Irreverence & Excellence!

Reduced to 'Quite Moment"

'Hostile Takeover' was published without my knowledge. Many things I am now finding out were done by the Friday's family without my knowledge. The result you see above,  I am cowering in the forward cabin of my boat with my handicap certified dog 'Boomer'. The bottom line is, we had the best people, the best results and the best time of anyone in any business!! We will talk about why we produced exceptional results and how you can duplicate these exceptional results in your life.  So get ready to read  'The Book'!

Wow, and we are almost finished.

Antique Canoe Dealer

For Sale but not by me

I need business cards because I was tired of writing on scraps of paper. Our training company when fully developed will operate under the name of TriCept, LLC. So we have an name and logo for the card but I needed a title. With a little tongue in cheek someone suggested 'Antique Canoe Dealer' since that's the only reference that can be found on T.G.I. Friday's web pages of my existence.  Personally, I think it's pretty funny and speaks volumes. I wouldn't bring it up here but I have been handing out a lot of business cards  and didn't want to start getting orders for antique canoes!

Based on Core Theories and Philosphies 

Hostile Takeover!!!

Warning! This Triceptive Blog has been taken over by an unknown source. We know who Mr. Scoggin is and have heard many of his stories. In fact our group has been scarred for life by all the fun Mr. Scoggin let us have over the years. None of us has been quite right since.

This is your first clue to who we are. By the way, if you can name all the people on this raft, you will get a ride on The Magic Bus. That is if we don't hold the bus hostage, too. Who are we???

Nothing like hands on experience.

I am really glad I didn't learn about stunt flying as a youth. I am sure I would have become a barnstormer.  My instructor was a former member of the Canadian Royal Air Force's aerobatic team called the Snowbirds. Wow!  A hands-on pilot with skills developed at every level of flight difficulty from trainers to supersonic jets. What a great instructor who learned his skills from the bottom up.

Hands on construction to potato skins!

The reason I am writing this, soon-to-be finished book, is that I have learned business in a similar way. It was all  hands-on management with strict requirements for results and excellence as the standard. I wasn't privileged with a business school education.  I worked my way up from catching lumber on the line in a sawmill to the board room (pun intended). My experience is real, not theoretical. Like my instructor I flew supersonic, when Friday's led the restaurant industry and at Boise Cascade in my early 30's.  I was jet qualified.

People and their development have always been at the heart of any success I have experienced. I am blessed with a problem solving and teaching skill that I explain in the book. During the frontier years of the casual theme restaurant industry my theories, philosophies and business systems were widely adopted throughout the industry.  My metaphors are legendary. Bounties were paid for our managers (complete with manuals and forms) so that our competitors could acquire these useful tools.

I have now taken a long look at the accumulated knowledge over the years and with clear hindsight have put together a helpful set of tools and insights about more than business but about life as well. I have also been actively counseling and interviewing a broad cross section of college students, small business owners and CEO's. I have studied today's issues with education and the modern work force. It amazes me how, in the midst of so much change, so much remains the same.  Read my book.  My experience can help you just as the flight instructor above taught me some pretty amazing stunts.

How do you COMPROMISE excellence?

I have searched high and low for an answer to this question.  It's an OXYMORON! I ask everyone everywhere I go, "What is your standard?"  The answer from everyone everywhere is always the same - EXCELLENCE!  However, during our conversation, I find time after time compromise rears its head.  "Times are different, costs are high, this is almost as good, this saves a lot of time." On and on comes the parade of compromise.  "We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." Aristotle

Are you in the habit of cutting corners, or achieving EXCELLENCE every day?

Time to finish the book

My previous blog was the speech I prepared for the Friday's UK reward conference in Orlando.  I am usually pretty cool in front of an audience but I was so inspired by the energy in the room with a feeling that I have not experienced since my days with Friday's, that I struggled with emotion.  The sign outside the door read, "If it's real you'll feel it." It was and I did, I was with family, and it felt 'real' good.  I am inspired and heading to my 'happy place' which is my boat and plan to sprint to the finish with my writing.  Our working title "Triceptive" is starting to get competition as we approach the finish.  In the end I am sure the final word for the title will come from our agent and publisher.  TriCeptive will remain the important central theory in the book.

P.S. A special thanks to all the Knights of the Round Table, Jimmy Skeadas and George Barton for all the time and incredible input you generously gave during my time in Orlando

A tale of two Friday's

     Once upon a time in a land far, far away an errant Lord named Alan discovered a magical forest.  This forest was filled with bluebirds, flowers, rainbows, fun and laughter.  There was happiness aplenty and people far and wide came to visit.  In time, Lord Alan's magical forest grew by leaps and bounds.  Fair maidens and brave knights gathered in large numbers from all over the kingdom to visit the forest.  Soon a young enterprising Prince named Dan was drawn into the forest.  He was delighted and said to Lord Alan, "This is much more than a magical forest; it is an enchanted forest."  Upon closer examination, Lord Alan agreed and joined Prince Dan on his quest to captivate the entire world with the forest.  The people were pleased.  After many years of happily living in the forest, Prince Dan was called to navigate the oceans of the world.  He left the care of the enchanted forest to another.

     Years later, upon Prince Dan's return from the sea, he was saddened to find the forest quiet.  All the laughter was gone.  The fair maidens and brave knights were nowhere to be found.  Determined to repair these injustices and return laughter to this enchanted land, Prince Dan began writing a manuscript which set forth all the keys to the kingdom.  He diligently explained his philosophies and theories of how to make this land the best in the world.  But still, he was saddened because there was no happy ending to his story.  Then a miracle occurred.  Fair Princess Karen appeared from out of nowhere as if a gift from above and said, "Oh no, the enchanted forest is not gone.  It may still be found in the United Kingdom."  Much to Prince Dan's delight he found this to be true.  Princess Karen had discovered the forest and understood it's magic.  Because she was wise and fair, she surrounded herself with noble and just knights at her red and white round table.  Together, they worked diligently to make the forest enchanted once again.  When they were done, they were delighted to find they had discovered the Holy Grail.  With all of their efforts, the fair maidens and brave knights came back in droves to enjoy the bluebirds, flowers and rainbows once again.  Even better, they all ordered potato skins.

                                  The End

Princess Karen
"If you believe strongly enough you can make anything come true."