The life and times of pirate mike...

2020-03-20T22:16:00.000-05:00

13 years later, what happened to Pirate Mike?

Hard to believe that it has been 13 years since I started blogging. There has been some separation anxiety for me, but letting it rest was for good reason. I have always enjoyed writing, as I use it for therapy. When I look back, I see how I adopted social media early on and how wonderful of an experience it was to reconnect with old friends, stay connected to family, and communicate with the community at large. For me, social media has seen great days and some gruesome ones as well. While social media continues to grow in adoption and maintains a respectable place inside of a professional's life, it is a two-edged sword.

As an aging corporate pirate, I have chosen safer pathways over the years and for the most part, set my sword down. I have always maintained a social presence, whether on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or another medium. However, I have learned to keep a healthy respect for the dangers that it presents as well. I do still believe you have to write for yourself and remain genuine while appreciating when you should speak and when you should just keep your thoughts to yourself. Writing to please your audience has it's own dangers of which I have never wanted to tackle. Shedding light on subjects less understood, and giving people access to innovative ideas was why I originally started in the first place.

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Navigating the oceans of industry, and trailblazing the topology of corporate America can be hazardous enough without adding the complexity of social media. Yet, in today's world of business, one must be careful not to step onto the landmines laid by social media but create content that influences and changes the trajectory of the world of business and society. Armed with tools like Grammarly, I hope to at least get my punctuation correct, even if the content a little less exciting than it used to be. With a lifetime invested in visual and virtual communications, expressions, and experience with a specialty in technology, I have always embraced being on the bleeding edge. Hopefully, I can impart ideas, give insight and thought leadership that will provoke others from my time in the trenches.

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Creating authentic and engaging content doesn't need to be like entering the lion's den or a tiger's liar— both of which I have done personally. Over the years, I have tripped over myself a few times picking up the broken pieces of my career from the misplaced trust of social media. I do believe in earnest that my writings have made a difference to many and at least entertained some. Much older now, and hopefully wiser, I have opened this blog back up to see if lightning will strike again or if I have learned the lesson for good.

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When I found this blog purposefully and mindfully forgetting about it, I was shocked to see how few articles that I left published. Mostly about my human experience and personal growth. With so many articles written over the years that had corporate analysis, future industry speculations, and best practices, which opened so many eyes to what was happening inside of the technology, printing and publishing industry, I was sad, but just for a minute. Taking the writings down was like closing the door to an era where we saw the significant consolidation, technological advances, and industry reform. All of which had my personal perspective and unique thought leadership, but also put me in the sights of those that didn't like seeing me on the other side of the boardroom.

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In these days of #SocialDistancing & #FlatteningTheCurve, I have more time to think and, therefore, a much stronger desire to write. Also, with my newest career adventure on the ocean of customer experience design, strategic digital marketing, business management consulting & technology development for web and mobile, I find that social media is not only part of the modern landscape, but it is also indeed a requirement. Living on a '34 sailboat for over a decade, I've ridden out Harvey, the great flood, two world-shaking oil crashes, and now our war with covid-19. I have survived two virtual disasters during that time as well. So between reality and virtual expressions, I have gained some wisdom and a few smile lines over the years, not to mention a lot of salt and pepper in my hair. But as they say, information wants to be free, and I have always wanted to help the cause.

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While maintaining my authentic, and luminary style, I am excited to start writing again and reinventing my lifestyle. With so many career events and challenges with our local economy, I had started social distancing many years ago. I am hoping for a rebirth this decade as I enter my golden years. My goal is simple I want to be transformational for my clients, but offer value and longevity for those I touch and that live in my community. I do not think I am asking too much out of myself. I believe in setting expectations high and rising to the requirements.

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Technology and learning are escalating at such a pace that I find myself reading and studying almost as much as I work or sleep. Taking on new responsibilities and roles, changing careers, and migrating into unique specialties inside of the print & marketing world, I find that my obsession, which used to be work, is now learning. We are quickly creating AI that is now rivaling our sharpest minds. Giving and breathing life into quantum computers and algorithms that adjust themselves soon, we will have another war to win after we beat our new invisible enemy covid-19.

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Let's pray for the world as it grapples with covid-19, and understand how we can navigate these uncharted waters together, while I prepare to start writing again!

Please Stay Safe & Stay Connected!

Pirate Mike 3.0

The Trinity of Pirate Mike…

2013-05-26T18:12:00.001-05:00

Most people have a singular personality and their soul. The objective in life is to align our personality with our soul so we can successfully fulfill life's plan.

After half a lifetime I discover I have two personalities that I was born with. On one side of me there is the external representation of my personality that is a culmination of all of my words, thoughts and deeds. On the other side there is the personality disorder of ADHD of which I am severely influenced.

The ADHD side of my personality is the friend that I never knew. The one who never left me when times were tough. Although I never knew him he has always significantly influenced me even though I was unaware of his presence and leverage.

He is the internal representation of my personality. He resides along with my first personality & my soul. An interesting trinity and an awkward threesome we do make.

After years of languish I must acquaint myself and befriend this life partner of mine so I can empower myself and move forward with my personal development.

To know & understand him is to further aligning my first personality with my soul. To ignore him is to deny myself; forfeit my purpose, and squander my destiny.

What I have learned over the last almost 3 months now is that we have been together since birth and he will never leave me. To be separated from him means my soul's energy has been freed from my body.

Only slightly dulled by the effects of modern day pharmacology and behavioral therapy he comes alive anytime I do not sedate him! He is always willing to listen and give advice. He has great strengths and terrible weaknesses.

To be upset with him is futile just as it would be futile to be upset at the sunset for it will come around again the very next day. To get angry with his advice would mean to live a life of a time bomb just waiting to Go off.

At first I was mad at him as I went back after our introduction and successfully blamed every bad thing that happened to me on him! Later I looked for ways to kill him prohibiting him from influencing me in the future.

But just as I can not take my own soul I have nothing left to do but make friends with him and take on what's left of my life's journey hand in hand maximizing his strengths while being aware, understanding and buffering his weaknesses.

Together we are strong and as a team we are dedicated students in the Earth School. We both have the same class schedule, and when one fails a class we both fail and must start over till be both pass every class. Interestingly enough he doesn't make me who I am. Rather his influence both brings out my strengths but also reinforces my weaknesses.

Together we are Yin & Yang both of us having each and both of them intertwined with each other. One's strength is another's weakness and vice versa.

My ambition is to capitalize on my intention to bring us both into synchronous harmony. That way neither of us can blame the other for our shortcomings and deficiencies. Each day we improve each other and give definition of what it is to be uniquely me!

My Revelation For Today...

2013-05-21T23:19:00.001-05:00

Through my busy day I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the lives of those around me, all of the successes and challenges are made all the more meaningful and precious.

And for that I am grateful that I had them. If they have formed who I am now, and are the buildings blocks that I will use to built my future and happiness then each one regardless of how fleeting or minuscule are the most important for me to experience.

With this understanding all things happen to bring us into preparedness for the great achievements we call our lives!

Pirate Mike… 2.0

OH Mountain How I Did I Get Here...

2013-04-01T20:47:00.001-05:00

Here I stand alone upon a mountain top,
My trials and fears no one will ever know.
I have struggled beyond my wildest dreams,
The darkness like a river continued to flow.

My ignorance, my weaknesses and even my insecurities,
were what walked me down this path.
It was my lack of attention that brought this mountains wrath.
And now that the storm is over and the winds have died down,
I look out over this mountain top and cannot wear a frown.

For a brief moment I look out at the serene beauty of the valley below
In my mind I remember; but my fear I do not show.
For my emotions took me through a dark place, and my weaknesses I did pack.
Through life changing chasms and cliffs I did face.
My fears I did overcome; my weaknesses I did attack

I do not know how I got here, this mountain was not on the map!
This was not my destination, nor part of my plan.
This Mountain just showed up as a challenge to where I stand.
Nor friend nor enemy was this mountain was to me!
Just another chance to witness God’s grace that he wants me to see.

Many days I've traveled and now here I stand,
It is a beautiful place but not what I understood of God’s plan.
I know this is not my destination, so my journey is not over.
There are many miles to go through valleys of flowers and fields of clover.

The mountains are high and the valleys are low,
The crimson fields in front of me are where I must go
I speak to the mountain and I say why did you hide
The mountain spoke back in loud rumbling roar
Nor trick or surprise did I bring to you, with the eagles you did not soar,

Pride and ignorance is the undoing of us all
As you were climbing up my sides I awaited your fall.
Your strength and courage you surely did find
Now mastering your lessons will be the test of time!

For love and courage is not all that you need,
But a strong back, a strong will, and the desire to succeed.
Knowing what to do will not let you plead,
But your actions over time will show you how to lead.
So push on do not linger you must continue for what you seek.
I was not your goal, so let your travels take you afar.
A relationship drives your journey so keep your eyes on the stars.

The pain and anguish my heart swept away, as this mountain explained that I was not here to stay
So I took one last look from this very high peak,
After I caught my breathe I grabbed my flag to create a memorial,
It was not this mountain but a relationship that I did seek.

I plant it firmly in the rock and the mountains rich soil.
My soul is refreshed and I have forgotten my pain and toil.
As I place this flag in remembrance of my challenges, I look down into the new valley below.
All I see is her face, her smile and how our future will grow!
I love her and her son as if they were my very own.
My love is not in vain, and my commitment now in stone!
Upon the mountain top I stand firm with a chart in my hand,
My dreams are wide, and my visions are grand.
For it is a woman that I love and a family that I have made
That pushes me on to victory and to take on my fears.
It is her love that motivates me and dries up my tears.

look at my flag as it reaches out of the soil,
I remind myself of the things I did learn, of the things I did toil,
And one last time I linger and take one last look at my map
The mountain speaks to me yet again, "what are you doing now?"

I have learned a great lesson that I do not want to repeat.
I have plotted carefully so that I know where you are and have tracked my feet!
So that I do not make this mistake again or tempt life I do not dare.
Surviving a visit with an unseen mountain was not just a great feat,
But a life lesson that I will want to share.

I replied as I started to make my way down the other side…

Today She Believes In Your Dream!

2012-01-11T06:30:00.001-06:00

Have you ever noticed that people seem to change their minds? Well in relationships they do as well. What is funny is that at any given moment we have some idea of what would like to accomplish or some set of goals written or otherwise that we would like to see happen over a period of time. When we are dating we are confronted with our dreams and goals as our new potential companions are very concerned with them.

As we build up our dreams and start to flesh them out we vocalize them over and over. Eventually someone grabs a hold of it and claims that it too is their dream. So like most people you two start to build a foundation for what will become a committed relationship and ultimately a new marriage. Hopefully as you go forward you two do not lose sight of what brought you together in the first place. Having a common dream and vision is important to long term success.

Interestingly enough people evolve or change quicker than many long term goals can be accomplished so what happens is as the two in the relationship change their individual goals chance as well. The overall goal isn’t being communicated or checked regularly to ensure that this new “couple” is on target for reaching their cooperative goals and dreams.

Over time the personal dreams gets stronger and stronger, as the overall dream gets weaker and weaker. No one checks to see if the milestones of the overall dream are being accomplished in a timely manner or that new obstacles have been brought out of the way to allow for success. More important is that not only has the communication of the overall dreams, steps to be taken and new obstacles that need to be overcome has stopped but there has never been any communication on the new personal dreams being built inside of the individuals in the couple.

Typically one will stay true to the dream but the other will be now secretly building their own dream with is never communicated so it is separate from the collective dream and therefore separate from the committed union. This rogue dream is not building steam where the collective dream has all but died. “It is for the lack of a dream that my people perish.” Now replacing the collective dream the secret dream now gains steam and momentum and overtakes the individual that has entertained its fancy.

Simply put this individual is now at odds with the collective dream either actively or passively but is now seeking to find ways to implement their own new dream. This divisiveness undermines the foundation or what the original union was based on. Now not having a foundation to stand on the union is in jeopardy.

Typically this will not come out in steps. It will boil and fester inside of the individual until it becomes overwhelming to the one that has lost the collective dream and either in the middle of a fight or disagreement or just as a stand along conversation confronts the other. This confrontation is typically a blame session where they are at fault for the new dream not getting accomplished. Sadly the one being accused of holding the one back was not even aware that there was a new dream at all!

Typically this is the first time this new desire has been brought up and being shocked and hurt the individual doesn’t know how to respond. In fact they typically respond poorly and things go downhill from there. This quick degradation of the relationship typically ends with the destruction of the union. Ultimately the one that has come up with a new dream feels like they are alone and cannot ask the other to change.

Why? What would be the harm of open communication along the way? What could happen if when the seed was planted that it wasn’t communicated early on in its development? Is it because we do not communicate enough with the ones we love? Or is it more insidious that we are not listening? Is someone at fault or is it a draw?

Who originated the original collective dream? Was it one’s dream that was forced onto the other? Or was it truly a collective dream that both parties were bought into it and committed to see come to fruition? When a dream is “owned” by one there is a high likely hood that the union will fail. When the dream is truly co-operative there is still not guarantee that the union will hold together without constant communication and evaluation of what steps lie ahead and who has ownership of the individual components.

The problem with dreams is that most times there is a level of sacrifice that has to be made to execute the tasks tactically to allow for success of each successive level. Even the most well laid out plans will fail when the “owners” or those “tasked” are not 100% sold on the collective dream. Dreams are like living creatures their health is reflected by the collective mental health of those that are carrying out its tasks.

When the health of the dream suffers it is due to the lack of nurturing of those that are the carriers of the dream. Dream survival and success relies heavily on the participants keeping strong lines of communication open between all of the individuals. When some or all of the participants are silent about their fears and concerns the group or team becomes weakened.

So after the collective dream fades and the new secret dream takes over the heart and soul of the one harboring the new dream everything changes. Now things that were exciting and fun now become dreary and points of contention. Now what brought the group together will now ultimately destroy them.

I do not know the answers to the many questions that come from this phenomenon, but I have lived through its destruction. So as a leader of the dream one must champion every chance you get and maintain the excitement that is deposited in all of the participant’s hearts and soul this is the sign of a true leader!

Best of luck to your dream and those that you get to believe in it!

How do you bring two lives together?

2011-12-29T18:45:00.000-06:00

Well in our modern day society there are many things that can start a “union.” Also in the world of unions there are many types and levels of commitment? So what is it that drives us to desire someone else’s commitment to our dream? Is the success of that dream dependant on the quality of our vision? How about the detail by which we “flow chart” it? Is there a value to a written dream? Should all dreams be constantly be re-evaluated to ensure the longevity and validity? Can a dream started 10 years ago become null and void? Can a dream become non relevant?

At what intervals should we check ourselves and our dreams? Is there a formula for success? And whom should we share these dreams with in the first place? Should they be protected and hidden or should they be published and openly communicated? If we communicate our dreams to others the first thing we risk is rejection and ridicule. What is the benefit to communicating our dreams with others? Accountability, oversight, corrective criticism, and maybe if we are lucky help to get from a current step to the next.

So if we meet someone and you want to bring your lives together, the first thing you have to overcome is them being closed minded or not receptive to your current dream. So if that is true should you immediately change your dream to match their expectations? Should you look for the common ground and find a way to build your foundation upon the parts of the dream where there is agreement?

If you can successfully present your dream and get buy in what is your next step? Do we build business plans around our personal dreams just as if we were starting a company and were going to need a loan from the bank? Do you not think that an emotional loan will be requested at the time of your presentation? How much will this cost your potential partner? What are the risks? How much common ground do you have with individual that gives them the confidence to trust that what you are planning will work?

Fear, uncertainty and doubt will surely be your foes! Prepare to put the war paint on and draw your sword as you have just entered the coliseum! And just like the days of old, 2 go in and only 1 comes out! So in the world of dreams and unions does 1 side of the union have to lose for the originator to win? Well of course not, so that brings us back to how do you bring two lives together.

The collective dream is only possible when there is a symbiotic relationship place where both individuals need and respect the other. There already has to be an understanding before there can ever be a presentation or collective dream. Without harmony there can be no peace, and without peace there can be no honorable regime.

Army’s are run by dictators but relationships are run my patriarchs. These benevolent monarchies look simple but are nothing even close. Insecurity, Jealousy, fear, Distrust all come into play to erode the hierarchy that is put into place to ensure that the kingdom is run efficiently and honorably. Fear creates mistrust and mistrust creates divisiveness. A house divided shall fall. There is no way for a union to succeed if both parties are not 100% committed to its success.

So then how do we bring two lives together? Well the first step is strong, frequent and open communication, after that the two in question have to have a meeting of the minds; the minds have to be at peace. Time; time is the builder of trust and without trust no kingdom can be built. Trust is a funny asset as it can be constructed over time and in fact the best trust built is trust that has taken its time and has weathered a few storms yet is like peace of mind it can be wiped out in a second.

Communication

Peace

Time

Trust

Understanding: there has to be a clear understanding of what is bringing the two together in the first place. Random relationships with no purpose have no chance of standing against the storms that will soon be brought against it.
Plan; No kingdom can be built without a solid plan. The plan should have S.M.A.R.T. goals and should be measured and readjusted regularly to ensure progress is being made and that both parties take ownership of the successes and failures. Just as you would shoot an arrow at a target you must; aim, pull, shoot, readjust and start over till the bulls eye is hit or the game is won!
Execution; One must have impeccable execution of the plan. A plan without execution is nothing more than a pipe dream, thought of my the illusions of grandeur of fools.

Could anything be this easy?

The Death of The Copier is Greg_Walters: Repeat After Me: "Managed Print Services is Business Process Management, MPS is BPM, MPS is BPM"" - FireWork

2011-09-26T22:05:00.000-05:00

The Death of The Copier is Greg_Walters: Repeat After Me: "Managed Print Services is Business Process Management, MPS is BPM, MPS is BPM"" - FireWork: Draw it out and begin to manage. This takes little time, just as much as needed to write down your notes, i.e., SN#, volume, location, asset number, etc.

Life aboard a pirate's vessel...

2011-09-26T21:04:00.001-05:00

Life to many consists of the battles of finance, employment, and family matters. My life many times seems to exist more in my mind.

The battles we face rarely are the ones that are obvious. To me my biggest challenges are mental.

As move forward I do not find the normal challenges to be the ones that stop me from achieving my dreams. It is the little mental blocks the ones that set my emotions off to be the ones that shut me down.

I look forward to the day when the great mysteries of the universe are revealed to me in their fullness.

I feel like we will be shocked when we find out what really stopped us from our destiny!

To take on each battle as if it were our last. I am a present day gladiator, and today I survived the colosseum. Tomorrow will be another battle and another chance to win or lose.

Today I won, tomorrow I pray for a quick move and a sharp sword!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Seabrook Shipyard Rd,Seabrook,United States

The Simple Things

2011-07-22T20:32:00.001-05:00

After a long week of confusion I sit to reflect...

What makes a person get confused?

Confusion (from Latin confusĭo, -ōnis, noun of action from confundere "to pour together", also "to confuse") of a pathological degree usually refers to loss of orientation (ability to place oneself correctly in the world by time,[1] location,[1] and/or personal identity[1]) sometimes accompanied by disordered consciousness[1] and often memory (ability to correctly recall previous events or learn new material).

So when things in our life are pored together we have to male things to focus on. The events around us "mix" and we lose track on what's important and see the things that are more "colourful" this colour in our lives gets us to focus on the urgent and not the important. And sometimes the noise in our life takes our concentration away from the one or more ideas that we intended to watch.

Many times I have felt this confusion and many times I have given in to it!

I can remember a pastor saying once, "when you don't know what to do focus in on the things that you KNOW TO DO." many times honing in on the mundane allows our brain the time needed to sort through the mixing of thoughts that created the confusion in the first place.

Emotion at this point is our enemy. It puts focus on the things that were colourful and doesn't let you concentrate on the things you have identified as important. Many times the things that are important are not pretty, or colourful they are just important.

I need to put my blinders on and get at saying, "I don't know," and continuing on the path of focussing on what was important prior to the "bright shiny object" that took my attention of of the prize.

Lesson learned! It really doesn't matter all of the superfluous events that happen to us. We have to be the evangelists of our cause. If we will not take up the sword for our own cause who will fight for us?

The answer is no one! No one will fight our battles for us so when the shooting stars come across our bow we must identify them as such admire their beauty and move on!

My work this week went this way, but I got caught up in the excitement of someone else's battle. That took me away from my own battles!

The trick to becoming successful is acknowledging the battles of others while continuing the good fight!

This separates the generals from the battle field sergeants.

Generals know their are many battles but keep the battle front moving forward, while sergeants get lost in the wins and tragic losses in front of them.

It isn't that you become numb to the losses it is that you don't lose sight of the overall goal to finish the war!

Now I sit and laugh at myself and realize the wasted energy consumed by the battles of others!

Today I put my sword down as o raise my cup. Tomorrow will be a new day with new dragons to slay!

In this I rejoice; as a warrior there is no satisfaction to peace. Only the reward for future conquests and battles not yet fought; but in my mind already won.

Tomorrow I will not pick up my sword but either a pen or brush so that I might clearly paint or draw my enemy so that I can arrive early to another victory. In this there is great peace and fulfillment. This means there will be yet another celebration!

With this knowledge I can sleep quietly!

Pirate Mike

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Mesquite, Texas

To live in whoville; how do we get back...

2010-12-23T22:01:00.003-06:00

I begun this writting several years ago the first christmas season after my seperation from my wife. I found it and thought that it is still very appropriate and needed to be completed. I hope you enjoy it. I have made a few observations that I have added to the text.

To live in Whoville…

Most remember Whoville and the Grinch that stole Christmas. But beyond the idea that this small town with its strong community spirit changed the hardened Grinch's heart who lives in Whoville?

You know I live actually grew up in a small town called Everson Washington. Everson even now 35 years later has a population that was 2,035 at the 2000 census. It was under a thousand when I was growing up like 700 or so. My dad was a local farmer and had coffee with the other farmers each morning to discuss the seasons and the town politics. I am sure that my Dad probably knew half of everyone that lived in Everson and he really was an isolationist. The town I went to school Lynden Washington had about 2000, and now has 9,020. Both of these towns qualify for Whoville.

So I am quite aware of small town living as it represents even to this day 50% or more of my total life. I spent my life working on a farm, and going to church. I went to a private school for most of my life and never was exposed to big city living till I moved to Dallas at 34. Most do not believe after they get to know me that I was born and raised on a small farm. I don't look like a farm boy anymore. I guess I have donned the fast talking city slicker role and have the trappings that are fitting of a Houstonian. Even though I live in the town of Kemah which still only has 2,330 people. In reality I still live in Whoville.

I hope though that even though I have a lifestyle that corresponds to a metropolis of 8+ million people that my concern and true beliefs about people show my upbringing. I try to live my life so that people can see that I value everyone and treat them with respect. I try to add value to a conversation, I try to teach and instruct in areas that I have experience. I give of myself hoping to bring a benefit to those that I touch. I have gone through many phases in my life from Learner to Conquerer to now a new phase in my life that I will call Teacher.

Now only a couple of years later people look at my aging apearance and think that I am a hardened corporate pirate, when in fact I am the same sensitive individual that has to look away at rough comments that hurt my feelings. People see me at work and think, "I would never want to be on the other side of the table from him." When really I sit around watching my phone for a text from someone special and plan what the next weekends surprise is for my girl. Now I live in Kemah Texas a town of 2,330 right next to the 4th largest city in the country Houston Texas. Kemah is a bay town, typical of any small maritime town. Everything seems to revolve around tradition and the water and the economy and lore that it provides.

Small towns typically have a strong sense of community as people are more able to keep up with what is going on. The politics and community is much simpler than the complex workings of a large city. When the cities get larger it takes more time to keep up with their inner workings and therefore start to take away from friends and family. At some point we become completely displaced and no longer can maintain knowledge of what is going on and why. Here in Kemah everyone still remembers the ground breaking of the bank etc.

I still live on my boat some 4 years later and still keep to myself so even in a town of 2,330 people noone knows me. I do like to buy locally or from a nearby town as you get the feeling that someone actually cares. You get the sense that you are helping someone retire, or send their kids away to college to have a good shot at life. In Houston buyers act like people are just trying to take advantage of them and in many cases if they had the chance they would do just the same.

I work in Houston a lot and it always surprises me how few people buy from honest value bringing companies. They would rather save a penny then do business with an honorable company. Or another way to say it is when you are talking with them and trying to build value in your solution other than the hard and tangible items they just do not care. In fact you really get the sense that they are all anarchists as they do not support or show any concern for the community at all. I guess I miss the small town hey Bob you were $10 more but I'll buy from you because I know that Jimmy is playing football at TU this year and you are going to need the extra money. People were not adverse to allowing someone to make an honest profit on them. Instead they all want to cut someone out of a commission and to figure out how to get it the cheapest they can? Is that really what is important?

Whatever happened to those days of community? If someone lost a job that family would not go hungry, if a child had needs they would not go unanswered. At what point did we turn so far inward that we have forgotten our heritage? I would guess that most people do live outside of the large metropolises. It is my guess also that most do remember giving a damn about other people, so what drove us away from caring?

What made us so greedy that all we care about is making a fast buck or 2 more than we really deserve? What makes us think that we deserve whatever we can choke out of people? What is our entitlement? What commission do we carry that makes us privateers over just plain ruthless pirates?

You have seen me write about it before but at times of the year like this I get more disgusted with what I see than other times of the year. From late winter to early fall I race every other weekend and live on a 34 foot race boat with 10 other people that our lives and success depend on each other. Even though we have moments where we would like to kill each other and even yell at one another we would fight to the death if something were to happen to one of us. During the winter months I do not have this influence and typically focus more on work. With the holidays this makes these months short and the work load is much greater as many people are not interested in purchasing large items at work they are more interested in the things they need to buy for their family.

So by the time Thanksgiving comes around I am pretty full of Houston and work. I have had 4 or 5 people stab me in the back and maybe a few in the chest while looking at me. At the Thanksgiving table sit and reflect on my life and my family. Most of them having past away it is really more of a memorial day than a day of festivities. Memorial Day of course is one of the most important race weekends during the year so you can be assured that I do not slow down to visit those that have gone before us on that weekend. Thanksgiving on the other hand is the day that I typically reflect. I remember all of the things that have brought me to here; the blessings, the miracles everything that has transpired over the last year that I should give thanks for.

Growing up Thanksgiving was a time when we didn't involve friends. It was strictly immediate family. Now with a sister in Tulsa and a Dad in Bend I really don't have any parts of that anymore. During my marriage I was part of another family and did engage with them over Thanksgiving. I had earned the right to be family and worked hard to provide. I always was involved in each of their lives as we had opportunity to do so and enjoyed the time with them. They had a very large immediate family and holidays were filled with nieces and nephews, lots of food and laughter. Oh how I long to have that sense of true family again.

Anymore I try to stick to myself during such times and remember what I am trying to accomplish with the years that I have left. I reflect on the ideas of my youth and the wisdom that I have painfully purchased over the years. I think back on my mother and how she would have supported me in my endeavors and my brother how he would have been such a great success had he lived past 16. I look at the few survivors of our family and do not see the accomplishments that I would have liked to. I see more battle scars and survival.

I HAVE enjoyed Houston because of the economy and the size of the metropolis gives it tolerance for new ideas. I have paid the ultimate price in this new transition; even with a good job and strong economy I am at risk of losing someone that I love and had hoped to spend my life with.

In large cities people do not get involved with your life and therefore are more tolerant of ideas that are not their own. Other the other hand they are so far removed that they would rather kick you into the street in front of a moving bus than look at you. I guess there is no happy medium. If the city is small enough to get to know you then they feel obligated to judge you.

So where does that leave the Pirate of Galveston Bay in the holiday season? Living hard and fast has got moved me forward in my career but left me alone. My choices have pushed out those whom I love and left me alone. Where will I be Christmas? Sitting on my boat with a glass of rum looking across the Bay in search of wind.

So when did we turn our backs on our community; when did we get so busy that we don't time for those around us?

I do believe in diversity! I do believe in tolerance for others ideas, even when they do not suit me. I wish we could bring Whooville to Houston and Dallas. Have you ever wished that on a place? How can we get more involved with our community? Is it just community service? Is it talking to and getting to know your immediate neighbors? What about school, church, the grocery store? What about the guy driving the BMW next to you on your way to work? Oh no not that prick, he cut me off. To hell with him! Is that what we are left with? Seeing if we can get home from work without killing someone because they upset us? Is that how we were raised?

I think that most of us had parents that would be astounded and ashamed if they were to see our actions once we leave the house. I don't think they would condone us taking advantage of others just because we can, or they can afford it. And I hope that our parents didn't do that to others that we just didn't see. I hope that they really did care for their community and participate in the solution and not be a part of the problem. Every once in a while I am surprised at how someone genuinely goes out of their way to help someone just because it was the right thing to do.

As it is I live in Whoville and work in Houston. I try to keep one foot in hell and one in heaven. Walking the thin line between the two worlds is a dangerous place to be. I still have dreams of people doing right while all day watching people try to destroy each other. I now have developed dreams of having my own family since I can not have mine old one back. Even now in my 40's I feel unequiped for the painfull experiences that I endure. I must have missed the classes that tought how to survive? I don't remember "Screw them 101", or "Get them first 203" in my schools curriculum. Is it our teacher's faults as after parents they spend the next most amount of time with our children. Parents, Teachers, Pastors, Family, Friends who gave up?

I think I would give up the anonymity that I get from the large city to bring back a sense that we are working for a purpose. The connection that we had as children because everything did seem connected and that we were all interrelated somehow. I liked walking into the store and seeing someone that I know. I like it when they show concern for a sick relative or are excited about a new job my Dad got. It is amazing sometimes how close we really are when you look at it. I still run into old school friends in Dallas even though we are thousands of miles apart and 3 decades later. It truly is a small world so is it just in our minds? Did we turn off our consciences just so we could tolerate the things we do to people? Is in inherent in us not the size of town that we live in.

You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy. So where does that leave the new Pirate of Galveston Bay? Much older and close to losing his dream of ever connecting the dots of family, love community. What is it about those that we love that pushes them away or makes them give up? I have lived hard and fast, so now how do I get anyone to believe that I really can live idle and slow?

How do I get back to Whovillle?

Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies

2010-12-04T22:43:00.001-06:00

There is nothing like good cooking during the Christmas season! I think of all of the food my family would put together in preperation for Christmas. One of my favorite things was my mom's cookies so in the spirit of the season here is a common receipe that will consistently produce great eats!

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups oatmeal

and don't forget the Waxed paper!

Directions
In a heavy saucepan bring to a boil, the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk. Let boil for 1 minute then add peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal. On a sheet of waxed paper, drop mixture by the teaspoonfuls, until cooled and hardened.

This is great for pirate living!

Seven Deadly Sins… The qualifications of a copier salesman…

2010-04-27T12:01:00.004-05:00

Over the years of being an equipment consultant I have uncovered or become aware of some odd understandings relative to the industry that I work in. I originally wrote this a while ago but as the industry compresses and economic times become increasingly tough this writing comes to mind frequently. With that in mind I have decided to repost it.

The idea of 7 deadly sins is not spoken of in the bible directly but was used in early Christian teachings to illuminate the idea that man was prone to sin. Catholic teaching broke sin into 2 classifications, venial and mortal sin. The 7 deadly sins are capital or mortal sins.

Listed in the same order used by both Pope Gregory the Great in the 6th century, and later by Dante Alighieri in his epic poem The Divine Comedy, the seven deadly sins are as follows: luxuria (extravagance, later lust), gula (gluttony), avaritia (greed), acedia (sloth), ira (wrath), invidia (envy), and superbia (pride).1

Every day I walk a simple path.

I talk to people and listen to their problems. After considering the causes and effects of their situation I ask them questions to probe into what they have done to fix their problems and how that effected their situation.

I pay close attention to the things that bother them the most and try to get them to prioritize their problems and find out what they are willing to do to fix or remove the problems. I identify the people involved in the problem and the people that are affected by it. I try to assess how much the problem costs them in both hard and soft costs.

Once I get a picture of who is involved and the process that they go through to solve their problems, I get an idea if this is something that they want to fix now or in the future.

At the end of the day I have to sit with myself and put together a plan of action and present it to the people that are responsible to fix the problem. If they buy into what I have put down they agree and act, if not they disagree we discuss it further. If we cannot come to an agreement we both go our separate ways and they continue with the situation that they have as it was before I came along.

This is the life of a document management equipment and services professional.

We are sometimes referred to as the "copier guy." I am sure that in this day and age we should be called the "copier person," as the gender reference is quite unnecessary. In this game either sex has the same opportunity to participate in the 7 deadly sins that are so profound in this industry.

When I talk about being a corporate pirate most laugh and think I am joking or exaggerating the situation but if you could be a fly on the wall in our building and the many buildings just like ours you would not sleep at night.

Ok, that is probably an exaggeration, but it would shock you and in many cases disgust you. After almost 5 years in this industry many things make me feel ashamed of the people I work with and for.

I have said that your success with a company like mine as a customer is dependent on your connection to it. If your rep is not good, neither will be your experience with the company they work for. Manufacturers and dealers of office equipment and document management services work on a very basal level. And in many cases the parent company or distribution organization is quite evil by nature. Your only hope is to have a buffer "rep" to keep you whole in the experience, or at least minimize the beating (both financial and emotional) you will take from it.

I most of the time try to overlook how others act and the underlying tones that are so prevalent in my business. I try very hard to balance myself and offer solutions to problems and charge people a equitable price somewhere between the extremes that are going to be presented by my counterparts. I also try to the an expert in the areas of topic so that I bring value and am not making money without earning it and putting in the work needed to earn the business for the long term.

I was privy to a conversation which displayed the ugliness that is so frequently seen that makes even the most native business person wary of people in our industry. When dragged into the conversation I was a presented a scenario and asked a question. I answered, "oh that is greedy you can't do that well I mean you can but you will be exposed and the customer will hate you for life."

Everyone looked at me like I was a Martian speaking Swahili.

I for a brief moment remembered why I consider leaving this business almost daily. The sad thing is it is the culture that has been fostered for many generations of salespeople and managers and is not needed at all.

You could almost say the 7 deadly sins are the 7 needed qualities of a "copier salesperson."

Companies interview perspective employees and make sure that they have ample quantities of each of the 7 deadly sins and forgo any real qualifications.

My first boss said, "Michael even a monkey can do this job." He further illustrated, "I could tape a lease to the back of a blind dog, kick him out of the building and eventually he would come back with it signed." He would later prove himself correct and become wildly successful as a salesman, sales manager and then a branch manager for a fortune 1000 company.

So let's for fun look into the world of a copier salesperson just briefly and examine the qualifications first hand shall we.

Qualification of a good copier salesperson 1

Latin: luxuria (extravagance, later lust)

In copier sales an effective sales manager will show a young salesperson how to drive their desires for things which of themselves are not evil but to excess are lustful. Whether it is sex, money, power, control if you are still breathing surely you don't have enough of any of them.

A good copier salesperson will never be satisfied, and will always be disappointed with how much they sell, how much they make (see greed), how quickly they get promoted, how long their vacation is. A great copier salesperson will stop at nothing to further their lust of all things corporate.

Qualification of a good copier salesperson 2

Latin: gula (gluttony)

In copier sales the best sales representatives will be easily identified by how well they gorge themselves on all things corporate. Copier salespeople are not temperate or aware that they should have any natural limits to anything the desire (see above).

A good manager will gather his or her sales people together on a regular basis and teach basic gluttony. This is really quite a simple thing to learn, you just take your newbie's out and feed them a $200 dinner, drink 2 or 3 bottles of very expensive liquor/wine, and have grand discussions on how they too can have more than they can legitimately use for themselves. A good sales manager will take the new people out shopping and show them how to buy things they don't need or will ever use.

The virtue of overkill will be a daily practice until they even employ it in their own lives.

Qualification of a good copier salesperson 3

Latin: avaritia (greed)

Money is just the beginning of greed. A good sales manager will make sure to teach the principle if the customer is spending $10 and is unhappy they will gladly spend $20 to be happy, even when the solution costs $2 and can be sold at a profit for $4. Why would you save the customer $6 when you can increase their budget based on the pain they have and make an extra $16, $8 of which you will get to keep.

Managers are quick to instruct their salespeople to get what is theirs and a bit more. It is so bad that over time it becomes so common that the goal is to see how much you can charge someone without them going bankrupt before they make their first payment and lock themselves into the deal or before they realize how bad they got screwed.

Greed goes way beyond the customer but reaches into the team that they are on and the associates that they work with. Greed says that you must sell everything in your neighbors' pond before reaching into your own. A good manager will promote greed as it facilitates the need to sell more and makes everyone more competitive as they must to survive.

Qualification of a good copier salesperson 4

Latin: acedia (sloth)

This is a principle that is taught by the manager that has to be managed all the time. It is the manager's job to manage focus of their salespeople and ensure that their needs are met first. Sloth is taught as a privilege. If you over achieve and sell more than anyone needs, and ensure the managers needs are cared for you can do absolutely nothing.

They are taught to sleep in, stare at their computers, take time off. It is the reward for proper lusting, greediness, gluttony as well as the other 3. When you have overloaded on the other 6 deadly sins you must Sloth. Slothing becomes a way of life. You wake up driven by the lust of being over full (gluttony) and greed and the reward for over achieving is Slothfullness.

Qualification of a good copier salesperson 5

Latin: invidia (envy)

A good and experienced manager will stack rank their salespeople and grade them against all of the other salespeople across the organization regardless of how much of an apple vs orange comparison it really is.

A good copier salesperson cannot stand to see another have success and becomes driven by the lust of success to overachieve and be as greedy as possible so that they can overcome and surpass all of their comrades.

A quickly rising manager will ensure that every one of their sales reps cannot stand to even hear of someone else's success or participate in an activity with someone they think could possibly out do them.

Envy resents anything that is good that happens or is good about anyone that they see. Envy is very closely related to Pride, and it drives the lust of self worth which is the fuel that makes pride gluttonous.

Qualification of a good copier salesperson 6

Latin: superbia (pride)

A sales manager cannot graduate until they are good at making each sales person believe that they are the best and deserve everything and more. Days of sloth are awarded to those that can be the fullest of themselves.

Copier sales people gorge themselves with the lusts of the flesh and material goods until they cannot move or afford to move then are pushed out the door with belief that they are the only person alive and that they deserve more. They are rewarded for becoming a prima donna. A good manager will know how to control their prima donna's and let them all think they are 1. A practical organization will parade their top performers around and show them that they are invaluable and that they can have anything they desire fueling their lusts.

Then the manager just begins over and finds new untapped desires and drives them to gluttony with greed, and keeps them competing with envy in the fearlessness of their pride. When they fall over from exhaustion they give them days to recuperate by awarding them time to Sloth. If they are having a bad month they will use their pride to control them with the envy and wrath of their fellow associates.

Qualification of a good copier salesperson 7

Latin: ira (wrath)

Wrath is a byproduct of the final two deadly sins Envy and Pride. It is quite ugly and not as common but is a product of greed and envy.

When someone else has success a good copier sales person becomes instantly envious and because they are excessively greedy they fuel this emotion with wrath, which satisfies their pride in that they should be the only one that can be so successful or rich or whatever the deadly sin promotion is for the month. It is most obvious when the greed of one sales person takes an account from another to fuel their lust of one of their desires. Since they cannot satisfy this gluttony with their own accounts they must do it with someone else's. It is much more pleasurable to satisfy themselves with someone else's accounts.

This lust and greed creates the wrath of the sales person that is feeling envious of the success of the greedy and gluttonous sales rep. A good manager deals with wrath in the most obvious way, with a good dose of pride. "You are not going to let so and so do that to you are you?" "You know you are twice the sales person they are!" Then an experienced sales manager will look for a lust that can fuel the envy and promote the rep that has wrath to go out and be greedy enough to show up the original rep. Wrath is a great way to push someone to compete with the others when the other 5 are having little effect. Sloth is reserved for those that have been over gluttonous for some time and had a lot of success being lustful and greedy.

The seven deadly sins require a lot of effort to perfect so typically a good manager will only focus and practice one at a time till they manage a group of major account executives or specialists. In which case the sales people are quite advanced and can practice multiple sins at a time.

This requires a very greedy and prideful manager that can truly harness the energy of their people and use it to fuel their own desires (lust) and gluttony. And of course a good manager works their sales people to death chasing after the dream while they practice the greatest of all sins; Sloth…

In the end a good copier salesman or saleswomen (which there are many) are taught that they deserve whatever they can take from someone else and that it is ok at any cost. They are taught to pull out the stops and go for broke. They are taught how to gamble as professionals and to know when to risk it all for the payoff of the ultimate permanent full time sloth which is held as a carrot to a donkey.

I hope you have enjoyed this enlightenment…

PS – There are organizations that promote the 7 virtues and moderate their sales people keeping them "connected" and customer centric. But they are far and few between, and almost nonexistent in the copier business.

This is why I live a simple life on a 34 foot boat, forsaking the trappings of Dallas and all that is offers. Not that I haven't had my moments being caught up in the limelight. I was after all a 2 time president's club winner and a 1 time circle of excellence winner for that unnamed fortune 1000 company that I talked about above.

Life is fast, life is hard, life never lasts long enough to learn how simple it really is. We complicate it so that we can feel superior to everything else that God has created, when really we were created from the very dust that everything else walks on - Pirate Mike

I am sure that this is considered blasphemous to those that are in my industry as we all want to believe that we are saints. (It is part of our pride) – Pirate Mike

Where do you live; and why does it matter?

2010-04-21T10:20:00.002-05:00

You know it is interesting how we all share a common thread or two. And most of us at least generationally had a very similar upbringing. Yet as we get older we make choices that lead us down very different paths. Ultimately we end up quite unique. I grew up in a small farm town 15 miles south of the Canadian border. Roughly 30 minutes from Mount Baker and 30 minutes from Bellingham Bay, in a area that rarely ever got over 80 degrees in the summer and interestingly enough rarely had snow in the winter.

I grew up with my Dad building houses; he even found the time to build ours too. I spent a stint in Seattle and a stint living in the San Juan Islands all in "land homes." I even bought my own house at about 20 and again at 28 and then again at 34. The last time though was a bit different. I bought in a neighborhood that was far enough north of Dallas that I was able to get much more house than I could ever use. With all of the bedrooms that never ended up with furniture and an outside that always needed landscaping work. The house was about 10 years old and was a track home so everything was painted white. It seemed that the doors always needed to be re hung and my wife at the time wanted a new color scheme.

I fought hard to maintain a corporate sales job and come home and try to do the upkeep on the house myself. I like many Dallas-ites was a bit over my head. I bought my house when the scandal hit that everyone was getting mortgages when they really wouldn't qualify for what they had. I too had bought my house with a stated loan and because of my credit score and job didn't have to prove anything. Things were getting tough in my industry as the great consolidation began amongst competitors and things were getting harder and harder to make ends meet. My at the time wife was impervious to what was going on and stayed at home with our 2 puppies.

As life began to crush into me I started to question why I had such a large house when we never entertained or had children. I don't think she ever really questioned it we all were brought up with "you should own a home" mentality. I had dreams of sailing the oceans looking for adventure, exploring my world and writing about what I saw. She in the back of her mind really wanted to fill the house with children and be a soccer mom. Both were valid dreams they just wouldn't mesh.

When my X told me she wanted a divorce I was sad but understood. We had grown apart and couldn't believe in the others dream anymore. She didn't want to sail and I didn't want to settle down. I was too busy with my career, my racing and preparing myself for the day when I could push off land and never return. During that time I worked very hard but probably looked a bit scattered. It was so painful living in the house looking over at my soul mate that was leaving me that I moved myself onto my boat. I felt like at least I could be a bit more objective and the pain wouldn't be so intense. I think this really pushed her away as she couldn't understand that the only thing that kept me from climbing the mast and jumping off was the thought that soon I would wake up from my nightmare.

Well my nightmare never ended, we completed our divorce and low and behold I was still living on the boat. It was time to sell the house and move on. Even in the soft economy I was able to sell the house as I had bought it right with 10% down and 20% undervalued. So when it came time to sell I was able to get out clean. I had just started a new job and had negotiated the best salary and compensation package I had ever received. During the next 2 years I was able to get my finances back under control and get my self esteem back. Little did I know that while finding my way to the top of the performance ladder that I had pissed off a lot of people along the way?

All I was able to do at that point was to find the unemployment line. Meanwhile I have been maintaining my home on the water. People have a lot of strange ideas when they come out for the first time. It is always interesting to get their first reaction when they step down into my home. The boat fulfills all of the same things that a traditional "land home" offers; a place to sleep, change, entertain, cook, clean, rest, study. But mine also offers a place to challenge, and explore.

Now it has been about 4 years since the original day that I grabbed my clothes and migrated to the boat for shelter. Now it is just my home.

Pirate Mike

Fruit from a poisoned tree; a look at employee turnover and how leadership contributes.

2009-10-20T22:38:00.008-05:00

"There are seven things that will destroy us: Wealth without work; Pleasure without conscience; Knowledge without character; Religion without sacrifice; Politics without principle; Science without humanity; Business without ethics." - Gandhi

Once thing that I have learned is that what is bad at one company is good at another. By the same token once you get to the new company you find out that they have issues that were worse than the previous company just in different areas. This is often found out after the fact. Business technology companies often have tremendous turnover, I can attest that I have seen many heads come through the doors to do nothing but turn around and go home. A sales team of 5 will see 3 new faces by the end of the year and those may change out every 8 to 18 months. There is no loyalty from either employers or employees; what we have is an ever intensifying battle to pressure people to produce more for less or be replaced.

When I was at Minolta I felt like I was part of a local team and that team was part of the greater group that was part of the greater good. We were shunned to own anything but a Minolta camera, and at events no one would ever dare be seen with a Canon or Nikon. We were loyal to the products that our company produced even if they were in different divisions than we personally worked in. I worked in the office equipment division, and was part of the equipment sales group. This feeling of belonging allowed us to bare the intense pressure and competitiveness that is found in office equipment sales. When Konica and Minolta merged there was still this feeling albeit not as strong. The leader at the time Jun Haraguchi was very dynamic and was a leader among the men. After the merge he went to each branch office and made himself available. This type of exposure brought a lot of loyalty in tough times.

In contrast I have been at IKON for almost 2 years now and very few leaders inside the organization know me other than the ones that I have been bold enough to force myself on. I have watched top leaders show up, walk across the sales pit to the corner office, stay 45 minutes and leave just as quickly as they came. Most never knew that one of their greatest leaders had come and gone. In fact what you find in many organizations this size is a fear to reach up or to open up communication to those that we report to. In fear we do not want anyone with a relationship with anyone higher than ourselves. And when new information is presented we want to be the one to present it. One of the sad things that I have seen over the last 6 years is the great talent that has come and gone due to the lack of care from management.

Everyone is replaceable. That is the code by which we all live by. And from what I have seen this is a fallacy. This is what desperate leadership says when they have no other way to issue control to an unruly crowd. The fact is that not everyone is replaceable and in fact you do not want to have to replace people they are the lifeblood or currency of the business. People own the relationships that bring the business; what IKON has proven is that companies buy from people not brands. What IKON doesn't understand is that it is much more costly to pay someone to recreate the relationship than it is to just treat people with dignity and respect the first time. I guess they figure to do that might be taken as weakness rather than as strength. The cost to hire someone can be amazing both from a hard cost; ads, recruiters etc and from soft costs; personnel time during interviews and the on boarding process, not the mention the loss of productivity during the vacancy and during the ramp up period. So why does the leadership of companies not take a closer look at their turn over and seek to find out why employees leave their company? Do they just figure if you left then they didn't want you anyway?

10 Ways to Send Them Off!

Salespeople don't leave companies they leave their management – The pressure on top salespeople is tremendous and they must feel that they are in a stable environment. Sales people leave companies when they cannot trust their leadership. Salespeople must be able to identify with the vision of the company and the cadence of the leadership that is in front of them. Good local leadership determines the longevity of the employee.
Work/Life balance is nonexistent – When people are out of balance they burn out and become overloaded. People do not stick with a job that constantly pressures them over the edge.
Compensation / Assignments Change frequently – 2 cardinal sins for any employer is to make changes to compensation or territory assignments. No one wants to feel like they will not get the benefit of their hard work. Long term people work harder if they feel that they will be in the assigned areas and that they will be compensated as they were expecting. There is nothing worse than having to fight for your commissions. Companies should avoid the pitfalls of saving a few dollars by creating complicated compensation plans and focus on what will it take to be successful by helping employees "sell through tough times."
No emotional connection points – People do not work for a "concept." People work for people and work harder if they have a connection or feeling of commitment or obligation. Emotional ties can get top sales people through tough times. Without a solid connection salespeople will look for "greener pastures."
Lack of development – No one wants to feel like they have nowhere to go. And we all want to feel like we are progressing and will "get to the promised land" eventually.
The feeling of insignificance – Lack of recognition for a "deal well done" is another sure fire way to run off your best employees. Recognition is very important in the world of sales, and typically sales people love to be recognized by their superiors and peers.
Being unable to get along with co-workers – Having someone that is unbearable or that doesn't fit into the team's culture is a deal killer for sure. No one is so good that they should be allowed to take down their peers.
Being unable to get along with their boss – This is an age old problem and speaks to poor leadership. A good leadership should set a positive culture and maintain the office integrity.
Politics overtakes the office – Especially during the increasing pressure of our economic times we find that everyone feels insecure. Offices start allowing "self propaganda," either to stave off would be job takers or to ensure our position within the organization. Most people do want to have to perfect being "fake," so providing a "politick free zone" will help your employees focus on what is important!
Lack of respect and integrity – Everyone wants to be respected both for their individuality and for their contribution to the organization. An individual, office or organization cannot prosper long term without a strong sense of integrity.

Executive sales positions are very demanding and the local leadership of an organization has a responsibility to make their employees feel secure. Security comes from having ones needs met. Abraham Maslow was one of the first to look at these phenomena. "Maslow was an American psychologist; he has been most recognized for his concept of a hierarchy of human needs. He was really the leader of humanistic psychology, he was one of the first to look at what constituted positive mental health. Most of his predecessors were focused on the abnormal or ill." ¹

Within the layers of the pyramid we find areas of need. A person's job can touch many of these areas and can be a part of someone's life that brings great rewards or can be what brings you to your destruction. The leadership team of an organization is what sets the pace for a great work environment or a total disaster. A great leader with only marginally talented people can always greatly out perform a poor leader with great talent. A good leadership team is what makes a group, whether it is a local sales team, an area branch or an entire group. Each level has leaders that are responsible for the culture and the success of the group is dependent on them. Far too often companies allow leadership to just "push out" employees thinking that "if we had the right people" instead of identifying what the root causes are for the group's lack of performance. Very rarely do leaders look at themselves as the reason for their group's failures. And from an organizational standpoint executive leadership all too often allows managers and local leaders to "blur the lines" between what is good business and what is bad.

This blurring is the death of any group. Especially in sales; the short term successes from this blurring does nothing but make salespeople lose respect for their managers, teammates and company. The deals that are won by this short changing of the process and the "blurring of lines" are what make companies appear sleazy and what earns the public's distrust. Mid level and executive managers and leadership sometimes fall into the trap of not promoting the altruistic vision of an organization and enforcing the rules so that the employees can feel secure that they are not going to get caught in this blurring. Sales people know that if they will blur the lines to win a deal they have no problem doing the same to dislodge you. You are only valuable when you are producing and any deviation could cause your loss of employment. Managers offer up their wins and star performers to leadership as proof of their success when really all they are offering is fruit from a poisoned tree.

This poison if left unaided is what can kill the team, branch or organization. The problem is all too often a leader will offer up these false offerings of success to move forward knowing that what he/she is leaving will be a mess for the next leader that replaces him/her. Many have tried to disprove Maslow's theory but only because it was presented as an absolute, no one would disagree that there is a hierarchy of needs and that we all share many of those needs although it would also be true that our needs may vary from person to person and that one level may be higher on one person's list than another. I would propose that there is also a hierarchy of needs within a sales organization by salespeople and that those needs are all very similar.

Fruit of the poisonous tree is a legal metaphor and I think it is fair to use in reference to a company's leadership. If the leaders are poisonous then any of the fruit of their work should be considered poisoned as well. What seems to be accepted in today's troubled times is that companies are willing to compromise themselves by hiring "snake oil salesman" in an attempt to attain short term success. I do not believe that anything good can come from a company that is willing to compromise their integrity just to gain some sales in the short term. Customers gathered from the orders of such poisonous leaders cannot be maintained long term nor can the salespeople that are brought up under such leadership be successful long term.

Companies that ignore the salesperson's hierarchy of needs are going to not see stability in their workforce because ultimately what you compromise to keep you lose! Just some opinions from a pirate that is getting older and wiser…

Pirate Mike…

¹http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/bhmasl.html

Trusted Advisor, the highest level that a salesperson can achieve…

2009-10-19T18:55:00.005-05:00

In sales we are always looking for the ultimate sale. For our ship to come in, the mother load of all orders! I would question that supposition with another idea. I think that there are levels or depths that we can achieve in our relationship status that can better serve us long term. These levels or "bridges" if you will (yes I read "how to win friends and influence people" lol about 20+ years ago) bring us to places in our relationship with a client that ultimately will earn us not only the right to do business, but also the right to take the order of all times. There are quite a few levels that a sales person can go through and many exits to the hierarchy. If you progress up the ladder you eventually end up in a new place as the trusted advisor. This cannot be bought you can give all of the good deals you want. You can lose money on their business but until you start speaking the truth and performing your word you will never be in the position to take the "great order."

Here are the levels as I understand them to be:

Of no consequence – This is the first time you walk in; no one pays you any attention as they never believe that they will see you again.

Scum bag – This is the next level as they identify you as the dreaded "salesman"

Nuisance – this is the one that causes most salespeople the most trouble. This is where they recognize you when you call or walk in and do not want to talk to you as they have told you a hundred times, "we are not in the market." Or "we don't need anything." This is where call reluctance really sets in as you know who they are and you really don't want to be confronted.

Opportunist – This is your break. This is where they say anything that sounds like a buying signal no matter how remote.

Deal Maker – This is the level where you make all kinds of promises, get on your knees and beg for the order. You strip out any GP you had in the deal and promise that you can move the moon if they just will sign the order today!

Deliverer of the Promise – This is the second place most reps fall down. They fall for your persistence and now they believe all of your lies, I mean promises. This is where the rubber meets the road for most people. Do you do the work and become believable or do you just give up cash the check and walk on down the road to the next sucker.

Consultant – Ok you have passed the initial test now they call you for what tie to wear but you still haven't signed the "ultimate deal."

Trusted Advisor – At this level you are called in for every major decision. Now you just have to live long enough to see the big deal come through. If you walk through these levels with everyone you increase your change on standing next to the next big winner.

Personal Friend – This is the fringe benefit of being accountable for your words and living by the "code."

Most of our time is spent in the first 3 to 4 levels. Then only about 20% of our time is at deal maker to deliverer. It is the 1% that stay in the "Trusted Advisor" stage or ever get there. These are the relationships that we all fight over. These are the ones that you call and call and call just hoping that they read your email or return your call.

Remember everyone has someone at all of these levels. Every day that you do NOT call someone is getting closer to being the new "Trusted Advisor." This is a hard position to be de-thrown from so stay the course and make good on everything you say. I was once told: "It is better to over deliver than to over promise." Set the expectations properly and mean and do what you say!

Happy Hunting,

Pirate Mike…

A disturbance in the force; reconciling our philosophical and business agendas during these difficult times.

2009-10-18T22:22:00.004-05:00

Like all companies our leadership has business objectives that we are held accountable to. We are graded at every interval imaginable; daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly. Over our career we are graded on how well we over achieve the objectives that are handed to us. No one cares about the economic climate, the stability of the environment how strong the credit market is or how much or little corporate leadership is going to invest into their infrastructure over a given time period. Really all they care about is did you meet your objectives and overachieve! Life is about revolving and ever growing budgets and making and meeting commitments.

At the end of the day I personally do not believe that anyone really cares if the “Solution” you provided company XYZ really worked or benefited them if all of the corporate objectives have been met appropriately. Now I may be wrong and I’m sure somewhere somebody will write to me and correct me. “Pirate, we are going to give you amnesty for your budget because you create the most successful business strategies and help so many people.” Well your right I probably won’t ever hear that from anyone above me. What I probably will hear is something like this, “Michael, the company is suffering along with everyone else in this tremulous time and we would like you to accept our offer of a 15% salary decrease and a 25% budget increase. You know that we are all being asked to do more with less.” This is probably a lot closer to the truth then the other.

So within the same organization we have different business groups or units and with them come different and varied objectives. One group may be focused on maximizing our return on Service and Maintenance. Another group may be focused on generating revenue in a particular area of competency like facilities management, production equipment, office equipment, printer fleet management, software solutions etc. So the question then becomes how do we “all just get along.” Well that is the question, how do managed services coexist with equipment sales division? Does the equipment sales division exist to provide hardware based solutions to the “solution wizards” in managed services? Surely the people in equipment sales are incapable of seeing the bigger picture and what is important in the overall solution. Or is it? If you are owned by a manufacturer what is more important, to keep assembly lines moving, keep their cost of manufacturing as low as possible by placing as much gear as possible or do they go with a more altruistic approach and maximize their profitability by increasing the wallet share of a particular client regardless of how little equipment is placed?

So what came first the Printer or Managed Print Services Rep?

And in every opportunity who should sacrifice their business objectives? What are the organizational goals as they are related to individual objectives? Is it greedy to want to stay off of the unemployment line? Is it rude to want to meet our individual budgets? Should we always sacrifice for the greater good of someone else’s success? When does a “good solution” become a “great solution” and when does a tomāto turn into a tomäto? And who is to say that there is not more than one path to the Promised Land? Retooling the departments in an organization and centralizing certain functions can be just as effective as outsourcing a handful of key functions to a third party!

The problem exists as we do not work independently. Managed business services many times may not have the technical background to truly create complex hardware based solutions. In fact it is not ever in my experience even desirable to have a business services rep know all of the bits and bytes of the hardware. They are the “big thinkers.” They leave that to us lowly hardware reps to push the buttons that make “their” brilliant solution work. As we see companies migrate to greater levels of automation their need for highly sophisticated solutions goes beyond what a typical manufacturer’s business services salesperson wants to memorize. As applications drive these complex solutions because of a companies need to “do more with less” we find that hardware reps are being positioned as “technicians or analysts with personalities.” I constantly am faced with the perception that I know nothing but facts. I have to convince my area leadership on a regular basis that I can create a compelling argument and win others over to that argument on a mutually acceptable time frame.

Every day I go to work and curse the day that I picked up the manual and learned how to network a copier or setup scan to email instead of just leave it for the technician that surely was going to show up when my client needed him to. Now I am the great “nerd with a smile.” I am used as an encyclopedia of all things printing. If I really wanted to live on 80 to 120 grand a year I would have graduated college and became an engineer. Instead I moved myself toward strategic sales only to find out that eventually I would be pigeon holed to be the guy to someone else’s “bad solution work.” In my humble experience “managed services” comes from the perspective that with their own “trained operators” they can do more with less so they are notoriously under equipped with the technology piece of their mantra “people, processes and technology.” “Big Thinkers” are also paid on the services that they sell not the hardware and software that go along with the overall solution. Because at the end of the day the technology piece is what costs the most and ruins the gross margin component of the puzzle it is also the first to be compromised. It is also the part that decision makers can quantify and everyone wants to see you “do more with less.” And because more and more companies are asking their vendors to take the hardware risk; manufacturers do not want to invest in placing new gear when it is not really sales treatable. No one wants to create “used gear” when they know they are going to have to carry it on the books and sell it later when all the useable life has been squeezed out of it.

What they do instead is use “off lease” gear which has a zero cost on the books, and assign a cost to keep margins inline with paying managed services reps and as part of the justification to the business owners on why the cost of their solution is what it is. Can you really save someone so much money that you can use the greatest that technology has to offer and still save them 30% on their current spend? Sure if there processes are so broken that they need to trash them and start over. Now does this happen, yes unfortunately many companies grow so fast or stick to their competency so closely that they do not take time to look at their business processes and keep them streamlined. For example a research firm may invent great chemicals but have a poor process of piling their documents in a corner in boxes. But for the most part today’s companies are hiring professional buyers and using ISO standards for typical business processes.

So what suffers? From what I have seen when you bring the entire elephant into the room typically most companies can not afford to eat it all at once. The overall picture becomes menacing. Sure we can implement a complex solution in stages but it still becomes overwhelming even too many “C” level executives when they now are facing large layoffs, financial cutbacks, compensation freezes, import/export restrictions, legislation, environmental initiatives, hostile takeovers, and technological obsolescence. With so much “noise” in the air it is many times hard to hear the important conversations that are directed to us.

These obstacles along with huge egos that the “big thinkers” carry with them can make such undertakings miserable for a hardware specialist. We diligently work to please the “big thinkers” but in the end tight budgets and anorexic timelines along with the normal pushback and reservation of key information from a client will allow something to happen and surely something will not work due to lack of discovery and it will fall on our heads.

Plus they would love us to be their “eyes and ears” but what is good for the “big thinker” is not necessarily good for a hardware specialist. Especially when their ultimate solution doesn’t involve hardware! In hardware we talk about efficiency, automation and cip4/jdf compliancy; we do not talk about “adding headcount,” and creating more hand work. In the “Big Thinkers” mind putting someone in the place of equipment that can fail is a good solution, where we feel that hardware is more reliable and less prone to “human error.” In hardware we trust, for each machine we place we save companies from under performance, workman’s comp, and manpower gaps over vacations, and sick leave. 

We look at having your own hardware as a solution to sending the work out and buying it back at 30% uplift, we feel the same way about people. Why send them out when all you are going to do is pay someone else a 30% uplift to not have to deal with them. Strengthen your process, put the right people in place and rely on hardware automation and technology refreshes to empower your people with the tools to accomplish more with less for less! 

Now that is a bit of an exaggeration but it underlies the foundational problem that I see with “team selling,” when each member has different objectives or when the meeting of one members objectives becomes a liability for another’s on the team. I am constantly asked to work with people that have different motivations and when one wins the other loses. What kind of “team” is that? The only way a “Team Sell” can work is when the objectives of the team are common. You can not ask someone to work on a project that will eventually turn out to be a non commissionable event. Why would I waste my time doing a study to hand over my findings and relationships over to someone else just to be pushed out of the deal?

Everyone must profit from a group project! Solutions must be designed to achieve corporate objectives and satisfy the client’s short term and long term needs. Anytime key players are pitted against others in the team to compete for compensation the entire project is compromised and the client suffers as no one can give their best when they have lost the financial incentive to keep focused. Sure there are many reasons to outsource and I believe in keeping to your core competencies, but handing off a department or important key function is not something to take lightly. It is dangerous at best and even worse if the consultants brought aboard are not in sync.

A long time ago I was simply a street walker and answered to myself. A day’s work brought a days pay, and I didn’t have any competitive forces to worry about but the enemy outside the organization. Now all too often I overtake the enemy outside only to be beaten by someone on my own team. Now the dance is more delicate and dangerous. Not only am I competing for larger projects and bigger cash prizes but I am also striving to maintain my competitive advantage and edge both inside and outside the organization. What ever happen to the days of walking down the street asking people, “want to buy a copier?”

Pirate Mike…

I have decided to add some of my blogs from the "Digital Printing and the Pirates that it" Blog since most of the viewers seem to like both the personal and professional blogs that are on this site.

Our Master’s Prayer

2009-10-07T22:18:00.003-05:00

Our Father which art in Tokyo,

Ricoh be thy name,

Thy kingdom come,Thy will be done in the US, as it is in Japan.

Give us this day our pulverized toner.

And forgive us for our lack of prospecting; as we forgive our slave drivers, I mean sales managers for their whippings.

And lead us not into whoreishness,but deliver us from our competitors!

For thine is the C900,and the tight registration, and the true rated speed,forever and ever or at least to the midpoint in the lease.

Amen
Pirate Mike

Obviously just for fun, so don't get bent out of shape over it...

Scary Times – Ricoh the one world leader succumbs to bad economy and is vulnerable like everyone else…

2009-10-06T23:52:00.004-05:00

Now this is just hearsay, but I was just told that Ricoh is making employees take a week furlough without pay and has started lying off employees. This is a very similar situation that I am seeing across the boat I mean board with companies in our industry. From Konica Minolta's huge layoffs right after Xerox and Kodak cut roughly 20% of their global workforce. I'm sure it is not a shock to see HP step back and act cautious in new hires and expansion. Now with Canon in complete desperation to see them partner up with HP is almost funny. These types of partnerships are not uncommon in our industry, good bedfellows they make as they both struggle to assert their once top tier status. With Oce bleeding profusely to now even Ricoh showing their humanity we see salary's decreasing, employee benefits being cut or disappearing all together to sheer headcount reductions in almost every company.

IKON has even make changes and cutbacks in our company 401K matching program. The one thing I will say is that we are still expanding headcount and retooling our demo facilities and go to market strategy. We have not given up that we can be successful in such trying economic times. "Be Bullish In Production" our RVP says religiously. IKON is very bullish in times when even the greats are cowering. In fact we seem to have put on the war paint and run into the streets to meet our enemy head on. We continue the fight regardless of the naysayers.

I am getting nervous to see our "big brother" have such 'noise' coming from their employees. I knew many that went from Konica Minolta and others to over to RBS when they were the best looking for longevity; now what were long term stable employees they too are making the great pilgrimage to look for "gainful employment."

With everyone having such a knee jerk reaction it makes me wonder what is coming next. From everything I am seeing it appears that IKON is coming out on top and in a strong position to negotiate with the Ricoh first born. It would not surprise me to find that IKON becomes the "chosen one" and the pony picked to win this next horse race. I look forward to hearing the stories from my readers as I'm sure that many will find even uttering such a thing blasphemous.

If you have a Ricoh layoff story or more "inside information" I would love to hear. As for Pirate Mike I think we will see the true colors of Ricoh's intentions by April 1^st 2010! Maybe I'm wrong but hide and watch as Ricoh retools their organization to come out fighting strong in the next fiscal.

Also be looking for the new Ricoh Pro C901 ( or whatever they will call it ) This new machine of destruction will be a great advancement of the C900 of today with no fuser oil, basing its strengths on a newly formulated polymerized toner? that will bring digital quality to new heights. If I had to guess with the speed at which they are developing products I would guess mid spring or early summer. With all of the great advancements of the Aegis product you can be sure that Ricoh is looking to show the world that "Ricoh knows production." Or at least the new horse they ride IKON>

What Ricoh knows is how to buy the best technology and engineers and then follow that up with a great distribution model which they did too buy. The IKON acquisition will show that their multibillion dollar purchase was not in vain but truly put them on the map in a way that they never could have done before the acquisition.

Ricoh is slowly learning the power of the weapon that she bought. But being able to wield this new weapon of destruction is yet another story. IKON is not an easy horse to ride, and this ride is surely to get very edgy in the short term as things build and the economy continues to falter. This is an "E" Ticket for sure!

As we get into 2010 I'm sure there are more cuts, layoffs, and changes to come. All we can ask is in the end that we are paid to the champions of the day. I for one cannot complain too bad as I have had record months and a record year! I am sitting somewhere around 120% of my budget with almost 400% of my yearly units. The Ricoh Pro 550EX, 700EX and the infamous C900 have taken me to the Promised Land!

Even in bad times the pirate of Lewisville Lake is showing that it can be done with no food or water and just on new business acquisition alone!

Happy Hunting,

Put the battle axe down one more time…

2009-07-12T13:38:00.005-05:00

There are days that we wake up and just feel good. I love that total feeling of satisfaction. It is funny when you realize that it doesn't come from a particular act or outcome. It is from being at peace with yourself and right with the world. We can be satisfied on many levels, but it is rare to just be at peace with everything. There is usually some area of our life that we are "at war" with.

I work in outside sales in an industry that is hyper competitive and even at times a bit ruthless. I find that many days I am at war with myself, my manager, my reps, my competition, my clients and my prospects. At any given moment I can go from calm to battle ready. Whether fighting to resolve a customer issue or battle an internal fight protecting my turf. Over the last 5-6 years I have seen a lot of events that many times make me shake my head. I think that is where the anxiety came from. I never used to be anxious. This business has brought me to a place that really I would have rather avoided. The anxiety has shown me how frail we really are. It has also shown me how powerful our mind is. My job has made me acutely aware of how important it is to have strong emotional control.

In all of this "warring" we find ourselves in brief moments where everyone seems to put down their weapons and paused for a fleeting second. In those times when we are not wielding the battle axe we realize how precious these times are and how we would like to "stay in the moment." In Dallas it seems like the moments when the world just stops are far and few between. They are very powerful though, many times fueling us for months on end. Just like wood for a fire or gasoline to a car, they are the substance that gets us to our next destination. This contentment is spoken of in every religion and in every tongue and even spelled out in the nature clearly for everyone to witness.

Nature is the silent revealer of the truth. Just like a jury makes a declaration of guilt, nature convicts us of the truth which has been set before us. All one has to do is stop even if for a moment and really listen. Our senses reveal the truth that we already know in our hearts. It is interesting how each faith puts emphasis on being content and describes the process. What I do know is that when it happens; when the world stops even for a second you will know.

It is like the rush that an addict chases, we are all seeing satisfaction. We seek it on every level in each area of our lives. Once experienced you will never forget it; peace the solitary thought that resides with no other. When the mind is cleared of everything, when the battle axe is put down only then can you experience peace. Contentment is place that you can physically visit. Once you are there the only thought left is to stay there and the only goal becomes not drifting back. To be content is to be free of needs, wants or anxiety; contentment is the fuel for the engine of peace. Within peace we find the truths explained about the things that we experience in nature. Nature is a reflection of the creator, a mirror of his spirit and the product of his own hands. As we a molded creature of clay, formed by the work on the great potter's wheel. From dust we began and to dust we shall return.

Life moves so fast that we many times lose sight of anything important. As we get older we give up on learning, we do not impart our virtues that we believe in to others. I try to experience something new every day; feel a strong emotion every day; give of myself every day; believe something every day; use all of my senses to explain my surroundings. I hope that my battles in Dallas will eventually allow me to fall back from the front lines and become a observer of the insanity that is now our global community.

Today I will put the battle axe down just for a moment… and exhale…

Pirate Mike.

"As the sun rises from the depths of the water so to our hopes, dreams and aspirations are renewed; as the sun heads back to its watery grave so do our fears subside as we know with a new day comes new beginnings. Our failures have not chained us to our weaknesses but revealed them to ourselves so that can be overcome. Our strengths have been magnified to carry us through our failures to new heights."

Lake Idiots; just add alcohol…

2009-05-24T11:01:00.002-05:00

When I think about the lake I think of fond memories that remind me of some of the greatest times with my friends. So what is it about the water that looks so easy to let people let go of their minds? When you drive a car you know that there are rules of the road. When you walk across the street you know to look both ways. When you enter someone else's home you know to wipe your feet. But the minute you step foot on a boat you lose your mind?

People have water dumbness. I am not blaming the alcohol either I drink plenty on the water, but my 35+ years of water memories all bring up visions of being careful, attentive, courteous, and polite. First of all I am a strong supporter of a "boating license." I myself am working on a 100 ton Master Captain's license, (of which I probably will never use commercially) so I believe in education and preparedness. I also think that law enforcement focuses on the wrong things. When you drive in a manner that could get someone hurt they have Negligent Driving, Reckless Driving, and Reckless Endangerment they have all kinds of fines to choose from to help modify stupid behavior. It seems like on the water they do not have anything to choose from but BWI (Boating While Intoxicated) or that is all they are educated on.

They do not seem to ever watch the traffic ways that are the busiest. They never just stop someone over to educate them, but just to harass them and see if they are drunk. I think that we really do ourselves a disservice by not putting the cops on the lakes in North Texas through more marine education. I have witnessed them put the people they are pulling over in danger and the boats that are anchored and the skippers that own them that are drunk in danger. The law enforcement on the water needs to be the best of the best, and need to be held to a higher standard than regular police. These officers are working with a 3 dimensional mode of transportation and you can not simply "pull over" and take everyone out of danger.

I do not see this as self evident, year after year I see the same officers doing the same things. Why is there not a better 'eye in the sky' to help them? Why do we live on the most dangerous lake in the state and with the most accidents and have the least amount of support and concern? Why does the Army Corp of Engineers not take more pride to mark the lake and keep it safe for navigation? There are little to no markings on the lake and they are done by private individuals. We need more money and better support from the Corp and from local law enforcement. They say that recreation is 3^rd or 4^th on their list. We are the ones that gave them that list 30-40 years ago. We are the ones that tell them what is important; we need to remind them that we are the reason for their existence and that our priorities on this lake have changed.

I wish that the large contingent of the population that receives enjoyment from safe and sane boating on Lake Lewisville and the many other Corp. lakes in the North Texas area would unite and let them know that we care about our families safety and make the simple changes that are needed so that everyone could enjoy the lake without worrying about becoming a fatality!

I do not know why we are 20 years behind the needs of the people but with the hundreds of thousands of people that enjoy our local lakes I think that safe recreation should be a paramount importance for local law enforcement, or they should close the lakes to everyone. There should not be a acceptable death rate on local lakes. It is not acceptable the way they are being secured, maintained and monitored. We would pay for a better recreational system and there are many ways to fund it so that we can all enjoy the lakes without fear or harassment (which is the alternative that is being employed). Make it miserable to party on the lake and you will run them off. (poor management of our resources)

I think we need to turn to better information/charts/markings and navigation buoys, better education for the lake goers and supporting cast (marina operators, law enforcement, coast guard auxiliary) and more support from the Corp on those that want to do business on or near the lake to attract the type of recreation that allows for lake goers to have a good time without sacrificing the other needs of the lake (water shed, erosion control etc)

Just thoughts from a crazy old pirate,

To Live and Love...

2009-05-18T21:07:00.003-05:00

Life is like an ocean, it changes direction many times over its course. The ocean is a living and breathing body and the water is it's blood and the land masses it's arteries and veins. Love is like the current of the ocean it is not life but it is what pushes and drives us to get to our destination. The currents of the ocean take the water that brings life to every area of the planet. So to love brings to us all the nourishment that we need to be sustained. Without the currents the coral and reefs would die, and so the chain of life would wither with it. Without love as the driving passion of our being we too would die just as a baby without human touch.

The wind works with and sometimes against the currents to help with the spreading of the water over the planet. So to are our actions as they spread the truth of our heart to those that watch us. Our actions just like the wind sometimes go against what we profess. In the end we are known for our actions not our words, and just like the winds that cross the oceans they too are named for the direction that they go. Just as the wind stirs up the sea, so to our actions stir up the imaginings of the hearts around us. The winds do not carry the burden of responsibility on their own, nor do our actions as the responsibility lies in our hearts and minds.

The continents of the world create the road map for the oceans to follow like a mountain guide in a state park. The land masses create the environment that the water flows to and from. Just as our mind sets the stage that will allow our love to either leave or be locked up within our body and our soul. Bays, Channels and Seas all different formations of land that give each area of the world a distinct pathway for the current to push the water to each creature bringing life and life more abundantly. Just as the circumstances and events that mold our lives and give us the uniqueness of character to impact others and bring to them what they need.

Great sailing ships that brave the open oceans alone without fear, are much like the vessel of our heart that carries our love to the ends of the Earth. Just as the sailing ships can go against the wind, currents and tide, so to can our heart take us to places that we never dreamed. Even as the ships brave the weather and elements so to our hearts the fear of rejection and betrayal. Even as pirates are a feared encounter on the water so to is the event of true love feared by all those that have traveled those waters before.

For as we travel and give of ourselves, just as pirates someone we have loved has taken from us. But in the midst of the battle, swords drawn as the sound of steel pierces the distance, we must rejoice as our soul cries for freedom. Just as our heart has 2 sides that beat as one, so too is another soul that searches even as we speak. They too are a wandering spirit seeking a destiny that may not be apparent. And if ever you dare allow your ship to carry you across the currents of life, you will encounter that one that makes you whole. The one wanderer that brings nourishment to your spirit and sustenance to your soul is just around the bend.

Therefore strike out and fear not, as your heart speaks. Allow the current of your mind to take you away. Allow the body of your ship to take to the winds and allow yourself time to search far and near. Never allow the distance to bother you. Let the power of your love take you away from the tragedies that you have endured, and allow the newness of the day to take you to new places in your soul. Hide in those new places and you sail across the ocean. For one day you will come across another that completes you.

"The seas never stop, they come and go bringing to their inhabitants the substance of life, so is the tide of our life, people come and go and with them they bring the substance of life… don't ever give up on people, as you will have given up on your yourself…" – Pirate Mike (personal quote)

2009 Texoma Lakefest Regatta

2009-04-20T15:12:00.008-05:00

(2009 Second Star Racing team consisted of: JD Hill, Susan Hill, Ben Gray, John Kleineberg, Michael (Pirate Mike) Brooks, Angela Haar, Harald TenWolde, Scott Spurlin)

Well I haven't been home for 24 hours and I am writing the chronicles of another great adventure. Texoma Lakefest (website) a long standing tradition in North Texas has been recognized as the largest inland charity sailing regatta in the nation. 2009 was no different and a tremendous amount of effort was put in by the races sponsoring yachtclub the Texoma Sailing Club (website)! 47 boats and close to 300+ competitors came to battle it out on one of Texas' biggest lakes. Lake Texoma is one of the largest reservoirs in the United States, the 12th largest Corps of Engineers (USACE) Lake, and the largest in USACE Tulsa District. ¹

4 days of fund raising for a great charity; the Make A Wish Foundation (website). Thursday is the Chaos Cup where the corporate sponsors get to try their hand at sailboat racing! Teams are sent out to have a great time and get a chance to meet the sailors that will for the next 3 days battle it out with the famous North Texas weather and the top rated competitors that come from around the nation to try their hand at getting their name engraved on the ever sought after silver cup. Thursday had overcast but fair weather as we saw great sailing from the cast of competitors. Almost event free Thursday did bring about one casualty when 2008 3^rd place competitor Nelda Ray snapped their mast to end their campaign for the silver cup.

From first time newbie's to Amercia's Cup sailors Texoma Lakefest brings them all together in the spirit of competition and love of the sport. Friday is the first day of competition and typically is full of emotion and excitement as the boats get launched and the competitors look over the scratch sheets to see whom they will be battling it out with. This year Friday brought lightning storms and while we all went out to the battle ground not one race was started. After the high winds and lightning got within masts reach the races were postponed and we were sent in to wait out the weather. By the time the weather was past us night had fallen. Over the Eastern sky one could see thermal lightning giving everyone a great fireworks display. Dinner was a great Texan tradition barbeque catered in from a great Fort Worth practitioner. (Riscky's Barbeque)
The night wouldn't have been complete without some great dancing to a live band and Captain J.D.'s Lavaritas! Saturday started off well as the dangerous weather had passed us and we were hoping to get out on the proving grounds and play hard! Rain started to fall as the winds had given way to glassy seas. With light to nonexistent winds we got off one race that became extremely tactical as we raced for what seemed like an eternity. The multi-hulls and the spinnaker boats got off the course in reasonable time but the working sail classes extended the race for about 3 hours till there was no more wind or light to race. Coming back to the marina everyone was joyous and in one piece all wanting more wind and a chance to compete. Saturday night Riscky's came up with a great meal of fajitas while the headliner band broke out with some winner tunes. Lavaritas (margaritas that come from a ten foot volcano) were flowing again as the mountain starting erupting as soon as the competitors landed. In sailor style competitors bid silently for all kinds of trinkets of all kinds and values from a nice massage to a Donzi boat. Dancing went on till everyone was satisfied. Everyone went to sleep early as they knew that the race starting times had been pushed up an hour early so we could get in enough races to satisfy the regatta.

Sunday was the day, sunny cold and windy. Wind started off easy 8-10 knots as everyone got suited up for the insanity. When we got out to the proving ground out in the exposed main body of the lake the winds quickly bumped up to 20 knots. Everyone suited up in full armor as we awaited the starting sequence. 3 races convened that opened everyone eyes to the dangers of sailboat racing. From the many near misses and close calls to gear breaks and collisions Sunday was full of "Lakefest" spirit. Lakefest is always a serious competitors concern as the weather is always a big factor; proved again Lake Texoma brought forth serious conditions for the competitors to overcome.

From Terra Nova getting hung up on the judge's boat to God Speed having a serious collision and boom breakage to fishing sailors out of the lake to the sad personal injury on Predator. It was a busy day indeed, and the weather came back to revel her serious side to us. To the family & crew of the injured sailor we send our best wishes. We await the verdict on the injured sailor but from some reports someone fell and possibly broke ribs and collapsed a lung. We pray that he heals fast and comes back to win more races. As the sailor lay on the deck in serious condition some of the last reported words from his mouth were, "Finish the race!" Predator did manage even with a DNC to finish in 2nd place for class #2. Congratulations to all the sailors that made that win possible! (Consequently Predator was in OUR fleet!)

All in all it was a typical Lakefest averaging about 15 knots from days at zero to days with gusts over 30. The official results will be posted on the Lakefest website
and on the Texoma Sailing Club's website.

I learned a lot and am grateful that we only had a few mishaps and no serious injuries. I am blessed to have met Scott and Harald two passing experienced sailors that graced us with their skill for this special journey. I look forward to our new J122 and learning how to use it as the weapon that it is. To everyone out there, fast sailing…

Pirate Mike.

"Sailing doesn't make a man but it reveals him to himself. His strengths, his weaknesses, his fears and his accomplishments. Sailing is a culmination of everything he knows, thinks, and feels. It brings all the senses together and like the rest of nature shows us how small we really are. Sailing puts things into perspective but yet allows us to be supernatural if even just for a moment." – Pirate Mike…

1 Reference pulled from Wikipedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Texoma

Sitting on the back of my boat...

2009-04-12T18:49:00.006-05:00

Sitting on the back of my sailboat, watching the seagulls fight over scraps that have been thrown over by wayward sailors I sit and think about what am I going to do today. I look off the starboard bow and see 2 red eared slider turtles floating hoping lunch is served soon. A grey Haran stands by the edge of the bank waiting a baby perch to get a bit closer so that his belly can be full. I realize that I too am hungry.

Going down below I remove the companionway boards that have been fashioned out of acrylic. These boards are fashioned very similar to the way sailors have been making their boats for hundreds of years. The main difference is that these boards are not out of Teak, but an acrylic. My main complain with them is that they are cumbersome and see through. When down below visitor that pass by the transom of the boat can peer in and see what is going on inside of the cabin.

When I get the boards out of the way and I make my way down the 3 steps skipping the last 2. This little sailor skip I developed to not have to spend so much time getting down below. I'm sure I save at least a second or two and definitely risk my neck if I land wrong, but it seems so nautical or "boat like." When I land I reach into the cupboards and get out lunch. Bread, lots of it and a jar of peanut butter, and a spoon is all I need. Arriving topsides, I sit back down behind the helm and get my spoon. The great thing about a spoon is it can be used to spread the peanut butter and used to just scoop some out for quick consumption. After making my sandwich, I salute several passersby with a jovial ahoy, and go back to my sandwich.

Dock life is very formal in the most informal way. There is just a certain "code" that dock mates follow one of which is to always greet everyone, even if you do not like them. This code makes everyone appear extremely friendly. The root of this is that you want to be kind to everyone, as in an emergency all are your saviors. The code definitely follows you onto the water, and whenever someone is in need of assistance all grudges are off.

Behind me I hear the all too familiar swoosh of carp coming to the surface. Sometimes 3 maybe even 4 feet long these scavengers will eat anything. From dog food, to algae growing on the bottom of your sailboat, they will crunch or scrape it off with their bony tooth. They must have done a lot of crack as they only have a tooth. They will drag this tooth across the bottom of your boat and wake you up at all hours, day and night. Don't let a few of them get wind that your boat has not had its bottom job done in six months or you will find that they will all come to dine.

I finish my sandwich and realize that I haven't moved very far since breakfast. Being that it is a Saturday I really should follow my normal routine and clean, scrub and do boat maintenance so that I can head out. Today is different, no party cove, no scrub the boat till I'm worn out. Today is a different day. Today I am going to pretend is Sunday, and I think I will just sit here and watch the world turn. The sun has already made his pilgrimage out of the depths of the lake, and it is at "high noon." The clouds have taken the day off and are nowhere in sight. Summer is quickly approaching and so are the 100 degree days. Today is different it is a mean 75 degrees. No wind so don't bother thinking about going sailing, besides that is more of a Saturday activity and today is Sunday remember?

My boat rocks gently from side to side, as a fisherman pays no attention to my home as he heads off to find his hidden treasure beneath the dark and wrinkled folds of the lake. I excuse him as he is just a guest into my world and does not know how he is intruding. Most have no idea that the peace of the lake and my life on it, is intruded when a rouge wake comes to meet my hull. The hull pushes back, but eventually gives in to the power of the wake of water, and gives to the side gently. With nothing to fight back but a peanut butter spoon, I give up. I would raise the white flag but that would require me to dig into my locker and find the flag, and would require me to give up at lease one mouthful of peanut butter. This is a sacrifice that I cannot make. So without further ado I go back to my spoon.

I see more sailors coming toward me. "Permission to come aboard," I hear. "Permission granted," I exclaim. This is part of that formal informality that I was referring to. The couple boarding my boat have been aboard hundreds of times, and we are close friends, but the formality of requesting permission never ends.

They take perch in the cockpit in the same fashion as I. Laying back like they have nothing to do, but watch the turtles that are still hovering over their lunch. I inquire as to what they have on their list for the day. "Nothing," they exclaim proudly. "We are taking the day off, to just relax." "Ah this is the life," I think to myself, this is the epitome of dock life. "Well, would you like a sandwich?" I ask. "No, we just ate before we came over." "Well whatever should we do?" I asked inquisitively. "Let's drop the tender, and go over to the island and see if anything has washed up from the weekend." They replied.

Now there are a few islands on the lake, they have shores that face main channels of water that the "weekend power boaters" travel. One thing that sail boaters know is that when half naked and drunk power boaters cruise by is that they drop things into the water. Many of those things are quite valuable to real boaters. Life vests, (who would think those are important until the game warden comes by), fenders, coolers, and many other useful objects wash up and land upon the littered shores of the sandbanks and island shores. Now we could leave those items to waste or we could as good stewards of resources go and harvest them, as it were.

We idle over to a much larger boat that has a tender on davits. After lowering the 10" dinghy into the water and starting the little gas motor, we all board and head toward the islands as the fisherman did earlier looking for hidden or sometimes no so hidden treasure. Upon arrival we notice that people have been camping on the islands and left some useful items for us to harvest. After collecting 2 good ski vests, a cooler and 2 fenders we sit back and look at our bounty. Pleased with ourselves we break into the cooler and notice some still cold cans of our favorite beverage. Well 2pm it must be time for a beer I think to myself.

After wandering around I gather my things and we all get together and head back to the docks with our treasure. Upon arriving we look for those in need of the new items. I know that I already have too many life vests and fenders, but there is always someone that can use these items. This time I do not head back to my boat but grab a chair alongside the dock and start another luxurious conversation about nothing with some of my other dock mates that have appeared form the belly of their boat. They too are enjoying a sandwich and are just letting their eyes wander at the nature around them as I had earlier.

This is home... Someday I will do the same thing on the ocean. This is community this is my life, welcome to it....

Pirate Mike..

The seas never stop, they come and go bringing to their inhabitants the substance of life, so is the tide of our life's, people come and go and with them they bring the substance of life… don't ever give up on people, as you will have given up on your yourself… - Another original from Pirate Mike…

Leading Pirate style...

2009-04-10T20:53:00.011-05:00

Leaders are created and not born just like salesman. Some have more of a propensity for greatness than others. Good leaders have many traits that we can admire and adopt for ourselves. I have had some awesome examples of leaders. I feel like I am very fortunate to have had and still have some great mentors at many different levels.

I believe that leadership can come in many forms, and can be very personal. I take leadership very seriously. I have a tendency to exhibit my individuality in my leadership style. I like to let others know that I am unique and enjoy sharing my passion. I like others to see this through my lifestyle and by the way that I act and react.

I like to extend my hand to those around me to identify myself as one that embraces their humanity. I like to celebrate people’s diversity and be a guiding factor to their success in the endeavors we engage in. I like to lead in little ways. I enjoy being the odd duck and am not afraid to be counted when there is a confrontation. I encourage disagreement and discussion. I do not want anyone to give me a pat answer, when I ask for their opinion I want it as honestly as they can deliver it.

I try to play devil’s advocate in most of my thought processes so allow myself to see both sides of an issue. I am very opinionated, but open minded enough to change my opinion when new facts are evident. I try to participate in the lives of those around me; I do not want to be seen lying around and failing to act. I make decisions quickly and react to my environment as thoughtfully as I can.

I lead by doing; when those that see me respect my thoughts and actions they have given me the greatest gift. I thrive on excellence and cannot stand it when I allow myself to settle. I make plans, plot my actions, hold myself accountable, measure my progress and reassess the situation as often as I can when in a project.

I will do what others will not. This is the key to my success. I will do want YOU will not, this is my advice to you. Look around and see what the masses are doing, then turn about face and go the other direction. As a pirate I tend to be a bit aggressive in my actions at times. Sometimes I do not ask permission. There are many days that I would rather draw a sword than a pen. Not that I forsake the pen, as that would be grossly inaccurate as well. But rather I am not shy to embrace the rule of the sword and understand and comfortable with the eventuality of my fate.

I put the war pain on every day and am grateful for my time that I have to sail and fight. I work in an environment where only the strong survive and where many a want a be warrior gets sacrificed. Over the last 4-5 years I have seen many a college graduate fail do to lack of leadership and lack of passion. You must live with passion and let it fill every area of your life.

Struggle as I may, I enjoy the fight and the feeling of victory. I am no stranger to tragedy and can cope with an emergency with the best of them. I am strong when I need to be and soft as I really am. I do not see the benefit to living as a rogue with no emotions. But yet I love to hold a lady bug as she forages along my hand. I like to watch the sun rise and fall into the water. I am not a stranger to the darkness as it shields my progress toward a common goal of overtaking my enemy.

I never let my goals or enemies out of sight or mind. I keep them close to my heart. I love a good battle and encourage competition from a formidable foe. I will take my steps without looking and draw my arm with passion. I love to put a face with my battles and a name to my failures.

I allow passion to carry me like the winds of the ocean as they sweep me off to my destination. I let emotion riddle me with fleeting thoughts. I like to sit on the bank and think great thoughts. I love to discus great mysteries and allow my mind to discover new avenues of contemplation. A great debate is a treasure. To live with passion is to be an addict to the one of the most powerful drugs of all. To let adrenaline set in is to feed the monster like a junkie.

I am quick to draw a sword and just as quick to lay it aside to embrace friend or foe. I do not take advantage but yet do not allow for mistakes from my competitors. I celebrate a victory and morn a great defeat. I allow myself to make mistakes and support others in their endeavors. I believe in the team concept and am not unfamiliar with taking the bull by the horns and wrestling him to the ground.

I have starred a tiger down and out struck a viper. I have out run a lion and rode an ostrich. I have walked and talked with the animals, and have waited quietly for their responses. I commune with nature and love to teach another my secrets. I do not cast my pearls before swine but am not stingy with the truths that have been revealed to me. My mouth carries my voice loudly but my heart quietly waits the responses of others. I listen as intently as my emotions show my intensity.

I like to lead in the small things and let the large things take care of themselves. I like to be first, and charge the door of uncertainty with the vigor of a dea agent. I believe in others and only seek their respect in return. I like to be the first into battle, and will stay until it is over. I go out in the face of a storm and take off the raingear to be one with my fears. I love to lay by the shore and watch the clouds drift by in mindless shapes.

I love to lead pirate style.

Something wicked this way comes!

2009-04-06T22:40:00.008-05:00

Everyone is waiting for their ship to come in and this week it looks like my ship is arriving! I live aboard a Beneteau 331 which is a 34 foot coastal cruiser like the type of boat you would charter in the Virgin Islands or along the coast of Europe. There are many classes of sailboats that fit certain applications. For example there are truly lake boats that are very light weight and fun to sail but should never be on open water. There are coastal cruisers that are about as light but are equipped to stand up to tides/currents and are safe for open water navigation. There are blue water boats that are heavy and full of tankage for long ocean voyages and then there are race boats.

Now race boats also break down into classes from one design where everyone has the exact boat to PHRF (pronounced perf) racers. PHRF is a handicapping system used in yacht racing, so that boats that are not alike can race with each other and still have a chance to win. Yacht racing in many cases really isn't about the boat is it about the crew. The idea is to see who has the best crew so the boats are handicapped to give everyone a fair shot. Now there are several different systems and they all work in a common way of trying to take into account how a boat should perform but none of them work all the time and under all conditions.

The PHRF system is the system that most lakes and costal organzations use. Boats are given a number of seconds that they are given as an advantage based off of the baseline boat "a boat with a 0 rating" so a boat with a 150 rating gets a hundred and fifty second "head start" on the boat that rates a zero. So for example if the first boat crosses the line in 10 minutes (600 seconds) and the next boat finishes in 20 minutes (1200 seconds) but the first boat rates a zero and the second boat rates 120 and it was a 5 mile race then the second boat gets to subtract 120X5=600 seconds from their finish time so that both boats actually finish in a tie! Talk about shocking to find out you finished first eat lunch and still lost to the next boat or a boat that finished twentieth!

Well our teams race boat Second Star was a Beneteau First Series 33.7 and rated 123/126 depending on the event which is ok for cruising boats but very slow for serious race boats. Other elements come into play as well. As the boats get longer the theoretical hull speed also increases along with the sail area that they can carry. The math is pretty simple when you have a full displacement hull the boat can only go a limited speed as the boat will never get on top of the bow wake and plane. The formula is pretty simple even thought there are things it doesn't take into account it is relatively accurate; the square root of the waterline length multiplied by 1.35 is the basic equation. These aspects are all taken into account into your PHRF.

So what racers do is they lighten their boats and make them out of very strong but light weight materials like epoxy and carbon fiber! They also take great pains in engineering everything for a well oiled crew (that becomes movable ballast) to ensure that they boat can keep herself upright under the increased pressures. Everything in the boat is designed to go fast; hulls are not always built for the greatest stability race boats have semi displacement or even planing hulls. So one thing that happens is as boat get bigger (longer water lines) their PHRF typically goes down and as they rip everything including the seats and the microwave out the rating goes down even more. In the end we would not be complete without overloading these "shell" of a boat with incredibly large sails to bring the boats to life.

Now that I face my 4^th race season I will get to graduate to a new level of racing! Originally starting in the cruiser fleet or the "working class sails" group then to graduate to the "spinnaker" class group but be one of the slower "boats" in that class to now racing a brand new one design sport boat in the spinnaker class. We have been diligent and it has paid off for our team. We have seen a good amount of sailors come and go but the core team is still intact. When I started there was the skipper and his wife and whomever else he could con with food and drink to show up! Typically that meant 2 other people. Between the drinks, food and strong winds we would surely finish the race in the same day that we started, but that was not good enough. That first year we pushed very hard (at a pirates request) to raise the standards for crewmanship. Before having a way to get to the lake and a pulse was all that was required. By the end of the year we actually asked people if they had sailed before! By the end of 2006 we were ready to compete. Averaging a crew of 4-6 we started making our mark in the working sails division. By Spring of 2008 we were full time Spinnaker Class racers and as of Lakefest we will begin a new chapter in our racing careers! Now Second Star has new meaning as we will not have anyone in front of us to show us the way we will have to look for the "second star" As you may remember from your childhood:

"The second star to the right
Shines in the night for you
To tell you that the dreams you plan
Really can come true"

Except from "Second star to the right" song from Peter Pan

2005
Who is Second Star?
2006
Icebreaker Series Regatta 8th Place
Lakefest Regatta (I am not 100% sure on this one)
Leukemia Cup Regatta 1st Place (crewing for Sealake Yacht Sales)
Solstice Series Regatta 5th Place
Texoma Classic Regatta 5th Place Wunderlick Regatta 7th Place
Sundowner Regatta Did not compete
2007
Icebreaker Series Regatta 2nd Place
Lakefest Regatta 2nd Place
Leukemia Cup Regatta 1st Place (crewing for Sealake Yacht Sales)
Solstice Series Regatta 1st Place
Asbury Smith Memorial Cup 1st Place
Texoma Classic Regatta 9th Place
Wunderlick Regatta 1st Place
Sundowner Regatta 1st Place
2008
Icebreaker Series Regatta 1st Place
Cedar Mills Yacht Club 1st Place (Spinnaker) Beer Can Race Series
Lakefest Regatta 1st Place (Spinnaker)
Leukemia Cup Regatta 1st Place (crewing for Sealake Yacht Sales)
Solstice Series Regatta 4th Place (Spinnaker)
Asbury Smith Memorial Cup 4th Place (Spinnaker)
Texoma Classic Regatta 2nd Place (Spinnaker)
Wunderlick Regatta 2nd Place (Bob Sittle & J124) Spinnaker
Cedar Mills Regatta 2nd Place (Spinnaker)
Sundowner Regatta 6th Place (Spinnaker)
2009
Icebreaker Series Did not compete
Lakefest Regatta 5th Place (Spinnaker 1st Fleet)

Something wicked this way comes… Second Star Racing the saga continues…

From a PHRF of 123/126 to a renewed opportunity and a rebirth at 33 Second Star Racing is taking it to the next level. Almost a half a million dollars later and what do you get?

Perfection… See you on the water…

Pirate Mike