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Chad Johnson plays wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL. He’s pretty outspoken - in fact may talk more trash than even Randy Moss. When he was interviewed this week about playing opposite the Green Bay Packers star defensive back, Al Harris, here’s what he had to say:

“There are two things for Brother Harris this week,” Johnson told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “The bad thing is, he has to cover me. The good is, he can save 15 percent by switching his insurance to Geico.”

Hahaha! Wow. That’s creative trash talking at its finest.

We spent a wonderful evening in Santa Barbara Thursday night. Kristen and I joined my folks and two good friends, Warren and Gloria, for dinner and a great concert.

We went to dinner at Fresco’s, a small cafe in the Five Points shopping center. It was one of Kristen and I’s favorite places to eat during our four years in SB, and it did not disappoint this time! Everyone had a great meal, and then we all had amazing desserts. I had a tiramisu that was unbelievable.

After dinner we drove to UCSB. The concert was in one of the campus’ bigger concert halls, Campbell Hall. We arrived a little early, so I was able to show everyone around the campus a little bit. It was amazing how much has changed already - I think there were at least three new buildings! But for the most part the campus is still very familiar and feels a bit like home.

Keb Mo was the main event, however, and once the concert started, we were all captivated by his performance. The concert hall seats maybe 600 people, though that could be generous, so it was a very intimate setting. Keb came out with his guitar and harmonica and played his unique style of contemporary blues. His joy for life and his great sense of humor just bubbled over the audience. He had everyone laughing several times during the night, and interacted with the crowd in a very real and personal way.

After the concert was over, I was amazed to see that a quick two hours had passed. Everyone in our group agreed that it was one of the best concerts we’d ever enjoyed. I’ll be certain to be on the look out for the next Keb Mo sighting - and believe me - it will take a lot to keep me from being there.

I was recently introduced to a simple puzzle-game that is easy to learn but always a challenge. The game is called SuDoku and is apparently a huge hit in Asia.

The basics of the game are simple. Start with a grid of size 9x9 with several numbers populated in each box. The object is to insert the numbers in the empty boxes to satisfy only one condition: each row, column and 3x3 box must contain the digits 1 through 9 exactly once.

The idea is simple. The execution can be a bit challenging. A new one comes out each day, of varying difficulty. Give it a try. I bet you get hooked.

A recent study of 3,200 U.S. companies conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania revealed that a 10 percent increase in spending for workforce training and development leads to an 8.5 percent increase in productivity, while a similar increase in capital expenditures leads to an increase in productivity of just 3.8 percent.
- John Maxwell, Leadership Wired, Vol 8, Issue 18.

I’m grateful that I work for a company (Lockheed Martin) that seems to genuinely value training and investing in their employees. I’ve already had numerous opportunities to take course that expand my skillset or stretch me as a leader. I’m benefitting from the size of Lockheed, as well. Their training opportunities are much larger because they are such a large company.

In my Dale Carnegie course tonight we talked about how to correct someone when they’ve failed to meet some expectation, or otherwise behaved inappropriately. There are five steps to this correction process, and they have to occur in order. Here’s my summary of the presentation:

1. Rapport - Do you have a healthy relationship with the person who requires correction? If there is no mutual respect, or rapport, how can you expect a positive outcome? First seek to build rapport.

2. Relate to the Problem - Don’t beat the person up over the issue. If possible, share a personal example of when you made a similar mistake. Relate the problems to something you experienced and indirectly reference their mistake for maximum results. Ask questions to clarify or to solve the issue instead of giving orders. Always remember the person isn’t under attack. Their behavior may be, but never the person.

3. Restore Confidence - Confronting our personal shortcomings is never fun - it hurts! We need to look for opportunities to help those we confront save face and keep their dignity in the face of correction. Look for opportunities to encourage and build up the person after a corrective action has been taken. Carnegie says, “Give the person a fine reputation to live up to.”

4. Reassure - Make sure you convey your confidence in the person that they are capable of making the change. In fact, assure them that you know it is an easy adjustment for them to make. Look for ways to encourage and harness the persons desire to improve to create incentive for them to change.

5. Remove - As a last resort, remove the person from the position or the company if they are unwilling to accept correction or direction. It may be that they are in the wrong seat on the bus - or it may be that they got on the wrong bus altogether. Give them the opportunity to use their strengths in an environment that can benefit greatly from them.

This is how sad my life is. The Lakers waive Vlade Divac and I get excited!

I watched Vlade play in his “prime” about six years ago. He walked up and down the court the whole game and never broke a sweat. I was disgusted by his lack of effort, and began counting the days until the Lakers dumped him.

Sadly that day did not come soon enough, but somehow they got the Sacramento Kings to take the oaf. Then he boomeranged back to the Lakers - and Shaq left. Ouch.

Maybe now the Lakers will finally wake up and realize they need to build around a genuine big man. They mad Shaq mad, so he’s out, but they’ve got to start looking at who’s up and coming once the Diesel retires. Until now, I’m just happy Vlade’s gone.

Bill Walton once called him the #2 center in the league. If that was true, I could easily crack the top ten. And on a good day I’m 5′7.”

The letter I received in the mail today was cordial but firm. My application for a position as an instructor at our local community college is no longer under consideration. I applied early this summer before I had heard anything from Lockheed Martin, my present employer. I had high hopes that a teaching position at the college level might be exactly what I wanted, but I can see now that God has me right where he wants me.

In many ways the letter was actually good news. It was good to see a door close and an option be eliminated, at least for now. It was good to know that I won’t have to interview, or keep pursuing another position. It was good to know that I can focus completely on my current position and not be pulled in another direction. I know it was good news for my wife as well. I’m sure she would have had a much harder time had they decided to interview me. For now it is great to know that I have a good, stable job that is providing wonderfully for our family. I don’t know if I’ve ever been happier to receive a rejection letter!

I’ve noticed an interesting principle in the corporate world lately. I think it was there several years ago when I was working full time, but for some reason I’m seeing it more clearly today. The principle is played out in individuals’ attempts at climbing the corporate ladder. They carefully weigh each rung of the ladder, and try to play every opportunity to their greatest advantage. They monitor how they look to others and use words like “self-promotion” to express their attempts to maximize their career aspirations.

I could see myself getting caught in the same trap, but I realize now that a paradox is at work. As hard as I try, I cannot control what others think of me. That’s the nature of our ability to think independently. Your opinion of me is just that: your opinion. I may call what others think, “my reputation,” but in the end, I’m really saying that a lot of people hold the same opinion of me. Does my reputation really mean anything more than that?

John Wooden talked about this very thing, saying that you cannot control your reputation. You can only control your character. The decisions I make that are character decisions, if they are consistent, will eventually shape the opinion others have of me. If I consistently choose poorly, and compromise my character, my reputation - and the opinion others hold, will likely suffer greatly. If I consistently choose wisely, my reputation may improve, but it may not. The opinion of others is very fickle.

Think about the difference between these two efforts: building my reputation or building my character. If I strive to build my reputation, what am I really doing but trying to win at the game of politics? If instead I endeavor to build my character, I’ll be a better person - stronger and more capable regardless of others’ opinions. And when a crisis hits - will it matter what others have thought of me all along? Not in the least. Character is revealed in crisis - but it is formed much earlier. A reputation has too little substance to withstand a crisis. But if a reputation is built on character, the reputation will stand because the person’s character supports it.

So I will work on building strong character traits and let my reputation be supported by it.