Max Ehrmann, "Desiderata" > This will give you food for thought, and if it doesn't you are lost.

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

10 ways to deliver customer success. Immediately.

Stop making dumb things happen faster for less money! A lot of companies pay lip service to customer-centricity, write contributors Steve Towers and James Dodkins, but not many “walk the talk”. Here are 10 differences between inside-out and outside-in companies. There is a lot of talk today, more than ever, about customer centricity, client focus, customer experience strategy and Outside-In. Many organizations have adopted aspects of these disciplines and where many have achieved monumental success others have fallen by the wayside. Why is this? The problem is perception.

Is your company just paying lip service to customers?

Review the full article over at PEX Network

The tip of the iceberg

Most process improvement techniques focus on only a small portion of the
improvement potential in every processŠ the tip of the iceberg if you will.
How big is the opportunity resting out of our sight, hidden below the
waterline of current practices?

Recent research by the BP Group suggests that 70 to 90 percent of the work
people do comes directly from process Points of Failure and Causes of Work
and this work is NOT part of the 'job' for which these people were hired!
Instead, this is non-value add work that takes away from people¹s ability to
do their job.

Does this sound familiar? Can you identify places where these Points of
Failure and Causes of Work are distracting you from what you really want to
be doing?

Are you required to fill out this form, check up on that order, or follow-up
on those activities? Do you get tasked with finding the answer, knowing the
rules, fighting that fire or explaining why you did this or that?

Fixing affects (the tip of the iceberg) only gets us so far. To create real
change in how efficiently we use our time requires us to focus on
eliminating the Causes of Work (the rest of the iceberg).

This is the first step we must take in aligning our businesses for success
in the 21st Century.
Kindest Regards

James Dodkins
Chief Customer Officer
BP Group