filmed for the nightly news.  Or maybe, as in the case for many years surrounding the Third Reich and the reign of Adolph Hitler, many may believe that it is impossible to stop them.  The thing with political corruption and the leaders who act is such a way, is that by the standards of many, corruption and torture is immoral and unethical.  Well, one idea to consider is the derivation of the word ethics as it is translated from the Greek language.

Love of wisdom, that is it.  In keeping with the word’s roots, the International Dictionary of Cambridge states that the meaning of the word philosophy is that it is the practice of the use of reason, when one is attempting to understand such concepts as the nature of existence and reality.  And then dealing with the limits, and enhancing the uses of that knowledge gained and applying it to the governing principles that influence and affect moral and ethical judgement.

When applied to the political arena one must take these definitions into the context of, the political arena.  Or must they?  Seriously, would any corrupt political leader be fine with being called unwise?  Would Hitler have been fine with being accused a man lacking wisdom.  For some reason, being accused of that, lacking wisdom has a greater affect on some people that accusing them of lacking heart or compassion.  But by the definition, ethical behavior implies the action taken to do the right thing, to act with that compassion because not only is it right, it is wise.

Corruption is the misuse of power without regard to the effects and the consequences of that action.  When leaders act in a corrupt fashion, it must be noted that they are not only lacking in responsibility, but they are acting without knowledge, in a manner that can only be referred to asinine, and, well stupid for lack of a better term.  And what is so hard or scary about attempting to  stop someone who is … stupid … and lacks wisdom and moral fiber?

Help for Small Businesses in Johannesburg

The South African city of Johannesburg just signed an agreement with the UK, which will serve to continue business relationships between the two countries, even after the end of the 2010 World Cup.  This will ensure that travelers and tourists will continue visiting the country, and supporting the local businesses such as the luxury hotels.  Johannesburg resident Jason Ngobeni is the director for Economic Development and he signed the agreement last week. Two other South African cities have already signed the agreement, Capetown and Durban.

This is a program that was part of an initiative of the United Kingdom Trade and Investment policy that was begun just about one year ago, in an effort to build partnerships in the countries that are the hosts of such sports events as the World Cup.   The policy will focus on the smaller business enterprises, and will ensure footholds on the trade and commerce.  The Olympic Games in 2012 will be held in London, and the policies and ideas of the initiative were considered when they began to think about ways to keep the businesses going even after the events have ended.

The ambassador for the UK, Alan Collins, has been part of the planning of the initiative, as well as having served on the board that secured the Olympics for the city of London.  The affects for South Africa are great.  As the city itself began initiatives to further support the local small businesses almost five years ago.  So not only will this initiative serve to bring further business into the city of Johannesburg, it will support the policies that are already intact and underway.  This also may serve to enhance Johannesburg’s opportunities for the hosting of future events.  Officials from both countries have been traveling back and forth and other such cities as Vancouver, Singapore and Sochi, are on board as well.