After 20+ years of success in my own business and working for other people, I now help other businesses think “outside the office” to help them make their businesses the best they can be. OBCOM Consultants have worked with hundreds of companies, in a wide array of industries, from mom-and-pop companies and start-ups to Fortune 500 companies.
You may have heard of 'thinking outside the box.' OBCOM Consulting offers thinking that is “outside the office.” We are an impartial observer from outside our client businesses and therefore are not encumbered by the history and culture of their business. We offer a fresh approach to identify innovation that is not clouded by where the company is now, or where it has been, but that will allow them to get it to where they want it to be.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Being Prepared...
It is all around us every day. More and more ‘natural disasters’ and terrorism attacks are happening it seems. Hurricanes, fires, tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes, BIG storms – they seem to be happening with much more regularity these days.
What can we do to have ourselves and our families prepared?
==============================================================================================
From the friend or relative of a good friend of mine:
As you requested, I am going to tell of some of our experiences during the aftermath of the hurricane. I am sending this to a few other family members so that they can perhaps benefit from it.
We returned from Thailand a week after the hurricane hit and so didn't live through the crazy week following it. Our understanding is that when Baton Rouge doubled in size several things occurred:
1. There was no gasoline to find and what little there was involved very long waits at the pumps.
Lesson: it is wise to fill your tank before a known storm, but also wise to never let it get below half a tank as disasters do not always come with warning.
2. It was difficult to find food and ice. So many people moved into the area or were trying to feed themselves in the shelters, stores were not used to or equipped with supplies or supply lines to stock shelves. Lines to check out in the grocery store were 20 deep, often taking 45min. to 1 hour to check out. A week after the disaster it was difficult to find bread, eggs, milk, lettuce, water (especially water), ice, etc.
Lesson: Make sure you have food storage on hand for at least a month and food in your 72 hour kit. Even with stores open it was hard to find food. Make sure that your freezers are full of food and ice. Find out those friends that can make ice and have them make ice for those without power. (During Hurricane Andrew a block of ice was selling for $10.)
3. Many people came out of New Orleans expecting to be gone from home for 24 hours. When the flooding started, they lost everything. Many only had the clothes on their backs. Laundry facilities were not always easy to come by, as well as showering facilities.
Lesson: Make sure your 72-hour kit has at least one change of clothes, perhaps 2 changes of underclothing. Make sure you have soap, one towel, wipes, or sanitizing lotion with you. Bedding is very helpful - shelters do not always have bedding.
4. Those that took some thought into evacuating and evacuated early were more prepared than others. However, even those didn't always come out with important paperwork. Many didn't have their social security cards, car ins. and house ins. Policy numbers, contact numbers for credit cards, and ins., medical ins. ID cards, passports, driver’s licenses, green cards. Those who were trying to recreate these documents were really struggling. Also, photos, genealogy, etc. were lost and missed - much more than houses, cars, and clothing.
Lesson: Put your important paperwork in the same place and pick it up and carry it with you. Make copies of your paperwork and send the copies to someone outside of the area - someone you trust. One suggestion has been to put these onto USBs for easier handling, especially photos and genealogy.
5. Communication was a nightmare!! Our cell phones and land lines didn't begin to function without problems for almost a month. People could call outside long distance, but couldn't call across town. Our family ended up communicating through our two daughters - one in UT and the other one in FL. The Baton Rouge family would call them and the other family members would find out the news from them. They also sent emails to our friends and family through our email accounts since they know our passwords.
Cell phones were no use at all to begin with. Land lines worked, but some people didn't have an old fashioned phone that could be worked with no electricity, they only had cordless. For weeks to make a phone call we had to redial multiple times - 5x or more. The most efficient way of communicating was through the Internet. If there was power and an Internet connection, we could communicate.
Lesson: Have an old-fashioned phone. Perhaps put together a list of members who live close to each other and can physically check on each other. Make sure you have people designated outside of your area that will take your calls and inform other family members.
6. Financially people were very unprepared. Many left without cash, thinking they could charge or write a check. ATM machines weren't working, or they ran out of cash. Banks will not cash checks drawn on other banks. Many establishments would only accept cash, no checks. Some people were really, really in a bind.
Lesson: Make sure you have cash on hand - enough to take care of your needs for at least one week.
7. Many of these people have been displaced from their homes and will not return for at least a year, perhaps two. Some companies have relocated to Baton Rouge, others to completely different parts of the country. Some people with service jobs; for example, housekeepers in the hospitals, lost their jobs with the loss of the hospitals.
Lesson: While this is not easy to prepare for, perhaps it is wise to sit down once a year and consider the options available to you if you were to lose your home and job in a disaster. Do you have family to live with on a temporary basis? Do you have updated job skills? Are there other parts of the country where my job skills are needed? Is my job resume updated and current? (This was really important when we helped some look for work - they didn't have contact information of past employers, or reference contact information.)
8. Living through this is emotionally, physically, and spiritually draining. It becomes important to have an eye on people to look for signs of becoming overstressed.
Well, that is what we learned. I am sure Richard could come up with some other things. I do believe that we are going to continue to see these disasters increase and we must be prepared!! Those who were prepared may have lost a lot, but they had a sense of peace with them.
http://www.tomstates.com/Being_Prepared.html
What can we do to have ourselves and our families prepared?
==============================================================================================
From the friend or relative of a good friend of mine:
As you requested, I am going to tell of some of our experiences during the aftermath of the hurricane. I am sending this to a few other family members so that they can perhaps benefit from it.
We returned from Thailand a week after the hurricane hit and so didn't live through the crazy week following it. Our understanding is that when Baton Rouge doubled in size several things occurred:
1. There was no gasoline to find and what little there was involved very long waits at the pumps.
Lesson: it is wise to fill your tank before a known storm, but also wise to never let it get below half a tank as disasters do not always come with warning.
2. It was difficult to find food and ice. So many people moved into the area or were trying to feed themselves in the shelters, stores were not used to or equipped with supplies or supply lines to stock shelves. Lines to check out in the grocery store were 20 deep, often taking 45min. to 1 hour to check out. A week after the disaster it was difficult to find bread, eggs, milk, lettuce, water (especially water), ice, etc.
Lesson: Make sure you have food storage on hand for at least a month and food in your 72 hour kit. Even with stores open it was hard to find food. Make sure that your freezers are full of food and ice. Find out those friends that can make ice and have them make ice for those without power. (During Hurricane Andrew a block of ice was selling for $10.)
3. Many people came out of New Orleans expecting to be gone from home for 24 hours. When the flooding started, they lost everything. Many only had the clothes on their backs. Laundry facilities were not always easy to come by, as well as showering facilities.
Lesson: Make sure your 72-hour kit has at least one change of clothes, perhaps 2 changes of underclothing. Make sure you have soap, one towel, wipes, or sanitizing lotion with you. Bedding is very helpful - shelters do not always have bedding.
4. Those that took some thought into evacuating and evacuated early were more prepared than others. However, even those didn't always come out with important paperwork. Many didn't have their social security cards, car ins. and house ins. Policy numbers, contact numbers for credit cards, and ins., medical ins. ID cards, passports, driver’s licenses, green cards. Those who were trying to recreate these documents were really struggling. Also, photos, genealogy, etc. were lost and missed - much more than houses, cars, and clothing.
Lesson: Put your important paperwork in the same place and pick it up and carry it with you. Make copies of your paperwork and send the copies to someone outside of the area - someone you trust. One suggestion has been to put these onto USBs for easier handling, especially photos and genealogy.
5. Communication was a nightmare!! Our cell phones and land lines didn't begin to function without problems for almost a month. People could call outside long distance, but couldn't call across town. Our family ended up communicating through our two daughters - one in UT and the other one in FL. The Baton Rouge family would call them and the other family members would find out the news from them. They also sent emails to our friends and family through our email accounts since they know our passwords.
Cell phones were no use at all to begin with. Land lines worked, but some people didn't have an old fashioned phone that could be worked with no electricity, they only had cordless. For weeks to make a phone call we had to redial multiple times - 5x or more. The most efficient way of communicating was through the Internet. If there was power and an Internet connection, we could communicate.
Lesson: Have an old-fashioned phone. Perhaps put together a list of members who live close to each other and can physically check on each other. Make sure you have people designated outside of your area that will take your calls and inform other family members.
6. Financially people were very unprepared. Many left without cash, thinking they could charge or write a check. ATM machines weren't working, or they ran out of cash. Banks will not cash checks drawn on other banks. Many establishments would only accept cash, no checks. Some people were really, really in a bind.
Lesson: Make sure you have cash on hand - enough to take care of your needs for at least one week.
7. Many of these people have been displaced from their homes and will not return for at least a year, perhaps two. Some companies have relocated to Baton Rouge, others to completely different parts of the country. Some people with service jobs; for example, housekeepers in the hospitals, lost their jobs with the loss of the hospitals.
Lesson: While this is not easy to prepare for, perhaps it is wise to sit down once a year and consider the options available to you if you were to lose your home and job in a disaster. Do you have family to live with on a temporary basis? Do you have updated job skills? Are there other parts of the country where my job skills are needed? Is my job resume updated and current? (This was really important when we helped some look for work - they didn't have contact information of past employers, or reference contact information.)
8. Living through this is emotionally, physically, and spiritually draining. It becomes important to have an eye on people to look for signs of becoming overstressed.
Well, that is what we learned. I am sure Richard could come up with some other things. I do believe that we are going to continue to see these disasters increase and we must be prepared!! Those who were prepared may have lost a lot, but they had a sense of peace with them.
http://www.tomstates.com/Being_Prepared.html
Saturday, June 8, 2013
A Thought for today
"It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief.
And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen."
Muhammad Ali [thanks Angelina]
And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen."
Muhammad Ali [thanks Angelina]
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
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