Join me for Pearls of Wisdom Kayak Adventure!

Will you join me in this 20+ mile kayak trip from NJ to DE? Its free. All you need to do is bring a kayak and meet in South Jersey. At the very least, join in the cause by voting for Pearls of Wisdom (link below)! I will keep you all up to date on the journey as we get closer and closer.

WHEN? May 31, 2014 at 7am. Meet at Reeds Beach.

WHY? I was inspired by Oru Kayak's #ExploreOutsidetheBox contest. I want to help the ocean by restoring the oyster life in NJ/Delaware Bay.

HOW? I'll kayak 26 miles from NJ to Delaware and drop oysters every mile along the way in hopes that my story will spark something big.

The idea came from my Dad. He works at the Rutgers Aquaculture Center in Cape May and they have an initiative to help clean the water by restoring the oyster population in the Delaware bay. Most people don’t know oysters can filter up to 50 gallons of water/day and make the water blue! On the trip, ill be dropping oyster spat at every mile to help the cause.

By winning the contest, Oru Kayak will actually document the trip so everyone can see our adventure. How exciting would it be if we have a small army of people crossing the bay for a good cause??

Here is my video concept and the contest page. Please watch/vote for Pearls of Wisdom and lets make this happen!

http://www.orukayak.com/pages/explore-outside-the-box

RSVP by emailing me at luke.c.shoemaker@gmail.com and put "RSVP pearls of wisdom" in the subject line. Or find me on facebook. If you voted, let me know in the comments!

Luke and Trisha's Northeast Road Trip Adventure Part 1

As some of you might have heard, Luke,Trisha, and their faithful pup Kaiah took a road trip to visit the Northeast. Here is the journal- Enjoy!

For those who don't like reading and just want pictures, click here to go to the Library (its more exciting to read first!) 

Saturday August 31

Luke and Trisha start the vacation by going to a familiar place, Ricketts Glen. It is a beautiful State Park in Northeast Pennsylvania filled with waterfalls and a huge lake (it has been determined that every State Park in almost every state requires a huge lake). The main trail is 7.2 miles and that brings you to over a dozen falls. To some disappointment, the falls were much smaller than the first visit. 

Luke at Ricketts Glen, Summer 2013

Trisha at Ricketts Glen, Spring 2008

The trip was a success because Luke learned that he could do some decent hiking only 7½ months post-ACL surgery. After the day was done, Luke and Trisha went back to the cabin in the Poconos and got ready for the next day. 

Sunday September 1

After packing in the morning and getting the car ready to go, Luke,Trisha, and Kaiah left for their first out of state destination: Killington, Vermont. 

Without having a perfect place to plug into the GPS, Luke stumbled upon the Inn at Long Trail. There was a grass parking lot and it was in the vicinity of Long Trail. Oh yeah, and there was another "sign" that seemed obvious. Thank you giant Peacock, you were most helpful. 

We later found out this Peacock is part of a big photo scavenger hunt in Killington. If we had more time this would be a blast!

Kaiah was not in the mood to stop at this time in the hike!

The parking sign said see the bartender for a map. After a short conversation, maps were given and plans were made. Pico Shelter was only three miles away and that would be our home for the night. It was about 5:30 pm when we left so it was dark for some of the hike (don't worry we had headlamps). All went according to plan and the shelter was found with no difficulties. It was also the first time staying in a shelter!

Pico Shelter, home sweet home

Planning for the next day at the Shelter

Sunday September 2

Through the night and still in the morning, there was a giant storm. Luckily, Luke, Trisha, Kaiah were in a shelter and not a tent. Unfortunately, the rain was not stopping and they had to leave. Kaiah was the most disappointed (she hates water). 

Pico Peak was only 0.5 miles away and it offers quite a view. Killington was still another 2-3 miles way and the weather was ugly. At the end of the day, Pico is about 3900 feet which is only about 300-400 feet shorter than Killington. Luke made the wise decision and convinced Trisha to go down a nifty ski access road/blue ski trail to avoid slippery rocks and unnecessary hiking. 

Pico Peak

Trisha and Kaiah on ski trail

Taking the ski trail down caused a minor problem. Luke was aware that the trail could be off track. After looking at the map, it was clear that the ski resort was a solid five mile trek from the car! On a positive note, another Killington photo bear was found - a lot of work went into these! 

With no better alternative in sight, Luke and Trisha started walking. Luckily, after a mile or less, Luke found a store, Basin Sports, that rented out bikes and he ventured inside. Vermonters are awesome and the store keep was sympathetic to our cause. He cut us a deal and soon Luke was riding to the car while Trisha relaxed. 

Trisha wanted to relax after the little adventure so we went to Gifford Woods State Park. It was an awesome find and the park ranger gave a map and some great advice (Vermonters again being awesome)! Gear was re-organized and books were read while we all relaxed. Plus, there was a shower. 

Next, Luke and Trisha went to Long Trail Brewing Company. Kaiah stayed in the car - no dogs allowed! OK, it was raining so outdoor seating was closed.  Some of you may recognize the beer as the beverage sponsor of the spartan.                                                                 To make a long story short (this may be better explained in person), Luke met Wild Bill who offered a place to throw a tent for the night. Luke and Trisha accepted the offer and had a few drinks at his River Bar. 

Tuesday September 3

Site 100, home for the night

The next day, Luke and Trisha said goodbye to bill and drove to the White Mountains in New Hampshire (about 5 hours from Killington). The first stop was North Conway to get a map and advice from the locals. Luke purchased Leki hiking poles to prepare for the big mountains. 

Next, it was off the Dolly Copp to find a campsite. After setting up, Luke and Trisha went to Square Ledge to scope out climbing. An European gentleman was soloing with a self-belay setup that was impressive and when he climbed to the top, he gave some good advice on hikes and climbs in the area. Square Ledge was top belay only and required trad gear to be safe (trees were sketchy). Drats.

Luke and Kaiah on top of Square Ledge, White Mountains in Background

Wednesday September 4 - Two Year Anniversary!

Luke, Trisha, and Kaiah were ready to do something epic. Although a few other hikes in the area were appealing, Mount Washington was the decided destination via Lions Head Trail. Official start time was 8:50am. 

It took about 3 hours to reach the summit after a 4.2 mile trek. So far, Luke's knee was feeling great. Going up is generally easy on knee joints. Going down is more difficult. The top is like a small village. While scenic, it is slightly disheartening that people can drive up. Although, it was exciting to see the look on peoples faces when we told them that we hiked up with Kaiah. Someone actually recommended a book called Following Atticus.  It's about a man and his dog hiking all of the White Mountains (this will be Luke's next book to read). 

Luke and Trisha descended via the Tuckermans Ravine trail. It took about 6 hours to reach the car. It was slow-going but Luke's knees felt okay after the hike (thanks to Leki poles and the extremely slow pace). 

Luckily, a hotel was waiting for Luke and Trisha at Mt Madison Inn. It was great to sleep in a comfy bed after such a long day. 

Trisha approaching the crux of Lions Head Trail

Mount Washington Summit

Mt Washington sister mountains - Mt Clay, Mt Jefferson, Mt Adams (left to right) 

Tuckermans Ravine Trail

 To be continued...

Thoughts on the 98/2 Rule

Article: http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/nov2010/ca2010118_633713.htm

This article talks about the 98/2 principle; essentially 98% of people are ethical and the other 2% are not. You can explain this even better than by saying most disciplinary principles are focused toward the 2% of your workers who cause problems.

Personally, this number seems low but it is not saying this is the amount of people who are unproductive, or bad workers. The article is strictly saying, 2% of the people in a given company are troublemakers and it’s sad to see companies be so proactive about preventing bad habits that are hurting the other 98%. In today’s society, this is becoming more and more evident. The behaviors of one person affect everyone!

Harold Sirkin proposes a new idea: instead of punishing the 98%, reward them. Focus policies on the 98% that are doing their job and staying ethical. By doing so, morale will increase and it will eventually weed out the 2% that aren’t pulling their weight.  "The 2 percent find themselves and the 98 percent help us find them."

This is true for so many different aspects of business, but I don’t know how it would actually work. You can take a look at other places where the 98/2 rule applies. Law enforcement is a great example; 98% of the population is being protecting from 2% of the criminals. Without police, the world would be a crazy place. Look at the housing crisis. The economy fell apart because 2% of homeowners started defaulting on loans!

What’s the alternative to stop regulating 2% of the troublemakers? More freedom and more empowerment, but the risks are also much greater. 

Less is More

Meaning: The notion that simplicity and clarity lead to good design.

Origin: Andrea del Sarto, 1855, a poem by Robert Browning

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/226400.html

Who strive - you don't know how the others strive
To paint a little thing like that you smeared
Carelessly passing with your robes afloat,-
Yet do much less, so much less, Someone says,
(I know his name, no matter) - so much less!
Well, less is more, Lucrezia. 

My fiancé and I are buying a house in the Lehigh valley area, and we have been spending so much time on the mortgage application. Granted, we’re trying to rush the process, but it still seems that there is so much needed when we are perfectly qualified for the mortgage. For example, I graduated May 2009 and I have been working since July of 2009. The bank would like the copy of my diploma and residency for the past two years. Personally, it’s a good thing that the bank requires this much information after the housing crisis, but it is stressful to get everything in line in such a short amount of time. 

How does this relate to OB? My whole point is that we’ve entered a new age. My professor in undergrad said a handshake is worth much more than a signed document. When he was younger, business relationships were made by talking on the phone and through consistent business with each other. Now this has changed. Every agreement made is signed and initialed many times over, so much to the point that you don’t even understand what you’re signing without a lawyer!

Here’s a great example. I’ve been living in the same apartment for over a year, and the lease was about 15 pages. I just looked it over because I needed the information for the mortgage. My current landlords are not so great. When I had an apartment in West Reading, the lease was two pages. That’s it! The landlord lived downstairs and he was great. In some situations, I think less is more.

In fact, when you think about it, when you are a manager, you can empower your employees with this type of thinking. By managing less (aka avoiding micromanagement), there is a good chance that you’re employees will appreciate the added responsibility and do more!

Hiring a Missing Position

I’m sure you have all been in this position before. Someone on your team quits and moves on only to leave you with more work to do. Better yet, you are still getting paid the same amount of money and now you’re manager is watching you closer because it is crucial that all the work gets done.

After a while, you get used to the extra work. You learn to manage because you’ve come to the conclusion that no one else is going to be hired; however, your manager finally decides that it is time to fill the position. Next thing you know, you have a new coworker and you were never in the loop! This makes me ask the question:

From a management position, is it better to hire a new hire with your team knowing, or is it better to fill the spot and never let the team know until day one? If you work on a small team, should they be involved in the interview process? After all, in a small team you have to work very closely in order to get all the work done.

I’ve never been in a management position when this situation arose but it would be interesting to hear from someone who has been. It seems more often than not, decisions are made behind the scenes in order to keep the employee’s mind focused on the matter at hand. I do not think this is the best way to communicate with your employee’s, but it’s an understandable approach. I just want to know if anyone has taken the other path and what impact has it made?

This article talks about how to prevent hiring disasters. One of the recommendations is to identify the ideal candidate and competencies needed. Maybe this is where you can use your coworkers to help identify these needs.

http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/may2010/ca20100528_317741.htm