The word “change” certainly was bandied about enough during the last election. Personally, I don’t understand why that became such a popular theme. I learned a long time ago whether in business, in negotiations or life in general, there is only one constant, and that constant is “change!”

Now that we are looking at an ever-increasing rate of change in legislation, regulation, the global economy, lending guidelines and just about everything else in which the government is involved, the real question is how best to prepare to deal with it.
The answer is fairly simple. You need to develop a strategic predicated upon addressing the changes, or the challenges, you anticipate.

There is a proven process to implement a plan to successfully confront these anticipated challenges. I have had the opportunity to implement this process at profit and non-profit organizations. The basic approach to building an effective plan is to structure a “bottom-up” cross-functional plan that has consensus at the operating level. The plan is designed to be completely achievable on the basis that each level of management is committing or “contracting” to the next level that their “priorities” will be achieved. Upper management’s “contract” is to commit the resources necessary to enable the team to succeed. It is the teams that develop the “priorities” and define the human and financial resources required to achieve them, through a process of group discussion and negotiation. In summary, the effective plan utilizes a team approach. It is predicated upon a process to establish “priorities” from which results will flow as opposed to setting financial objectives and then attempting to build a plan to achieve an arbitrary level of sales and profits.

I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage that there are two things in life of which you can be certain — “death and taxes.” Well, I’m here to tell you that there really are three: death, taxes and change. In the business environment you can be absolutely certain that circumstances — both internal and external – will change during your plan period. These are the challenges that will need to be addressed in your plan.

In simple terms, the internal factors are specific to you, your organization and/or your company. The external factors or influences are driven by customers, the market environment, economic influences, unions, government regulation, shareholders, lending institutions, some or all of which may have to be considered. The “priorities” are the key items that the team has agreed to focus their efforts on to enable the organization to address the identified challenges.

So do you have a plan to deal with the changes taking place, or are you just dancing to a different tune?

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To all that have taken time to check out some of the articles and stories on my web site, and to those that have left a comment, thank you for the visit(s). I can only hope that some of the experiences, stories and insights I have shared with you have helped you and will continue to help you with your future negotiations and business dealings.

And, an even bigger thanks to those of you that have supported my book “Beyond the Chicken Dance.”

For the next few months, I am going to focus on updating and republishing my book. The next edition will include some of the stories you have been kind enough to share with me about your negotiating successes. I also intend to include some of the things I have learned from those that have participated in some of my seminars, radio interviews, etc. during the past two and a half years. My hope is to provide you with more tools to enhance your relationships and your negotiations.

I’m going take a break from publishing here on a regular basis while I undertake this effort. Please check in on beyondthechickendance.com I may just surprise you periodically with some new stories and learnings from time to time.

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Thomas Jefferson was a very remarkable man who started learning very early in life and never stopped.

At 5, began studying under his cousin’s tutor.

At 9, studied Latin, Greek and French.

At 14, studied classical literature and additional languages.

At 16, entered the College of William and Mary.

At 19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wythe.

At 23, started his own law practice.

At 25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.

At 31, wrote the widely circulated “Summary View of the Rights of British America” and retired from his law practice.

At 32, was a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress.

At 33, wrote the Declaration of Independence.

At 33, took three years to revise Virginias legal code and wrote a Public Education bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.

At 36, was elected the second Governor of Virginia succeeding Patrick Henry.

At 40, served in Congress for two years.

At 41, was the American minister to France and negotiated commercial treaties with European nations along with Ben Franklin and John Adams.

At 46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.

At 53, served as Vice President and was elected president of the American Philosophical Society.

At 55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions and became the active head of Republican Party.

At 57, was elected the third president of the United States.

At 60, obtained the Louisiana Purchase doubling the nation’s size.

At 61, was elected to a second term as President.

At 65, retired to Monticello.

At 80, helped President Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.

At 81, almost single-handedly created the University of Virginia and served as its first president.

At 83, died on the 50th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence along with John Adams

Thomas Jefferson knew because he himself studied the previous failed attempts at government. He understood actual history, the nature of God, his laws and the nature of man. That happens to be way more than what most understand today. Jefferson really knew his stuff. A voice from the past to lead us in the future:

John F. Kennedy held a dinner in the white House for a group of the brightest minds in the nation at that time. He made this statement: “This is perhaps the assembly of the most intelligence ever to gather at one time in the White House with the exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.”

Some of Thomas Jefferson’s quotes:

When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.

It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.

No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.

And, in 1802, Thomas Jefferson said:
I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property – until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.

What amazing foresight from a wise man!

In GOD we TRUST!

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He was a very remarkable man who started learning very early in life and never stopped.

At 5, began studying under his cousins tutor.

At 9, studied Latin, Greek and French.

At 14, studied classical literature and additional languages.

At 16, entered the College of William and Mary.

At 19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wythe.

At 23, started his own law practice.

At 25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.

At 31, wrote the widely circulated “Summary View of the Rights of British America” and retired from his law practice.

At 32, was a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress.

At 33, wrote the Declaration of Independence.

At 33, took three years to revise Virginias legal code and wrote a Public Education bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.

At 36, was elected the second Governor of Virginia succeeding Patrick Henry.

At 40, served in Congress for two years.

At 41, was the American minister to France and negotiated commercial treaties with European nations along with Ben Franklin and John Adams.

At 46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.

At 53, served as Vice President and was elected president of the American Philosophical Society.

At 55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions and became the active head of Republican Party.

At 57, was elected the third president of the United States.

At 60, obtained the Louisiana Purchase doubling the nation’s size.

At 61, was elected to a second term as President.

At 65, retired to Monticello.

At 80, helped President Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.

At 81, almost single-handedly created the University of Virginia and served as its first president.

At 83, died on the 50th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence along with John Adams

Still don’t know who he was? Come back to the blog tomorrow to find out more!!

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As opposed to plans developed in an atmosphere where broad, grandiose objectives are set at the top of the organization, effective plans are “bottom up,” cross-functional plans that have consensus at the operating level.  Effective plans embody the following characteristics:
They are based on a vision of the future
They are focused on customer needs
Everybody is involved and informed
Goals are integrated at each level to support the vision, and to ensure that one area’s plans complement those of other areas
Every objective supports the overall plan goals and vision
Specific responsibilities are assigned to people to ensure that planned actions are implemented and that progress is being monitored
There are scheduled progress reviews

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6. Music. This is one of the saddest parts of the change story. The music industry is dying a slow death. Not just because of illegal downloading. It’s the lack of innovative new music being given a chance to get to the people who like to hear it. Greed and corruption is the problem. The record labels and the radio conglomerates simply self-destruction. Over 40% of the music purchased today is “catalog items,” meaning traditional music that the public is familiar with. Older established artists. This is also true on the live concert circuit. To explore this fascinating and disturbing topic further, check out the book, “Appetite for Self-Destruction” by Steve Knopper, and the video documentary, “Before the Music Dies.”

7. Television. Revenues to the networks are down dramatically. Not just because of the economy. People are watching TV and movies streamed from their computers. And they’re playing games and doing lots of other things that take up the time that used to be spent watching TV. Prime time shows have degenerated down to lower than the lowest common denominator. Cable rates are skyrocketing and commercials run about every 4 minutes and 30 seconds. I say good riddance to most of it It’s time for the cable companies to be put out of our misery. Let the people choose what they want to watch online and through Netflix.

8. The “Things.” That You Own. Many of the very possessions that we used to own are still in our lives, but we may not actually own them in the future. They may simply reside in “the cloud.” Today your computer has a hard drive and you store your pictures, music, movies, and documents. Your software is on a CD or DVD, and you can always re-install it if need be. But all of that is changing. Apple, Microsoft, and Google are all finishing up their latest “cloud services.” That means that when you turn on a computer, the Internet will be built into the operating system.

So, Windows, Google, and the Mac OS will be tied straight into the Internet. If you click an icon, it will open something in the Internet cloud. If you save something, it will be saved to the cloud. And you may pay a monthly subscription fee to the cloud provider. In this virtual world, you can access your music or your books, or your whatever from any laptop or handheld device. That’s the good news. But, will you actually own any of this “stuff” or will it all be able to disappear at any moment in a big “Poof?” Will most of the things in our lives be disposable and whimsical? It makes you want to run to the closet and pull out that photo album, grab a book from the shelf, or open up a CD case and pull out the insert.

9. Privacy. If there ever was a concept that we can look back on nostalgically, it would be privacy. That’s gone. It’s been gone for a long time anyway. There are cameras on the street, in most of the buildings, and even built into your computer and cell phone. But you can be sure that 24/7 “They” know who you are and where you are, right down to the GPS coordinates, and the Google Street View. If you buy something, your habit is put into a zillion profiles, and your ads will change to reflect those habits. And “They” will try to get you to buy something else. Again and again. All we will have that can’t be changed are Memories, but from my perspective that’s all we get to take with us when all is said and done so maybe it’s not all that bad.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT….. MOST OF THESE THINGS ALREADY ARE TAKING PLACE AND THE OUTCOME ALREADY MAY BE SET IN STONE, SO DON’T JUST WAIT FOR IT TO HAPPEN; PLAN FOR IT !!!

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Whether these changes are good or bad depends in part on how we adapt to them but, ready or not, here they come!
The key is to ensure that you are well prepared by having an effective plan in place to deal with these changes before they are here and you have to react to them.

1. The Post Office. Get ready to imagine a world without the Post office. They are so deeply in financial trouble that there is probably no way to sustain it long term. Email, Fed Ex, and UPS have just about wiped out the minimum revenue needed to keep the post office alive. Most of your mail every day is junk mail and bills.

2. The Check. Britain is already laying the groundwork to do away with checks by 2018. It costs the financial system billions of dollars a year to process checks. Plastic cards and online transactions will lead to the eventual demise of the check. This plays right into the death of the post office. If you never paid your bills by mail and never received them by mail, the post office would absolutely go out of business.

3. The Newspaper. The younger generation simply doesn’t read newspapers. They certainly don’t subscribe to a daily delivered print edition. That may go the way of the milkman and the laundry man. As for reading the paper online, get ready to pay for it. The rise in mobile Internet devices and e-readers has caused all the newspaper and magazine publishers to form an alliance. They have met with Apple, Amazon, and the major cell phone companies to develop a model for paid subscription services.

4. The Book. You say you will never give up the physical book that you hold in your hand and turn the literal pages. I said the same thing about downloading music from iTunes. I wanted my hard copy CD. But I quickly changed my mind when I discovered I could get albums for half the price without ever leaving home to get the latest music. The same thing will happen with books. You can browse a bookstore online and even read a preview chapter before you buy. And the price is less than half that of a real book. Just think of the convenience once you start flicking your fingers on the screen instead of the book, you find that you are lost in the story, can’t wait to see what happens next, and you forget that you’re holding a gadget instead of a book.

5. The Land Line Telephone. Unless you have a large family and make a lot of local calls, you don’t need it anymore. Most people keep it simply because they’ve always had it. But you are paying double charges for that extra service. All the cell phone companies will let you call customers using the same cell provider for no charge against your minutes.

Not concerned about these changes? There are more on the horizon. Check out Part II in tomorrow’s blog.

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