April 23, 2007  

Hi MBBP Subscribers,

When I was a line manager, I was always under enormous day-to-day stress. So much so that I had chronic headaches … I mean every day. I would take 10 Excedrin each day just to get through the challenges of each day.  

I loved my job and was not about to give in to the pain. So I constantly pursued a solution to my stress problem. Of all the doctors' help I received, bio-feedback produced the best results. I never did get headache free but bio-feedback helped me continue my career in manufacturing.  

Bio-feedback is a simple procedure where you are taught relaxation methods and then "wired" into an electronic monitoring system that reads your stress level. As you develop your relaxation methods, you can hear (by tone) and see by reading stress meters how well you are doing. 

If you are bothered by stress, I recommend trying biofeedback as a method for reducing it.  

OK, so let's take a break and relax. Go someplace where it is quite and you can get away from the day-to-day stress. Take some deep breaths and try to relax your body. When you have put the day-to-day stress aside, your ready to read my 'take-a-break' story, "The Dale Carnegie Story." Enjoy!  

Have a nice day, keep the faith, and stay connected.  

Bill Gaw
Business Basics, LLC
Bg@bbasicsllc.com
760-945-5596  

P.S. Don't miss next weeks MBBP Bulletin... I'll be writing about the 8-Basics of Lean Manufacturing success.

Manufacturing Basics and Best Practices Bulletin
Now serving 12,000 plus subscribers  

THE DALE CARNEGIE STORY  

Back in the 60's, I was a Dale Carnegie student. At each class meeting we had an extemporaneous speech competition. Each speaker would pick a topic out of a hat, step up to the podium and then give a five-minute talk on the subject. On this one occasion, I drew "sex" as my subject and although it at first seemed difficult, I came up with a good speech and won the best speech trophy.  

When I got home, my wife and some of her lady friends were playing bridge. "How did it go tonight," my wife asked. "Great," I said, "I won the best speech award." One of her lady friends asked what my speech was about. With all the ladies in the room, I was embarrassed to say sex so I answered, "Sailing."  

The next day a friend calls my house and my wife answered the phone. He asked her what she thought of her husband winning the best speech trophy last night. She responded, "I don't know how he ever won it, he's only done it three times---the first time he was so confused that he forgot what to do---the second time he was so nervous he got sick---the last time he was so excited, he fell off."   

Although this story didn't happen, I was at one time a Dale Carnegie student. I was also an active member of Toastmasters. I recommend both of these organizations to anyone who is pursuing a career in management. One of the important characteristics of a leader is his/her ability to "think on their feet," both of these organizations can help you develop this skill. 

"We must constantly retool ourselves, become
 perpetual students, or we risk becoming obsolete."
                                                                         Price Pritchett

If your company need help with the implementation of any change initiative, I suggest that you invest in my cost-effective training modules. For training module details, click on any of the below links:  

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1. VALUE STREAM MAPPING: If you want to gain control of your day-to-day activities and create a fun work environment... 
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2. LEAN MANUFACTURING: If your company needs to increase speed, improve quality while reducing operating costs... 
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