Laverne

What happens when the Sensei or Sifu of your martial arts dojo goes batty, or simply loses the respect of his senior students, or he neglects their training, gets sick, moves away, phones-it-in, disappears altogether, or dies?

Can he be replaced, and if so, by whom?

This is a succession issue that most family businesses face. The founder, who personally knew every client and employee, along with their birthdays, strengths and weaknesses, becomes incapacitated or is no longer able to lead.

Much of his trade skill he kept sequestered between his ears. Figuring he would live and lead forever, he never bothered to groom a successor, or he figured one of his family members would gladly step into his shoes.

Possibly, to forestall a coup, he purposely decided to teach his minions part of his arcane secrets, but no more. Without the real skinny, he might have calculated, theyll fall flat on their faces if they mutiny, or otherwise try to kick him aside.

Its reasonably straightforward to recruit a stranger, a professional manager to run a 7-11, or a shoe repair shop, or even an accounting practice.

But can a dojos spiritual and practical leader be swapped out with the same ease, while ushering in a sense of continuity and calm?

I, for one, think existing gurus are tough acts to follow, for at least a few reasons:

(1)Theyre older, perhaps way, way older than their lieutenants. Age, in a dojo, and perhaps in churches, temples, and places of worship, connotes a connection with tradition. And much of the spiritual and pragmatic authority in martial arts comes from being able to trace ones lineage to impressive forebears. Having a sage of a certain age around, lends credibility.

(2)Theyre experienced, especially from a business-cycle standpoint. Theyve weathered good times and bad, booms and busts, and they kept their portals open. When new students think of signing up, they see some gray hair and infer the place will be in business for a long time to come, certainly long enough for them to achieve senior rank.

(3)Theyre probably too seasoned and too weary to lie. They may know better than to make promises they cannot or will not keep, such as vowing to test students for certain belt levels by definite dates, and then, based on expediency or economics, postponing their advancement, reneging.

(4)Their judgment has been tested and refined. Therefore, their counsel is valuable.

(5)They can relate to older students, creating a comfortable environment in which elders can plod along to success. Older students, being more established economically, have more disposable income to invest in training, and can be influential in referring larger networks of family, friends, and colleagues to the dojo, for whom they can write the tuition checks.

If you have a sage in place, there are some solid reasons for supporting him, while seeking to learn everything he knows.

If its too late, and youre suddenly left without experienced, charismatic leadership at the top, consider merging with another school that enjoys this benefit.

Trying to limp along with a management-by-committee structure, consisting of experienced martial artists, but inexperienced administrators might be risky to the health of the enterprise, and injurious to its long-term survival.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman is the best-selling author of 12 books and more than a thousand articles. A frequent expert commentator on radio and TV, he is quoted in prominent publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Business Week. President of Clientrelations.com and Customersatisfaction.com, his seminars and training programs are sponsored internationally and he is a top-rated faculty member at more than 40 universities, including UC Berkeley and UCLA. Gary brings over two decades of management and consulting experience to the table, with the best academic credentials in the speaking and training industry. A Ph.D. from the Annenberg School For Communication at USC, an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School of Management, and a J.D. degree from Loyola, his clients include several Fortune 1000 companies and successful family owned and operated firms.

He can be seen on CNBC at: http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=417455932# and reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com

Your outer world is a reflection of your inner world. Take a moment right now to look around your home environment. What does it look like to you and how does it feel? Do you feel a sense of calm and order, or is there a sense of chaos and frenzy in your space? It's important that we consider the design of our physical space as a key ingredient in how we set ourselves up to succeed in our life's ambitions. Life is busy enough these days and most of us are eager to squeeze just that next level of productivity out so we can keep on top of all of the challenges and decisions we make. To see how you're doing on the organizational home front, take a few minutes to complete this self-assessment quiz!

5 Tips to Make Your System Work for You

There are a zillion books on time management and organizational. I'd like to share the top 5 strategies I've adopted that have radically changed my productivity. Putting these strategies into place have reduced my stress and greatly increased my peace of mind. Everyone has their own unique needs and style, so here are some ideas that can help you put in place a stronger system that works for you!

1. The Two Minute Rule

Organizational expert David Allen (in Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity) advises that, "If the next action can be done in two minutes or less, do it when you first pick the item up." I initially didn't see the value in this idea until I actually tried it. I used to be a big piler of things -- I thought it was more efficient to pile those nagging little things up or put them on a list until there were enough of them to deal with all at once. I'd make a pile for things that needed to go upstairs. I'd have a different pile for things that belonged downstairs. Inevitably I would get interrupted or distracted and never get to the growing piles of stuff.

Implementing the two minute rule has changed all that and I feel liberated! Touch it, deal with it and get it out of your space. It's not just your physical space that gets cleared -- it's your psychic space that's freed up as well. Read a school report card -- run it up and put it immediately into the proper file. Phase 2 of my plan is to train my three children to use this rule!

2. Only One In-box

I thought I used one in-box, but then I realized that I actually had many different places where I would gather my incoming information. An official in-box in my home office, and a stash of papers next to the phone in the kitchen. Then there was the pile of mail by the front door and a collection of receipts in my wallet. Oh yes, the business cards and notes-to-self in my purse and pockets. A few things strewn about on night-tables or in my van. No wonder I would lose track of things!

I've consolidated all of those sources of inflow into one holding place until I can process it. Everything goes into my in box in my office now, even if it makes my in-box look scary. An important corollary of this system is to book time in your calendar each week to tackle your in-box. The volume that's in there now can look intimidating at times, but I am always amazed at how quickly I can work through it knowing that all of the loose ends I may need to make a decision are already in that one single in-box.

3. Ode to the Label-maker

A dear cousin of mine with a real talent for organization suggested I get a label-maker. I thought it was a sweet suggestion, but didn't see the need. I'm a pretty neat printer and my labels were fairly legible on my file folders.

Then I caved and borrowed a friend's label-maker and have become a true convert. Seeing those crisp labels in 20 pt font beaming at me makes me want to feed those folders on a regular basis. Having beautiful labels has created a sense of professionalism in my home systems and a stronger commitment on my part to keeping my space organized. I look now for opportunities to organize and label my storage space, like those containers in my basement and inside my cupboards. Official-looking labels are helping me teach others in my home where I like to store things. The bonus of my label-maker is that my children have caught the fever and anything that inspires school-age children to label their binders and storage places is definitely worth having!

4. Game on, Game Over

Athletes have got the right idea -- they train hard, they play hard and then they review the game and develop a strategy to win the next one. Dave Buck, President of Coachville, urges people wanting to improve their productivity to decide when it's "Game on, Game Over..." Life moves at such a quick pace nowadays it's easy to be caught in perpetual "game on" mode. To be productive we need rest, recuperation and reflective time. He recommends you set up a game with a definite start and end time. When the game is on, you are on -- no interruptions and you keep your nose to the grindstone. When the game is over, you're done (for now) and celebrate your success in the game.

It's been fun to set up "games" to help me accomplish tasks that I used to consider to be a chore and a bore. I use the timer I now have on my desk for that purpose. I've noted a much higher level of productivity when I give myself that down time and when I know my focus and attention is going to be required at 100% for short bursts. It's alleviated some of the guilt I used to feel that I wasn't "getting enough done." Some of my favorite games are "Clutter busting in the basement for 20 minutes" and "Deleting 50 old emails a day keeps the computer technician away..." What games could you set up this week?

5. Seriously, Put it in your Calendar

This seems like an incredibly obvious tip but it's vital. If an activity is not in your calendar or daytimer, it's likely not going to happen. Inevitably when a client tells me they didn't take an action step in the past week, it's because they didn't put it in their calendar. We're usually fairly good about keeping appointments with others. We're far more irresponsible when it comes to treating those personal commitments with the same level of importance and respect. There's never a shortage of household maintenance like bills, correspondence, filing, emails and other paperwork. If you don't specifically block that time out on your calendar, guess what happens -- you'll never get the time to do it! For an investment in your peace of mind, build in and protect that time.

Carolyn B. Ellis, author, spiritual divorce coach and founder of Thrive After Divorce Inc. If you want simple life-changing tips for single parenting, visit Thrive After Divorce now to receive a FREE report.

Variety, durability, recycling ability and flexibility have made metal buildings the superior ones in comparison to other buildings. An ever-increasing demand, several advantages and being in-fashion does not mean that companies, organizations or consumers have no questions about steel buildings. Here is an attempt to answer most of them.

What makes metal building strong?

Metal buildings are stronger than wooden or stone buildings was best testified when 200-miles-per-hour winds struck America in the form of Katrina. While others buildings collapsed like a pack of cards, metal buildings weathered the storm.

The reason is the unique metal structure. In a metal atom, particles are closely packed in a crystal structure. This gives metal their strength and resistance against heat.

Are metal buildings better than the wooden ones?

Of course, yes. Metal buildings have several advantages over their wooden counterparts. Metal buildings are better because:

1. Construction of metal buildings involves no waste.

2. They are heat-resistant.

3. They are insect-resistant.

4. Metal buildings have low maintenance costs.

Are metal buildings costlier compared to others?

Not at all. In fact, metal buildings are more cost-effective. Although the price of metals keeps on fluctuating, on an average, a metal building cost half of what a wooden building would cost.

How much would I pay for getting a prefabricated metal building erected?

Nothing. Yes, amazing as it sounds. You can erect your metal building yourself! Professional dealers would provide you with dismantled materials which are marked components along with a guidebook to assist you as to how you should go about it. But if you do want an assistant, a contractor can help you.

Are all types of metal the same?

Beware of dealers who try to drive home the point that all metals are of the same quality to persuade you to buy a cheaper metal. The reality is that even the same metal can vary in quality. It is advisable to go to authentic companies to buy your metal building material and investigate before buying anything.

I own a glass factory. I have several very large glass manufacturing machines and thus require a very high ceiling. Can metal buildings work for me?

Metal buildings are prefabricated nowadays. So all you need to do is place your order with a professional contractor stating your requirements clearly for your new metal building. Being a glass factory, a lot of heat will be generated indoors. While other building materials might be susceptible to heat, metal buildings can withstand very high temperatures as well.

Mike Zhmudikov is a professional copywriter and seo consultant.