2MERRILL

YOU GOT A DEAL! BUT DID YOU?

Discount coupons, a big sale here and another there, you rush to buy, and then boast to yourself and others that you had a great deal – meaning, that you purchased items at a discount and saved money. Also, once in the store for the deal(s), store personnel may have tempted you with more deals (open a credit card account and get a further 10% discount; purchase over $100 of goods and get a 5% discount, etc).

SWITCHING ALTITUDES

In leadership, spending too much time at a high altitude can spell disaster for the organization.

APPOINTMENTS WANTED

Wanted:

Integrity, Honesty, Objectivity and Impartiality.

None of these qualities can be earned from any university or professional degree. Some are just born to be honest and some fail to be honest.

WHO GETS THE CREDIT AND WHO GETS THE BLAME

When something goes wrong, the human tendency is to find external forces to blame (or someone else).  When there is success, there is a tendency to ignore the fact that external forces had helped in that success.

LORDS OF LOGISTICS

Lords of Logistics is a great example how innovative folks in the poor developing world can be. They run PC's using sewing machine technology and transport goods on two wheels without any expensive trucks used in the Western world.

EFFORT AND CONTRIBUTION

Each of us has a biological inheritance that includes our external and internal makeup (black, white, tall, short, European, Asian, African, Middle Eastern, blood type, etc) that we cannot change.  It is easy to feel trapped by that inheritance, limited by the biological traits that seem so important and beyond our abilities to change them. 

YOUR NEXT PC - WHEN?

If you are using the Microsoft Windows operating system, it is best to wait until next year to purchase a PC.  Microsoft has delayed the windows Vista operating system until January 2007.  Purchasing a PC next year will ensure that you have the new Vista operating systems on board. This is bad news for PC makers, who normally get a big boost from the Christmas holiday season.

ALERTMicrosoft finishes Vista, will meet latest release targets. Vista sent to be pressed on to discs and installed in peronal computers.