Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
12 rules you can live by
BUSINESS MATTERS (BEYOND THE BOTTOM LINE)
By Francis J. Kong (The Philippine Star)
Updated January 16, 2011 12:00 AM
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=648430&publicationSubCategoryId=66
By Francis J. Kong (The Philippine Star)
Updated January 16, 2011 12:00 AM
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=648430&publicationSubCategoryId=66
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Serendipity
by Janice Dorn, M.D., Ph.D.
http://www.traderplanet.com/newsletter_articles/view/3943/distribution:8
http://www.traderplanet.com/newsletter_articles/view/3943/distribution:8
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Ex-hippie shares guide to corporate world
By Tina Arceo-Dumlao
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 16:27:00 01/01/2011
MANILA, Philippines – Pursue your consuming passion and have loads of fun while you’re at it.
This was the primary piece of advice that Skip Yowell, the indefatigable founder of the California-based JanSport line of bags and outdoor equipment and now vice president for Global Public Relations, shared recently with bright eyed Filipino college students dreaming of one day having their own businesses.
Some staid, handsomely-paid professors of top business schools around the world may not think that passion and fun are enough of a foundation on which to build a business, but it’s hard to argue with success and Yowell certainly has it in spades.
The 43-year-old JanSport was founded in Seattle, Washington by Yowell, Murray Pletz and his former girlfriend Jan Lewis, for whom the company was named, because of their common love for the outdoors.
They were passionate mountain climbers, and because they could not find the right equipment to suit their needs, they made their own. And JanSport came to be.
Today, JanSport is the world’s largest backpack manufacturer, a far cry from the initial order of just 10 backpacks that they got at the university book shop in 1970.
And the 64-year-old Yowell told the students during the SKIPin CLASS campus tour organized with the help of the Philippines’ JanSport partner Primer Group that he is convinced that JanSport would not have become the global brand that it is today, churning about eight million backpacks every year, without the founders’ dedication to their shared passion and sense of fun.
“Do what you love and love what you do,” Yowell told the students, “have fun with what you’re doing and I guarantee that you won’t feel that you have a job. Money will just come later.”
Yowell shared more life lessons to the students, and most can be found in his book, The Hippie Guide to Climbing the Corporate Ladder. Here are just some of them in Yowell’s words.
Early Daze
JanSport was built on four guiding principles that have served the company well for four decades, and will continue to do so until everyone on the planet catches the good vibrations and owns a JanSport pack.
We’ll succeed because we will work the hardest
We value and appreciate each person
We believe there’s more to life than a day’s work
We’ll make fun a part of everything we do
“Just remember, for the pioneer, life is an adventure and the path is unknown. But for those with a passion for their dreams, no mountain is too high.”
Pack mentality
“One of the keys to our ongoing success is that we are unafraid of identifying, pursuing, and testing new ideas. Not all ideas will work, of course. Some ideas are innovative, but lack mass appeal and are not profitable. Other ideas appear great on the surface, but flop after testing. And let’s not forget that there are also the downright harebrained ideas.”
“The words LISTEN and SILENT are both spelled using the same exact six letters. In order to really listen, a wise person remains silent while another is speaking. I’m glad I did. After all, JanSport daypack is the product that we are still most known for around the world—with millions of daypacks sold each year. And it’s all because of an off-hand idea that didn’t fall on deaf ears.”
Original dome tent
To this day, I carry with me a deep sense of satisfaction knowing that our groovy design forever changed the way the world camps. However, we did make one slight mistake.
Okay, it was more like a giant, man-eating blunder. Are you sitting down? We never got the dome patented.
“What’s the lesson I learned from that experience? It is this: We believed in it, we wanted to do it—we should have just done it. In other words, waiting around for others to do what you know ought to be done is never a winning strategy. Likewise, be thankful when things don’t always work out as you originally planned. Oftentimes life’s disappointments and detours ultimately open doors to new ideas, innovations, and opportunities that would remain otherwise undiscovered. Try looking for a breakthrough the next time you bump into a major roadblock. And take it from me … make sure you secure the patent!”
One Yak Backed
“Sometimes, the only way to reach a goal is to take yourself out of the picture. I realize that may sound counterintuitive. After all, it’s been my observation that most businessmen and women who seek to move up the corporate ladder tend to think that they’ve always got to be front and center. You know, never share the credit or the glory. However, when I fight that natural it’s-all-about-me tendency by allowing others to step into the spotlight, I ultimately advance and reach my personal goals in ways I hadn’t anticipated.
Here’s a second business principle: Show appreciation to those who help you succeed at your goals. Again, that may seem obvious. Unfortunately, in the dog-eat-dog push to reach the top of the corporate pack, extending a kind word of thanks to those who helped you along the way is a rare gift. Most of the time, saying thanks costs us next to nothing. Whether it’s an e-mail, a note card sent through snail mail, or a phone call, an attitude of sincere gratitude creates an environment of goodwill.”
Hippies on Everest
“I’m sometimes asked what lessons I learned by participating in that extraordinary climb. While there are many insights to be pondered, at the top of my list is this: Anyone can reach their dream or overcome a particular mountain in their life if they are willing to leave their comfort zone, work together with others, do their part with excellence, know their limits, stay “on mission,” and share in the rewards when appropriate. I had always known these values. This climb, however, seared them into my spirit and provided a strong foundation for all of my subsequent business ventures.
If a prairie-grown, sandal-wearing hippie can find the inner resources to face a mountain the size of Everest, then anything is possible.”
You’ve got a friend
“To successfully ascend the ladder, you and I are told we must:
Find ways to toot your own horn
Learn how to butter up coworkers
Schmooze or lose
Use or be used
Fight to stay in the top
Master office politics
Strive to be recognized as better than those around you
While I won’t go out of my way to criticize folks who operate within such a self-limiting mind-set, climbing the corporate ladder under those guidelines sure sounds like a downer.
I’ve taken a different path. In my view, to become successful in business is not a product of “looking out for No. 1.” On the contrary, I believe it’s important that while you pursue your own dreams, it is equally important to support the dreams of others.”
Three simple ideas or values (which actually have roots in the hippie culture) of Skip’s approach to climbing the corporate ladder:
Nurturing others, good comes around
Speaking well of others, maybe part of hippie worldview of “live and let live,” maybe it’s bad Karma to bad-mouth others
Assisting others, by helping them reach their goals and dreams
Bare-Chested in Bhutan
“JanSport, like any business, is driven by creative ideas. Ideas lead to innovation. … Imitation rather than innovation. Rather than allow ideas the free reign to take us into the deep, uncharted waters, we restrict them to the shallow end of the pool. That’s where everybody is huddled together or perhaps playing Marco Polo. In business, this is the tendency to identify what’s “hot” or “in” and then just imitate that idea instead of pushing the limits and testing the waters. No wonder so many products lack originality, style and class.
As I see it, here’s the bottom line. You and I have two choices when it comes to doing business: Innovation or imitation. Yes, to imitate what the competition is doing carries fewer risks. But I believe the innovator is the one who will reap the rewards if he takes the more difficult path. …
What’s the bottom line? You and I always have a choice. Our businesses can follow the safe, predictable routes others have taken, or they can distinguish themselves by standing bare-chested—the unusual next to the typical. To stand out in a crowd, we must commit ourselves to the quest of true innovation. That’s what will make others sit up and take notice. That’s the path we at JanSport have chosen.”
Easy Rider, Captain America
“The bottom line is that it pays to pay attention to the trends of the culture not simply to be “trendy,” but to meet the ever changing needs. Those who are unwilling to go with the flow are sure to miss the boat. Which is why as the times keep a-changin’, JanSport is right there adding fun and fashion to the function of our gear… whether or not you’re still wearing bell bottoms.”
Get out while you can
“This might be the most important lesson of all: Quit climbing once you’ve found your ‘sweet spot.’ Anything beyond that point is like lugging excess baggage. Many aspiring business-types strive to become the Top Dog, the Head Honcho, or the Big Cheese. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that. But if in your pursuit of the corner office, you discover that your true passion lies midway up the corporate ladder, stop climbing and enjoy what you’ve found. ”
“If I’ve done anything of lasting value, I hope it will have been this: That you will heed the call to explore this amazing planet and, in turn, find the hidden treasures that await your discovery; that you will love and have fun with your work—if not, that you’ll stop, change course, and pursue the passions of your soul; and that JanSport’s example of a commitment to excellence, value, and innovation will continue to inspire you to reach your goals, regardless of the mountain you choose to climb.”
http://business.inquirer.net/money/topstories/view/20110101-312043/Ex-hippie-shares-guide-to-corporate-world
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 16:27:00 01/01/2011
MANILA, Philippines – Pursue your consuming passion and have loads of fun while you’re at it.
This was the primary piece of advice that Skip Yowell, the indefatigable founder of the California-based JanSport line of bags and outdoor equipment and now vice president for Global Public Relations, shared recently with bright eyed Filipino college students dreaming of one day having their own businesses.
Some staid, handsomely-paid professors of top business schools around the world may not think that passion and fun are enough of a foundation on which to build a business, but it’s hard to argue with success and Yowell certainly has it in spades.
The 43-year-old JanSport was founded in Seattle, Washington by Yowell, Murray Pletz and his former girlfriend Jan Lewis, for whom the company was named, because of their common love for the outdoors.
They were passionate mountain climbers, and because they could not find the right equipment to suit their needs, they made their own. And JanSport came to be.
Today, JanSport is the world’s largest backpack manufacturer, a far cry from the initial order of just 10 backpacks that they got at the university book shop in 1970.
And the 64-year-old Yowell told the students during the SKIPin CLASS campus tour organized with the help of the Philippines’ JanSport partner Primer Group that he is convinced that JanSport would not have become the global brand that it is today, churning about eight million backpacks every year, without the founders’ dedication to their shared passion and sense of fun.
“Do what you love and love what you do,” Yowell told the students, “have fun with what you’re doing and I guarantee that you won’t feel that you have a job. Money will just come later.”
Yowell shared more life lessons to the students, and most can be found in his book, The Hippie Guide to Climbing the Corporate Ladder. Here are just some of them in Yowell’s words.
Early Daze
JanSport was built on four guiding principles that have served the company well for four decades, and will continue to do so until everyone on the planet catches the good vibrations and owns a JanSport pack.
We’ll succeed because we will work the hardest
We value and appreciate each person
We believe there’s more to life than a day’s work
We’ll make fun a part of everything we do
“Just remember, for the pioneer, life is an adventure and the path is unknown. But for those with a passion for their dreams, no mountain is too high.”
Pack mentality
“One of the keys to our ongoing success is that we are unafraid of identifying, pursuing, and testing new ideas. Not all ideas will work, of course. Some ideas are innovative, but lack mass appeal and are not profitable. Other ideas appear great on the surface, but flop after testing. And let’s not forget that there are also the downright harebrained ideas.”
“The words LISTEN and SILENT are both spelled using the same exact six letters. In order to really listen, a wise person remains silent while another is speaking. I’m glad I did. After all, JanSport daypack is the product that we are still most known for around the world—with millions of daypacks sold each year. And it’s all because of an off-hand idea that didn’t fall on deaf ears.”
Original dome tent
To this day, I carry with me a deep sense of satisfaction knowing that our groovy design forever changed the way the world camps. However, we did make one slight mistake.
Okay, it was more like a giant, man-eating blunder. Are you sitting down? We never got the dome patented.
“What’s the lesson I learned from that experience? It is this: We believed in it, we wanted to do it—we should have just done it. In other words, waiting around for others to do what you know ought to be done is never a winning strategy. Likewise, be thankful when things don’t always work out as you originally planned. Oftentimes life’s disappointments and detours ultimately open doors to new ideas, innovations, and opportunities that would remain otherwise undiscovered. Try looking for a breakthrough the next time you bump into a major roadblock. And take it from me … make sure you secure the patent!”
One Yak Backed
“Sometimes, the only way to reach a goal is to take yourself out of the picture. I realize that may sound counterintuitive. After all, it’s been my observation that most businessmen and women who seek to move up the corporate ladder tend to think that they’ve always got to be front and center. You know, never share the credit or the glory. However, when I fight that natural it’s-all-about-me tendency by allowing others to step into the spotlight, I ultimately advance and reach my personal goals in ways I hadn’t anticipated.
Here’s a second business principle: Show appreciation to those who help you succeed at your goals. Again, that may seem obvious. Unfortunately, in the dog-eat-dog push to reach the top of the corporate pack, extending a kind word of thanks to those who helped you along the way is a rare gift. Most of the time, saying thanks costs us next to nothing. Whether it’s an e-mail, a note card sent through snail mail, or a phone call, an attitude of sincere gratitude creates an environment of goodwill.”
Hippies on Everest
“I’m sometimes asked what lessons I learned by participating in that extraordinary climb. While there are many insights to be pondered, at the top of my list is this: Anyone can reach their dream or overcome a particular mountain in their life if they are willing to leave their comfort zone, work together with others, do their part with excellence, know their limits, stay “on mission,” and share in the rewards when appropriate. I had always known these values. This climb, however, seared them into my spirit and provided a strong foundation for all of my subsequent business ventures.
If a prairie-grown, sandal-wearing hippie can find the inner resources to face a mountain the size of Everest, then anything is possible.”
You’ve got a friend
“To successfully ascend the ladder, you and I are told we must:
Find ways to toot your own horn
Learn how to butter up coworkers
Schmooze or lose
Use or be used
Fight to stay in the top
Master office politics
Strive to be recognized as better than those around you
While I won’t go out of my way to criticize folks who operate within such a self-limiting mind-set, climbing the corporate ladder under those guidelines sure sounds like a downer.
I’ve taken a different path. In my view, to become successful in business is not a product of “looking out for No. 1.” On the contrary, I believe it’s important that while you pursue your own dreams, it is equally important to support the dreams of others.”
Three simple ideas or values (which actually have roots in the hippie culture) of Skip’s approach to climbing the corporate ladder:
Nurturing others, good comes around
Speaking well of others, maybe part of hippie worldview of “live and let live,” maybe it’s bad Karma to bad-mouth others
Assisting others, by helping them reach their goals and dreams
Bare-Chested in Bhutan
“JanSport, like any business, is driven by creative ideas. Ideas lead to innovation. … Imitation rather than innovation. Rather than allow ideas the free reign to take us into the deep, uncharted waters, we restrict them to the shallow end of the pool. That’s where everybody is huddled together or perhaps playing Marco Polo. In business, this is the tendency to identify what’s “hot” or “in” and then just imitate that idea instead of pushing the limits and testing the waters. No wonder so many products lack originality, style and class.
As I see it, here’s the bottom line. You and I have two choices when it comes to doing business: Innovation or imitation. Yes, to imitate what the competition is doing carries fewer risks. But I believe the innovator is the one who will reap the rewards if he takes the more difficult path. …
What’s the bottom line? You and I always have a choice. Our businesses can follow the safe, predictable routes others have taken, or they can distinguish themselves by standing bare-chested—the unusual next to the typical. To stand out in a crowd, we must commit ourselves to the quest of true innovation. That’s what will make others sit up and take notice. That’s the path we at JanSport have chosen.”
Easy Rider, Captain America
“The bottom line is that it pays to pay attention to the trends of the culture not simply to be “trendy,” but to meet the ever changing needs. Those who are unwilling to go with the flow are sure to miss the boat. Which is why as the times keep a-changin’, JanSport is right there adding fun and fashion to the function of our gear… whether or not you’re still wearing bell bottoms.”
Get out while you can
“This might be the most important lesson of all: Quit climbing once you’ve found your ‘sweet spot.’ Anything beyond that point is like lugging excess baggage. Many aspiring business-types strive to become the Top Dog, the Head Honcho, or the Big Cheese. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that. But if in your pursuit of the corner office, you discover that your true passion lies midway up the corporate ladder, stop climbing and enjoy what you’ve found. ”
“If I’ve done anything of lasting value, I hope it will have been this: That you will heed the call to explore this amazing planet and, in turn, find the hidden treasures that await your discovery; that you will love and have fun with your work—if not, that you’ll stop, change course, and pursue the passions of your soul; and that JanSport’s example of a commitment to excellence, value, and innovation will continue to inspire you to reach your goals, regardless of the mountain you choose to climb.”
http://business.inquirer.net/money/topstories/view/20110101-312043/Ex-hippie-shares-guide-to-corporate-world
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