tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241113522024-03-08T04:54:48.854+01:00Kelly's Think TankLooking into this little screen, a little plastic box, opens the door to the entire world! Isn't that just wild! Who knows what will happen next. I sure don't and I am skeptical of anyone who says they do, so it wouldn't matter if they did because I probably wouldn't listen.
This isn't about being right or being clever, it is about having a voice! I have just started and I don't know what this will turn into or if I will have the time and discipline to keep it alive. Time will tell!Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-71545343069344071272016-12-10T10:55:00.000+01:002016-12-10T10:55:15.355+01:00Wake up America, where is our outrage? CIA assessment says Russia intervened in election to help Trump win.<div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="js_h6m">
This isn't good. Secret CIA assessment says Russia intervened in election to help Trump win. <br /> <br />
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Wake up America, where is our outrage? <br />
<br />
Where is that deep rooted patriotism that verges on nationalism? Another country has interfered with the election of the President of the United States. Not a nice democratic country that was watching over our election to make sure it was fair and democratic, but a nation led by a tyrant and former leader of the KGB. This is not ok! <br />
<br /> If you truly love this country, regardless of who we elect for President. If you truly respect the men and women who put on a uniform and risk their lives to protect our democracy, then you must be very upset when a foreign government attempts to undermine our democracy. Any President of any party would be pretty pissed off at the moment and trying to figure out what the right response should be. Our President-elect apparently believes that the proper response is to tell the American people that it was nothing, just another conspiracy theory. This is ironic since conspiracy theories were the backbone of the Trump campaign. <br />
<br /> But this is not a conspiracy theory. It is not a theory that our President-elect has significant economic ties to Russia. ( <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-trumps-financial-ties-to-russia-and-his-unusual-flattery-of-vladimir-putin/2016/06/17/dbdcaac8-31a6-11e6-8ff7-7b6c1998b7a0_story.html?utm_term=.501fc2176fca" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/dbdcaac8-31a6-11e6-8ff7-7b…</a> ) It is not a theory that the Russia that Putin has created has a severely strained relationship with the USA and nothing would indicate that the relationship would improve with any other presidential candidate of any party. Donald is the exception. He has expressed respect and even liking for Putin. Trump has significant investments in Russia and as his son, Donald Jr., put it a when talking about his family empire “Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets”. A “pretty disproportionate cross-section” of Trumps assets are in Russia and/or financed with Russian money while Russia is meddling and manipulating our election in Trump’s favor. This should bother everyone who believes in democracy! This time things may have gone your way, but what about next time? If someone were to try and steal your freedom they wouldn’t do it by direct confrontation, that would be too costly, they would do it by enticing you by making you think that you are getting some great short-term advantages.<br />
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-47890666635115426352015-12-05T20:27:00.001+01:002016-12-10T10:55:59.106+01:00Suppose I liked venomous snakes<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Suppose I liked venomous snakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe I don’t really know why, I just really
enjoy them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suppose I wouldn’t have
anything against your common garden snake but I would just get a kick out of
poisonous snakes and the more poisonous the better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rattlesnakes and water moccasins would be great
fun but there would be nothing like a blue krait or and inland taipan to really
get my juices flowing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suppose I had 5
of the 10 most deadly snakes in the world in my personal collection in my
home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wouldn’t take these dangerous
creatures lightly and I would be very careful with them and keep them locked up
in special enclosures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Unfortunately, there would probably be some people who were
not as conscientious about their snakes as I was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some people would like to carry their deadly
snakes in public in special holders on their belts or over their shoulders.
Some people would get their snakes out when they had been drinking and end up
hurting themselves or someone else. Sometimes other people’s snakes would get
out by accident and kill someone. There might be incidents where people left
their children alone with these venomous snakes and the kids might end up
getting bitten. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There might even be
cases where people with mental illness, criminals or terrorists got their hands
on these snakes and used them to hurt people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This would in all likelihood lead to demands to regulate the possession
of these dangerous snakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There would
probably not be an outright ban on the possession of poisonous snakes but it
would be well regulated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The more
dangerous the snake the greater the level of control would be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, some snakes would be deemed so
dangerous that only special organizations with highly trained personnel would
be allowed to possess them.</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Naturally, this might lead to some anger and frustration
from people like me who really liked owning deadly snakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We might argue that we have a right to own
these snakes for home protection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
this argument would not have much effect on public opinion since venomous
snakes are very hard to train and if you got them out to sick them on the bad
guy they might just as often end up killing you instead.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">No, I think we would all have to agree that no matter how
much we enjoyed owning deadly snakes it would be better for everyone if the possession
of deadly snakes was strictly regulated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">To my surprise I just looked on-line and discovered that the
possession of venomous snakes is highly regulated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That makes me think if there might be other
highly dangerous things in society that should be just as regulated. </span></div>
Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-45606291347662273132014-12-31T18:02:00.000+01:002014-12-31T18:05:05.177+01:0010 Commandments for Success in 2015<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Every year for the past couple years I have taken a look at my suggestions for being successful in the new year, updating them and then re-blogging them. I hope you like this years updates. </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I remember as a child when we went on some cross country vacations in the car. We could drive accross the USA to go to one destination or another. My mother was a music teacher and my sister and I grew up singing. When we would take those long car rides we would sing the scores of every broadway musical we knew and every other song we could think of. Everything was in 3 part harmony. Mom, my sister and I would sing while dad filled the role of audience (he was one of the only people I have ever met who truly couldn't sing). </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today, forty years later, I only have vague memories of our destinations. I don't remember much of the details about Disney land or being seasick on the fishing boat in Oregon. But my memories of singing, laughing, talking and sometimes fighting in the car on those trips are as vivid as if they happened yesterday. If you have ever heard someone tell you that the journey is more important than the destination, believe them. I suspect that the milestones in our lives, as important as they may be seem, with time will fade away but the paths we took to reach those milestones stay with us forever. Enjoy the trip!</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1. Decide to be happy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not magic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deciding to be happy doesn’t automatically make you happy and it can at times involve hard work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But deciding that you want to be happy and deserve to be happy is the first step that will lead you to making the necessary decisions and choosing the actions to move you in the right direction.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2. Be forgiving!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Forgive others and possibly hardest of all forgive yourself. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3. Keep learning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be curious. Ask more questions and really listen to what people say. Talk to strangers. Read more books.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4. Get involved in something outside of work that is voluntary. Your kid’s football team, a charity, a church or a scout troop, whatever it is get involved and invest some time in it</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5. Exercise regularly. You don’t have to be a fanatic! A little physical activity done regularly can make one hell of a difference in both your physical health <span style="color: red;">and</span>your mental wellbeing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6. Don’t work for money. Work for stimulation and satisfaction. The money will follow. </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7. If you find yourself in a bad situation<span style="color: red;">,</span> for example at work or in a relationship, make a plan and take the necessary steps to either improve the situation or to move on to a better one. If you find yourself in a good situation invest more of yourself into it.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">8. Spend more time with friends and family. Try hard to really be with them when you are with them. That means turning off whatever problem is mulling around in your head, the TV or your cellphone for just a little while and just be. Don’t avoid people you don’t like. They will help you learn a great deal about yourself. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">9. Work hard! Be wary of easy answers and quick fixes. Creating anything worthwhile whether it’s a painting, a career, a relationship or a life is hard work.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">10. This moment is the only moment you have and it will never come back, make the most of it! The past is the past and if you are lucky enough to have a future it will be to a large extent the result of how you spent the accumulation of all the moments just like this one.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-28212167803641335432014-12-25T12:11:00.001+01:002014-12-25T12:17:39.410+01:00There is no shame in thoughts; there is only shame in actions.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is the time for compassion and understanding. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the place for forgiveness and acceptance.
The battle between good and evil is not a battle between nations, religious or
political factions, races or even between individuals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a struggle within the hearts and minds
of each and every one of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The battle
is fought every single day through our words and deeds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If ours beliefs lead us to do evil then our beliefs are
evil. If our gods cause us to hate others because they are different or believe
differently, then our gods are evil. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
gods can take many shapes. We may worship Jesus, Allah, God, Buddha, money, our
nation, our political party or any number of other things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If that which is holy to us causes us to hate
or harm others then we are on the side of evil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If our beliefs encourage us to dictate who or how others should love, if
our beliefs cause us to believe that our path is the only right path and to be judgmental
or damning of people who choose other paths then we are the ones who are lost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If our beliefs cause us to love and forgive then we are on
the path of good. If our gods cause us to help those in need and accept those
who are different from us then our gods are virtuous. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If that which is holy to us causes us to be
humble and accept that what is right for one of us may not be right for all of
us then good will triumph. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">No good every came from evil acts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good comes from good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end what you feel or believe is far
less important than what you actually do. There is no shame in thoughts; there
is only shame in actions. Do not fear your fears, fear is natural. You may fear
those who are different than you or those you don’t understand and still offer
them help in their time of need. Triumphing over your fears to do good displays
courage, allowing your fears to dictate your behavior displays cowardice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-58773802628108838842014-05-09T18:17:00.000+02:002014-05-09T18:21:05.893+02:00Kelly's original Oklahoma barbeque sauce<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
When I first came to Sweden 30 years ago there were many foods that we not available here. One of them was good barbeque sauce. So I did my homework and came up with my own recipes for some of the things I missed most. Today there are many good barbeque sauces on the grocery store shelves here in Sweden but if you want to try something really special you can give this a shot. This might even be a little treat for my friends back home in the USA.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ingredients:</span></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi30JJMhxgF78Uj5x7JyGmHdjNN2vmd1jAvA_DCddeirUCzpWdyBWQlV_R9FNWElgaalpj_S24zmmVm3jIDux-ISLbfGLcVzLWrF0m1LxCpiI9wPA9pms9ObD8grtIqLlTZ-1Wazw/s1600/Kellys+barbeque+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi30JJMhxgF78Uj5x7JyGmHdjNN2vmd1jAvA_DCddeirUCzpWdyBWQlV_R9FNWElgaalpj_S24zmmVm3jIDux-ISLbfGLcVzLWrF0m1LxCpiI9wPA9pms9ObD8grtIqLlTZ-1Wazw/s1600/Kellys+barbeque+6.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 liter (about 32 oz) Heinz ketchup</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 large onion</span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2-3 cloves of garlic</span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 package of bacon (about 8 strips). Exchange the
bacon fat with a vegetable bouillon cube or 2-3 tablespoons of fond if you don’t
want the bacon fat.</span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The juice of one lemon</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">250-300 grams (about 1.25 cups) of butter</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6 dl water (3 cups)</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">½ teaspoon salt</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">½ teaspoon cayenne pepper</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3-4 tablespoons of brown sugar or dark syrup</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 tablespoon of mustard</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1-2 habanera peppers (Use a milder pepper If you don’t
like it hot or skip this ingredient completely if you like it very mild)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Directions:</span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fry up the package of bacon, remove the bacon and save
the grease.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finely chop the onion, garlic and peppers. I like to
use a hand blender or food processer for this to get all the ingredients almost
pureed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My original recipe used only the fat from the bacon
but for an even more robust sauce you can add the bacon into the food processer
with the onion and puree it too but this otherwise only use the fat.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Put all the ingredients in a large pot (3 liters or
larger) and mix well. Cook the ingredients on medium heat without a lid for 20
minutes then reduce the heat and let simmer for another hour.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Enjoy!<span id="goog_509653611"></span><span id="goog_509653612"></span></span></b></span></div>
Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-11849466398326770022014-03-18T17:48:00.000+01:002014-03-18T17:48:05.366+01:00Det är resan som är målet
<br />
<div style="direction: ltr; language: sv; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: restrictions; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-align: center; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 20pt; font-style: italic; language: sv; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Vi är på en resa tillsammans. </span></div>
<div style="direction: ltr; language: sv; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: restrictions; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-align: center; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 20pt; font-style: italic; language: sv; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Det
kräver hårt arbete och ibland kör vi i diket eller åker vilse, det ingår i
resan, men vi kommer också att få uppleva mycket spännande. </span></div>
<div style="direction: ltr; language: sv; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: restrictions; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-align: center; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 20pt; font-style: italic; language: sv; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Vi får möjlighet
att växa som mäniskor, att hjälpa andra och skapa mening i tillvaron. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 20pt; font-style: italic; language: sv; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Vi har en
riktning men ingen slutdestination. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 20pt; font-style: italic; language: sv; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Det är resan som är målet.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAu5GQl_zwWnlozp8XCMutp5H9-u3d9_tPnbczh3bNZpThibbXDPu6uq8bSwpQISJXpO4rs3bcwjTgqfhZeJb1eW6E7Pz5qFFuKrN7hM3eo7Ch4zi-CdN0FLTO0gByKlLun9BRXw/s1600/sept+2012+026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAu5GQl_zwWnlozp8XCMutp5H9-u3d9_tPnbczh3bNZpThibbXDPu6uq8bSwpQISJXpO4rs3bcwjTgqfhZeJb1eW6E7Pz5qFFuKrN7hM3eo7Ch4zi-CdN0FLTO0gByKlLun9BRXw/s1600/sept+2012+026.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-62517983777444491722014-03-14T12:16:00.001+01:002014-03-14T12:16:22.316+01:00Tips for boarding an airlplane (Reflections of a frequent flyer)
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Respect the line. If
you have a ticket they will let you get on. Don't go to the front of the line
and "merge" in front of 150 people who actually are in line. We see
you even if you pretend to be invisible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Have your boarding
card, ID, etc. out before you get to the front of the line. If you can't find
your boarding card, step to the side and let others go past while you look in
your one carry-on, one large handbag, computer bag, odd little extra bag, hanger
bag, a paper tube with the advertising campaign you are going to pitch to your
client and the two plastic bags of stuff you bought in the airport shops.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">When the airline says
one carry-on and one small handbag they don't mean one carry-on, one large handbag,
computer bag, odd little extra bag, hanger bag, a paper tube with the
advertising campaign you are going to pitch to your client and the two plastic
bags of stuff you bought in the airport shops.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If instead of one
carry-on and one small handbag you actually bring one carry-on, one big
handbag, a computer bag, an odd little extra bag, a hanger bag, a paper tube
containing the advertising campaign you are going to pitch to your client and
the two plastic bags of stuff you bought in the airport shops and if you cut
into the front of the line to make sure you can get room in the overhead bin
for your one carry-on, one big handbag, a computer bag, an odd little extra
bag, a hanger bag, a paper tube with the advertising campaign you are going to
pitch to your client and the two plastic bags of stuff you bought in the
airport shops, don't be surprised and all righteous and indignant <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>if someone removes one or two of your
"carry-on" items and places them in the aisle, especially if you
aren't sitting anywhere close to the vicinity of the overhead bins where your
plethora of personal belongs are stored. (Breath)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Take off your coat before
you actually enter the plane so you don’t have to put all your worldly
possessions in the aisle so you can take off your coat while 150 of us behind
you wait because you cut in line ahead of us.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If despite everything
I have written here you insist on entering the plane with all your junk and
pile it all in the aisle while you take off your coat please don’t wear your
delicate “in-threat-of-extinction-skin-of-something-you-shot-on-safari-in-Africa”
coat that can’t possibly be wadded up and stuffed into whatever crevice there
is amongst all your stuff in the overhead bins (like the rest of us cattle do
with our outer garments) while 150 of us other passengers are waiting behind you
because you cut in front of us in line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And if you do all of this at least and don’t start a big pontification
about bad service and “don’t you know who I am” with the cabin personnel because
they don’t have a humidified room to hand your rare dead coat in.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-73801647033072467342014-01-01T13:33:00.001+01:002014-01-01T13:33:39.052+01:0010 Commandments for success in 2014<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last year I published 10 Commandments for success in 2013. After a bit more reflection I have updated them and made some additions and substractions. Hope you get some good out of them and have a great 2014. For me 2014 will be an exciting time with the publication of my first book that is due out in April or May so keep your eyes open for it! :)</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1. Decide to be happy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not magic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deciding to be happy doesn’t automatically
make you happy and it can at times involve hard work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But deciding that you want to be happy and
deserve to be happy is the first step that will lead you to making the necessary
decisions and choosing the actions to move you in the right direction.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2. Be forgiving!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Forgive others and possibly hardest of all forgive
yourself. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3. Keep learning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be curious. Ask more questions and really
listen to what people say. Talk to strangers. Read more books.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4. Get involved in something
outside of work that is voluntary. Your kid’s football team, a charity, a
church or a scout troop, whatever it is get involved and invest some time in it<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5. Exercise regularly. You
don’t have to be a fanatic! A little physical activity done regularly can make
one hell of a difference in both your physical health <span style="color: red;">and</span>
your mental wellbeing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6. Don’t work for money. Work
for stimulation and satisfaction. The money will follow. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7. If you find yourself in a
bad situation<span style="color: red;">,</span> for example at work or in a
relationship, make a plan and take the necessary steps to either improve the
situation or to move on to a better one. If you find yourself in a good
situation invest more of yourself into it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">8. Spend more time with friends and
family. Don’t avoid people you don’t like. They will help you learn a great
deal about yourself. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">9. Work hard! Be wary of easy
answers and quick fixes. Creating anything worthwhile whether it’s a
painting, a career, a relationship or a life is hard work.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">10. This moment is the only moment you have and
it will never come back, make the most of it! The past is the past and if you
are lucky enough to have a future it will be to a large extent the result of
how you spent the accumulation of moments just like this one.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-43654057823444711142013-02-15T03:19:00.002+01:002013-02-15T03:19:48.752+01:00Rich get rich and poor get poorer and somehow thats good?Is just me or is the debate around tax cuts for the wealthy and increasing minimum wage getting a little crazy? Somehow many conservative politicians are trying to convince us that if wealthy people get even wealthier it will be good for the economy. At the same time they are trying to keep minimum wage as low as possible with the argument that if poor people get wealthier it will be bad for the economy.Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-21310035125686967582013-01-27T08:16:00.001+01:002013-01-27T08:16:42.436+01:00We can't change everything but that shouldn't get in the way of
changing what we can,Of all the possible outcomes in any situation only a few are probable and only one will actually happen.<br />
<br />
Sometimes the outcome cannot be controlled like when a meteor falls on your head. <br />
<br />
Sometimes the outcome can only be partially controlled like when two great teams meet in a championship.<br />
<br />
Sometimes the outcome can be controlled by us to a very great exent like just about everything else that doesn't fall into one of the previous categories.<br />
<br />
So don't spend time and energy on things you can't do anything about and don't let anything stop you from taking care of the things you can.<br />
Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-77407480483548466102013-01-26T13:09:00.001+01:002013-01-26T13:09:44.812+01:00We need to redefine mental-illness. Violent crimes are not normal behaviour of healthy people.I have a hard time believing that "people without any mental-health problems at all" committ so much violent crime. More a question of redefining mental-health. <br />
According to the <a href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/why-improving-mental-health-would-do-little-to-end-gun-violence-20130124?mrefid=skybox">National Journal</a> "Researchers estimate that if mental illness could be eliminated as a factor in violent crime, the overall rate would be reduced by only 4 percent. That means 96 percent of violent crimes—defined by the FBI as murders, robberies, rapes, and aggravated assaults—are committed by people without any mental-health problems at all. Solutions that focus on reducing crimes by the mentally ill will make only a small dent in the nation’s rate of gun-related murders, ranging from mass killings to shootings that claim a single victim." <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/why-improving-mental-health-would-do-little-to-end-gun-violence-20130124?mrefid=skybox">http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/why-improving-mental-health-would-do-little-to-end-gun-violence-20130124?mrefid=skybox</a> Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-40284987321967240712013-01-25T09:13:00.004+01:002013-01-25T09:13:55.975+01:00My "unvitation" to the White House.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is an
interesting approach to inviting people to your party. First you invite
everyone you really want to come to your party. Then you make a list of all the
people you don't want to come and send them an "unvitation". I received
this lovely invitation to the Presidents inauguration in the mail. It was
printed on beautiful paper and looked very official.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, just in case I had any illusion about
actually being on the President’s guest list it said "This is a commemorative
invitation, not an actual invitation". Thus I have invented a new word
"the unvitation". :)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-52118538292217743542013-01-22T08:32:00.000+01:002013-01-22T08:32:02.603+01:00Jesus might say "What the hell where you thinking?"
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Imagine if
there really were a heaven and we all had to stand and be judged when we
died.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can just imagine many people who
call themselves Christians standing before Jesus as he says:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“What the
hell where you thinking?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“ I asked
you to turn the other cheek even to the point of sacrificing your own life, not
to shoot all intruders with your M16”. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“I asked
you to care for the sick and feed the hungry, not to sell your care and food to
those who can pay and give the finger to everyone else”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“I taught
unconditional love, not hatred and bigotry”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“I even
asked you to love your enemies, not to use force to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>impose your lifestyle on everyone who is
different from you.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“What
really irks me is not that you behave so badly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Human beings have been doing horrible things to each other since the
beginning of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What really pisses me
off is that you have done all this evil in my name!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-84171639317174287982013-01-17T10:29:00.003+01:002013-01-17T10:29:36.153+01:00From victim to championI met someone the other day who told me about her work situation. This woman is in a management position in a company and is part of the companies management team. She told me that she was not happy with her situation because she didn't feel appreciated. She felt that her superiors and colleagues only criticized her work and didn't appreciate her talent. She continued on for some time telling me in some detail about the incompetence of her superiors. Listening to her I could not help but think that their may well be two sides to this story but I was not in a position to investigate the other side. When she was finished describing the situation I asked her what she intended to do about it? She then looked at me rather confused and said "I can't do anything about it!". They are the ones who are all messed up. I explained that it may well be that she was in a company full of incompetent under-achievers but if that was so they were not likely to have the knowledge or initiative to improve the situation, at least not without help. So again the question was what she was goind to do about this situation. <br />
<br />
I told her that in most situations in life you only have three real alternatives:<br />
1. Accept your environment as it is.<br />
2. Change your environment.<br />
3. Change environments.<br />
<br />
If she was willing to accept things as they are then she should also accept that she is a part of the problem and that "bitching and complaining" wasn't going to help much.<br />
<br />
If she was willing to try and improve things then bitching and complaining was ok since it helped her to understand and define the problem or problems as long as she didn't just get stuck there. I have always said that "bitching and complaining" is a necessary phase in the creative process but it is a dangerous phase because if you get stuck there it can become destructive to you and your enviroment. <br />
<br />
If she was not willing to accept things as they are and did not feel willing or capable to change things for the better then she should move on to another job that suited her better. <br />
<br />
We so often find ourselves in the role of the victim and in fairness sometimes we are victimized by other people or life events. But when that happens we still have the power to steer our fate. We control the situation through our choice of thoughts and deeds.You are the champion of your fate!Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-34963654978130214562013-01-11T09:48:00.002+01:002013-01-11T09:48:40.518+01:00Can guns really protect you from harm?<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The desire
to defend yourself and your loved ones is a strong and healthy drive but like
most of our survival instincts they have a tendency to become more emotional
than rational. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The notion that a
stranger enters our home, our school or our shopping center and injures or
kills our families strikes real fear into our hearts making us feel as though
we are not really safe anywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can
identify with anyone’s urge to protect themself with all possible force in a
situation like that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But is the best
solution that we all carry around firearms? If our intentions are to do
everything we can to prevent our loved ones or ourselves from getting hurt or
killed the answer is clearly no.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If we look
at the source of violence that occurs in our society we can see that a
significant portion of this violence is between criminals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the best thing we could do to protect
ourselves is to not become a criminal and try not to associate with
criminals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">That being
said bad guys do enter people’s homes and threaten, injure and/or kill them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wouldn’t my chances of survival or of
protecting my family increase greatly if I had a gun?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To answer that question we need to think
through the likely scenarios.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Generally
these attackers do not give warning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So in
order to protect myself I would need to have my weapon easily accessible, never
more than arms reach away and always loaded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I would also need to be very skilled with my weapon and trained to keep
a level head in highly stressful situations so I don’t accidently shoot the guy
from FedEx or the neighbor kid. If in order to avoid accidents I kept my weapon
locked up in a gun safe I would probably not have time to get it out and
protect myself in the event of a real attack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most people
who are not themselves criminals and who are victims of violence are not
attacked by strangers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The vast majority
of us who are or have ever been victims of violence were attacked by people we
know, more often than not by someone in our own family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most likely threat of violence for
children comes from their fathers and mothers not from strangers carrying guns
into the schools. The chances that a child will be beaten, sexually abused or
even killed by a family member are much higher than by a total stranger. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The risk for women of being beaten, raped or
killed by someone close to them are significantly higher than the risk of
becoming the victim of a total stranger. Sometimes moms, dads, husbands, wives
and lovers flip out and when they do I hope for everyone’s sake that they don’t
have an assault rifle in the closet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
do not believe any of us want to have a pistol in our bathrobe just in case our
spouse might want to kill us. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you are
not a criminal and you don’t abuse your wife and children then why not have a
gun at home just in case? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could
suggest about 16,000 reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is
the approximate number of accidental shootings in the USA every year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are not shot by someone close to you
on purpose you are still at greater risk of being shot by accident than of
being shot by a stranger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am not
against guns. I enjoy hunting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I even
understand if some people enjoy recreational shooting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am against guns as a form of protection. I
am against people carrying guns on their hips at the grocery store or sleeping
with a gun on their nightstands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am
also against civilians owning assault rifles with clips holding 30 rounds.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-27427762427359644202012-12-31T19:45:00.003+01:002012-12-31T19:46:00.268+01:0010 Commandments for Success in 2013<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZwGVz8sjRQD6Ueobo9f8LLEgDCBGn4_HmGJS6tavLpQ_QFH92HPdPdKSH0L7EUCXCXhnh7aWWtgpAa2I5UjIATJG21Meqtdz8r82C54GD5KZ2TygxK0eoPMtJBOGPE0x5oFnmQ/s1600/kelly+turkey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZwGVz8sjRQD6Ueobo9f8LLEgDCBGn4_HmGJS6tavLpQ_QFH92HPdPdKSH0L7EUCXCXhnh7aWWtgpAa2I5UjIATJG21Meqtdz8r82C54GD5KZ2TygxK0eoPMtJBOGPE0x5oFnmQ/s320/kelly+turkey.jpg" width="240" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many of you
know that I sometimes come up with Ten Commandments as a base for speeches I
make like “Ten Commandments for Leaders” or “Ten Commandments for Change”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought I would put together "Ten Commandments
for success in 2013". Don’t worry they aren’t really commandments just thoughts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I imagine I am the one who is most in need of
these commandments. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope you enjoy
them.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would
like to thank everyone for their support, friendship and cooperation during
2012 and wish all of you a great 2013.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1. Don’t worry what other people
think of you. The only person you have to
justify yourself to is you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2. Keep learning. Look around. Ask
more questions and really listen to what people say. Read more books.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3. Get involved in something
outside of work that is voluntary. Your kid’s football team, a charity, a
church or a scout troop, whatever it is get involved and invest some time in
it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4. Exercise regularly. You
don’t have to be a fanatic! A little physical activity done regularly can make
one hell of a difference in both your physical health and
your mental wellbeing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5. Don’t work for money. Work
for stimulation and satisfaction. The money will follow. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6. If you find yourself in a
bad situation<span style="color: red;">,</span> for example at work or in a
relationship, make a plan and take the necessary steps to either improve the
situation or to move on to a better one. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7. If you find yourself in a good
situation invest more of yourself into it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">8. Spend more time with friends and
family. Don’t avoid people you don’t like. They will help you learn a great
deal about yourself. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">9. Work hard! Be wary of easy
answers and quick fixes. Creating anything worthwhile whether it’s a
painting, a career, a relationship or a life is hard work.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">10. This moment is the only moment you have and
it will never come back, make the most of it! The past is the past and if you
are lucky enough to have a future it will be to a large extent the result of
how you spent the accumulation of moments just like this one.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-40687274445381111782012-09-01T11:04:00.002+02:002012-09-01T11:04:48.271+02:00<span class="userContent">Many republicans keep talking about Romney being able to run the USA like a company as if that were something good. America is not a company. America is a country. Companies are generally run as autocracies or dictatorships. America is a deomocracy. In companies employees don't choose their leaders but leaders choose their employees. In democracies the people choose their leaders. In companies the the elite leaders decide and implement what they think is best. In democracies the people decide. The reality is most companies have more similarity with communist dictactorships than with democracies. I have spent most of my life working in big companies and I don't want my country to be run like a company.</span>Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-59962849445993450702012-04-21T16:10:00.000+02:002012-04-21T16:15:19.666+02:00TeliaSonera och Svenska Staten: Money Talks, human rights walks.<a href="http://www.dn.se/debatt/det-ar-inte-vi-som-bryter-mot-manskliga-rattigheter">Respons till TeliaSoneras CEO debatt artikel i DN Debatt</a><br />
Bankrånare använder mobiltelefoner när de rånar bankar och pedofiler använder internet för att sprida sina filmer. Detta gör inte en telekom operatör medskyldig till dessa brott lika lite som Coca-Cola är skyldig om någon gör en bomb av en colaflaska eller Volvo skyldig om någon kör ihjäl någon med bilen. Men, om Coca-Cola eller Volvo skulle anpassa sina bilar och flaskor för att göra de mer effektiva som vapen för brottslingarna, jo då skulle Coca-Cola och Volvo vara medskyldiga. Detta är precis vad TeliaSonera gör! Det är inte TeliaSoneras fel om KGB eller andra använder telefonerna i sitt arbete hur hemsk arbetet må vare. När, däremot, TeliaSonera tillåter anpassningar till sin utrustning och till och med tillhandahåller lokaler till underrättelsetjänster som har till syfte att bl.a. identifiera och straffa oliktänkande, då är TeliaSonera medskyldig.<br />
<br />
<br />
Det är inte heller sant att företaget måste blint rätta sig efter lokallagstiftning. På min tid som marknadsdirektör på TeliaSonera införde vi strängare krav på innehåll som vi skapade eller aggregerade själva än vad lagen krävde när det gällde t.ex. sexuellt innehåll. TeliaSonera har aktivt arbetet för att påverka lagstiftningen när det gäller införande FRA och tom fällts i domstol för att inte följa LEK lagen. Jag misstänker att TeliaSonera inte har varit lika modig att strida emot lagstiftningen i Vitryssland, Kazakstan och Azerbajdzan som bryter mot mänskliga rättigheter men jag kan ha fel. <br />
<br />
Jag skulle vara förvånad om svenskvapentillverkare fick sälja vapen till dessa diktaturer. Varför får då TeliaSonera sälja tjänster som kan bli precis lika farliga. <br />
<br />
Ytterst är det en ägarfråga som staten som störste ägare måste ta ansvar för. Tjänstemännen på TeliaSonera kan inte på eget bevåg fatta ett beslut som skulle sabotera verksamhetens vinst med många miljarder. Min gissning är att om detta pågick i länder där TeliaSonera gick med förlust eller inte hade så mycket vinst skulle regeringen kräva att man avstod från dessa marknader. Eftersom dessa marknader står både för betydande vinster och hela tillväxten inom TeliaSonera kommer inte regeringen eller TeliaSoneras ledning att ge se lätt. Money talks, human rights walks!Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-84688065426275281952012-03-21T08:26:00.001+01:002012-03-21T08:26:39.769+01:00Burning books in Whoville<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the debate around whether or not to punish the soldier who burnt the Qurans some argue that the freedom of speech is a constitutional right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think those who argue this point have missed a couple of key issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First of all, although I am not a lawyer I bet that the rights of a soldier in a war zone are not the same as a civilian in peace time USA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Secondly, the United States constitution is not valid in other countries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If for example it were illegal to burn Dr. Seuss books in Whoville then someone visiting Whoville could not claim protection under the constitution of their home country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right or wrong, Whoville has the right to determine its own laws.</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-43673227982982713142012-03-11T09:59:00.001+01:002012-03-11T09:59:56.442+01:00Att skapa en Kick-offSvar på en fråga från en nybliven VD om vad han ska göra på sin första kickoff. Han hade redan fått några svar från konsulter och jag kände att det behövdes lite nyansering.------------------<br />
<br />
<br />
Det är svårt att ge några generiska råd till en ny VD. Det är så många faktorer att väga in som tex hur organisationen och individerna i organisationen mår, vad finns det för kultur i organisationen och din personlig stil och talanger. <br />
<br />
Jag skulle vilja nyansera Kjell-Åkes budskap till dig. Det finns faktiskt inga garantier om att din Kick-off blir fantastisk. Den enkla sanningen är att många människor kommer hem ifrån Kick-Offs och känner sig mindre motiverad än när de kom ditt. (läs gärna Why We Do What We Do av Edward Deci)<br />
<br />
Om jag var dig skulle jag inte övertolka Kjell-Åkes råd om "din energi, vilja och engagemang". Om du vill ha en lyckad Kick-off är nyckeln för dig i din nya roll som VD närvaro. Närvaro innebär mer att du lyssnar än att du pratar. Om man har barn är det lättare att förstå närvaro. Man måste se de i ögonen, lyssna på deras idéer och svara på oändliga frågor men man behöver inte alltid ge ett svar när man svarar. Med vuxna människor och barn kan man ofta svara med en fråga som "vad tycker du?". Din energi, vilja och engagemang måste vara synlig året runt inte bara på kick-offen.<br />
<br />
Om du är genuint intresserad av att genomföra en lyckad start för ditt ledarskap se till att denna Kick-off handlar om personalen och inte om dig. Många chefer tror att det hänger på de men det hänger på din förmåga att frigöra krafterna i din organisation, frigöra inte skapa. Krafterna finns där men kommer inte alltid fram.<br />
<br />
Du antyder i din fråga att det finns redan en del problem med murar och annat i verksamheten. Visa att du inte är räd för dessa problem och ta medarbetarnas oro på allvar. Jag har många gångar lagt en punkt först på agendan som jag kallar "Bitching and Complaining" eller "Gnälla och Klaga". Lägg 15-30 minuter på att ta fram alla "negativa" synpunkter som finns i organisationen. Låt personalen dela upp sig i mindre grupper och diskutera dessa punkter. Vilka kan vi göra något åt och vilka kan vi inte göra något åt. Var ärlig. Om t.ex. det är mycket gnäll över konjunkturen kan man ärligt säga att det kan inte vi påverka. Men vi kan diskutera hur vi gör för att göra det bästa av situationen. När man sedan har listan över "problem" som vi kan på verka kan man rösta fram de 3-5 saker som har mest effekt på verksamheten. Lova att ledningsgruppen ska ta sig an dessa och skapa handlingsplaner. Om det finns spänningar och oro i organisationen och du tar dig an de som första punkt kan man då också bordlagt "gnället" för resten av konferensen. Skulle lite gnäll trots allt poppa upp under konferensen kan du helt enkelt lägga till det på listan för att återkomma till det vid ett senare tillfälle.<br />
<br />
Sist vill jag bara varna för ”gurus” med alltför lättsamma råd och hurtiga rop. Ledarskap är svår och alla gör misstag. Framgång kommer till dig i det vardagliga arbetet genom din förmåga att kommunicera en riktning och sedan att skapa goda förutsättningar för medarbetarna att göra det de är bra på.<br />
<br />
Lycka till<br />
<br />
KellyKelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-64217186115628334462012-02-22T08:47:00.001+01:002012-02-22T08:58:55.500+01:00Not if, but how government should regulate businessI was inspired by and article by <a href="http://www.jarkesy.com/">George Jarkesy</a> the other day. In the article George quoted Calvin Coolidge who said “The business of America is Business”. That quote along with Georges comments got me thinking. If business is the business of America then what is the business of business? Or, to put it in the words of one of my old bosses when I was presenting a meandering powerpoint presentation about something he shouted out “What’s the bloody point?”. This in fact is the crucial question. What is the point or purpose of business for if in deed America is all about business the purpose of business must be the essence of America. <br />
According to some, the business of business is to create wealth but that is at best a radical over-simplification. If you mean by wealth, money and/or things, then I would be inclined to disagree that business is about creating wealth. The fact is that nobody, at least no healthy people, strive in life only to gather money or things. What we really want is health, status, love, security and self-actualization to quote Maslov. Money and things are only of value as long as they contribute to one of our underlying and fundamental human needs. The key word in that last sentence is “value”. What the business of business “should” be about is creating value. <br />
<br />
Then the question arises, “value for whom?” The only reasonable answer to this question is that businesses should be in the business of creating value for everyone, certainly for shareholders, customers and employees but also for society as a whole. Business shares the responsibility of creating value for society with all other institutions both public and private. All institutions exist “or should exist” for the purpose of making the world a better place. If making the world a better place is not the primary long-term objective of an institution then that institution has no place in society. It may well be that someone starts a business with the sole ambition of making money but if that business doesn’t create value for other people it will not survive. If that business is detrimental for society it should not exist.<br />
<br />
We may all have different opinions about what a better world would look like and even if we agreed on what a better world would be we may not agree on how to get there. But we all share a common ambition of making things better. This is probably nowhere as evident as it is in the political arena. Politicians and political parties may have strongly opposing opinions and may often have hidden agendas but they all have the same fundamental message to voters. Vote for me or my party and things will be better.<br />
<br />
But what happens if a business does not contribute to the general good of society and actually acts in ways that are detrimental to society? We regulate them! I have never met anyone who didn’t believe in government regulation of business at some level. It just makes good sense to legislate to block the creation of monopolies. It is equally prudent to control that companies don’t pollute the environment and that they provide a safe working environment for their employees. The question is not whether or not we as a society should regulate business nor is the question how much we should regulate business. Some businesses are highly regulated and there are few if any among conservatives or liberals who argue for legalization of heroin or prostitution. <br />
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The real issues are complicated and the answers must be more nuanced than the slogans being thrown around by politicians on both sides of the issues. Government, as an extension of the people, should have the right and the responsibility to protect the people from unscrupulous people and harmful business practices for the good of society.Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-62389667131182728492012-02-18T17:12:00.004+01:002015-08-04T14:51:54.819+02:00The World's Shortest Marketing Plan (revisited)I finally woke up to the fact that the link to my <a href="http://www.thinktank.se/ThinkTank/Om-Kelly-Odell/The-Worlds-Shortest-Marketing-Plan/" target="_blank">World's Shortest Marketing Plan Template</a> had gone bad so I am taking the liberty to repost it. I hope you don't mind.<br />
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Since first blogging this marketing plan template it has been reblogged countless times and been published in many different magazines and books. The first person to reblog my template was <a href="http://blog.guykawasaki.com/#axzz1mkZQknXP">Guy Kawasaki</a>. Guy was also made some very interesting adaptations to it which he called <a href="http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/05/the_worlds_shor.html#axzz1mkZQknXP">The World's Shortest Marketing Plan 2.0</a> which was especially interesting for the digital marketing environment. Guy was also generous enough to be very clear about the source of the original template for <a href="http://thinktank.se/sv/tt/Om-Kelly-Odell/The-Worlds-Shortest-Marketing-Plan/">The World's Shortest Marketing Plan</a>.<br />
There seems to be a never ending supply of new marketing plan templates. A google search gave 215,000,000 hits on “marketing plan”. The problem most marketing plan templates is that they are just to long. Marketing plan templates often look like a table of contents which you then fill up with substance about your own company and business environment. I have worked with templates that were in themselves over 30 pages long and before you actually start filling them with content. If you followed such a template and answered all the questions you would have a marketing plan of several hundred pages. I was recently visited by a large consulting company who suggested that we should use their template which was a mere 70 pages. Needless to say, I decided not to use their template. Don’t get me wrong, the content of most of these “long” templates is very good and if used as a shopping list over what might be done and not a list of what should be done they can be very useful.<br />
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The marketing plan is a communication tool used to give direction to the company. It is not a checklist actions or a demonstration of the marketers analytical prowess. You might think of the marketing plan as a menu describing the food that will be served at a fancy party. This description tells you what will be served and in what order. It does not give you a recipe for every dish, a description of all the various dishes that were considered but not chosen or a deep analysis of why the items on the menu where selected. Naturally someone has to create the menu and a great deal of analysis might be behind every selection but this does not need to be reflected in the menu.<br />
Similarly, strong marketing plans are the result lots of analysis. It may well be that you want to keep all of this analysis together in one place for future reference but the marketing plan is not the right place. The marketing plan should describe target/goals and how they will be achieved during a given planning horizon (typically 1 year) in order to reach the company’s vision. Although marketers can be deeply involved in creating the vision it is typically the CEO’s responsibility. The marketer comes in to describe what underlying customer needs will be addressed with which products or services and to which customers , how will they be packaged, communicated, priced, bundled and distributed.<br />
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Some time ago I was asked to speak to a group of MBA students at the Stockholm school of economics about marketing plans. I realized that I was not at all satisfied with the templates we used or any template I had ever used for that matter for the simple reason that they were too long to be used for effective communication.<br />
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Below is a template that I created for that presentation and it has been adapted in used in several companies since then with good success. Try to answer each square in the template with no more that one page including diagrams and pictures. This will result in a marketing plan of no more than 24 pages!<br />
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Good luck!<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://kellyodell.se/the-worlds-shortest-marketing-plan/"><span style="color: blue;">http://kellyodell.se/the-worlds-shortest-marketing-plan/</span></a> </span><br />
Click here to view or download the template.<br />
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<br />Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-41766943639448347282012-01-30T14:13:00.004+01:002012-01-30T14:21:55.088+01:00Dump the CEO/President rhetoric<span lang="EN"><br /><p>It’s time to raise a finger of warning regarding the prolific use of the "CEO President" analogy in the current primary rhetoric. The role of President of the United States may have some things in common with the role of CEO of a large corporation but then again the office of President has things in common with many different roles. The USA is not a corporation and the President is not the CEO. </p><br /><p>There is nothing fundamentally wrong with making comparisons between different roles in society to learn from similarities as well as the differences. The problem is that we often take these kinds of analogies much too far. Listening to the political rhetoric around the presidential primaries I get the uneasy feeling that many people, including some presidential candidates, actually think running the country is the same as running a company. Again, although there are clearly some similarities, the differences are so significant and so many that we should be wary of even using this analogy. </p><br /><p>Corporations are generally not democracies. CEOs, even the best ones, are accustomed to having orders executed. As long as the CEO enjoys the support of the board he/she expects action. Good CEOs may tolerate a great deal of open hearted and even heated discussion until a decision is made but after the decision is made the CEO expects loyalty to the decision and action towards executing the decision. Opposition and competition for a corporation are by definition confined to the competition, i.e. to other companies providing similar goods and services not people within the organization. </p><br /><p>The President of the USA does not have the consolidated power of a CEO and cannot expect to have his/her orders followed after a decision is made. The decision making process is long and complicated and usually involves so much bargaining with opposition that the final result hardly resembles the original idea. When some sort of decision is finally pushed through Congress it is still free for any and all opposition to work actively against the decision. What CEO would tolerate that kind of behavior within their own organization?</p><br /><p>Shareholders, employees, customers and suppliers are distinctly different roles and for the most part completely different people. In government there are no investors who expect a certain return on investment. The closest role to a citizen that can be found in a corporation would be that of customer. The concept of customer may be useful in terms of government providing various services to citizens which the citizens pay for through taxes. But again, there is not a direct correlation between the recipient of the service and the payer for the service. Typically real customers have a choice but in most areas government has a monopoly on the services provided. Certainly citizens have choice in terms of voicing opinions and electing politicians to make wanted changes but this is a long slow process. </p><br /><p>If we insist on using corporate language to describe government the best we could do is to call government a kind of "Shared Service" organization. We as taxpayers decide that certain services would be better if we share. We pool resources in order to provide those services to us. In developed democracies like the USA most political debate is focused on "how much" service should be provided not on what services. There is no real debate about wether we should provide education, healthcare, a legal system, military or welfare. The debate is more focused on how far reaching these services should be and how they should be financed.</p><br /><p>There are employees and clearly much of the leadership skills required for leading a large company will be useful in leading these employees but corporations do not have a monopoly on good leadership. Good leaders may have honed their skills in NGOs, military, medicine, education or any number of other places. </p><br /><p>There are opportunities to learn from corporations about efficiency in processes and good customer service but then again corporations may well have opportunities to learn from other areas in society as well.</p><br /><p>Our founding fathers intentionally created a system of checks and balances to guarantee that too much power didn’t end up in the hands of one person or one group. CEOs are dictators. Companies are dictatorships. We have seen examples of leaders of some countries trying to implement a CEO-like leadership (ie Italy, Hungary, etc) and the end results are devastating to the democratic process.</p></span>Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-55448289456620952272012-01-19T10:53:00.001+01:002012-01-19T10:54:44.625+01:00When in doubt, good for you!If you don't doubt your ability now and then you probably don't have any.Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24111352.post-9055429298533178722011-12-21T21:05:00.000+01:002011-12-21T21:06:42.615+01:00Deadlock or not?<p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">It can be a daunting task to understand the implications of political decisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What does healthcare reform really mean for me or should we invade Iraq or should we now leave Iraq once we have gotten there?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Most people elect politicians they believe will represent their interests but unless you are voting for a county commissioner who has promised to fix a pothole in front of your house it can be extremely difficult to know just what is in my best interest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This self-interest is at the heart of democracy but it is also one of democracy's great faults.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A professor once told me that democracy works great until people discover that they can vote themselves rich.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is basically what happened in several European countries like Greece where a majority of the people elected the politicians that promised the most benefits.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">In order to simplify things we get on various bandwagons and buy into entire ideologies so that we don't have to think about individual questions that are very complicated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>How could it be that highly educated people on both sides of important political decisions have such different opinions?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The easy answer, if you are a member of one bandwagon or the other, is simply to draw the conclusion that the other guys are either idiots, fundamentally evil or in cahoots with someone somewhere (like big business).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>While any or all of these may be true and certainly are true to some extent the primary driver of dissention on important issues is the sheer complexity of the issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It just isn’t easy!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">The problem isn’t an easy one nor is the solution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A peek into the world of psychology might help us understand some of the phenomena at play in politics that cause the most damage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">There are many studies in the world of psychology that demonstrate that most people will take a benefit for themselves most of the time and not give it to another person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is especially true if the other person is not known by the test subject or does not know who the other person is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Suppose that a generation of people in a country decide to give themselves retirement benefits that exceed the funding that they actually put into the retirement system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The rationale behind such a system might be that things will always get better and economies will always grow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In essence, no matter how you look at it one generation of voters gives themselves a benefit at the expense of coming generations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Those who will foot the bill are either too young to vote or not even born at the time the decision is made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These kinds of decisions occur all the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Let’s take another example.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>At any given time most voters do not have children in a public school system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If we say that in the USA public school is 12 years and the average life span is around 80 years and voting age is 18 then an average voter might have children in school about one fifth of their voting life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>By the time the individual is old enough to vote their public schooling is over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Also consider that changes and improvements in school systems tend to take a long time so the closer a voters children get to the end of their schooling the less likely they are to be interested in investments in the public school system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It may already be clear to you what I am getting at here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Most people are going to opt for political candidates whose policies will give them the most benefit in the shortest time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Investing in school systems will tend to get a lower priority from voters than say retirement programs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And the closer you get to retirement age the more likely you are to vote for candidates who offer good retirement benefits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Voters in the middle of their lives will be more interested in policies that help them immediately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>People with reasonably stable jobs with decent pay and good benefits will be more interested in tax reductions since they view taxes as a necessary evil. Something they pay for but don’t get much benefit from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Even people who don’t have stable jobs with decent pay and good benefits but who believe that they will in the near future will tend to opt for lower taxes and less benefits for other people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Now here is the catch, most of us, will not and probably cannot, admit to being so selfish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We wrap all this seeming selfishness up in rhetoric about the American dream or that using tax money to help needy people incapacitates the needy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As it turns out it is not tax dollars that incapacitate the poor it is how they are applied.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">The American dream while decidedly American in its expression is not unique to the USA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In most, if not all countries of the world things tend to go better for those who pull themselves up by their bootstraps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Those who can and do take control of their fates, educate themselves and struggle up the ladder tend to do better in life, at least materially, no matter where they live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It should not go without saying that if you invade a fertile continent, rich with natural resources and run off or kill the people who were already living there your chances of building wealth are much better than if you had stayed back in Europe working as a farm hand for a wealthy land owner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That said although most have heard about the American dream many Americans have never actually gotten a glimpse of it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Once we have decided where we stand on various political issues based primarily on our own short-term interests the cognitive dissonance kicks in and we start seeking out information, arguments and analogies to confirm our beliefs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Once we have found enough “evidence” to confirm what we already had decided was true we then enter the phase of overestimating our own abilities and judgment and underestimating the views of people with divergent ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Since those other people are also entrenched in their own narcissistic trance of cognitive dissonance they also believe their views to be best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In the end any attempts at communication between the groups ends up in a verbal fistfight (which is about what American politics has become).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">In order to navigate in a complex world we learn to generalize. At one level generalization is extremely important helping us to quickly draw conclusions about whether or not a situation is dangerous or safe, whether a berry is edible or not, or if a particular animal is food for us or if we are food for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The problem occurs when we let these generalizations become facts and let them guide our judgment and behavior too much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Most snakes are not poisonous and most of the poisonous ones don’t want to bite us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Far fewer people are killed or injured by sharks every year than by bicycles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We have irrational judgments that cause us to fear things that are relatively safe and not to fear other things that are actually quite dangerous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">The same thing happens in politics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We tend to make broad generalizations based on our firmly held beliefs and come to conclusions that while they may sound logical are really only fantasies in our own heads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I hear republicans express genuine fear of President Obama and his policies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The same fears I heard expressed by democrats while George W was in office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It may be true that one of them was or is more dangerous than the other but the problem is that most people who have decided that Obama is dangerous for our country are not really open for discussion on the topic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">So what’s the solution?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I will be the first to say I don’t know but I do have some general suggestions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As with any problem we need to begin by acknowledging that the problem exists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The problem is not “other people”. T he problem, or problems are significant and complicated and will not be resolved by platitudes and political rhetoric.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Our only chance is to put our brightest minds to work across party lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Will this happen?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Short-term I doubt it. If history is any kind of teacher we will probably have to see things get much worse before the party politicians will bury their battle axes and focus on the issues facing our nation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is not all the politicians fault. They do what they think they need to do to stay in office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They do what they think we want them to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We need to give them a mandate to do what needs to be done and that probably won’t happen till things go to hell a bit more.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Kelly Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989232356107905689noreply@blogger.com0