If you are traveling through southern Illinois you may want to take a trip to Mt. Vernon and visit the sculpture garden where the artists have used such meduiums as chrome bumpers, old tires and then the standard materials such as iron and aluminum.

The bumper art was really neat, there was a horse that towers above you and shimmers in the sunlight.  The gorilla is more in the shade of the park and has great detail in it's creation.  There is a fortress looking art work made of old cut up tires that is also rather neat. 

The garden is set in a park like setting surrounded by trees.  The walk through the garden is a peaceful way to enjoy the art and the weather.  Hopefully, if you get a chance you will go and visit the park, it's free.

When you own a business and are looking to retain superior staff to assist in the operations, you need to have them not only committed to the company, but committed to each other.  They need to desire to do the best possible job to make their own work and that of their fellow workers easier.  The key to this is not just the hiring process, but the management process.

Management must offer the staff the necessary trianing to enable them to do the best job possible with the least amount of friction.  Training comes in many areas, not just in the bi-weekly (or monthly) group training sessions but also in the one on one training that should go on every day.  It doesn't mean that the manager stands over the shoulder of the employee and points out every little thing, but it does mean that when a question is asked that the manager takes the time to not only answer the question but also explain why something is done the way it is.  Understanding the purpose, not just the function will assist the employee in understanding and retaining the information.  This will prevent the same question being asked over and over again.  A benefit to everyone..what's better than that?

Have you ever had to do something "because I said so?"  How long did you retain that information and how much respect did you have for the person that said it?  Now, it may be a parent that has heard the same thing 50,000 times and finally gives up and says "because I said so!"  That's different than an employer telling an employee the same thing.  "Because I said so" is just not acceptable when you are a manager or owner.  If something is so private that the manager/owner doesn't want to share the reasons for doing something then the manager/owner should do it themselves and leave staff out of it all together.

The training of staff has the group focus too, it's developing the staff as a team, working together on communication, committment and completion.  These areas can be developed through training.  If you want ideas for how to best accomplish these goals then go to the teamwork lessons in the Joy of Customer Service and buy the e-book.  It is priced very inexpensively to provide the opportunity for everyone to gain some insight into how easy it is to train correctly and have the type of staff everyone will envy.  Not one time will you be told "Because I Said So" but you will learn a great deal and enjoy the experience.

Good luck in your business, set of goal of having the best staff and management team anywhere and enjoy the experience!

How sad it is when you have to have a pet put down because they are so sick!  It has happened to me and it has happened to my kids and friends.  Nothing prepares you for the saddness that overwhelms you when you first realize that the vet can't make the illness go away.

You take the pet to the vet, knowing that it probably will be the last trip they make.  You cry, you feel empty and you wish there were more you could do, but there just isn't.

Telling the vet that it's ok, that they should put the pet out of it's misery is one of the hardest things that anyone ever has do do, at least anyone that loves their pet the way our family loves ours.

It seems that cats have a huge problem with their kidney's shutting down when they get older and the misery they suffer is just awful.  It's not something that can be fixed, it's just part of the cycle of life for a cat.  How sad to watch them suffer, how hard to say goodbye.

Just wanted to share this so that others that have gone through the same thing can remember the pet they loved, even if it's just with a little smile and a happy memory of when they were healthier!

 

What a delight to see such quality performances from the young actors in the Show Low, AZ drama production of "The Man with the Pointed Shoes."   The actors and actresses that took on the challenge of doing a 2+ hour play and keeping the audience attentive enough to not think about how long they had been sitting there was outstanding.

The leads in the play (of which Shay, my granddaughter was one) kept the pace of the play moving at a rate that meant you had to pay attention or miss something funny.  The versatility of the characters demanded that each member of the play portrayed a variety of different personalities.  All of the cast members did an excellent job. 

If you ever get the opportunity to see this play, go.  You will enjoy seeing how the cast interprets the characters.