ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - May 13, 2005

The clock is ticking and we only have two weeks left to soak in the beauty and ambience of Italy. Getting away -- even with the self-imposed task of posting a daily online diary -- is still a requirement for any entrepreneur who wants to maintain sanity.

Think of it as the care and feeding of the goose that lays the golden eggs.

When was the last time YOU got away to clear your head?

LIFE IN ITALY
We are nearing the end of our first week in Umbria with our house full of neighbors ... and it has proven to be just a delightful experience. Of course, we love the house and the area, but sharing it all with like-minded friends is a very special treat.

Alas, with only a couple of days to go, folks are at that "how many days do we have left and what else do we want to do/see before we leave" stage. Fortunately, Margene and I have another couple of weeks before we return to reality, so our Saturday departure from this great place is just a shift of housing for us. On Saturday we move to a villa in Cortona and set up a whole new base of operations.

Rather than ramble on here, you will find most of my observations about life in Italy in my daily diary entries ... along with photos. Take a look sometime. Ciao for now.

Click here to follow along on the daily diary

THINKING BIG
Among my favorite e-letters is Steve's 3-Minute Coaching, a weekly missive from Steve Straus that always gets me thinking ... which, of course, is its purpose. I thought you might appreciate his offering this last week. He writes:

“Nearly everybody has the capacity to think themselves small. In fact, nearly everybody does exactly that most of the time. Why? Mainly because it is convenient, simple and safe. Of course they don't think they are thinking small ... because they are not thinking about it at all.

Where are you "settling" for what you now have?

What do you think is "impossible" for you?

How do you know what the "limits" are?

Are you a "victim of circumstances?"

When did you last "push the envelope?"

Who reinforces your current view of "reality?"

In spite of all the evidence you have gathered so far -- and all you can gather now when asked -- you are the product of your own thinking. If you want to be bigger, think bigger. If you don't think about it, you will remain smaller than you could be.

Coaching point: Are you willing to try some impossible thinking -- that will change your life?”

Click here to subscribe to Steve's e-letter.

THE MAY SURVEY
Since I am taking most of the month off, I thought it would be interesting to get a handle on how often the average independent restauranteur -- or however you might describe yourself if you are not actually running a restaurant -- manages to get away and for how long.

Before you decide to pass on this one, consider that the information collected can help you know if your business is working for you ... or if you are working for your business! What you do with that bit of information is up to you, but the only way to get an honest picture of life in the trenches is if everyone takes a second to fill in the blanks.

Unless you are a very slow reader ... or have a super slow Internet connection ... it will take less than two minutes. Just this once, go for it!

Add your thoughts to the May survey

CREATING THE EFFORTLESS ORGANIZATION
"The results of this program were completely unexpected. I connected with this as a business. But I was very pleasantly surprised that the listening skills and understanding about presence allowed me to solve a problem that has been going on between me and my wife for three years. As soon as started practicing truly listening and being present, our relationship moved up four or five levels. We are now communicating and appreciating each other much more.

"I came to understand that it was me and my inability to be present and listen that was causing the problem. It is so exciting to be able to come to a program like this and learn something that is totally unexpected and solves a long-standing problem -- in this case with my wife and partner. It's extraordinary.

"The program did two things for me as it applies to business. It affirmed some principles that I have believed in and tried to practice. I also had two major insights that will greatly help our business." -- Rick Riccio, Director of Operations, Washington Square Group, Huntsville, AL

Super Summit 2005 will help you develop a new frame of reference ... from your own insights, not from someone else's "good ideas." This will awaken your natural "people skills" which will lead to a calm mastery of the human factor in your work -- even when you are faced with totally new situations, demanding guests, difficult staff, or just your own natural human ups and downs.

Best of all, this will all happen in a way that will enhance the productivity and morale of your staff, improve the well-being of your guests and put more money on your bottom line. In short, you will be able to get more done with less work in a manner that will seem effortless ... and restore balance to your life in the process! That is the simple -- and powerful -- promise of Super Summit 2005.

If this sounds like your idea of a good time, you owe it to yourself (and your family) to find out what Robert Kausen and I have planned for 44 select people on June 6-7 in New Orleans.

This is the last program of this sort that we have planned and I think there is still a few seats left for the June program. Don't miss it. Submit your application today.

Get the whole story on the Super Summit at http://www.supersummit.net

THE PERPETUAL QUESTION
What did you learn from your staff today?

My perpetual question is really a lot deeper than it may sound.

You may come to understand that improving your listening skills may be the most valuable management talent you can develop ... and you may not get it at all. It all depends on how serious you are about finding out what you and your company are really capable of becoming.

I will tell you that the really effective managers can give a fresh answer to this question every day. No problem. If you don't have a response immediately at hand, what does that say about the quality of your listening?

I will continue to collect your answers to this important question. Just click on the link below for a short coaching session on listening and a chance to contribute your answer for the common good.

What did YOU learn from YOUR staff today?

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