Happy Birthday ParentLink

A lot can happen in 20 years,
Happy Birthday ParentLink!
20 Years ago I today I was promoted from an auto detailer to lubrication mechanic, a move that changed the course of my life.
My childeren were 4 and 6, I weighed 135 lbs.
While I worked at Morris Motors my wife, Dianna worked at The Utah State Hospital. Our rent was $225.00 amonth I made 6.75 an hour, life was good then and now.
here is what else happened.

1989 In Technology the 486 series of microprocessor is released by Intel opening the way for the next generation of much more powerful PC's and Microsoft releases it's Office Suite including Spreadsheet, Word Processor, Database and Presentation Software which today still dominates in office applications. Following Massive protests against the Berlin Wall bringing about the collapse of The Berlin Wall and the East German Government both are dismantled which leads after many years to the reunification of East and West Germany. In China Pro democracy protestors clash with Chinese Security Forces in Tiananmen Square and the pictures of a man taking on a tank are seen on TV news throughout the world.
Parlant Technology makes its first sale.
　
Cost Of Living 1989
How Much things cost in 1989
Yearly Inflation Rate U.S.A. 4.83%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 2753
Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve 10.50%
Average Cost of new house $120,000.00
Average Income per year $27,450.00
Average Monthly Rent $420.00
Average Price for new car $15,3500.00
1 gallon of gas 97 cents
US Postage Stamp 25 cents

In the News

The Phillips 66 Chemical Complex in Houston, Texas has a series of explosions and fires killing 23 employees.
Serial killer Ted Bundy is executed in Florida's electric chair
In Alaska's Prince William Sound the Exxon Valdez spills 240,000 barrels (11 million gallons) of oil after running aground
Leona Helmsley the billionaire hotel operator is convicted on Tax Fraud Charges ( Hooray!)
The Loma Prieta earthquake, measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale, strikes San Francisco Bay Area in California, killing 63
Technology
Parlant Technology rates #1 in sales of School to Home communications
　
The first of 24 satellites of the Global Positioning System is placed into orbit
　
Nintendo begin selling the Game Boy in Japan
　
Voyager II passes the planet Neptune and its moon Triton and sends pictures back to earth.
　
The 486 series of microprocessor introduced by Intel.
　
Scientists pronounce 1989 as the warmest on record possibly a sign of the greenhouse effect
　
Florida and Virginia allow use of DNA genetic fingerprinting evidence as admissible
　
First release of Microsoft Office. which was a bundle of Microsoft's office applications, such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel , Dependent on the Version you purchased would depend on which applications were included

Popular Culture 1989
The first episodes of the Simpsons are shown

Popular Films

Batman
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Lethal Weapon 2
Twins
Back to the Future Part II
Ghostbusters II
The Little Mermaid
Driving Miss Daisy
Parenthood
Dead Poets Society
Licence to Kill
Honey, I Shrunk The Kids
My Left Foot
When Harry Met Sally. Popular Musicians

Popular Musicians

Duran Duran
Paul McCartney
Phil Collins
Prince
Madonna
Erasure
The Bangles

Major World Political Leaders 1989

Australia Prime Minister Bob Hawke
Brazil President José Sarney
Canada Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
China Chairman of the People's Republic of China Yang Shangkun
France President François Mitterrand
Germany Chancellor Helmut Kohl
India Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi Till 2 December
India Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh From 2 December
Italy Prime Minister Ciriaco de Mita Till 22 July
Italy Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti From 22 July
Japan Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita Till 3 June
Japan Prime Minister Sosuke Uno From 3 June
Japan Prime Minister Sosuke Uno Till 10 August
Japan Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu From 10 August
Mexico President Carlos Salinas de Gortari
Russia / Soviet Union
General Secretary of the CPSU Mikhail Gorbachev
South Africa State President Pieter Willem Botha Till 15 August
South Africa State President Frederik Willem de Klerk From 20 September
United States President Ronald Reagan Till January 20,
United States President George H. W. Bush From January 20,
United Kingdom Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
　
　

Thanksgiving 2009

From the WIKI:
Thanksgiving Day is a harvest festival. Traditionally, it is a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general. It is a holiday celebrated primarily in Canada and the United States. While perhaps religious in origin, Thanksgiving is now primarily identified as a secular holiday.
The date and location of the first Thanksgiving celebration is a topic of modest contention. The traditional "first Thanksgiving" is the celebration that occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in 1621. The Plymouth celebration occurred early in the history of what would become one of the original thirteen colonies that became the United States. The celebration became an important part of the American myth by the 1800s.[citation needed] This Thanksgiving, modeled after celebrations that were commonplace in contemporary Europe, is generally regarded as America's first. Elementary school teacher Robyn Gioia has argued that the earliest attested "thanksgiving" celebration in what is now the United States was celebrated by the Spanish on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida.[1][2] Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving dinner is held on this day, usually as a gathering of family members and friends.
Celebrating Thanksgiving is a mixed bag, I am thankful for my wife, life, family, friends and colleagues
For the Job I have and the home it helps to provide.
I know things are not always the way you wish them to be and things do go wrong and though it may sound weird for this too I am thankful. That said, I must explain. When the things in my life go the way they have these little blessings in disguise have a way of making things right in the end. If you are lucky (and, I am) then things wind up better than ever. I am truly thankful!
This day is (to me) not so much as a day of "Thanks and Praise" to a higher authority but a day of reflection for me, taking stock of how things went (so far) this year and what is to come of it. My hopes are risen my resolve to do better renewed, I have a great meal and I have a more positive outlook on a full stomach and triptophan overdose. Give thanks and Praise!!
!
Festivus is soon upon us! But that is yet another day.

The Rules of Failure ( a little Humor)

We all know we have goals and rules to follow.
and soon be trained on what not to do
here are some more (place toung in cheek)

George Santanya said, "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." If we continue in practicing the failure rules something much worse could happen. The rules are:
Resist learning anything new that could lead to more responsibility–
Don’t share what you know with others–
Be a jerk!–
Always look out for Number One–
It’s all about the money–
Promise things you have no intention of doing–
It’s always someone else’s fault–
Truth is in the mind of the beholder–
Do the least that’s necessary for success–
The customer is someone you have to put up with–

I have done all of these at one time or another and have learned much along the way.
Please do remember these rules are so true and if avoided then success is at hand

Tilting Towards Windmills!

"The Quixotes of this Age fight with the Wind-mills of their owne Heads."
John Cleveland

Just then they came in sight of thirty or forty windmills that rise from that plain. And no sooner did Don Quixote see them that he said to his squire, "Fortune is guiding our affairs better than we ourselves could have wished. Do you see over yonder, friend Sancho, and thirty or forty hulking giants? I intend to do battle with them and slay them. With their spoils we shall begin to be rich for this is a righteous war and the removal of so foul a brood from off the face of the earth is a service God will bless."

"What giants?" asked Sancho Panza.

"Those you see over there," replied his master, "with their long arms. Some of them have arms well nigh two leagues in length."

"Take care, sir," cried Sancho. "Those over there are not giants but windmills. Those things that seem to be their arms are sails which, when they are whirled around by the wind, turn the millstone."
Cervantes' Don Quixote

In this “automated world” There are some things that have to be done by hand. I like things that are hand crafted not matter if it is new or old as I know it has that Human touch. With all of its beauty and “Craftsmanship” there are things, flaws and imperfections that make it that way.
Take a task I must run each day. I understand that it is supposed to be scheduled and run automatically but things being what they are, I must do this one myself.
If I can I run it from home (on my way out the door) and off to work I go! Some times this cannot be done and is the first thing I do each day.
The Customer, Jorge (not his name) sends an e-mail upset that the “temporary fix just does not work and we are not doing anything about it!” HAHAHA! I am the fix for now (can I go home since I do not work?)
I work! I am getting e-mails now after I run the task, saying it doesn’t work and I send Jorge the e-mail telling him to check the process.
Oh how I want to send this instead.
Hey how is it you , you missed me running this thing? Go look it is there! So calls us and be rude again, I really like it when you attempt to have each of us feel small and cheap. But being a professional I don’t
Dealing with rudeness is difficult at best. But once something goes wrong or not done right on time (Stuff happens) This, they do not want to hear.
I had a Death in my family not too long ago. I missed some time from work and a project I was working on was left to sit for 3 days. I was the owner of the ticket and management would not allow the job to someone else.
I got back to work and contacted my customer (a man much like Jorge) and explained the situation. He did not acknowledge why I was not right on the task, just that the task was not completed. This taught me not to go fishing for empathy and makes for akwardness when haveing to dispence some when needed.
We get calls from clients that have the same situation and Empathy flows like water. We train on it we practice it. We do our level best to identify with our customer so they feel better about the product and us as technicians ( note that I did not say individuals).
We do it because it is the Human thing to do! It helps to alleviate stress on the caller’s part. Helps them learn to look at a situation before calling it a problem. We feel better in the process.
Then there is Jorge! We all have one. That one customer devoid of empathy, or any concept of understanding.
The problem is "The Quixotes of this Age fight with the Wind-mills of their owne Heads." By Hollering at technology Created by Humans yelling at machines doing things for Humans that get yelled at by humans for being Humans.
I love irony!

Company Loyalty or Self-Reliance?

I pondered company loyalty and came across this letter and thought it very fitting. I am very proud of the company I work for we do lots of good things for our customers, My job is not taxing and I work with a group of fine professionals. To that end I owe more gratitude to my position than loyalty, I save loyalty to my friends, family and faith.


Loyalty isn’t a good term for describing the relationship between an employee and an employer in an industrial organization. When did your company ask you to take a loyalty oath? When did your company pledge loyalty to you? I think you’re confusing terms. Integrity, honesty, and compassion are noble attributes that you and your employer have every right to expect, but not loyalty.

My dictionary defines loyalty as “being faithful in allegiance to one’s lawful sovereign or government; faithful to a private person to whom fidelity is due; faithful to a cause, ideal or custom.” Your company or any other company is neither sovereign nor government. Nor is it a person, a cause, an ideal, or a custom.

You and I go to work each day, and we are expected to put out our best efforts and use our talents to their fullest. Perhaps we are even expected to serve above and beyond the call of duty (or at least beyond what we feel our current pay justifies!). In turn, we expect a fair wage, or at least an agreed wage. That is where loyalty begins and ends; we give our service, and the company pays us for it.

When any employee works through a whole weekend to repair a machine so the factory can open on Monday, this is not an act of loyalty to a company. When an individual or group works arduous hours to prepare a persuasive presentation to a prospect, this is not an act of loyalty to an employer. When a lawyer works nights to complete a brief, it is again not an act of loyalty to a firm. Rather, these are acts of loyalty to ourselves, to us as individuals who are making the sacrifices.

People work hard and extend themselves because they expect something in return. They expect to be paid for their efforts and eventually to receive a promotion, a bonus, or even just a pat on the back.

I would not be disloyal to my employer if I failed to do my best; I would be disloyal to myself. And if a company retained an employee in spite of mediocre performance just because he or she has 20 years' service, supposedly out of loyalty, it would actually be disloyal to other employees and the stockholders.

Remember when you and I worked with Ed What’s-His-Name, who had been with the company 10 years longer than we had and was earning ten percent more than we were? You and I wondered why we weren’t all paid the same salary since we were doing the same work. We questioned the fairness of a seniority system that resulted in Ed’s higher rate of pay. We never did resolve that question of fairness, but you and I both ended up with better jobs than Ed. So in the long run, what good did Ed’s loyalty do him?

Loyalty to or from a company isn’t something to give or expect. Loyalty is an act each person gives or shows to himself or herself. When an employee says he or she has been loyal to a company, I hear this: "I haven’t changed jobs or sought another job. I have (without being asked) devoted my time to this organization.”

"Loyal" employees want to avoid the pain in cutbacks, but was this deal in the original hiring agreement? Did the company ever promise that "X" years of service would ensure a job until retirement?

A while back, The Wall Street Journal reported that a 12-year veteran with a soft-drink company was leaving to become executive vice-president of a competing company. Was Mr. X disloyal for leaving his company for a better job? Was I disloyal to our employer when I left 10 years ago? Were you loyal because you stayed on for another 10 years? Would someone who stayed there 40 years have been twice as loyal as you, who were there 20?

If we must be loyal to our employers, then any new company must be composed of employees who were disloyal to their last employers. After all, they left that job to work for the new company.

I've had several employers, and I would like to think I gave to each above and beyond the call of duty. But I was acting out of loyalty to myself. I was striving for advancement, for rewards, and for the security that comes only from being valuable to my employer. I’ve left companies to take new jobs that offered advancement in responsibility and money—but not out of an act of disloyalty to my employer. It was an act of loyalty to myself, to my cause, to my ideals.

None of this is to say that long service shouldn’t be recognized or protected. But companies must be explicit in saying that long service will be recognized or protected, and not have it as an assumed policy—an assumption made by employees. From my vantage point, compassion and understanding usually aren’t a part of the human resources development program. (The term human, in industry, does not imply humane.)
Remember that what you owe to your employer is honesty, integrity, and hard work.


Source: http://www.winstonbrill.com/bril001/html/article_index/articles/151-200/article175_body.html
From: What Price Company Loyalty?
by Harvey Gittler

Mr. Gittler, of Oberlin, Ohio, is a retired manufacturing executive who writes and lectures on management issues.
Permissions pending

Meanwhile back at the woodshed…He got his comeuppins…

I was taken back the other day when a client called my boss and reported that I was short with her and she felt I was talking down to her. Now I am one to call a spade a spade (only if it is a card) and a shovel a shovel. Needless to say this has prompted me to re-think some practices and how to develop, a more sincere and empathetic approach to callers. I am adding improved customer satisfaction to my anual goals and hope I can get the "Right Feedback" from this and other clients. I have been keen to point out problems with calls and take little notice of my own ( even my ego gets in the way) I am not that great negative feed back) and really take it to heart when someone becomes upset over the way things are. I am Blunt, honest and straight forward in dealing with customers. I want the same from anyone I deal with, but I should go easy on BLUNT. So what have I learned? That feedback is good, Opinion matters (see my previous posts!)
My point is that collecting customer feedback isn’t just about finding out what your customers are unhappy about–instead, it’s about gaining a better understanding of what your customers want, need and care about most in order to create more and lasting value for them.

And, if you do happen to receive some negative comments along the way, don’t take them personally. Instead, view that feedback as an opportunity to improve. As Bill Gates, chairman and founder of Microsoft, once said, “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning”. And he’s right. Talking to your customers and listening to their feedback is the only means through which you can gain clarity about what’s most important to them. Plus, if you listen closely, it may even show you where and how to gain a competitive advantage and retain that customer and more.

Thanks to http://blog.allegiance.com/ for a few words and inspiration.

You are Fired (the last act of a customer)

A note before you read this, I have tried to show in this blog what it takes to treat a customer correctly. This is the end result when you do not.


Dear Cynthia Hardy Young et al., Re: Policy US280231363
This letter is to inform you of my intention not to renew my policy with you. This decision is based on the abysmal performance of your company relating to a fire I had at my residence on January 28, 2009 Claim # Z1075870. Some of the things which have frustrated me include the use of incompetent third parties for damage assessment and investigation, which aggravated an already-stressful experience. The hassle of the inefficient claim process took huge quantities of time away from my work and family. The process was further complicated by the fact that I had to contact the adjuster, Chris Nakano numerous times to get the information I needed to create the inventory that the Crawford Company should have handled from start to finish. Furthermore, after the Field Claims Adjuster for Crawford cleared my damaged building for demolition, the restoration company took half of my inventory to the dump. Mr. Brattos (the Adjuster) had already taken a haphazard inventory, but he had issues that forced his removal from the company (with prejudice). This resulted in a loss of documentation regarding my inventory and an inadequate reimbursement for my personal property. Finally, after the dismissal of Mr. Brattos I was forced to waste more time calling supervisors to get Mr. Nakano to contact me. Even when he did, his attitude and deportment were less than professional. Finally, these events have tarnished my child’s name, sullying the reputation of a 7-year old who was wrongly blamed for this disaster. This travesty of a claim process has managed to lose both you and your parent company a customer.
Your third-party Fire Inspector informed me on-site that he could not determine the cause of the fire, but after his investigation was complete, he blamed my 7-year-old son. This conclusion seems unjust and arbitrary, as it was not based on facts uncovered in his investigation, but rather on his assumptions.
I have never had the misfortune to be treated in this manner by any other company. Fires are stressful enough without being mislead about my insurance coverage by a company that touts how fast and fair they are. It is my opinion that a complete review of the performance of the Claims and Property Reimbursement Departments in the California Office should take place, and that corrections with personnel be “fast and fair.”
I work in the communications field and have been in the customer service industry for over 40 years. Your complete lack of compassion and disregard for the feelings of your customers is a disgrace. Should any of my subordinates act in a similar fashion they would have been summarily dismissed!
This experience has cost me possessions and memories that according to the policy were not covered. For the items that were covered, the estimated replacement costs of brand-name items were priced using generic items of lesser quality from lesser stores to diminish the payout, which should have been the full replacement cost. The exclusion of a personal property item, my Father’s 1972 Chevrolet El Camino that had not been on the road for over 5 years (pending the completion of restoration) was extremely upsetting. The replacement of the 8-person hot tub from a specialty vendor with one from Home Depot at less than half of the prices we quoted from web investigation is another significant example of this nefarious practice.
As a customer of your company, I have been made to feel that if I pay my premium and don’t say a word, then I am the perfect customer. However, the moment something happens that requires action from you, I become merely an expense to be minimized or ignored if possible. I have been treated with disdain and contempt because now you have to do something for the paychecks you get from the silent ones. As of today, it has taken almost eight months to recover from this, and almost all of the reimbursements for my destroyed possessions (those that were actually counted) have gone to the rebuilding of the garage. 10% of the value of the home is not reasonable to rebuild a large stand-alone structure from the ground up. Consequently, I was forced to put 20,000 of the 39,000 I had been given for the replacement of destroyed items into the rebuild.
Now I have chosen a new company with a better service record and higher coverage, although at over twice the amount it cost to have your service. I guess the old adage is true “You do get what you pay for,“ although I would argue that in the case of your company, I did not even receive that. My experience has been chronicled and posted for all to see along with this termination letter. To that end I hope that no one has to go through the hell you have assisted in putting me and my family through.
We as customers have the right to be treated with compassion and respect. You as a company have not succeeded in this. You as a company will find this is not the way to treat your customers. I hope more follow me in discontinuing policies with you to the point where you have to ask for a bailout. This company should take pride in its service and reputation, but in my eyes and those of my family and friends, you are a shabby, untrustworthy, unscrupulous, slack-jawed group of con artists who think that the bottom line is profit, when the bottom line should in fact be the people you serve.