Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Travel Log - Star date 20080823 - Duncansville, PA
Plane, train or automobile: Matrix. This car sips gas - I got 37.3 mpg on this trip!
Mission: Management Training for 12 Store Managers.
The One with The Talker.
This was quite the talkative group. One manager liked to monopolize the conversation and say the same thing over and over. I was using all of my facilitator tricks to minimize his talk time without completely shutting him down, and this guy just kept talking! I spent the first break trying to figure out what else I could do, and was ready for my last ditch attempt when several participants came back early and said "Hey, we told XXXXX to cool it. He is wasting our time saying the same thing over and over and there is nothing that anybody here can do about it". Problem solved!
I had forgotten that groups will many times discipline themselves - I was glad that the correction came from them so that I could maintain his trust with me as a facilitator. In the end, it worked out well because he was great at summarizing the key talking points, which meant that one of their own was telling them how they could use the skills. Much more powerful that way!
Number of human interactions: 17. Had to include various waitresses, etc in the count.
State(s) visited: WV, MD (for about 100 yard), PA
City visited: Duncansville, PA
Interesting fact about this city: They have a Tijuana Flats! You may have figured out by now that I reeeeaaaaalllyy like burritos, and frequent Moes, Chipotle, etc. while on the road. Tijuana Flats is high on my list, and I thought that they were mainly in Central Florida. The founder is a UCF grad, so I have to support a fellow alum.
Halpert says: A little taste of Florida... in the middle of nowhere in Pennsylvania.
Mission: Management Training for 12 Store Managers.
The One with The Talker.
This was quite the talkative group. One manager liked to monopolize the conversation and say the same thing over and over. I was using all of my facilitator tricks to minimize his talk time without completely shutting him down, and this guy just kept talking! I spent the first break trying to figure out what else I could do, and was ready for my last ditch attempt when several participants came back early and said "Hey, we told XXXXX to cool it. He is wasting our time saying the same thing over and over and there is nothing that anybody here can do about it". Problem solved!
I had forgotten that groups will many times discipline themselves - I was glad that the correction came from them so that I could maintain his trust with me as a facilitator. In the end, it worked out well because he was great at summarizing the key talking points, which meant that one of their own was telling them how they could use the skills. Much more powerful that way!
Number of human interactions: 17. Had to include various waitresses, etc in the count.
State(s) visited: WV, MD (for about 100 yard), PA
City visited: Duncansville, PA
Interesting fact about this city: They have a Tijuana Flats! You may have figured out by now that I reeeeaaaaalllyy like burritos, and frequent Moes, Chipotle, etc. while on the road. Tijuana Flats is high on my list, and I thought that they were mainly in Central Florida. The founder is a UCF grad, so I have to support a fellow alum.
Halpert says: A little taste of Florida... in the middle of nowhere in Pennsylvania.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
15 Years of Wedded Bliss
The Travel Wife and I celebrated 15 years of marriage on August 14th and decided to host a pool party / bbq with friends. We ended up with about 30 people hanging out on the back deck watching the Travel Kids and friends frolic in the pool while I worked the grill for about 3 hours straight. No one left hungry!
Travel Wife and I made it through 15 years for several reasons:
Travel Wife and I made it through 15 years for several reasons:
- I am good at starting something and she is good at finishing something. So I get us going and just about the time I am ready to call it quits, she pushes us to the finish.
- We both learned early on in our marriage that you should edify your spouse - especially to other people. When I worked in a store, the cashiers loved the fact that when my wife called I always said "Hi, Gorgeous". I still call her that to this day. Christmas time is a great time to work in my department because Travel Wife goes into "super baking mode" which means cookies and brownies almost daily for my coworkers. I tell people that my wife is like Michael Jordan (only not bald, or black, or particularly skilled at basketball) - just an all around awesome wife. I tell them that when in "super baking mode", she is like Michael Jordan in the playoffs - a seemingly impossible increase in greatness and ability.
- We enjoy the same TV shows, movies, books, etc. There is no "I want to watch my show..." fight - we just have to decide if we want to watch House, Chuck, Heroes, CSI, The Office, Sarah Connor Chronicles or Magic basketball.
- We share our money. None of this "my money pays for this, and your money pays for that" crap. Even though I have always supplied most of the income (and all of it for several years), we have always paid for everything out of one account. What's ours is ours.
- We don't use the D-word - divorce. We never use that as a threat to manipulate the other. It's not on the table.
- We have a strong faith. We study our faith and learn from each other all the time. I pray every day that God will help me be the husband she needs to follow His plan for her life.
- We just like being around each other. Some times, it's just sitting next to each other while we read and other times it takes a conscious effort to engage in that "hard" conversation about money or health or other life issues.
She has a blog where you can see actual photos from the ceremony. You will also learn more about my "Clark Kent" persona - who I am when I am not traveling the United States.
Now I have to get to work on the next 15 years....
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Travel Log - Star date 20080816 - Williamsport, PA
Plane, train or automobile: Matrix. This car is awesome - we went to get a small refrigerator for a party we had planned and ended buying several other items as well. We got out to the Matrix and realized that the back cargo area had some bottled water, a case of Mike's Hard Lemonade and some stuff for my upcoming work trip in it. Here is what we squeezed into the Matrix:
- Travel Man
- Travel Wife
- Travel Kids (2)
- A 2.7 cubic foot refrigerator
- Two boxes containing training manuals
- Case of water
- Case of Mike's Hard Lemonade
- Small bag of grass seed
- Large back of seed mulch to put over the grass seed
- A large cast iron skillet and pan combo
Also on this trip, I cashed in my Moe's Passport and am now the proud owner of my very own Moes T-Shirt!
Mission: Management Training in Williamsport, PA
Number of human interactions: 15! Finally, a decent sized class! I was getting worried after The One with Two People.
State(s) visited: PA
City visited: Williamsport, PA
Interesting fact about this city: Home of the Little League World Series. It started the day after I left, so I was going out as most people were coming in.
I stayed at a quaint, cozy hotel in downtown Williamsport - the Genetti Hotel. Let me put the description into common terms for you: quaint = hasn't been updated for 50 years; cozy = the smallest hotel room I have ever been in. I opened the door to my room and noticed that the door juuuussst cleared the bed. To my right was a bed, dresser and TV. I had to turn sideways to get between the dresser and bed to get to the window air conditioner. To my left was a desk, closet, armchair and bathroom. I could put one foot in the bathroom and touch my bed at the same time. I could sit in the armchair and put my feet up on the bed (or on the desk, or reach the sink). Now in fairness to the Genetti, I did book the cheapest room they had and the map on the door indicated that the other 30 or so rooms per floor were much larger. You get what you pay for.
I also had the opportunity to try a sticky bun from Mr. Sticky's. If you have never had one, I would suggest not eating for several days before trying one (Michael Phelps would have trouble eating one in a single sitting, and he eats 12,000 calories a day). This delicious concoction weighs about 2 pounds and makes a dent in the plate if you drop it. Serious sticky bun!
Halpert says: I am still trying to finish my sticky bun - it is bigger than me!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Travel Log - Star date 20080809 - Minneapolis Part II
Plane, train or automobile: I spent the weekend prior to this workshop in South Dakota visiting my family, so there is a flight involved (just not on SkyHigh Airlines). My rental car was a very appliance like Kia Spectra - 4 wheels, 4 doors, a seat and a steering wheel.
Mission: Mangement Training. Boy, did I make an assumption that came back to bite me! When we had originally booked this class, it was going to be a combination of two divisions with half of each division going one month and the other half of each division going the following month (this class). I assumed that both divisions were sending all their managers. The division managers wanted to make a change and have each division attend as a group - no problem for me as I had already booked both trips. Last month in Minneapolis, I had one full division and was looking forward to working with the second group. The first day of class arrived and I was all set up and ready to go. I was chatting with a couple of management Team Members when the DM asked if I wanted to get started. Lo and behold, it was 9 a.m.!
Me: "Where is everyone?" I was looking at the two (2) people sitting in the room.
Him: "This is it."
Me: "There's only two."
Him: "Yep."
Me: "You remember how this works, right? I need at least 3 people to form one skill practice group..."
Him: "I'll sit in."
Me: "Are you sure you want to do this? We could save some meeting room expense, lodging expense and rental car expense and let these two get back to their stores."
Him: "They made the commitment. Let's do it"
So my previous low of 7 participants has been eclipsed by this class - hereafter known as "The One with Two People" (extra bonus points if you can tell me what popular TV show named each episode "The One...." (Travel Wife should let both of my other readers have a chance to answer first)).
I learned a lot adapting the course to two participants, and ended up having a successful session.
I also had the opportunity to have dinner with the attendees and a spouse, after which we went to Starbucks (the spouse who joined us works at Starbucks, so we got a really good discount!). The locals like to head down to Lake Front Park, so we spent some time down there walking around and people watching. Overall, a very pleasant evening!
Number of human interactions: 4
State(s) visited: MN, WI. Wisconsin always brings a smile to my face. It is the 48th state that I have visited. I used to spend my summers on my dad's moving van traveling all over the United States moving people. I had been in 47 states, with Wisconsin being the only state in the Lower 48 that I had missed. It took until 2005 for me to get to Wisconsin. I was with some coworkers and as our car neared the border, I stuck my arms and legs straight out in front of me (I was not driving) and started yelling "Finally! Finally!". I had to explain my outburst before they sent off for a drug test.
City visited: Hudson, WI.
Interesting fact about this city: A nice little town on the St. Croix river.
Halpert says: Ha, it only took me 8 months to get to Wisconsin!
Mission: Mangement Training. Boy, did I make an assumption that came back to bite me! When we had originally booked this class, it was going to be a combination of two divisions with half of each division going one month and the other half of each division going the following month (this class). I assumed that both divisions were sending all their managers. The division managers wanted to make a change and have each division attend as a group - no problem for me as I had already booked both trips. Last month in Minneapolis, I had one full division and was looking forward to working with the second group. The first day of class arrived and I was all set up and ready to go. I was chatting with a couple of management Team Members when the DM asked if I wanted to get started. Lo and behold, it was 9 a.m.!
Me: "Where is everyone?" I was looking at the two (2) people sitting in the room.
Him: "This is it."
Me: "There's only two."
Him: "Yep."
Me: "You remember how this works, right? I need at least 3 people to form one skill practice group..."
Him: "I'll sit in."
Me: "Are you sure you want to do this? We could save some meeting room expense, lodging expense and rental car expense and let these two get back to their stores."
Him: "They made the commitment. Let's do it"
So my previous low of 7 participants has been eclipsed by this class - hereafter known as "The One with Two People" (extra bonus points if you can tell me what popular TV show named each episode "The One...." (Travel Wife should let both of my other readers have a chance to answer first)).
I learned a lot adapting the course to two participants, and ended up having a successful session.
I also had the opportunity to have dinner with the attendees and a spouse, after which we went to Starbucks (the spouse who joined us works at Starbucks, so we got a really good discount!). The locals like to head down to Lake Front Park, so we spent some time down there walking around and people watching. Overall, a very pleasant evening!
Number of human interactions: 4
State(s) visited: MN, WI. Wisconsin always brings a smile to my face. It is the 48th state that I have visited. I used to spend my summers on my dad's moving van traveling all over the United States moving people. I had been in 47 states, with Wisconsin being the only state in the Lower 48 that I had missed. It took until 2005 for me to get to Wisconsin. I was with some coworkers and as our car neared the border, I stuck my arms and legs straight out in front of me (I was not driving) and started yelling "Finally! Finally!". I had to explain my outburst before they sent off for a drug test.
City visited: Hudson, WI.
Interesting fact about this city: A nice little town on the St. Croix river.
Halpert says: Ha, it only took me 8 months to get to Wisconsin!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Travel Log - Star date 20080803 - South Dakota
Plane, train or automobile: Unfortunately, I did not get to fly SkyHigh Airlines (we really need to get them signed up as the corporate airline). I flew Delta back up to Minneapolis and spent some time with my mom, cousins and grandparents.
Mission: Visit the family. My mom remembers almost everything that people ever say and she remembered part of a comment I had made two years ago when I visited by myself. I mentioned that I didn't draw a big crowd without the Travel Kids back then, so she made sure that I had plenty of adoring fans on this trip. My aunt and uncle, two of my cousins and their husbands (and kids!) were at my mom's house for Friday Night Pizza - on Saturday night.
We then went to see my grandparents on Sunday - they are both over 90 years old and still feisty! They had gone to a wedding the day before, at which my grandfather claims to have gotten a bruise on his hand from fighting off the girls. I hope that I can have that much fun 50 years from now!
Speaking of family, Travel Wife and I decided not to attend her cousin's wedding in September; mainly because they don't want any children present at the wedding. Travel Wife got the invitation with hotel information for New York City - the nuptial location. The cheapest hotel was $279 a night! Contrast this with my family in South Dakota - as my mom was discussing visiting the grandparents, she said that we would leave the Springs about 3 p.m. and my uncle and cousins all said "You can have dinner at Ruby Tuesdays in Mitchell!". When we arrived at my grandparents, we confirmed our departure time and my grandmother exclaimed "You can have dinner at Ruby Tuesdays in Mitchell!" My family treated that restaurant the same way I would treat Disney World, the Eiffel Tower or the Grand Canyon!
Number of human interactions: 11
State(s) visited: MN, SD
City visited: Yankton and Wessington Springs. My mom lives in Yankton and absolutely loves it there. My grandparents live in "the Springs". Check out the population on the Wessington Springs page
Interesting fact about this city: Anne Hathaway House and Shakespeare Gardens. My grandparents put a lot of time and effort as volunteers over the years making the Gardens what they are today. As recently as last year, my grandmother was still on the payroll.
Halpert says: Shakespeare... in South Dakota???
Mission: Visit the family. My mom remembers almost everything that people ever say and she remembered part of a comment I had made two years ago when I visited by myself. I mentioned that I didn't draw a big crowd without the Travel Kids back then, so she made sure that I had plenty of adoring fans on this trip. My aunt and uncle, two of my cousins and their husbands (and kids!) were at my mom's house for Friday Night Pizza - on Saturday night.
We then went to see my grandparents on Sunday - they are both over 90 years old and still feisty! They had gone to a wedding the day before, at which my grandfather claims to have gotten a bruise on his hand from fighting off the girls. I hope that I can have that much fun 50 years from now!
Speaking of family, Travel Wife and I decided not to attend her cousin's wedding in September; mainly because they don't want any children present at the wedding. Travel Wife got the invitation with hotel information for New York City - the nuptial location. The cheapest hotel was $279 a night! Contrast this with my family in South Dakota - as my mom was discussing visiting the grandparents, she said that we would leave the Springs about 3 p.m. and my uncle and cousins all said "You can have dinner at Ruby Tuesdays in Mitchell!". When we arrived at my grandparents, we confirmed our departure time and my grandmother exclaimed "You can have dinner at Ruby Tuesdays in Mitchell!" My family treated that restaurant the same way I would treat Disney World, the Eiffel Tower or the Grand Canyon!
Number of human interactions: 11
State(s) visited: MN, SD
City visited: Yankton and Wessington Springs. My mom lives in Yankton and absolutely loves it there. My grandparents live in "the Springs". Check out the population on the Wessington Springs page
Interesting fact about this city: Anne Hathaway House and Shakespeare Gardens. My grandparents put a lot of time and effort as volunteers over the years making the Gardens what they are today. As recently as last year, my grandmother was still on the payroll.
Halpert says: Shakespeare... in South Dakota???
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Travel Log - Star date 20080802 - Certfication Plan
Plane, train or automobile: Matrix - car of choice of superheroes everywhere!
Mission: A little personal development this time. I spent some time with our Commercial Sales Team to learn about our DIFM (Do It For Me - repair shops) Acceleration strategy. Time well spent!
Number of human interactions: 2 plus a lot of visits to repair shops!
State(s) visited: NC
City visited: Charlotte
Interesting fact about this city: Charlotte is the Queen City of the South. I usually see Charlotte from the air, and from the inside of the airport.
Halpert says: I didn't even know there was stuff outside the Charlotte Airport!
Mission: A little personal development this time. I spent some time with our Commercial Sales Team to learn about our DIFM (Do It For Me - repair shops) Acceleration strategy. Time well spent!
Number of human interactions: 2 plus a lot of visits to repair shops!
State(s) visited: NC
City visited: Charlotte
Interesting fact about this city: Charlotte is the Queen City of the South. I usually see Charlotte from the air, and from the inside of the airport.
Halpert says: I didn't even know there was stuff outside the Charlotte Airport!
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