In Defense of Food (or the Neverending Book)

Over the past two months I read Michael Pollan's book: In Defense of Food. It has been a great read. While lately I have been reading business books that are part of my MBA courses. I had to push back the leisure reading or snuck it in when I could.

Before I start, you should know that I have failed on my reading a different book each month New Year's Resolution. While I don't feel bad for failing, I do feel bad that at this point I will have 10 books under my belt instead of 12. Oh well, maybe next year.

Anyway, I read this book and found it to be quite interesting. At first I thought, this guy is going to give lip service to the modern fad diets and then sneak in one of his own. Well technically he does, he does in a very interesting and thought provoking manner. We are given a history of the current dinner table, Pollan does so in a way that allows us to know where to place the blame.

Now this is not to say that one person is guilty of the dietary situation of the citizens of the United States or the world for that matter. The blame goes to all of us. We are all to blame for this because we did it to ourselves and Pollan tells us so in a way that is in our face but doesn't make us want to runaway. Pollan offers us some great ideas on how to recapture what we lost the moment we our first sip of high fructose corn syrup.

On the cover of the book are seven words or three sentences that sum up the entire book: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." That's it, that's the book. Michael Pollan delivers a recipe for good food, good health, and good living that one wonders why didn't somebody else think of it before now?

Just because I took a long time to finish the book doesn't mean I didn't try things along the way. The first week of March I ate food exclusively from the perimeter of the supermarket. Think about what you will find in the perimeter of the supermarket. That is where you will find the fresh vegetables, fresh meat, dairy products, and eggs. Hmmm, this reminds me of a logic question I had in college "why are eggs found in the dairy section of the grocery store?" Eggs are not dairy products, cows don't lay eggs, and certainly eggs don't taste like milk. But I digress.

So how did my experiment go? I will have to say it was a great success. While I did not lose a lot of weight, I did start to feel better. You could say I almost felt lighter. It was interesting to eat salads as opposed to eating starches (Rice, potatoes, corn). After the first week, I was craving rice and potatoes, so I gave in. I did not completely submit but I did give in, in that I flipped my starches and vegetables. Meaning that when I would normally eat a lot of mashed potatoes I have now flipped that and eat more greens thus less of the starches.

The book is actually now helping me achieve other of New Years resolutions, that is to lose weight and lower my blood pressure (without medicine). Please understand that In Defense of Food, it is not a heavy read it does have a lot to offer. if you're looking for something to quickly sink your teeth into, then this is the book for you. Looking for recipes and quick fad diets this is not the book for you.

I can finally begin, microtrends by Mark J. Penn. You may recall microtrends was the book that I wanted to buy and read before In Defense of Food. However, an NPR interview with Pollan got me hooked and I bought his book first. Luckily, it was the good people over at 800-CEORead that had an awesome offer that I could not refuse. They were giving away three books for $20 which was donated to the Room-to-Read organization. Call it karma, I bought into the Mystery Box program over at 800-CEORead and when my box arrived right on top was microtrends.


Taking a quick peek of the books read so far:

• Join the Conversation by Joseph Jaffe
• Be, Know, Do: Leadership the Army Way, Adapted from the Official Army Leadership Manual by J-B Leader to Leader Institute/PF Drucker
• In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
  

Let's tell Technorati to tag this with:
Dave Guerra, Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food,
Green Leafy Vegetables, Microtrends, Mark J. Penn, 800 CEOREAD, Room-to-Read

Mediocrity in Mergers?

By now, if you have not heard about XMRadio & Sirius Satellite Radio's planned merger, or the Delta Airlines & Northwest Airline two-step, or the proposed shotgun wedding between Microsoft and Yahoo then you must be living under a rock that does not have reception Sprint/Nextel's data service. While the news is exciting, especially when we hear about hot a proxy battle is on the horizon, or how the federal government has to give its blessing on a merger, or how two airlines will become the biggest airline in the world. That is the stuff of underdogs; you know that David & Goliath kinda thing. That makes for not only an interesting story but also keeps people on edge wondering how these mergers will play out.

In the end:

• will Delta/Northwest give us improved Customer Service and more on-time departures?
• will XMRadio & Sirius Satellite give us more reasons to turn off AM & FM radio once and for all?
• will Microsoft-Yahoo give us anything better than what little they give now?
  

I don’t think so!
It will be the same old thing all over again, this time with a new name. It will be the same mediocre companies all wrapped up in new packaging, a new marketing plan, and a new image for the public to be blinded by. The flash of newness will last at least for a while and then when the SHINY NEW WRAPPER is tossed aside mediocrity will return to these organizations.

Will the newly merged organizations see the light; demand that great change, along with great innovative thought and great design be born out of these mergers? Unfortunately, I firmly believe that they will not see the light.

I MAY BE WRONG BUT I DOUBT IT!

let's tag this with:
Dave Guerra, Mediocrity, Merger, Innovation, XM Radio, Sirius Satellite Radio, Delta Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Microsoft, Yahoo

Mediocrity...yet again

In a blog post over at Fast Company's FC Experts Blog titled, Innovation for Beginners posted by Richard Watson. The post describes what makes innovation and change happen and how innovation and change can be stifled. As the blog mentions this is because things and people get old and settle for the "that's how its always been done" excuse as the way of doing business.

Over time, the organization's newbies become veterans and the veterans don't want to rock the boat. So what happens next is that resistance to change is born. The deeper individuals and organizations become rooted in what they do, the less chance for innovative production and change to occur. "In other words, when it comes to innovation, organisations can be disabled by experience and specialisation" and that is definitely not a good thing.

Thus reinforces the fact that "the longer you work for an organisation, the more you adopt groupthink and the further removed you become from real life (how customers think, feel and behave)" and that continues to be NOT a good thing.

So does this mean organizations and its staff, because they are no longer new (by new I mean FRESH OUT OF THE WRAPPER) are doomed to an eternity of MEDIOCRITY? Unfortunately, I'd like to think so.

However, not be all doom and gloom the Fast Company post does offer a few points to consider when trying to bring about change through the development of an innovation team. One of which I have to question: "Think like a kid yourself sometimes – keep asking why?"

My question: Why Sometimes?

Thinking like a kid should be all the time! Not when the mood fits or when it will make us look cool. It should be that childlike wonder that pushes us for more and more change. Constantly being Innovative. Continually seeking Improvement.

CONTINUALLY BUSTING MEDIOCRITY IN THE GUT!!!

let's tag this under:
Dave Guerra, Lessons Learned, Mediocrity, Innovation, Change, Fast Company

Learning a Valuable Lesson

Over the past few weeks I conducted an experiment which came to an end today. The unpleasant outcome of the experiment came to me as a lesson, one that I welcome and one the I wholeheartedly value and appreciate that I learned the lesson now instead of later, certainly at a greater expense.

This is how it all started. Not so long ago, I do not recall exactly who wrote on their blog about listening and being heard, specifically about what to do if no one is listening or hearing?

The post got me thinking and I responded with "If all one hears is static, is it time to change the channel?" Well, needless to say I got no response. That silence spoke volumes and it helped me in deciding to launch my experiment. Over the course of the past couple of weeks, I have created multiple attempts at initiating conversation to a controlled number of individuals and organizations. Various approaches were taken to start conversations and only one method did deliver an effective response.

It was at this point I created another test group using that effective method to ensure that it was not a fluke. This group contained close to 3000 individuals and organizations, well, needless to say the response has been overwhelming. The lesson here is that learn your lessons early, find what works, and make the best of it.

So, Dave to answer the question that someone decided was not worthy of answering: YES, if all you hear is static, go ahead and change the channel or better yet create your own channel.

let's tag this:
Dave Guerra, Lessons Learned, static, Change the Channel, Change

An opportunity missed?

Tonight, one of my favorite TV shows had its season premiere: The Deadliest Catch. If you haven't seen it, where have you been? It is a reality show focusing on Crab Fishing in the Bering Sea. The episode starts like as in previous seasons; documenting the opening of the King Crab Season.

In preparation for departure, Josh Harris, son of The Cornelia Marie's Captain (Phil Harris), purchased what appeared to be a Toshiba Regza 26" Flat Panel LCD TV. While the younger Harris said it was a 24" TV, the Toshiba website says different. But I digress.

This was the perfect opportunity for Toshiba to get on board with the premiere episode of what many consider the hottest show on Cable Television. However, this was not to be, the first LCD TV commercial was from Panasonic. Here was a prime time opportunity to exploit product placement and it was not to be. I wonder how many more missed opportunities will there be as the rest of the season unfolds? Guess we'll just have to wait and watch and I certainly will be watching.

let's tag this with:
Dave Guerra, Deadliest Catch, Toshiba, Regza LCD TV, Phil Harris, Cornelia Marie, Josh Harris, Marketing, Opportunity

Mediocrity Strikes Again

This past weekend, Jennifer Navarrete of MorningBrewCast brought to the attention of many of us that someone was selling their Twitter.com account on eBay. For those that don't know what Twitter is; plain and simple it is a microblogging website where participants can post comments, remarks, questions, just about any text message provided it is 140 characters in length or less. These messages can be sent as direct message to other Twitter members, replies to general postings, and general posting. Participants acquire "followers" and they themselves follow others, over time and a lot of trust, the number of "followers" can grow into the hundreds and thousands.

Back to the issue at hand, Navarrete posted on Twitter "So @andrewbaron is selling his Twitter account on eBay. http://tinyurl.com/3zs6kl It seems weird to me. Wrong somehow. But is it?" At the time of this writing Andrew Baron's Twitter Account had a bid of $1525 and his "followers" which numbered 1397 followers at the start of the auction, now are at 1651. I wonder why the increase in followers?

My question is: Has Twitter reached a level of mediocrity that people must resort to auctioning their account in order to make it relevant or to gain a little notoriety (experiment or not)? Is there no more originality in regards to what Twitter is or can be? I fear that by selling the account, Twitter now takes its place beside the toast with the face of Jesus on one side or the corn flake in the shape of Illinois that sold for $1170 not too long ago. As people will see it as a opportunity to exploit the trust they have developed for a quick buck.

This is not a bash against Twitter. Personally I really, really like Twitter. It serves a purpose and a darn good one. However, I agree with Jennifer’s comments in a more recent Twitter post that it is time for the Twitter people to step in and act. Act before Twitter becomes another great idea that got beat down because of its own success.

Jennifer gave us her take on the of selling Twitter accounts on eBay, I invite you to read it @ http://tinyurl.com/5emcya"

let's tag this:
Dave Guerra, Jennifer Navarrete, MorningBrew Cast, Twitter, eBay, Auction, Corn Flake, Trust, Mediocrity,

A List....

Someone recently recommended that I throw in a list or two on this very blog every once in a while. So here I go my first list of 2008. It's almost the middle of April and I am still doing first somethings of 2008...Geez.

So tonight my friends, in Dave's ever continuing quest for you to get to know him, here are a few of my Favorite Artists/Group of ALL TIME and ALL GENRES in no particular order.

• Duran Duran
• Elvis Presley
• David Bowie
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• Prince
• Richard Wagner
• The Doors
• Grace Jones
• Dave Brubek
• Sting (solo and with The Police)
  

So how does your list match up with mine?

Tag this:
Dave Guerra, Mozart, Duran Duran, Richard Wagner, Elvis, The Doors, Grace Jones, Dave Brubek, David Bowie, Sting, Prince

Playing the course

Last night, I wrote the post about staying the course, which focused on buying into the real estate market. One option that I did not mention was another form of real estate investing: Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). Investopedia defines REITs as "a security that sells like a stock on the major exchanges and invests in real estate directly, either through properties or mortgages."

This is not a bad thing. There are different kinds of REIT or better yet specialty REITs such as those that focus on Hotels, Apartments, Retail Centers, Health Care, Offices, and Shopping Malls. These REITs allow you to buy into an organization that buys and maintains facilities to either lease or sell to qualified operators within the specialty. The REIT gives the investor an option of buying into a larger operation without the headache of day-to-day management and operation. Personally, I will buy and manage the small properties but for the big stuff I would rather have someone else take care of it, so the REIT allows me to get in on the big real estate moves.

If this sounds interesting to you why not Google "Real Estate Investment Trust", do your homework, and when you are ready pull that trigger.

Of course with all financial transactions there are risks. Invest at your own risk.

DISCLAIMER: I do hold a position in a Health Care based REIT.

Let's tag this:
Dave Guerra, Asset, Liability, Real Estate, Economy, Play The Course, Real Estate Investment Trust, REIT

Staying the course

By now you are more than familiar with my friend and his struggles to get into the Gold trading market in hopes of getting rich quick. While this might not be a bad idea, it's just not how I am built. Don't get me wrong, I will take advantage of a situation when I can. This by no means I am out to cheat anyone, what I do mean is that while stock prices are falling I will continue to buy because of the low prices. Remember that old adage, "buy low and sell high" well that's how I roll.

Unfortunately, my friend is still so enamored with getting in on the new Gold Rush that he is letting opportunity pass him by. He is not seeing the forest for the trees. Right now, his biggest complaint is that stock prices are down and his mutual funds are dropping in value and he needs to get into gold because it is rising.

I asked him if he was living off the return on the stocks or mutual funds.

He responded with a "No."

So why is he worried about the falling stock prices and the need to get in on the rising gold commodity? He is worried, because, the media is making him worry. They are all about doom and gloom...that is what sells newspapers. When was the last time a 3rd grader winning a local spelling bee made the front page of a national newspaper? Hmmm, maybe never...I may be wrong but I doubt it.

Lately, it has been all doom and gloom: who is sleeping with who, who embezzled money, who committed murder, and which celebrity is off to rehab, again. As well, almost daily on the front cover of any newspaper are stories about rising oil prices, falling stock prices, gold going through the roof and people losing their homes.

With headlines like that it is understandable for my friend to fall for all the bunk. He may never come to his senses and realize that it is best to stay the course, accumulate, and, above all, NOT panic. Now is the time for him to increase his mutual fund and stock holdings. Now is the time to scrape up some cash and buy some real estate, it doesn't have to be a house but it certainly should be some dirt. Dirt? Dirt as in earth, an acre, a farm, anything that is more dirt than development.

Why? Just like gold, there is only a certain amount of surface space on the planet. So, why not own a little piece of it? It makes good sense to own land. It can be used as collateral in future projects. Unlike gold, it is a little more difficult to steal. Carry your gold in a brown canvas bag, pretty soon a modern day Robin Hood will be helping himself to your gold. While, Robin will certainly rupture a disc if he plans on taking all your land, one tractor load at a time.

Right now, real estate is at a good place for investors. There are a lot of foreclosed properties and more on the way to choose from. While I understand that it may not appear as a good thing to profit from other people's misery, remember you are not the one who forced those people to get themselves into a situation they knew fully well they were not prepared to handle. If you can relieve a bank from holding on to a worthless property (it is worthless for as long as they hold it).

Trust me it is a liability for the bank to hold property, it only becomes an asset when they get rid of it. Just like the homeowner, no matter how you slice it, until the mortgage is paid off that castle is a liability.

I am certainly not saying anything new. I am just saying that there are still plenty of people out there that run for cover the moment someone cries that the sky is falling. That's why it's worth repeating every once in a while. Especially in these near uncertain times. My friend has been warned.

Let's tag this with:
Dave Guerra, Gold, Asset, Liability, Real Estate, Economy, Stay The Course, Stocks, Mutual Funds