Saturday, March 27, 2010

Make Yourself Understood

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MAKE YOURSELF UNDERSTOOD.


"It is important that you word your questions with great precision and without presumption." - Douglas Castle   http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com
---------------

Dear Friends:

Comedian Steven Wright tells a story about walking around his neighborhood wearing socks of two different colors. When a woman asks him, "Do you know that your socks don't match?" he replies, "Sure they do. I don't go by color-- I go by thickness."

Last evening, my wife asked me, "What's the difference between loquacious and garrulous?" I quickly replied, "The spelling."

Of course she had intended to ask, "What is the difference in meaning between loquacious and garrulous?"

The lesson is a simple but important one: The quality and usefulness that you will get in response to a question will be influenced by the way in which you word the question. Imprecisely worded questions lead to misinterpretations, and misinterpretations lead to inefficient and unproductive conversation.

Worded slightly differently: If you ask questions with a high degree of specificity, you greatly increase the probability of your getting answers that are meaningful. You may discuss the implications of this this with any attorney who has gone through the exercise of examining a person on the witness stand.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

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Friday, March 26, 2010

Make Yourself Understood.

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MAKE YOURSELF UNDERSTOOD.


"It is important that you word your questions with great precision and without presumption." - Douglas Castle   http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com
---------------

Dear Friends:

Comedian Steven Wright tells a story about walking around his neighborhood wearing socks of two different colors. When a woman asks him, "Do you know that your socks don't match?" he replies, "Sure they do. I don't go by color-- I go by thickness."

Last evening, my wife asked me, "What's the difference between loquacious and garrulous?" I quickly replied, "The spelling."

Of course she had intended to ask, "What is the difference in meaning between loquacious and garrulous?"

The lesson is a simple but important one: The quality and usefulness that you will get in response to a question will be influenced by the way in which you word the question. Imprecisely worded questions lead to misinterpretations, and misinterpretations lead to inefficient and unproductive conversation.

Worded slightly differently: If you ask questions with a high degree of specificity, you greatly increase the probability of your getting answers that are meaningful. You may discuss the implications of this this with any attorney who has gone through the exercise of examining a person on the witness stand.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

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Monday, March 22, 2010

How Successful People Really Do Business.

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How Successful People Really Do Business

Humor --- but with a strong lesson about the fine art of "Dealsmanship." If a businessperson is really great, he or she can bring forth a stunning success out of thin air...with a good plan, of course. I had to share this with everyone. Thank you, Ann.

-- Douglas Castle


Dear Friends:

My dear friend, fellow TNNW columnist and harshest critic (only kidding....that would be my mom), Ann Barczay Sloan sent me this. It was forwarded to her from a friend of hers with whom I am not personally acquainted, but who receives well-deserved attribution at the end of this article.
---------------
Note: Our story begins with Morris, who is a true Master....
Morris (the father) says to his son:

"I want you to marry a girl of my choice."

The son says: "I will choose my own bride."

Morris says: "But the girl is Bill Gates' daughter."

The son answers: "Well, in that case, yes, ok."

Morris then approaches Bill Gates and says:

"I have a husband for your daughter."

Bill Gates answers: "But my daughter is too young
to get married!"

Morris says: "But this young man is a vice-president of the World Bank."

Bill Gates answers: "Ah, in that case, yes, ok."

Finally Morris goes to see the president of the World Bank.

Morris says: "I have a young man to recommend as a vice-president."

The president answers: "But I already have more vice-presidents than I need."

Morris says: "But this young man is Bill Gates' son-in-law."

The President answers: "Ah, in that case, yes, ok."

And that is how successful people do business.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Forwarded by
Daniel J. Benor, MD, ABHM
DB@WholisticHealingResearch.com

For more web items of humor, beauty and wondermentSee: Monthly E-Zines and frequent Newsletters of the IJHC and the WHR sites
 http://wholistichealingresearch.com/CurrentIssue.html
---------
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Saturday, March 20, 2010

Prioritize Before You Take Action.

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Prioritize Before You Take Action.

Dear Readers:

It's not enough to create and abide by a stream-of-consciousness "To-Do" list. I believe it is also necessary to prioritize...that is to say that you must take a look at the relative importance of each agenda item with respect to how time-critical it is, and address the time-critical items first.

A simple example -- if your house is on fire, do you:
A) Put up new drapes, or,
B) Grab your children and get the hell out of there?

Another simple example-- if the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center are under attack, and you happen to be the President of The United States of America, do you:
A) Continue reading a story to some children in a Florida elementary school, or,
B) Assume command and control of your country, put national security status on Red Alert and communicate with your commanders and the public immediately to prevent mayhem, while preparing for possible further assaults?

I am inclined to choose B, in either of the above cases.

In a hospital, this type of decision is called triage...the most critical patients with the most time-sensitive  and life-threatening issues must be attended to first. The  blood-soaked chap with the deep sucking wound in his upper chest should be looked at prior to the  lady with a swollen ring finger.

The following two recent news stories (both from Associated Press, in care of Yahoo! News) show an example of  what I'll call "contrarian prioritization" (to be politically correct, I have avoided the expression "acting like a moron," so as not to insult morons in general, especially as their lobbying power grows).
__________________

Social Security to start cashing Uncle Sam's IOUs

Susan Chapman AP – FILE - In this Feb. 23, 2005 file photo, Susan Chapman, director of the Division of Federal Investments, …
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press Writer Stephen Ohlemacher, Associated Press Writer Mon Mar 15, 5:09 pm ET
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. – The retirement nest egg of an entire generation is stashed away in this small town along the Ohio River: $2.5 trillion in IOUs from the federal government, payable to the Social Security Administration.
It's time to start cashing them in.
For more than two decades, Social Security collected more money in payroll taxes than it paid out in benefits — billions more each year.
Not anymore. This year, for the first time since the 1980s, when Congress last overhauled Social Security, the retirement program is projected to pay out more in benefits than it collects in taxes — nearly $29 billion more.
Sounds like a good time to start tapping the nest egg. Too bad the federal government already spent that money over the years on other programs, preferring to borrow from Social Security rather than foreign creditors. In return, the Treasury Department issued a stack of IOUs — in the form of Treasury bonds — which are kept in a nondescript office building just down the street from Parkersburg's municipal offices.
Now the government will have to borrow even more money, much of it abroad, to start paying back the IOUs, and the timing couldn't be worse. The government is projected to post a record $1.5 trillion budget deficit this year, followed by trillion dollar deficits for years to come.
Social Security's shortfall will not affect current benefits. As long as the IOUs last, benefits will keep flowing. But experts say it is a warning sign that the program's finances are deteriorating. Social Security is projected to drain its trust funds by 2037 unless Congress acts, and there's concern that the looming crisis will lead to reduced benefits.
"This is not just a wake-up call, this is it. We're here," said Mary Johnson, a policy analyst with The Senior Citizens League, an advocacy group. "We are not going to be able to put it off any more." ####
________________
AND NOW...

Obama seeks to reassure seniors on health care

Mexico gunmen kill American consulate staff Reuters – U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington, May 21, 2009. REUTERS/Larry Downing/Files
By BEN FELLER, Associated Press Writer Ben Feller, Associated Press Writer Mon Mar 15, 5:01 pm ET
STRONGSVILLE, Ohio – With a fresh sense of urgency, President Barack Obama sought to reassure seniors Monday about health care legislation approaching a final vote in Congress, pledging it would make preventive care cost-free and close a gap in Medicare prescription drug coverage. "This proposal adds almost a decade of solvency to Medicare," Obama said in a visit to a senior center.
Obama's trip to Ohio marked his third out-of-town foray as he tries to build support for long-stalled legislation to remake the health care system. Administration officials have predicted the legislation will clear the House by the end of the week, but Democratic leaders had not yet released the measure as the president's helicopter lifted off from the White House grounds.
Even so, the House Budget Committee arranged a mid-afternoon meeting to begin a series of events expected to culminate in a House vote within days.
Guests aboard Air Force One included Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the local congressman, who voted against the administration-backed health care bill that cleared the House late last year.
There was no word on whether Obama lobbied for his vote en route to Ohio. But shortly after the president began his public remarks, someone in the crowd yelled, "Vote yes," to Kucinich.
"Did you hear that, Dennis?" the president said with a smile. "Go ahead, say that again," he encouraged the voice in the audience.
"Vote yes!" came back the reply." ####
________________

As I had mentioned previously in this article, you should Prioritize Before You Take Action. This is not an issue of politics -- this is an issue of common-sense survival, with an entire country at stake.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle
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Wednesday, March 17, 2010

The Job Nobody Wants

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The Job Nobody Wants

Situations Force some of us to Lead, and the Rest of us to Either Hide or Complain.

Dear B:

Thank you so much for your concern and support.

I know that you understand.

Sometimes difficult situations are foist upon us because actions must be taken or problems must be solved ... and no other volunteer steps forward to meet the challenge. Our reactions define us. 

I did not ask for leadership -- it was imposed upon me as a condition precedent to achieving something good, lasting and greater than myself. My motivation is not selfish, or ego-driven. It is a hunger for accomplishment. It is born of a compassion for the suffering of Humankind that I would want to make things better.

More than any of  this, it is a desperate need for redemption that cries out through me.

Always,

Douglas Castle

Labels, Tags and Key Terms: leadership, rising to address circumstances, leaders and followers, whiners versus winners, hard choices, drawing lines, situations which define us, The 1%, Articles by Douglas castle, Taking Command, The National Networker Newsletter.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

It's Wonderful to be Good at Something

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It's Wonderful to be Good at Something.

Dear Friends:

While it is indeed a thrill to be admired and respected, I believe that, deep within each of us, we each want to be exceptionally good at something. I have found my niche.

A letter (sent via email) follows. I was so moved by it that my eyes began to well up with tears. I know now, at long last, that I am on my destiny's true path, and that I am actively working toward my life's most noble calling. 

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle
_____________________________________
You seem to have made it your calling to iritate, agitate, crawl under skin, and piss off just about everyone.
Its about time.
Name withheld.

I have some things to discuss with you.

______________________________________
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Assuming Responsibility Can Be Dangerous

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Assuming Responsibility Can Be Dangerous. 

I just received this comment from a good friend, who is trying to help me:

"In regard to this misunderstanding, I think the problem stems from the original document you sent me called  'HUMAN ASSET REQUIREMENTS'." - [Name Witheld]

My Dear Brother (I sometimes call friends this):

I am sorry for having caused your problem. After all....you were only following orders. This is fully my fault for having the audacity to outline a plan for you to use as a guide...In so doing, I had inadvertently accepted responsibility. I am going to be revising this whole plan shortly. In doing this again, I will graciously accept the full responsibility and all of its potentially adverse consequences.

You have taught me something: It is always safest never to improvise -- if you do, you may be blamed for having assumed some amount of the responsibility.

You are a clever fellow, indeed.

Faithfully,

Douglas
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Sunday, March 14, 2010

Yossi Feigenson on Real Talk Radio, Tomorrow!

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YOSSI FEIGENSON on Real Talk Radio, Tomorrow! 

Catch Him on Monday, March 15th, at 11:30 am, (Eastern Time).

Tune In either via web at http://www.onecaribbeanradio.com or on HD radio: FM dial, 97.9 fm HD2.

Dear Friends and Worthy Adversaries:

On Monday, March 15, 2010, at 11:30 am, Yossi Feigenson will appear as a guest on the daily radio show, "Real Talk." 

Yossi Feigenson is well-known for his intensity, candor and incredible wit. Douglas Castle, Adam J. Kovitz and the rest of the Team at The National Networker Companies find Feigenson to be offensive, controversial, occasionally irritating.......and usually right on target.


Yossi is Managing Partner at ORB Real Estate Professionals, a commercial real estate company in Manhattan. 

Yossi is also a Featured Columnist for The National Networker Weekly Newsletter at  http://www.thenationalnetworker.com , where he writes extensively on topics relating to real estate and to business in general. He is widely considered a thought leader on the key issues of the economy and an astute observer of the human condition and how it relates to the business world.

His website is http://www.orbny.com. You can email Yossi directly (he treasures every letter in his inbox!), at yossif@orbny.com.

Tune in to what is certain to be an engaging, hard hitting, stimulating and informative discussion about the current economic situation. Be warned: He's quite opinionated.  

The show is hosted by Berel Lerman and Mr. H. Diggy and airs daily from 10:30 AM - 1 PM, Eastern Time.

And now for the free endorsement:

Be sure to tune into "Real Talk" between 10:30am-12:30pm, Monday-Thursday on our new FM dial, 97.9fm HD2Call in to the show at 877-623-0740 or send in your thoughts live via on-air email to berellerman@gmail.com

And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, concludes my free endorsement, with no further requirements on my part.

I highly recommend listening to Yossi. And I am (as you know) neither fair nor unbiased. I play favorites. I find Yossi refreshingly provocative. He is one of Brooklyn's (the cradle of civilization's) greatest minds. He'll even tell you so. Let me know what you think. I assure you...you'll know what he thinks.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

p.s. This kid might have a future. Truly.



Note: The above photo of a fan in rapture (unretouched) was taken by an amateur photographer at one of Yossi's recent seminar presentations. 


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Saturday, March 13, 2010

TECHNOPHOBIA!

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TECHNOPHOBIA!
Number 6 has sent you a video. Does anyone out there remember the TV series titled "The Prisoner"?
============================================================
Personal message from Douglas Castle:

The more technologically dependent and acclimated we become, the more vulnerable we render ourselves. Sometimes our comforts become our captors. --DC

The Yahoo! video which follows is merely a micro-foreshadowing of the inevitable.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?cl=18512808

============================================================
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Friday, March 12, 2010

Friday, March 12th, 2010 - Douglas Castle's Revisitations

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Friday, March 12th, 2010 - Douglas Castle's Revisitations.

Dear Friends:

"It is amazing to watch society decline as people become more proficient at explanation and less proficient at performance." - Douglas Castle

p.s. It's Friday...and a wonderful day to think, even for a few moments, of revisiting and reviving the "childish" ambitions inside of us -- those moments of perceived greatness, when we were who we believed ourselves to be and not who people told us we had to be.

Key terms and labels: revisitation, explanations versus performance, who we really are, letting others define us, Douglas Castle, The National Networker Companies, GICBC, Human Potential.

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Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Take This Survey: Self-Evaluation Is Necessary For Self-Growth and Social Evolution.

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Blue Thing #1: TNNW Surveys, Analyses and Findings/ Market Research.

Why? Because people are absolutely obsessed with what other people are thinking.

Why? Because feedback helps us to refine our strategies and change our trajectories.

Why? Because The National Networker Companies want you and your business to know your client audience and to constantly monitor changes in their attitudes, buying habits and needs.

(cue drumroll.......)

Take TNNW SURVEY #6
(Polls open 3/9, and close on 4/15)

Click toTake Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/TNNWsurvey6  





TNNW Survey #6: Take Your Own Personal "Human Asset Value" Inventory.



You bring your automobile in for an inspection to determine if it needs repairs. You check your investment portfolio to see how well your assets are performing. You review your bank statement to be certain that you can cover your bills. You appraise your property. You prepare balance sheets for your businesses. Comment: It might be a good idea to take a Personal Asset Value Inventory -- a self-appraisal -- from time to time. Start today. Invest a bit of time in taking an honest look at yourself...strong points, weak points, all points. What you reveal to yourself in this exercise might help you to make some refinements, and to better plan for a happier, more fulfilling and prosperous future.

We have not assigned "weights" or "priorities" to any factors, and there is no grading. Once the results are in, we will conduct another survey to assign weights to the various factors, so that you will have a means of rating yourself in comparison to others. But for the moment, your answers to the survey will just provide you with some food for thought...and thinking is good exercise; the more you use your mind, the stronger it becomes.

You'll be glad that you made this self-investment. And we at THE NATIONAL NETWORKER COMPANIES thank you for your participation. Now let's get on with the collaborative process of helping each other to be more successful.

It is self-evaluation time. We must do this before we can evaluate others effectively.

Please be advised that the survey contains 45 questions...so be prepared to dedicate some time to thinking about each question, and answer honestly -- never try to fool yourself.

Relax, focus and enjoy the adventure of self-discovery.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle
THE NATIONAL NETWORKER COMPANIES
####





Note: This Survey #6 will be closing on April 15th at 12:00 am Eastern Time. out next week. After the Survey is closed and the results have been published, if you have some of your own additional self-assessment tools or criteria to share and you would like to include them in a follow-up to the Survey, please write to us at http://bit.ly/contactTNNW , being sure to include the words “Survey #6 Suggestion” in the subject line of your correspondence. If you would like, we will give you credit for your suggested question right in the Survey itself, and when the results are published – just let us know if you’d like to be listed as a Contributor in your letter to us.

If you’d like , join The National Networker Companies for free at http://bit.ly/JoinTNNW .







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Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Self-Growth: The Reality.

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Self-Growth: The Reality.

The Most Efficient Path to Self-Growth, by Douglas Castle, Vice-Chairman of The National Networker Companies.

*Commentary regarding a sales letter (not reproduced here) from David Riklan of SelfGrowth.com: "How 97.5 % of all Self Improvement Companies Grow their Businesses"

David Riklan publishes and produces the selfgrowth.com website and its ancillary businesses. He accepts articles written by many writers about various aspects of "self-growth." Some of these articles are very worthwhile reading, and an intelligent person can occasionally acquire a gold nugget of an idea by reading the material produced by his authors. His business grows itself by his authors' contributions of article content and fees. I admire his business model - it is a good one. But there are some serious negatives...

David Riklan is a pay-to-play proclaimer of "expert" status, and a purveyor of "experts" in the self-improvement field. He (through selfgrowth.com) hasn't achieved any great credibility (in my uniquely myopic and snobbish view) as yet and doesn't develop traction for his readers. He actually tried to get me to enlist (i.e. "pay") as an "expert," and eventually wanted to discuss my going to work for him. I declined, saying that I was intellectually incapable of holding my own in a room filled with so many other "experts." I humbly confessed that I, myself, needed a great deal of self-improvement before I could counsel others in all good conscience.

Almost every person with whom I come into contact (I usually wear gloves) is a "self-growth expert" or a "self-growth coach." I always ask myself (silently, of course, so as not to create a stir) several questions before I entertain engaging a coach or advisor:

1). Does he or she "walk the walk?" [is he or she the avatar of a self-improved creature?]
2). Would I want to emulate this person? Is her or she someone I admire?
3). Has he or she successfully coached others and generated appreciable results?
4). Can we work comfortably together?
5). Would he or she be audacious enough to refuse me as a client if I were perfectly willing to pay, but obviously demonstrated serious deficiences or limitations (in terms of ability or attitude)?

I have found that many people actually need more of a strategic path and plan than they do generic "self-improvement" tips. That is why I've chosen to be involved in strategic planning and organizational engineering instead of stand alone self-growth.

On the path to achieving a business or professional goal, an individual doubtless encounters numerous real-time, real-world difficulties which force him or her to make adaptations which are, by definition, "self-growth."

The best path to self-growth is through field testing and experience.

In brief (I frequently write while in my underwear), don't talk to me about camping --- take me on a rugged camping trip. Experience is the most potent teacher of all, and the multisensorial memories created through experience are much more readily memorable, accessible and credible than those learned in a casual or classroom environment.

We learn most effectively by observing, and then by doing

Faithfully,

DouglasCastle

p.s. Would you prefer the bodyguard who had read the book, or the one who had been a Navy SEAL or had worked for the Secret Service?  
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