A few years ago a unique service was available in Fort Worth, Texas, entitled "An Apology Service."  The founder and creator of the service was Ms. Kathy Warman.  For just $6.00, Ms. Warman would pick up the phone and with her Southern charm and accent, offer an apology to the person you might have offended.

Many youngsters will tell you that they "just want to be happy." Tragically, however, the rate of suicide amongst our teenagers is extremely high and is one of the leading causes of teenage death. I point out these factors only to emphasize that if you were to ask the typical parent to complete this sentence - the teenager is at home and says, "I'm....", most parents would immediately finish it with the word "bored.

In our day of corporate turmoil many people are more concerned about maintaining a job than they are climbing the ladder. However, it is my conviction that the climbing process will give you more job security than virtually any step you can take. In order to move up you’ve got to grow up and I mean more than just emotionally. I’m talking about growing up in the business through the acquisition of new skills and knowledge.

There’s an old saying that you can finish school and even make it easy. That simply is not true of education. You never finish and it is seldom easy, but it’s always important.

There is more turmoil in corporate America today than in the last fifty years. Companies are merging, downsizing, moving abroad and undergoing traumatic changes. This increases stress tremendously and, in many cases, impairs productivity. Employees feel compelled to work harder, do more, and thus ensure their jobs. But is that really the right answer?

David Kearns, the former Chairman and CEO of the Xerox Corporation, points out that the closer we climb to the top the more we will be earning. He also observes that the longer we stay at the top, the more we must be learning. Not only is that true, it’s powerfully useful information. Unfortunately, in our society today there are too many people who “finish” school but fail to complete their education which is never completed. I hasten to add that all great universities and educational institutions are not in buildings. Truly educated people learn from their parents, children and siblings. They learn by looking, listening and then thinking about how they can use that information to be a better person and a more effective performer.

In my lifetime I have never heard anyone disagree with the observation that people build business, so when we build people we build business. At our company, once each quarter we have our "People Builders Meeting” to recognize outstanding employees for significant contributions they have made during the previous quarter.

When I was a kid I used to watch a lot of TV. My parents parked me there because they both had to work, my two older sisters had no interest in me, and babysitters were expensive. Regardless of all that, they just didn't have the money. The Internet had not yet been invented and games were played by two people in the same room at a table with a board, dice, and pieces you'd move around that board.

Head knowledge is not the answer to all of our problems because people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care about them. It takes heart.

In management and leadership, people will respond better to the "human" leader than to the "mechanical" one.

My trusty 1828 Noah Webster Dictionary says that idleness is "abstinence from labor or employment; the state of doing nothing; aversion to labor; reluctance to be employed or to exertion, either of body or mind; sloth; sluggishness." Idleness is often the effect of laziness and sometimes this word may be used for it.

It is probable that many of you who read these words have been told from time to time by people who, in most cases, were well meaning, that you would never amount to anything, could not do this, had no talent for that particular field, etc.

If you overcame those negative comments and did something with your life, you smile at the memory of the satisfaction you gained by "proving them wrong.

In this day of corporate downsizing there is much fear in the market place. However, to a degree, there has always been a certain amount of fear as far as our employment security is concerned, and for a number of years the term "workaholic" has been a common one.