Motorcycling Mulholland Highway

By Jim Cathcart

This week the 10th annual Tiger Woods Chevron World Challenge Golf Tournament is being played here at Sherwood Country Club and after a morning workout followed by roaming the golf course with the players I decided to go for a motorcycle ride. A day of self-indulgence, Ahhhhh. Life is sweet. 

I recently bought a FlipVideo Mino video recorder. It's small enough for a pants pocket and has a mounting clip for my motorcycle's handlebars. Plus it records sound and self-focuses and adjusts for lighting. It's perfect for what I did today. 

I mounted it to my motorcycle, first on the back for a rear view and then on the front as I rode through Sherwood and Decker Canyon Road and up to Mulholland Highway. I then rode to The Rock Store, the famous motorcycle cafe hangout where all the movie stars like to congregate. Jay Leno is a regular there. Here's a photo of him that I took with my phone when he drove up in a Deusenberg one Sunday. Followed by a shot of the typical gathering of bikes there. 

Well today I affixed my trust FlipVideo to my bike and took off to ride my favorite roads. I've uploaded a portion of the ride to YouTube so you can see what it looks and feels like from the cockpit of my FJR1300 on a typical solo ride. (I ride slower with a back seat passenger.) On this ride I rode slower in the curves when there was shade because the road was wet & cold there. 

 

Above is a Yamaha factory photo of my bike. 

Anyway, it was a great ride and I hope you get a bit of the joy that I experienced today by watching this 4 minute video. 

Hope you enjoy it. 

Heartbreak Hiking Fools on Lang Ranch Trail

By Jim Cathcart

In an earlier post I mentioned my hiking habit. The title was "In Praise of Mountain Hiking". Well, my group is called "The Heartbreak Hiking Fools" after one of our least favorite and most pain-inducing hikes on Heartbreak Trail.
Today we hiked Lang Ranch trail, aka Phelan's Pholly (after Des Phelan who found the trail first).

Yesterday I bought a new FlipVideo camera and took it along today to capture the trail, the level of exertion and the group.
Here is the video, with 16 short pieces strung together without transitions. You'll notice the abrupt changes in scenery.
The entire hike to the top took me 36 minutes and 23 seconds but the video is only about 7 minutes long. I hope you enjoy it.



Read my earlier blogpost if you want to form your own hiking/biking/exercise group. It has many good ideas for how you can create a group that requires very little maintenance yet lots of fun.

www.cathcart.com

Motivation: Boys & Their Toys

By Jim Cathcart 

What motivates you?

Last weekend I rode my motorcycle, a Yamaha FJR1300, from Thousand Oaks, CA to Phoenix, AZ and back. I was there to attend a conference of the National Speakers Association. I'm a past president of NSA. 

The motives that caused me to attend were:

• The need to stay up to date on developments in professional speaking
• Concerns about the economy and seeking ways to deal with it 
• A desire to spend time with my trusted colleagues and friends 
• and an excuse to go for a long motorcycle ride. (Probably in that order.) 

I met with publishers, speakers, authors, internet marketers, trainers and humorists. We all compared notes on what we were doing differently in this volatile marketplace. It was well worth the trip. 

While attending this event I got in 17 hours of motorcycling (much of it across the vast Coloradoan Desert), borrowed the guitar from cowboy guitarist Doug Smith, and played about twenty oldies songs for my colleagues at one of the dinner events. 

I also met with my buddy John Schaefer and got to see his Titan Custom motorcycle. Take a look at these photos! His bike cost more than twice what I paid for my first home! 

Mine is the blue Yamaha, his is the extreme custom. I don't know whose Lamborghini that is but I'm grateful for the eye candy of having it there. 

No, I didn't ride in my business clothes, and I'm not telling you this story to brag. Well, not completely anyway. What I want you to notice is how much fun I was able to have while attending a business conference. You can do the same in your own way. 

Look at the events you have coming up: business meetings, outings, projects to work on, assignments to complete, etc. Then ask yourself, "How could I incorporate a little fun into the experience?" (And maybe save some money at the same time. My ride cost me hundreds less than a plane trip with all its attendant expenses.) 

Could you do the work in a more enjoyable place?

Could you involve some other people in the experience to increase your learning or ease your workload or change the nature of your experience? (I once had a book to read for work and my sister and I read it aloud to each other alternating chapters. We both learned and it was more fun.) 

Could you combine your workout with a needed discussion, maybe meet a colleague for a run or visit to the gym? 

Are there some uncommitted times available for you to insert a bit of fun into your work? 

Would it help for you to take the long road to the event so that you get some "windshield time" afterwards in which you can reflect on what you've learned? 

Is there a free evening where you could go to dinner with new friends or colleagues and build some relationship assets? 

The key to all of this is for you to be pro-active. It only gets better when you decide to make it so. Now, get out there and have fun...whistle while you work. 

P.S. Stay tuned to www.cathcart.com for the big changeover. We will be converting my website and my blogs into ONE new website with blogs and videos galore. 

CanDoGo motivational video clips

By Jim Cathcart

Last year I joined with Tom Hopkins, Tony Alessandra, Patricia Fripp and many others to contribute short video and audio messages to CanDoGo.com. This is a website that, at that time was selling training and motivation clips to be included into a company's sales management software. The idea was to have brief idea clips from top sales trainers at your fingertips.
Well, I have some exciting news. CanDoGo is now free!

Yep, they have decided to change their revenue model and to offer their messages for free. Check them out and let me know if I can help you to further improve your own skills or motivate your team to more innovation and initiative.
Jim

Here is the message I received from Michael Norton this week:

"I want to help you win:

CanDoGo’s exclusive Expert Sales, Leadership and Motivation Advice is now free!

That's right, free advice from Zig Ziglar to turn temporary setbacks into new successes. Free advice from Tony Parinello in reaching the Very Important Top Officer. Free advice from Dr. Tony Alessandra on building relationships and from Jill Konrath on selling to big companies. Free advice from Tom Hopkins. Free advice from Dr. Denis Waitley. Free advice from Andrea Sittig-Rolf, from Keith Rosen and from dozens of other experts.

CanDoGo offers more than 10,000 short, concise pieces of advice in video, text, and audio from over 150 of the greatest leaders, authors, speakers and motivators. Tips on leadership, motivation, sales techniques, networking, negotiation and much more, all there at your fingertips right now to achieve, succeed and thrive.
Visit the redesigned www.candogo.com. No registration required. Find what you need and plug it right into your workday. Forward the tips to your friends and family.

Everyone can benefit. Tell your friends and colleagues. Why not forward this email to them?

Enjoy, and best wishes on your road to success!

Michael Norton

Founder and CEO, CanDoGo

Rethinking: 10 Strategies for a Challenging Era

By Jim Cathcart

In October of 2008 our markets and institutions experienced a permanent shift. That's twice now since the Millennium that the game has changed. On September 11, 2001 I was shocked into the awareness that not only had we experienced a tragedy of epic proportions, we had also experienced a permanent shift in our daily life and business patterns. Never again could we trust at the level we had trusted before. That was true for our military and domestic defenses and now we find it true for our economy. 

Now is a time for us to rethink virtually everything. 
We have entered a challenging era, one in which previous assumptions about what was safe and what would work are no longer reliable. We must increase our scrutiny of our businesses and our lives before some government agency does it for/to us.

Here are 10 areas worth re-examining: 

1. The value we deliver to our customers. What do they really get by doing business with us? Is the cost worth the outlay or can we make it more valuable to them without unduly increasing our cost of delivery? How can we increase their satisfaction right now?  I call this "Up-Serving", looking for ways to be of more service without more cost. 
   
2. The customers and markets we are pursuing. Is there another group or subgroup that could benefit from and afford our offerings? Are we seeking the optimum consumers of our services? Can we offer more or different products/services to our existing customers? Should we be pursuing customers who were never on our radar before? 
   
3. The safety of working here. Is this a place where workers can relax in the assurance that we are looking out for them as well as our owners? Do we seek ways to show our people how much we value them? Do they truly know that they are appreciated? Do we listen to them, really? Do we protect them? 
   
4. The margin of profit from each of our endeavors. Are we truly spending $100 time on $100 activities or do we often expend prime time on low payoffs? Let's become more efficient and more effective simultaneously. 
   
5. The attitude we show day to day. People who work with us and buy from us are acutely aware of our own fear or confidence. We need to be intentionally and consciously building optimism and inspiring innovation. The only posture to operate in during challenges is Proactive & Positive. We need to be watching for ideas and opportunities on every front, especially from our own workforce. 
   
6. Sales efforts from every level. Nobody is exempt from sales efforts unless they plan to leave the organization. At times like this we need every clerk, assistant, technician, accountant, machine operator, driver, courier and cook to be "Thinking Sales." How and where can we see an opportunity to help someone else at a profit? All of us circulate in the world and become de facto ambassadors for the company. That means we are walking sales reps even though we may never make a sales presentation, nor ask anyone to buy. Let's train everyone to recognize sales opportunities and show them how to pass along the leads for our best responses. Incentives will help too. 
   
7. Our own work patterns. What worked last year may not work next year. We may have to begin doing some things we thought we had outgrown. It may be that we will need to re-ignite some old practices in order to generate new business. What time each day does your truly productive work begin? What do you regularly spend time on that has a low payoff value? Where is the highest and best use of your time? 
   
8. In what ways are we "spoiled"? Have you grown accustomed to certain luxuries or freedoms on the job that no longer make sense? What items that were once goals & dreams have you lately come to consider as entitlements? Lean and mean is the need right now. Roll up your sleeves more often and do what must be done. 
   
9. Our primary relationships. Everything we do is done through others on some level. When we change the nature or mix of whom we spend our time with, we also change our results. Give some strong consideration to who you'd benefit from associating with and who might be holding you back. Cut back on the limiting relationships and increase the high payoff ones. (See my other posts about Relationship Intelligence).
   
10. Our expenditures. This is where most organizations begin their reactions to challenges. But most organizations don't do very well. Those who thrive in tough times are the ones who realize that nobody ever saved their way to more income. You don't increase sales by cutting expenses, you do it by increasing the payoff from each expenditure. Look for ways to increase high payoff expenses and eliminate low payoff expenses. Ask what items and efforts could be re-purposed toward sales. 
    

The biggest challenge in meeting tough times is MINDSET. 

As FDR said, "the greatest thing we have to fear is fear itself." Mindset is the beginning point for all behavior. We must cultivate an abundance mentality: there is opportunity out there and we will find it. We don't have to fear our competition, we simply need to value and serve our customers. We needn't worry about customer's being loyal to us, we will begin by being more loyal to them. 

The second challenge is SKILLSETS. We must assure that everyone obtains the skills they need in order to:

• increase sales, 
• improve service, 
• identify opportunities, 
• generate innovative solutions and 
• sustain optimism. 
  

You don't just become better by deciding to. You must have the training, information and inspiration to do so. 

The third challenge is SYSTEMS. We must systematize processes and set standards that cultivate the right habits for success. 

When we do these things, challenge will be our friend. Let me know how we can help you communicate these messages, train people in these skills and refine the systems needed to make success a habit, even in tough times. 

Jim Cathcart 

www.cathcart.com 

Storytelling to Teach Success Principles

By Jim Cathcart

I recently spoke at the National Speakers Association convention in New York City to about 200 of my peers on the subject of using stories from your own life experiences to teach the lessons in your speeches and seminars. 

It was just over 9 minutes long and is presented here for your enjoyment. 

Feel free to pass this along to others. 

Drop me a note once you've seen it and let me know if ever I can help you craft your own presentation or deliver a speech to your organization. 

To schedule me for your group contact your favorite speakers bureau or contact my management team at info@cathcart.com. 

To see all of my topics, video clips and books visit www.cathcart.com. 

Sky Diving - Tandem Jump

By Jim Cathcart
(See also the full action video link at the end of this post)

It seems that the "rites of passage" experiences have all found their way to my path.

Though I never had the "Middle-Age Crazy" phase I have nonetheless done all the ethical things that go along with that process. My regular readers already know that I'm into motorcycles, cars, rock and roll, and mountain hiking. Well, yesterday I added sky diving to the list.

What a day! After a brisk mountain hike with my usual crew (36:03 to the top), I joined my friends Neil & Louise Paton in their private plane, a beautiful Cirrus, and flew to Lompoc, CA for the sky diving.

The sky remained overcast for almost two hours (we flew in on instruments) but finally cleared enough for the jump. Louise got the tandem jump as a birthday present from Neil and they invited me to go along. So I called in and quickly reserved my own tandem jump with SkydiveSantaBarbara.com. In a tandem jump you just follow the instructions of your jump master (the guy directly behind you.) He pulls the rip cord and makes all the life or death decisions. (And believe me, you are aware that they are life or death decisions!)

We flew for about 25 minutes before the jump. Our jump started at 13,000 feet (the towns were microscopic from up there.) And we opened the chute at 5,500 feet. I jumped first and Louise and her partner soon followed.

My jump master was Victor and I was strapped and hooked to his chest. He wore the chute and reserve chute and he would be pulling the rip cord. My job was to keep my back arched against him and legs together and feet back...and pray. All of which I did with fervor. When they opened the side door on our little plane he said, "put your legs out the door and keep your feet back". The next thing I knew we were airborne! There was no decision point with the fateful query, "Are you ready?" We just jumped. And boy did we jump!

I kept my eyes closed as we exited but then forced them open once we were somewhat leveled off. The 120 miles per hour descent is truly forceful but there's no ordinary sense of falling. However, check out the cheeks (and the hair) in this photo! We flew for about a full minute and then opened the chute. As it jerked us to a slower descent I could see our cameraman below us, on his back falling toward the Earth still filming us! Then he opened his smaller chute and quickly landed and resumed filming us from the ground. I saw my friend Neil on the ground about 4,000 feet below us and shouted hello to him. He later said he heard me clearly.

Then my new best friend Victor guided us to the landing where we came to a cold stop just as smoothly as standing up from a chair.

Wow, no exertion, no impact, just standing up. I was impressed. The thrill was fabulous, the experience memorable for a lifetime, and the lesson?

Heck, I don't know. It was just a great thrill ride. I've wanted to do this all my life and now my bucket list is one item shorter, but then, they do have more jumps available....hmmmm.

I'll reflect on all of this later and share my thoughts with you. For now, please enjoy the story and photos. I'll see you soon.

www.cathcart.com

Tandem jump from 13,000 feet at Lompoc, CA with Skydivesantabarbara.com. The first minute shows me before the flight and as we ascend. The second minute is me free falling at 120 mph. The third minute is the cameraman opening his chute and landing, then it switches to his footage of me landing. 4:42 total time.

P.S. If you would like to see all 88 of my photos from the jump I'll be happy to send you a link to my Shutterfly account. Just drop me an email request.

B.F.O. - Blinding Flash of the Obvious

By Jim Cathcart

I just returned from a motorcycle ride over the Santa Monica Mountains and along the length of Malibu. It's Labor Day weekend and tens of thousands were at the beaches. But I was lost in a world of thought. I've been pondering ways to describe more succinctly what it is that I do. 

This is a process I've been involved in for three decades now. How do I explain simply and easily how I help others? I've tried "Business Growth Specialist", "Professional Speaker and Trainer", "Business Advisor", "Executive Coach", "Psychological Researcher", "Business Author" and simply "Consultant." But none of these quite clicked for me. All were accurate but none truly captured the whole picture. 

Well today I had a BFO, a blinding flash of the obvious. 

I'm a Motivation Expert. 

For 31 years I've done motivational speaking all over the world, written 14 books on personal and professional development, conducted training on Relationship Selling and Customer Loyalty, owned a psychological research firm and collaborated with a team of researchers to help people understand how to make better choices in business and in life. I've earned every designation and award that a professional speaker could aspire to and yet, it has eluded me that I am and have been simply "A Motivation Expert." (duh!) 

I know motivation better than most people because I've studied it for more than 35 years. I've also practiced it in direct applications with client companies and my own teams around the nation. I know and am known by all of the top experts in this field and have the professional credentials and body of knowledge to back it up. How do we miss these things????? 

I've consulted with colleagues on hundreds of occasions and I seem to have a knack for defining what they do and how they can best communicate it. Why not for myself? I don't know, but I am humbly grateful for the insight God blessed me with this day. 

Now, I can finally answer the question, "what do you do?" 

I'm a motivation expert. I am an author, speaker, trainer, consultant and coach who focuses specifically on how to get people to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done whether they feel like it or not and still do it well. So I write books and articles, create training systems, deliver keynote speeches, conduct training programs, advise and consult with executive teams, and coach individual executives and top performers. I help them motivate themselves, their coworkers, their prospective clients and their families. I teach "Intelligent Motivation for a Challenging World." 

(I just captured the domain name: "themotivationexpert.com" to stake my claim a bit more firmly.) 

So, my friends whenever you need assistance in getting people (including yourself) to do what needs to be done, I'm your guy. I always have been, but now it's easier to explain it because I just noticed what the rest of the world has seen for decades. I'm a motivation expert. 

Now, go out there and do something that matters. :-)

Jim  

Three Blogs all with new posts

By Jim Cathcart

Hey Folks, I've mentioned before that I have 3 Blogs now, and lately I've made some really interesting posts to each of them. Please take a look and drop me a note if you wish. 

I am still exploring the best ways to get all the news out to all my friends and contacts. 

High Value Relationships Blog: www.highvaluerelationships.net

New post about my article in this month's issue of Success Magazine. 

Relationship Intelligence Blog: www.relationshipintelligence.net

New post about our visit to Colonial Williamsburg last week, with photos. 

My personal Blog: www.jimcathcartsblog.com 

That's this one. New entry about my being inducted in the "Legends of the Speaking Profession."

Thanks for reading and staying connected. 

More is on the way! 

Jim

www.cathcart.com

My direct email is jim@cathcart.com 

"Legends of the Speaking Profession"

By Jim Cathcart

Every industry has its ways of saying "I value what you do" to its members. In the field of professional speaking the awards include: 

• Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) - an earned designation from NSA, the National Speakers Association based on professional education and experience. 
  
• Speaker Hall of Fame (CPAE) - the Council of Peers Award for Excellence, bestowed by the Hall of Fame Board of Governors within NSA. 
• The Cavett Award - named for the founder of NSA, Cavett Robert. Given for a lifetime of unselfish service to the speaking industry in the spirit of its founder. 
• The Golden Gavel - given by the 230,000 members of Toastmasters International each year to one person they deem to be an example of speaking excellence. 

I have had the great honor to receive all of these awards in my 31 years of professional speaking. And, this past weekend, I was honored by a group of veteran speakers at the "Veteran Speakers Retreat" with the award called: 

• "Legends of the Speaking Profession" - for a career of "creativity, improvisation, risk-taking and willingness to share." 

It is a great affirmation of my contributions bestowed by the people I've known and admired these many years. Frankly, I'm a bit uncomfortable with the word "Legend" applied to me but grateful nonetheless. 

Other "Legends" include: NSA's first president, Bill Gove, Charles "Tremendous" Jones, Cavett Robert, Jeanne Robertson, Larry Wilson, Don Hutson, Norman Vincent Peale, Earl Nightingale, Joe Batten and Dr. Ken McFarland plus around 30 more. 

My wife, Paula, and I attended the Retreat in Hagerstown, MD, where by coincidence I had been the keynote speaker last year for the Chamber of Commerce's 80th Anniversary Banquet. 

It was a special time spent with some of the speaking industry's top performers. True masters of their craft. 

The inductees for 2008 were: 

• Jim Cathcart
• Danny Cox
• Ed Foreman
• Mike McKinley
• and posthumously- 
• Joe Batten 
• Dr. Ken McFarland. 

I consider the other "Legends" to be much more worthy of that designation than I. 

And, I'm really pleased to be counted among them. 

For further information on this award contact Ed Helvey, a long time colleague and friend who coordinates the activities of the Veteran Speakers Retreat. His email is: ed.helvey@gmail.com. 

I, too, now love New York!

By Jim Cathcart

For the past week I've been in New York's famous Times Square at the Marriott Marquis hotel to attend the annual meeting of the National Speakers Association (3,700 members) and the International Federation For Professional Speakers (the worldwide network of associations for speakers.) Total attendance at this week-long event was around 2,000 (in a down economy!)

Here is what it looked like at the opening general session. By the way, the theme for the convention was "NSA Rocks!" and it really did. 

The convention is the professional association's big yearly event where they offer several days of general sessions and breakout workshops on every imaginable topic related to speaking, training, consulting, coaching, performing, publishing, storytelling and communication in general. NSA is one of the best (certified via awards from ASAE and MPI) convention associations in the world. 

As a past national president of NSA and recipient of its CSP, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame and Cavett Award, I was involved from start to finish on boards, committees, panels, workshops, doing introductions, bestowing awards and giving presentations. But the highlight of the event for me was the "free night", Sunday. I and several of my colleagues got together to hold an "Informal Jam Session" in the Astor Ballroom. We brought guitars, keyboard, harmonicas, tambourines, ukeleles, flutes, songbooks and microphones. 

Then for FIVE HOURS we rocked the room! I sang for most of the five hours and sounded like a frog the next morning. Many professional speakers joined in and displayed their impressive musical talents. Here are some photos for your enjoyment. 

Those in the pix are myself and Patrick Henry, Alan Berg, Daniel Burrus and Rob Peck. 








No, I don't want to live in New York City, but there are few places I've been where I've had this much fun!
Thank you NSA and New York.

 

Cathcart now has his own town!

By Jim Cathcart

OK, everyone who has their own city or town please raise their hand. 

Yep, that would be me holding up my hand. 

Yesterday I got a fun envelope in the mail. My colleague Neil Dempster, a speaker from 

Scottsdale, Arizona sent photos from his recent trip to Canada. He had driven through the tiny town of Cathcart, Ontario on his way to a speaking engagement. 

Being the generous guy that he is, he searched for a place in Cathcart to buy a disposable camera so he could send me a picture. Seems they haven't grown quite large enough yet to have a place where one could buy a camera, so Neil drove to the next town and returned to take the photos you see here. 

So, the next time you are in Ontario, Canada please stop in and tell the fine folks in Cathcart that I said "Hello". I plan to make a trek to Cathcart myself as soon as I can. 

BTW, for those who are into genealogy and heraldry, Cathcart started as a place in Scotland. 

It was a castle (Cath) by the Cart River in Glasgow. We went there years ago and traced our family roots. The family's motto is "I hope to Speed." (Me too.) 

Happy travels everyone, may you discover your own town soon. 

Jim Cathcart 

www.cathcart.com 

Am I Cool yet?

By Jim Cathcart

I dug through all my old photo albums today for snapshots a colleague could use for the upcoming National Speakers Association convention, themed "NSA Rocks!" 

It was an exercise good for the heart and the funny bone. Man, it's been a fun journey. 

I hope you enjoy these blasts from my past and remember some similar ones from your past. 

The top photos are me and Paula at the Ozark Folk Festival in Mountain View, Arkansas in 1970. The two below it are from 1968 showing me and my friend Bob Teague as "The Harper Brothers." We performed three nights a week at local bars and clubs around Little Rock. 

The next photo is Jim Jr. at about 2 years old with Paula. Obviously being programmed by us to play the guitar. 

Then I found this photo of Jim Jr.'s son Jason looking at his future. Guitars seem to run in the family because we make sure to pass along the passion as well as the skills. 

Next we fast forward to 1989 when I was the president of the National Speakers Association. At our Dallas annual convention I rode into the foundation fundraiser party on a motorcycle, dressed in an Elvis outfit! Then I got on stage and sang "Happy Birthday Sweet 16" to NSA. 

Who says business has to be boring? 

I've had a lifelong love of motorcycles. My first big bike was this BMW R69US that I bought new in 1968. Today it would be a collector's dream. Then in 1995 I had a Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 and my sister photographed me in front of the Hard Rock Cafe near my La Jolla office. 

Life is sweet and I've been amazingly fortunate. Thank God for all my blessings. And thank you for indulging my ego. Am I cool yet? (Or does asking that question eliminate the possibility of being cool?) 

Now what do we do?

By Jim Cathcart

I've experienced a nice new mini-trend lately. At the end of my keynote speeches at conferences in Aspen and Orlando the client had scheduled an implementation session. 

In Aspen they took an hour working at small roundtables to allow the 300 people to discuss the ideas covered in my keynote and make note of what they will do to apply the ideas. This was facilitated by their company leaders and each table reported their best ideas. The recording and notes from this session were posted along with my keynote and slides on the company's website for everyone to download or review, even those who didn't get to attend the meeting.

 

My next client, in Orlando, assembled a panel of seven company leaders onstage after my speech. For the next hour I facilitated a discussion of the specific steps and key points that the 680 person audience needed to apply to get full value from my message. Then my speech and notes were posted online for the entire company to review. 

In both cases my topic, Relationship Intelligence (tm)- how to create & grow High-Value Relationships, was vitally important to the company and they wanted to assure that my listeners truly applied the message after the convention. All it took to orchestrate this was: 

• Scheduling a one hour follow-through program immediately after my speech
• Involving the company's leaders in an open discussion with the attendees 
• Recording the event and posting it on the website 

The follow through "back home" becomes much easier when this process is followed. Each team leader can select the ideas that apply most directly to their team and continue to focus on them until implementation is complete. If more structure is desired then a system for follow through can be designed easily. 

As for me, the role of keynote speaker becomes even more enjoyable because I know that the ideas will be applied rather than merely heard. The old complaint that "motivation doesn't last" becomes moot because the action and application focus will assure a lasting impact. 

It is natural that people would ask, "Hey, I really liked your message. We can use that. So, now what do we do?" Let's assure that we present our people with opportunities to implement the ideas we bring to them. As my friend Kevin Buck says, "Without reflection there is no true learning." So, make time at your next meeting to discuss application of the messages and then hold people accountable for taking action. 

For more ideas on how to assure that the learning sticks, give me a call or drop me a note. 

Jim Cathcart  www.cathcart.com 

P.S. the next time someone says to you "motivation doesn't last", tell them, "Neither does a bath but it's still a good idea now and then." 

A Way Out Of A Confrontation

By Jim Cathcart

Many years ago when my son was in high school we had a disagreement. I don't remember what it was about but he had chosen that moment to take a stand against my authority. Whatever the subject was it didn't call for extreme effort on my part or Jim Jr.'s. It was just a case of a teenager resisting the authority of a parent. 

The reason I'm telling you this story will become apparent soon. 

Our discussion had reached a decision point. Either he was going to comply with my demands or we would have an escalating argument. He chose to dig in his heels and defy me. 

After a brief reflection on the situation I said, "Jimmy, are you SURE you want to defy me on this? You do realize that I have all the power, all the resources and the ability to force compliance if I choose to, right? In other words, Son, you are going to lose this fight. Do you still want to defy me?" 

His posture softened a bit as he considered his position and then he said something that completely changed the situation. 

He said, "But Dad I didn't know what else to do." 

He had wanted to resist my authority but not to the point of creating a conflict. He just didn't know yet how to do it. He had the intellect but not yet the skills to handle such a negotiation. 

Well, I melted. I just hugged him and almost cried. 

The next time you find yourself in an escalating conflict with someone, whether it is an unsympathetic technician, a service provider, a partner or a family member...pause. 

Take a moment to "helicopter up" and get some perspective on your situation. Let go of your emotions temporarily and just observe what is going on. 

Then once you can see more clearly, re-engage with a different approach. It might just take all the anger out of the air and lead to a better conclusion. The fact that we are right or that we mean well doesn't necessarily mean that we are handling the situation correctly. 

Last week I was caught in a seemingly endless process of trying to get tech support to solve a problem with synchronizing my new computer with my phone, router and printer. The problem had persisted for days and I was losing productivity by the minute. When the tech rep started me through the same process for a third time, I interrupted and said, "Is it likely that we will get a different result this time?" She said, "It's possible but not likely." I replied, "Is there someone who trained your team that you could refer me to? I want to see if there is a better way to approach this problem and it appears that we have reached the limits of your training, is that true?" She reluctantly admitted that it was true. So we ended our conversation and I went on to another source with higher skills. 

If I had not taken time to reflect on the scenario then I'm pretty sure that call would have ended with harsh words and hurt feelings. 

So, here's today's advice Boys & Girls; 

When what you are doing isn't working, Stop. Pause and reflect. 

Ask yourself what is missing. Notice more about the situation. 

Then either stay the course, if appropriate, or take a new direction. 

It may not be that the person doesn't care, nor that they don't respect your needs. 

It may just be that they didn't know what else to do. 

For more on this and other interpersonal techniques check out my Relationship Intelligence (tm) Blog. 

Speech and Living Room Concert in La Jolla

By Jim Cathcart

Recently I notified you of an upcoming performance for the San Diego Chapter of the National Speakers Association. Well, it was fantastic!

On May 30th I gave a keynote speech at the Hilton San Diego Resort to a group of 300 staffing professionals. The theme of their convention was "California Dreaming" and I was the opening speaker. When I was introduced, instead of playing a sound track as they had done for the previous speakers (convention chairman, etc.), once I got to the stage all dressed like a typical speaker in my blue suit, white shirt and tie...they brought me a guitar!

The audience giggled and I said, "OK, if it turns out that I can actually play this thing, will you agree to go nuts with applause?" They laughed and said yes.
Then I started singing and playing California Dreaming by the Mammas & Pappas, and true to our agreement they gave me wild applause. And they sang along.
When I put the guitar down I told a story about the importance of dreams and the need to challenge yourself with bigger dreams.
"If you aren't a little scared about whether you will succeed then your dreams aren't big enough."
I concluded the speech with a repeat of the song and they all joined in the fun. Standing ovation, tons of smiles and a great event all around.
And then......

That evening I went to Greg Godek & Karyn Buxman's home in La Jolla where twenty members of the National Speakers Association had assembled for some fine wine, great food and professional development. It was billed as "Jim Cathcart Un-plugged" and I spoke for about 30 minutes on how my speaking career had evolved over the years. We all discussed how my career transitions and theirs could be handled better. It was a good learning discussion.
And then......

I picked up my guitar, as promised, and played songs we all knew. After 38 songs! I was exhausted and happily hoarse. We all had a wonderful time and vowed to do it again soon.


Here is a sample of the songs we sang. (Yes, I'm aware that this seriously dates me.)

California Dreaming

I believe in Music/ I’d like to teach the world to sing

Don’t Be Cruel

Bye Bye Love

Riding Free (my motorcycling ballad)

Thank the Lord for the Night Time

Solitary Man

Sweet Caroline

Blowing in the Wind

Where have all the flowers gone

American Pie

Fire & Rain

Don’t Think Twice

Folsom Prison / Understand Your Man

His Latest Flame

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Bird Dog

All I have to do is Dream

House of the Rising Sun

Proud Mary

GLORIA

Little Latin Lupe Lu

Louie Louie

Country Roads take me home

I’ve got friends in Low Places

Surfing USA

Gentle on my Mind

Rhinestone Cowboy

If I were a Carpenter

Secret Agent Man

Suspicious Minds

Puff the Magic Dragon

We’ve Gotta Get Out Of This Place

If I had a Hammer

This Land is Your Land

Alice’s Restaurant (a bit)

Hotel California

If I'd had enough voice and energy left we could have done 100 more songs. As you can see from the photo, the women in the audience responded especially well. :-)



At the NSA national convention this summer in New York I'm joining several of my colleagues for a music night with a full band of us amateurs. We will have guitars, keyboards, drums, horns and microphones. With 2,000 speakers at the event this could turn into something huge.

Here's my question for you:

When is the last time you had a simple and fun "Jam Session" with your people? How about combining some of your business training with a kick back event like this? You could do it Karaoke style if you prefer, or just do a "living room concert" as we did. The net effect is a great sense of camaraderie and happiness all around. And it takes very little planning or staging.

Find your song, create an opportunity and let the music flow!

The Ultimate Taxi - Aspen, Colorado

By Jim Cathcart




Yesterday I was in Aspen, CO for a speech on "Behavioral Economics" to a group of insurance executives at the St. Regis Hotel (what a great venue!)

While I was there, on the advice of my friend Mike Howe I booked a taxi ride.
That's right a taxi ride. But not just any taxi, this was a yellow cab owned by Jon Barnes and appropriately dubbed "The Ultimate Taxi."

Ultimate Taxi Website

Jon has created a theme park on four wheels. Here is the description from his website.

The World Famous Ultimate Taxi is a 1978 Checker with 493,768 miles on the odometer. The Taxi has been modified with 4 Red Lasers, 1 Green Yag Laser Projector, Wildfire Blacklight Effects, Color Kinetics C-30's, LightWashers, LightOrbs, Mini-Strobes, Color Changing Fiber Optics, a Mirror Ball, a Dry Ice Fog machine, 14 Mini Stage Lights, a Killer 900 Watt Alpine 6 Disc CD System, the Yamaha PSR-620Keyboard, Yamaha DD-55 Digital Drums, a Nikon CoolPix 4300 digital camera, the Panasonic EZ-1 DV Cam, a Sony GRS700 Notebook Computer, a Sony Mini Dye-Sub Photo Printer , an Aironet 2 Megabit high-speed Wireless LAN, an SFX Haze Machine, a Nokia Cellular Phone, and 100 feet of Cool Neon EL Wire from elbestbuy.com.















Paula and I took the ride with our friends Connie Podesta and her husband Chuck Heinz. I'll post a few of the photos here, but you've got to visit the website and see the interviews on Fox and other stations to get a true feel for it. Also, until you ride in the cab you cannot truly "get it" as to how much fun this is!













During the ride Jon plays the keyboard, the electric drums, an electric clarinet and even shows a roller coaster ride on the computer screen!



Yes and he still drives...about 15 miles per hour. There is no way to leave his cab with a frown. You'll feel good all night.




























Now you've just got to ask yourself, if he can do this with a taxi ride and become nationally famous for making it so much fun, How can I add some fun and creativity to what I offer so that the word of mouth advertising pays off even better than my paid promotion? If you need my help on thinking about that drop me an email.

Enjoy! And a special thank you to Jon Barnes.
Jim Cathcart