bizsolutionsplus Featuring Solutions to Grow Your Business

Americans Relying on Drugs to Relieve Stress

Are you on drugs to relieve stress or to battle high blood pressure or cholesterol. If you answer "yes," you are in the majority. According to an AP article, a study shows that "more than half of all insured Americans are taking prescription medicines regularly for chronic health problems." The study was conducted last year by Medco Health Solutions Inc.

The study reveals the results of prescription records from 2001 to 2007. They reveal that medications for chronic health problems are consumed by:

• Almost two-thirds of women 20 and older.
• One in four children and teenagers.
• 52 percent of adult men.
• Three out of four people 65 or older.
• And 28 percent of women and nearly 22 percent of men who are seniors take five or more medicines regularly.

Dr. Robert Epstein, chief medical officer at Franklin Lakes, N.J.-based Medco, said the biggest jump in use of chronic medications was in the 20- to 44-year-old age group. Antidepressant use rose among teens and working-age women. The jump is attributed to stress in daily life and to family doctors being more comfortable prescribing newer antidepressants.

We can't control what doctors prescribe but we can begin to heal ourselves of stress caused by our work lives. Here are but a few of the ways known to alleviate stress:

Work Related Stress (excerpted from Healthwise)

Control. Studies show that workers who have lots of responsibility but little control are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease and other stress-related illnesses.

Increased responsibilities. If you have too much work to do and can't say no to new tasks or projects, your levels of stress are likely to rise.

Competence. Workers who are insecure regarding their performance or their job security risk high stress levels.

Clarity. If you don't know clearly what your job entails, you are at risk for stress.

Communication. Business leaders who create an environment where inability to express concerns, frustrations or other emotions risk increased stress among all employees.

Support. When we feel a lack of support from co-workers, stress increases.

Significance. A job wherein we can't find meaning or pride can be stressful.

Lowering Work Related Stress

• Communicate, communicate, communicate. Talk to your supervisor and your co-workers. Understand clearly the expectations and how those who are achieving success do so.
• Manage your time. Don't work long hours to impress your boss. Don't trade free time for more work. Work smarter, not longer. Take time and classes to learn how to be more efficient and productive.
• Unplug. Turn off the gadgets--cell phones, computers, personal assistants--when not at work.
• Know when to quit. If you don't like your job quit and find another or become an entrepreneur. Your health is more important than loyalty to a job that makes you crazy.

The above comes from Healthwise. Now, I want to share my prescription for creating positive workplace cultures and happy consumers, which comes from my most recent book for business leaders and influencers. Put people first in everything a business says and does. By doing so, I argue, profits and revenues will increase when compared against businesses that place money first. Here's why:

A business that puts people first:

• Provides services to their employees, such as in-house consultants to discuss various worker issues, gyms, flex time, and supervisor open-door policies.
• Communications is ongoing and honest. Goals, objectives and both good and bad news are shared.
• Leaders lead, not manage. The difference: Leaders show us where we need to go, set the expectations and measure success by how well we meet or exceed those expectations; managers tell us how to do our jobs and measure success by how well we follow instructions.
• Innovation and creativity are rewarded. Calculated risk-taking is encouraged.
• Employees are encouraged to and rewarded for exceeding consumer's wants and needs.
• Workers are challenged to be the best they can be.
• Personal responsibility for success is measured and workers are held accountable for how they contribute to the business's success.

This post is but a sketch of the current levels of stress and how individuals and workplaces can deal with increasing levels of stress. No blog post can tell a business how to achieve a culture of success, but we can paint pictures of what it might look like.

American Autos Take It in the Shorts Again

The American automobile industry is taking it in the shorts again. According to the New York Times, Nissan plans to sell an electric car in the United States and Japan by 2010, "raising the stakes in the race to develop environmentally friendly vehicles." If successful, Nissan will be the first to bring a zero-emission vehicle to the American market.

Once again, Detroit's leadership is behind the 8 Ball. What's going on? Nearly everyone in the world of engineering and business recognized in the '70s that the electric car would at some point in time be a reality and a necessity. Knowing that, why and how does Japan beat Detroit in nearly every phase of automobile innovation that is based not on meeting current consumer wants but on future consumer needs, which when those innovations turn into cars represent both consumer wants and needs?

Both had to wait for the technology to catch up with the idea. So why will Nissan be first to market electric cars worldwide? And does it matter in the long run. If history teaches us anything in manufacturing of cars, being first with the next big innovation can be critical for success, especially in this case, with oil at $120 a barrel.

In an interview with the Times, Nissan’s chief executive, Carlos Ghosn, says: "Nissan decided to accelerate development of battery-powered vehicles because of high gasoline prices and environmental concerns, not just because of the need to meet stricter fuel-economy standards.

“What we are seeing is that the shifts coming from the markets are more powerful than what regulators are doing,” he said.

You think? Oh, and by the way, America is supposed to excel in understanding, projecting and meeting the market's demands. Apparently not so in Detroit. Or in much of American manufacturing.

Yes, it's true that General Motors is working on a battery-powered car with a small gasoline engine for recharging and plans to start producing the Chevrolet Volt in 2010. But that is a far cry from Nissan's plans to sell all-electric vehicles worldwide.

Here are my frustrations:

1. I am a proud American and a world citizen who believes in trade and competition. But how can Americans compete in manufacturing if we constantly fail the tests of innovation and creativity?
2. Why are big U.S. manufacturers seemingly so slow to change their operations so that they can remain competitive in the world marketplace?
3. Is there something about our business cultures that stifles creativity and innovation?
4. Is it simply a matter of economics?

Is this the final nail in Detroit's coffin? Should GM and Ford continue to exist? Do Americans or the world need them? If they went away tomorrow, would they be missed?

We Owe A Debt and Payment is Due

My cousin Carl often shares stories with his family and friends. In many ways, he is the wise elder on our Sicilian side. (My recently passed Uncle Clem filled that role on the Green side.) Carl finds these gems in a variety of places, and, I suspect, at least some of them make the rounds on the Internet. This is the first time for me to post Carl's sharings. I am compelled to share the abridged version here.

When in England at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush. Powell answered by saying, "Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return."

Carl's piece ended with this:

"A veteran, whether active duty, discharged, retired, or reserve, is someone who at one point in his life wrote a blank check made payable to The United States of America for an amount of up to, and including his life. That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country today who no longer understand that fact."

I was opposed to entering Iraq. But as one who served during another unpopular war, those who serve deserve our support, no matter our political leanings or our stance on the war. And the first step toward supporting a veteran is to understand the debt we owe each and every one.

Although not the author of the Powell story or the definition of a veteran, the above represents a fine example of why I think of my cousin Carl as a wise elder.

Life Choices Matter

Following a 7-plus year stint in the Air Force, I made a life choice that has affected every minute of every day since. I promised myself to exchange security and retirement for living every day as an adventure. Thirty-five years later, when most of my friends and peers are either retired or soon will be retired, I continue to run a business, labor finding new clients, diligently commit my business to exceeding client's expectations, and reap the consequences of that decision made the day after I left the military.

The results: A lifetime of adventure, a lifetime without financial security, decisions made based on taking chances and wrestling with new opportunities, and a future that does not include retirement. In brief, that decision mapped my life. That journey looked like one charted by a nomad.

• A journalism degree from the University of Florida, where I met my wife of 34 years this August.
• A brief stint as a reporter then a sports writer with the Gainesville Sun.
• Two weeks as a life insurance salesman. (Yuck! Hated it.)
• Substitute Teacher.
• Moved to Wisconsin, completed post-graduate work in Education.
• Moved to Illinois, taught 4th Grade.
• Took work as an assistant editor at Scott Foresman, a text book publisher.
• Moved to Seattle.
• Founded New Horizons Publishers, wrote four travel books, wrote dozens of freelance articles for magazines and newspapers throughout North America.
• Took Executive Editor position overseeing several travel magazines.
• Traveled Europe and spent lots of time in Hawaii for one of the magazines.
• Became Supervisor of Communications at Puget Power.
• Recruited by Starbucks and became Manager Internal Communications.
• Entered Master's program in Theology.
• Founded Lewis Green Communications.
• Recruited as VP Marketing with a Connecticut software business.
• Founded L&G Business Solutions.

And, here I am today, fifth book recently published, running a small marketing/communications firm, still married, still working every day to earn a living, and loving my life, despite the future of no retirement and the struggle all owners and executives face to grow a business.

Did I make the right decision 36 years ago? Who knows? I took the road less traveled, and never looked back or spent much time looking ahead. Instead, I chose to keep my eyes open for new opportunities. And that, my friends, is the story of one entrepreneur who put happiness before profits and people before revenues, and lived a great life.

There are billions of stories measuring and recounting the lives of decisions made early on in our lives. My life's experiences suggest one recommendation: Whatever decisions you make in life, but especially in youth, be prepared to live them to the end of days.

What are You Reading?

This past Saturday, Mack meme tagged me. My mission, should I accept it, is to share what I'm reading now and what I'll be reading next. I also must share the 6th through 8th sentences on page 123.

Currently Reading: Word of Mouth Marketing by Andy Sernovitz.

Excerpt: "Put something amusing at the end of every message, just to get it forwarded. The last story of my newsletter is always funny, often weird, and rarely related to the rest of the message. People love to pass along odd stuff..."

Reading Next: The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey.

To keep the reading alive, I'll tag Karen, Connie, Steve and David.

Ten Writing Tips to Create Blog Posts That Get Read

I felt a little weird creating that title, but if we want readers to visit our blogs, we need compelling headlines. And while the one above seems boastful, I know from experience that writers seek writing tips. And they are not looking for bad ideas but good ones. Hence the headline, and my effort below to share what works in writing a good post.

Okay, here is one writer's ideas. I haven't changed what I believe to be good writing in the past 30+ years, starting as a journalist, then editor, then publisher, then freelance writer and today a marketer/communicator. Hope these tips help.

1. Know your audience and write for them. What do they want to read, learn and use in their own lives/businesses?
2. Start with a compelling headline/title. This is our most difficult task. How do we attract readers in three to seven or eight words?
3. Tell a story instead of stringing together a series of related but impersonal paragraphs.
4. Write from a point of view. I usually write from my point of view and talk about ideas from my personal experiences.
5. Vary the length of your sentences to create a readable and friendly pace for your readers. Short sentences are best for creating energy and excitement, longer sentences to express thoughtfulness and provoke readers to think.
6. Create a lead (first paragraph) that moves readers to continue reading. Make sure your angle is in the lead, and it is clear, concise and tells readers why they should care.
7. Use transitional devices to move from one paragraph to the next.
8. Use bullet points and/or numerals if you are trying to share best practices, such as I am doing here.
9. Tie your story together with the last paragraph, which should smoothly link back to your lead.
10. Be authentic. Write the way you and your readers talk. Keep it simple. You are writing a blog post not a thought paper.

Here's the secret to using the above 10 tips or any tips for doing anything: Use what works for you and discard the rest. If you do that, you will understand why headlines need not create a perception of boastfulness, even when they seem to do so like the one used here, and you will learn how to create loyal readers while continuing to attract new ones.

Is Social Media Evangelism Possible?

I just got off a telephone conversation with Aaron Strout. We were discussing an upcoming IMCNE Panel called Social Networking & Web 2.0: What you need to know to use this medium to separate your company from the pack. I'm the moderator and Aaron is one of the outstanding panelists, alongside Laura Fitton, Scott Monty and Boston Business Journal technology writer Jackie Noblett.

Anyway, Aaron was sharing his opening statement focus, and we got around to discussing the word evangelizing and how it is sometimes perceived by those outside the social media community. (See my original post.) We agreed that all too often our passion around social media and social networking is sometimes seen as a "sell job," and that's an unfortunate result. But it need not be.

The word has its origins in religion and is often seen by us Catholics as meaning to spread the Good Word (the Gospel). It isn't about conversion or proselytism. As a former lay minister and associate member of a religious order, I was able to be passionate about the Word without selling religion. How? By telling my personal stories, featuring both the good and the bad.

So, I wonder out loud: Why wouldn't that technique work in Social Media? Instead of boasting about our social media successes and joy over Twitter or another tool, why not share in story-telling fashion our experiences?

For me, that includes the utter failure and disappointment around my first blog; the reluctance to have a presence on Facebook and then realizing that I can ignore "friend" requests from those not fitting my "get smarter" and "get more business" strategies; and my dreading Twitter until I recognized that I could use the same strategies above and also turn Twitter off for most of the day.

In other words, my social media story is focused on sharing with peers, on building my business and on being part of a community built around relationships. I am passionate about that story. iIt is a strategic story melded with networking and friendship. There are lots of ups and downs. If I stay true to my story, authentic and honest, I can evangelize about social media without the proselytizing.

Make sense?

Proud to be An American

If I were King, every high school student in the U.S. would watch the PBS series "Carrier."  The film shows the best of the best in American youth, as we climb aboard for a 50,000-mile adventure aboard the USS Nimitz during its deployment to the Gulf in support of the Iraq War. The 5000 sailors and Marines disembarked from Coronado, Calif., on May 7, 2005 and returned there November 8, 2005 with stops at Pearl Harbor, Hong Kong, Guam, Kuala Lumpur, Bahrain and Perth, Australia.

We get an inside look at the life of an American volunteer service man and woman. The film is both heart-wrenching and heart-warming. Every American should salute these brave and giving people, no matter your stance on the war. We should sacrifice so much, but all we have been asked to do is to go shopping, while our military men and women give and give and then give some more.

Watch the film. I cried at the end, and you will, too, if there is an ounce of pride inside you.