My wife has been watching the Dumb Trump for several years, but I never really got into the show till usually the last couple of episodes of each season, guess I like to see the end of the car wreck.  As usual, my CFO had fallen behind about three episodes due to her day job; taking care of me, the kids, her college students and my new lab dog.

Anyway, I decided to crash next to her and watch the circus fast forward style.

It was down to the final four and Dumb Trump was whining to Jesse that he had made it to the finals but he had not generated as much coin for charities as the other remaining three.  Hello, another great sign of management is to praise you the whole way and then jam on you at the very end before they fire you!  They don’t care if you are team player and you help create and develop projects, and in this instance it didn’t seem like money was the true factor.  No it is more like who is shouting the most in the board room “LOOK AT ME”.  While you take on the drama, I will take a hard working person any day.  You don’t win championships with MVP’s, you win championships with TEAM.

The revenue complaint was legit, but when Trump kept whining to Jesse for not bringing in his celebrity wife and all of his famous customers to add bling to the show, you started to know where this was headed!  Over and over, where’s your wife? Please. Now he gets fired because Dumb Trump could not hit on Jesses’ wife? I am sure that was the whole reason for casting Jesse on the show in the first place.

The office politics played perfectly.

As Dumb Trump showed Jesse the door, I was given the opportunity to look back on why I admire Jesse James so much.  He started out life playing with the law and got into some trouble; then he got his act together and was the first original reality star with Monster Garage while building his West Coast Choppers empire.  He was giving back to the community long before Dumb Trump came calling for celebrities.  It shows that Jesse still has his priorities set in life, just be a blue-collar worker that protects his private life.

Screw the tabloids, screw the magazine covers, he lives for himself and his family.

Congratulations Jesse, think I will hit your website today and buy a T-Shirt so I can have a constant reminder of what hard work really gets you.  A better life than bowing down to some dip shit, see you on the Spike Channel Jesse!  In the end, this fake CEO will never match the laborer because he does not have the balls to be a player.

Hey Donny, YOU’RE FIRED!

Maybe it is the business model itself that we have come to accept that is at fault.

As baseball celebrated opening week, let’s take a look at the business model of all major sports by using baseball as our example. Each spring, major league baseball teams practice and prepare for one thing, a World Series Championship. But, if you look at the CEO of baseball operations or the manager, the one’s making and shaping the team, their salaries do not compare to the ones that make the plays.

Look at the defending World Series Champions Philadelphia Phillies; they are managed by Charlie Manuel who will be making 3 million dollar salary for 2009. His responsibility is to manage the 25-man roster for eight months and provide the team an opportunity to win, just like the CEO. The Phillies have twelve players on their roster making more than the manager, which is 48 percent of the roster. Their star player, Ryan Howard makes five times as much as his manager, why? Charlie Manuel does not crank out homeruns, pitch shutouts or drive in runs, so he is not paid to perform but is paid to direct and organize.

With the current business model, the CEO has to make more than his employees but what does he or she provide? Are they specialized in marketing, sales, or production? A CEO is supposed to breakdown numbers and put his business in a favorable position to profit (a win), just like a baseball manager.

So what is the difference? There is none, just the perception. We have accepted that a CEO is more important than the employees. For those CEO’s that have taken pay reductions to maintain staff, they get the big picture!

If you have no team, you have no chance to win.

What is the value of your CEO? Have they put you in the best position to win? Only you can answer that, but the next time you hear it is the economy and your team needs to downsize, you are accepting another false business pretense.

It is not the economy, it is management. When teams lose in sports they fire the manager, not the players. Make sure that you are an expert in your field and your value will be compensated. Stop following the herd and become an All-Star.

Sports are a billion dollar industry and it succeeds, maybe today’s outdated business model needs to be revamped and CEO’s need to realize that they are important but it is the employees that drive in the runs!

A dog is a loyal companion that is there for you 24/7.  They patiently wait for you to take the lead and cannot wait for the journey.  Let them know your business game play, they could probably help map the trip.

Do you talk to your dog? You know you do!  We talk to them like they are going to answer our dialogue.  Have you done that with your employees?  We have told our dog to watch out for traffic because we do not want them to get hurt.  Sort of funny that we will protect man’s best friend, but have no problem throwing our workers under the bus.

If you can start treating your employees like a dog, I am sure you will be surprised how much better you will feel.  During these tough times, it’s always better to go down that path with your best friend.

Well the company had decided on a little cookout today, no problem.

We have a problem! Missing one key ingredient and I am in no mood to go to the store. You dread going for that one item, knowing it is messing with the good karma of the day. It only takes 15 minutes, but that is not the issue. My day has been perfect and I know that being at this store is going to ruining everything.

I drudgingly head out, getting to the store wishing I was somewhere else.  I grab what I need and now I have to stand five deep at the register.

I don’t do self-checkout, I am already paying, why should I also do the work?

While I am standing there, I notice a Good Housekeeping magazine. Normally, I could give damn, but today it caught my attention. On this months cover is Michael J. Fox and his quote “Happiness is a Destination” is yelling at me. I stood there for a moment taking it all in, just how ironic I find this.

Remember Alex P. Keaton from the 1980’s? The little money hungry twit on Family Ties? If you take his character, obsessed with money and power, that is stuck in a house with parents that are liberal Democrats, you would be laughing. Kind of like today’s society. He was the role model for capitalism. For this actor he was at the pinnacle of the entertainment world, TV shows and movie’s.  Everything was going great and then he was blindsided by a disease.

Fast forward to today and Alex is teaching us another lesson about life. Prior to this recession, we thought we’re entitled to everything. That everyone owed us something, from jobs and cars to McMansion’s.

Now we must learn again to enjoy what we have. If you have lost a job or are struggling financially, don’t forget that the mindset of happiness is the key to success. Sure things are tough, but that is how we get stronger. So, if you cannot find a job, make one. If you have been pounding the streets for months with no luck, volunteer. These things will give you a sense of purpose and trust me, you will find happiness.

My experience today, I just paid $2.57 for lighter fluid but got so much more in return. For me to be there and see that magazine cover was priceless, I guess everything happens for a reason, have a great week.

So today I find it quite amusing that Apple is going to raise the prices on music downloads.  Just this week Microsoft launched a new campaign and this one just might work.

Personally I think their marketing department finally hit a home run.

While Apple’s thirty cent increase is not budget shattering nor will it put them in the category of AIG backlash, what about customer loyalty?

There is a reason that All Business features The Dollar Store during this recession.  There is a reason NBC news now incorporates a “good news” section every evening now.  For Apple, this may be the first time they don’t get it.  The price change should occur April 7th, why they didn’t wait till April 15th?

I think Apple just had its first strikeout!

Since the beginning of the new year, life has been a whirlwind.  I have had a chance to look at the big picture and feel fortunate for everything that I have.  From a professional standpoint, this is probably the most confident and satisfied that I have every felt.  From leaving the cubicle to enjoying the fresh air I have recaptured a passion level that I cannot describe.  This is not to say that I won’t make some mistakes along the way, but I cannot wait to learn from the failures.

The direction that we have mapped over the next five years brings such an excitement that I cannot wait for each step.  As we progress you will be kept in the loop, take care and let’s stay in touch.