Corrections or additions?
This article by Barbara Fox was prepared for the December 4, 2002
edition of U.S. 1 Newspaper. All rights reserved.
Learn to Risk And Learn to `FISH’ — Neil Orkin
It sounds like a young man’s dream. Upon graduating
from college, pack two suitcases, one with winter clothes and one
with summer clothes, and travel to a foreign country where you don’t
know the language and don’t have a job. Survive — and prosper
— by finding a job, learning the language — and build your
career on the experience.
own experience to inspire others. A graduate of the University of
Michigan, Class of 1982, he has a master’s degree from Columbia
University
and an EdD in adult education and corporate training from Rutgers,
where he ran the corporate training program, focusing on cross
cultural
challenges. He opened his own firm, Global Training Systems, in
Hillsborough
in 1996.
Orkin also comes to the training field with genetic as well as
academic
qualifications. His father was the first dean of Somerset Valley
College
(before it was Raritan Valley), and was president of Union County
College.
Orkin will teach "Motivating Yourself and Others through Positive
Communication" on Thursday, December 5, at 9 a.m. at the North
Branch campus of Raritan Valley Community College. Presented in
conjunction
with the Small Business Development Center, the full-day course costs
$95.
"Motivating yourself goes far beyond saying affirmations in front
of a mirror," says Orkin. "I’m a big believer in getting
involved
to build your skills." He is vice president of the Society for
Human Resources Management, active in the National Speakers
Association,
and also involved in the Princeton Institute of Management
Consultants.
Orkin advocates getting to know people as opposed to playing business
card frisbee. "Words on a piece of cardboard won’t do it,"
he says.
a competitive advantage. Simply doing what you say you will do 100
percent of the time is rare enough to set you apart.
and CDs and books by Tom Peters, Ken Blanchard, Brian Tracy. It gives
you confidence."
a good idea. "When I went to Japan, I had done some research.
For instance, go to a professional group to find out the
possibilities."
As part of Orkin’s presentation, the course will include a screening
and discussion of the video "Fish," filmed at the World Famous
Pike Place Fish, a fish market in Seattle that has turned into one
of the city’s premiere tourist attractions. Created by ChartHouse
Learning of Minneapolis, the video shows how applying the principles
of teamwork and personal accountability helped the fishmongers change
a failing business into a hugely successful venture.
A fish market seems like a strange place to hunt for management
consulting
gold, but Seattle saw it happen: the transformation of a failing
business
into a successful one. "Selling fish can be an unpleasant
business,"
says Orkin. "It’s cold, smelly, and you have to get up at the
crack of dawn. But they changed how they look at their work. To them
it is much more than selling fish, it is communicating with the
customer.
They call out orders to each other, create a lot of energy and have
a lot of fun. People walk by there just to get the energy. It started
informally. Then, by having meetings, it gave people some
responsibility,
and they started to do better."
A consultant noticed the change, made a video, and four years after
the video’s release it is a best-selling corporate education film
and is available in 14 languages. There is also a book, "FISH!
A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results!" by Steve
Lundin, John Christensen of ChartHouse Learning, and Harry Paul of
the Ken Blanchard Companies, published by Hyperion
Among the keys of the FISH! Philosophy:
the theory that if you enjoy something, you put more effort into it,
and creativity results.
kindness or special attention, lifts the spirit of two people, the
giver and the receiver.
one life to live. Why miss it? Focus on the person or task with which
you are engaged. Listen at a deep level. What wears you out is doing
something halfheartedly while thinking about something else.
and you will find it. Look for the best and you will find it.
yourself
with an attitude you don’t want, you can choose another.
because they would come to the market to buy their lunch. Now the
yogurt dudes come to the market to pick up something else — a
dose of energy.
— Barbara Fox
Top Of Page
Insurance Knowhow
Some insurance costs are rising, and some are falling.
Learn about the major forces and variables affecting several types
of key insurance — liability, casualty, terrorism — at a
meeting
of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties on
Thursday, December 5, at 7:30 a.m. at the Woodbridge Hilton in Iselin.
a panel that includes
Balcam of Corporate Risk Advisors;
R. Kelly Associates; and
$75. Call 732-729-9900.
With extensive expertise in commercial and residential real estate,
Geisenheimer provides consulting services for law firms involved in
commercial real estate. Congressman Ferguson (Republican, 7th
District)
serves on the financial services, transportation and infrastructure
and small business committees in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Balcalm’s focus is on risk management programs, and Fersko, who chairs
the organization’s real estate and business department, has expertise
in environmental law. Kelly has a commercial mortgage banking company
and will consider insurance from the perspective of different kinds
of loans, including portfolio loans, CMBS transactions, construction
loans, bridge loans, floating and adjustable transactions done with
life insurance companies, commercial and savings banks.
The panel will discuss strategies for dealing with current challenges
in the industry, how the current market is responding to the September
11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, and what the future
holds for commercial property owners.
Top Of Page
D&R Canal: Plans For Kingston
The Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission has issued
a 10-year master plan to improve the 60-mile course of the historical
canal. This ambitious plan contains 31 projects, ranging from adding
signs to promote use of the park to making big changes where the canal
intersects with Route 27 in Kingston.
Meetings on the plan will be held on Tuesday, December 10, at 7:30
a.m. at the commission’s headquarters at Prallsville Millsite,
Stockton.
A second discussion will be Thursday, December 12, at 7:30 p.m. at
the Lawrence Township municipal building on Route 206. Call
609-397-2000
for information.
The proposed plan would create a link to the 600-acre Institute for
Advanced Studies property, which is now separated from the canal by
one privately-owned property and a channel of water. "If that
property can become part of the preserved land in this area there
will be a 1,300-acre natural area in the heart of the Route 1
Corridor,"
says the plan. Also included are projects to increase the parking
capacity for where the canal intersects with Washington Road and
Harrison
Street.
Kingston Lock (near the former Winepress restaurant) would be
developed
as a major access point, but a separate master plan and special
funding
would be needed for this. The plan notes that Kingston contains
historic
structures, the Millstone River and Lake Carnegie, a canal lock,
natural
areas, a linking path to the Cook Natural Area, and enough space for
people to congregate. "Add to this the fact that Kingston is right
next to a bus stop that connects Princeton with New York City and
it is obvious that this should be a major access area," suggests
the plan.
Corrections or additions?
This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com
— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
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