Jim Estill Appointed as CEO and President of Danby

The big news for me is being appointed as the CEO of Danby.  I have been on the board for a few years so have high level familiarity with the company.  Now I need to get into the low level details.

Danby is a manufacturer of microwaves, compact refrigerators, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, freezers, ranges, washers and other small appliances.

From a recent Danby job posting:

Danby is a proudly Canadian company with a rich history spanning over 65 years.  We are currently a leader in the appliance market, producing innovative, quality products at competitive pricing.  Our products are marketed under seven brand names: Danby®, Danby Designer®, Danby Diplomat®, Danby Premiere®, Simplicity®, Arcticaire®, and Silhouette®, as well as some private brands like Sunbeam for major retail stores.

Danby’s goal of being the largest compact and specialty appliance company in North America is already being realized. Our strong leadership, creativity and innovation provide us with the tools to ensure future growth for many years to come.

This is not exactly what I did while I was with SYNNEX but there are many similarities - they both sell to large retailers like Walmart, Staples, Costco etc. as well as a large number of independent retailers.

Danby head office is in Guelph and has locations in Ohio and Massachusetts in the US as well as a location in China.

Danby is small enough that I feel I can make a difference and large enough that a small difference can be meaningful.  I like businesses that sell hundreds of millions.

Will be a fun and challenging gig.

My first 90 day plan is listen and learn as well as cement customer relations.  Of course nothing is that clear cut and I am impatient so will begin "doing" some things also.

My SEO/writing business - DDE Media will continue but will now be run by Paul, Lyle and Andrew.  The team of 14 people there are highly competent and able to continue that business well.

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And unrelated, I was interested to see the benefits of weightlifting even light weights as long as you lift to failure.  Now as a time management person, not sure I think it as efficient.  But as someone who has occasionally injured myself, I see the value/safety of more reps of lighter weights.

Dare to Serve

I am loving this weather.  It is hard to restrain myself from planting a garden.  I know the hard way that that would be foolish.  May 24 is the earliest planting date for me.

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I read a great book today - Dare to Serve - How to Drive Superior Results by Serving Others by Cheryl Bachelder.  Cheryl is the CEO who successfully turned around fast food company Popeyes.

I was not sure I would like it because of a predetermined biased against Popeye's.  I do not eat fast food and Popeyes does not mesh with my view of what wholesome good food is.  I daresay their chickens are not organically free range raised.    I worry about childhood obesity too.  CBC has a good article on  "the cure parents will hate".  But I digress...

So I started with a negative bias but the book is awesome and perfect for any leader.

I think that Cheryl is a good person just from reading the book.  I have never met her.  She just seems like a great person.

Cheryl talks about the power of leading through serving.  She expands on the Jim Collin's level 5 leaders.  They look out first for the good of the company.

Much of good leadership has to do with ego and humility.  The world tends to heap praise on leaders and it is easy for that to go to your head.  I often say I am very lucky.

I liked the chapter on principles.  They drive the organization.

She also wrote about purpose and the importance of having clarity of purpose.

Some other style things I liked about the book:

1 - it is short and to the point

2 - it is peppered with quotes which I love.  (one of the great ones was "So much of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to work"  Peter Drucker)

3 - I liked the summary at the end.  You could actually just read that and get most of the gist of it.

There is very little about Popeyes in the book - it is all about leadership.

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I am not a royal watcher but it did come to my attention that Will and Kate's baby arrived.  Apparently she bears a great resemblance to my own grand daughter, Elizabeth.

Do I have to have a chat with my son in law, Mario?  Should I tell Jennifer?

 

Shadow Work

I spent much of my weekend doing Shadow Work.   Shadow Work is all the little things that need doing but you are not paid for.  For example, today I went through my mail.  Then lots of it needed recycling and sometimes separating before going in the different bins.  And I was at the grocery store where I waited in line to self checkout.  And then returned the cart.  All Shadow Work.

And I sifted through dozens of emails - many deleted.  I filed my expenses.  More Shadow Work.

None of it was strategic (yet).  I will get to strategic work tonight.

I got the name Shadow Work from a book by Craig Lambert - Shadow Work - the unpaid,  Unseen Jobs That Fill Your Day.  Lambert took the term from Ivan Illich who coined it in his 1981 book.

So I "get" that there are lots of unpaid things that need doing.  Lambert actually laments the fact that it has increased with the advent of self service in almost everything.  I am not sure I would go that far - I think full service often converts unpaid work like pumping gas into more unpaid time waiting.  This is particularly true of ATMs or online banking.  They save Shadow Work usually.  They are faster than waiting in line for a teller.  Although they tend to have less personality (hopefully).

I know travel has a huge amount of the worst kind of shadow work.  CBC did a piece on how bad air travel is.  They did not even factor in the Shadow Work of booking it in the first place.

For many people, their biggest Shadow Work is commuting.  I have a short walk to work now but even so try to add value to the time by listening to the WSJ podcast.

The main point I get from Lambert's book is to "be aware" of all the Shadow Work I do.  And then decide what to do with it.  As much as possible, eliminate it?

Lambert makes the point that we should try to streamline the Shadow Work which is exactly what I am trying to do.  How can I do more in less time so I can spend more time in strategic areas.

His final chapter has a subchapter on "The Twilight of Leisure".  I am wondering if Lambert is not happy working.  "Work" as it is so called gets a bad rap.  It can be more fun than many leisure activities.

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One of my investments - Organimi released an easy org chart product.   Check it out.

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And a great slideshare on how successful people start their day.

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Grandson Josh and I when I still had my mountain man look from a vacation in Spain.  And one of the latest grandchild - Elizabeth.

The High-Speed Company Review

I was inspired today by a book (as I often am) called The High-Speed Company: Creating Urgency and Growth in a Nanosecond Culture by Jason Jennings and Laurence Haughton.

I was attracted to the title.  I am a big believer in sense of urgency as one prerequisite of success.  And with my new business - DDE Media, I am thinking a lot about the culture we need.

It starts with a compelling chapter - Doing Well by Doing Good.  This has long been one of my beliefs - so good start.  A quote from the book "Give people the why - they give you the how".  

A cute story from the book:

Teacher:  "How did you do on the test"

Student: "Good"

Teacher: "No, you did well - Superman does good".

I liked that this chapter affirmed that high urgency does not mean high stress.  Actually it means the opposite.  It means focus on the right things.  Have the right systems and processes.  There is a whole chapter on "Systematize Everything".  I have long been an advocate of Michael Gerbers book E-myth.  This chapter was a mini affirmation of E-myth.

Part of being high urgency or nimble if allowing people to do their jobs.  Push decision making down.  As the book says avoid "unnecessary leadership".

The only point I have slight disagreement with is "avoid CAVE people".  No - not those on the paleo diet but Citizens Against Virtually Everything.  I have actually had good success by keeping a few people around me who challenge everything.  It helps me think more and build a better case.  If you can sell a CAVE person, it likely is a good idea.

The authors advocate being close to your customers.  There was interesting stories of P and G visiting real families in Turkey to get close.  

And of course there was a chapter on communications.  Really listening - hearing.  Not like the Bette Midler quote "enough about me - lets talk about what you think about me".

Some quotes:

"Prioritize fanatically"

"Nothing fails like success"  (Success can cause complacency)   

""Success turns risk takers into caretakers"

"Who will not follow a leader who puts their own interests above their own"

"Those who succeed go through life not thinking "its all about me", they think "its all about others."

Really Great Mentors

I would like to be a really great mentor so I was attracted to Stephen Kohn and Vincent O'Connell's book:  9 Practices of really Great Mentors - How to Inspire and Motivate Anyone.

The book  is a self-actualizing and highly motivational read that portrays the many facets that mentors hold.

Starting off with more than one definition of what a mentor is, this book is incredibly inspiring and practical making it the fitting last book of a three part series by Stephen E. Kohn and Vincent D. O'Connell.

All of the key ideas discussed are applicable in developing a person’s full potential in life to help optimize an organization’s assets and to benefit from their own day to day life.

The use of the terminology ‘stretch goals’ clearly defines the role that a mentor plays in helping the protégé identify the process in hopes to accomplish their goals given that stretch goals are not reached immediately, but framed from a longer-term perspective.

Including a chapter explaining the difference between coaching versus mentoring someone was a nice touch as often times these two terms get muddled in the mentoring role.

9 Powerful Practices of Really Great Mentors displays positive and motivational messages that encourage the growth of the relationship between mentor and protégé. The relationship that develops between two individuals is mind-enriching and possesses the responsibility that both sides have to uphold in order for the relationship can grow. 

The mention of EQ (emotional quotient) having to be either near or at the same level as IQ (intelligent quotient) in chapter 6 acknowledges that there are other ways to measure intelligence and that not just one form of intelligence can define the human mind.

What was a bit disconcerting was stating that, “certain people might be at some sort of disadvantage within the organization or professional environment,” in chapter 3 followed with the confirmation that women are seen in this regard.

With many things in life, it is best to draft out your goals and strategy before putting your plans into actions. 9 Powerful Practices of Really Great Mentors is a great resource to use as a guide and inspiration in becoming the best mentor for your next protégé.

Quotes from the book:

"...the better you are at the mentoring role, the more likely your protégé will benefit from the relationship."

The moment of self-actualization for me is when I read, "...what I am aware of empowers me, and what I am unaware of controls me..."

A mentor's mantra should be, "seek first to understand, than to be understood. It is listening that is crucial along with fully understanding what is going on with your protégé- giving sound advice with context." 

Keep your eyes on the stars, but keep your feet on the ground – Theodore Roosevelt. 

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There is an interesting article in HBR on the reasons not to send emails after work hours.  Interesting points.  It conflicts with my efficiency slightly.  I like to get things off my plate.

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And cactus from my recent trip to Palm Springs where the weather is perfect.  The citrus fruit is unbelievable.  And the people are nice (like everywhere else)

Sales See Saw

We are new (since Dec 1/2014) in our new business - DDE Media.   We have almost 10 full time writers working at our office now (plus the bookkeeper, Graphics Designer, etc).  So the office has a bit of life.

I now am suffering for a start-up syndrome I have seen play out often.  I am really the only person who sells for us right now.  But I do some of the work (especially around SEO) and much of the orchestration.  So I am the limiting factor - the funnel point that limits growth.

What happens is one month, we close sales but the next we are scrambling to deliver on that work so we sell little.  And the sales see saw kicks in - high one month, low the next.

No genius solution - just an observation.

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Speaking of sales, I read an interesting book this weekend - Selling Above and Below the Line - Convince the C Suite, Win Over Management - Close the Sale by Skip Miller.

I always love any book on sales.  I can always learn something or be inspired more.    The goal is always to sell more, bigger and faster.

The problem Selling above and Below tries to solve is many times what appeals to the managers - the features and benefits do not make the sales to the CEO.  So it talks about the dual selling strategy.  I know when I was CEO of SYNNEX, I would often get the wrong pitch.  A pitch that was not in line with the overall corporate goals but one that was more feature oriented.

I liked chapter 16 that talked about accelerating the sale.  I know this is a challenge.  I have lots of sales that are 90% likely to happen but payroll that needs making now.

I particularly like any sales book that gives me ideas on increasing sales efficiency.  This is a lot about what sales tricks are all about.

Good sales people get rejected 80 or 90% of the time.  A good inspirational sales book helps pump them up to go out and sell another day.

I notice in my own selling of SEO work that I have a very strong lead up to the sale.  Everyone wants to speak to me.  Everyone likes the reports we do.  Everyone loves the presentation.  But then, many of them stop and do not follow through with the order.  So I need to figure out what that is all about.  I am thinking my benefits sell to the CEO but the managers see that it will create work for them so they balk.

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I am still grieving the loss of my father.  Part of the cycle of life though opens up space for all the young ones coming into the world which I am grateful for.

Youngest to oldest grandkids - Elizabeth (the one who likes to sleep), Xavier (who also likes to sleep), Victoria and Josh.

And then there were 4 (Grandkids that is)

I am not really a graphics designer.  I certainly have no training in the field.  So I suspect I break most design rules.

That is why Creative Anarchy - How to Break the Rules of Creative Design for Creative Success appealed to me.

This summary is from one of my writers at DDE.

Denise Bosler’s “Creative Anarchy" is a helpful and engaging read on modern graphic design. 

The text is cleverly divided into Bosler’s two fundamental principles of the subject: learning the rules and breaking the rules. Bosler is adamant that graphic designers need to be both rigorously unique and business savvy to achieve success within the evolving industry. 

“Creative Anarchy” is wonderfully colourful and beautiful composed; any person need simply flip through the many pages of high-resolution imagery to appreciate the ever-increasing artistic value of the medium. Plenty of historically successful design projects are scattered throughout the text, with Bosler explaining the commonalities between them that up-and-coming graphic designers should find extremely helpful in furthering their own careers.

 Perhaps the only gripe that I have with the text is that it might not be very accessible to readers unfamiliar with the concept of graphic design, although the fantastic imagery throughout the book should keep them entertained regardless. 

For those interested in pursuing a career in the field, however, “Creative Anarchy” is definitely a must-read.

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There is an interesting article on companies co-founding startups.  This makes logical sense to me.  Starting a company with a company as a co-founder would bring competitive advantage.

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One of my investments - Renomi.com has a new website.  They do change order management for construction projects.  You mean people make changes after they start their projects?

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Warren Buffet claims to eat like a 6 year old after studying the mortality rates and finding theirs are low.  Lots of Coke and candy.

Wondering if he perhaps has a conflict of interest with his investment in Coke and See's Candy.


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My step daughter, Jennifer and her husband Mario had a baby girl on the weekend.

Seems babies are popping up everywhere.

Trackimo - GPS Track anything

We have been reviewing a new GPS tracker called Trackimo at DDE Media. In all honesty it’s a pretty good product. It is small (like a small post it note size).  Fits in or attaches to anything.  Then you can track it with your phone or computer.

It is used to keep things safe.  Attach it to cars, bikes, luggage, pets - even kids.  And then watch real time where they are.

It’s a little eerie as well. My assistant tested it out before we started hiring writers and the device pinpointed him exactly at our work address. It claims a 50 foot margin of error but it hit the nail right on the head. Really impressed with the accuracy.

One of my writers compared monthly service fees with other GPS trackers and found that Trackimo is actually lower in the States than AT&T. The first year is free, so $5 a month afterward is a good deal on top.  It has some cool features as well like being waterproof (haven’t tested it), and an SOS button for emergencies, but its value definitely comes from the price and basic functionality.

You can set up zones and alerts to alert you if your Trackimo goes outside an area or goes close to something.  Very cool.

It is available on Amazon.

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No post is complete without a picture of my grandson - Baby Face Xavier.  He looks like he is wanted - I think that is what people need - to be wanted.

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It was a bit of a chilly walk to work today.  Minus 23C (minus 10F).  Still gorgeous.  Speed river is completely frozen.

Winter Wonderland and Empathic Acknowledging

I read a great little book by Lawrence Bookbinder PhD (Great name for an author) called Win Friends and Customers - Relationship and Business Success from Empathic Acknowledging.

I like sales books and have read dozens of them.  Most of them have a section on listening and I know this is one of the characteristics of a great sales person.  This whole book is about empathy.

Empathy is about real listening.

The book give numerous examples of how and why to do it.  It points out the benefit of doing it well and how many people need help learning to do it better.

I liked the chapter on the difference between empathy and sympathy (they are different).

There is an appendix with 24 key points that summarizes much of the substance of the book succinctly.  Things like "it is difficult to listen with empathy if you dislike the person" and "Giving empathic acknowledging during conversation is rarely done - a tragic situation because we deprive ourselves of its life-enhancing benefits"

A part of me wonders if empathy can be learned or if it is simply a part of who we are.  I do think it can be enhanced but I think it naturally has to be there to start.

Quotes from the book:

Being heard and understood is "one of the greatest desires of the human heart"...Richard Carlson

Being listened to with empathy and acknowledgement is a vital human need... Bookbinder


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I am still suffering from waves of sadness over the loss of my father.  My brother Lyle wrote a fitting blog entry on him.  When I think I am over it, it hits me again.  People say you never get over the loss of a parent.

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I enjoyed my walk to work through about a foot of fresh snow.  I love my Baffin boots - warm, keep the snow out and mostly because they are comfortable.

Wilderness Deficit Disorder

Life is slowly returning to normal after the death of my father.

I have a blogging rule to not blog when I am not "up".  Thinking now I may be able to get back to it.  Not that I am not still sad - just that I do not feel I can do anything but let grief take its course.

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For some reason, I am thinking I need to escape to the wilderness for a few days.   Perhaps too much hectic life/travel lately.  I am setting up a new business - DDE Media Company (more on that later) and that always takes a lot of time and energy.

There has been a lot written about Nature Deficit Disorder but little written on Wilderness Deficit Disorder (although I do not think I made up the syndrome).

I suspect many people have never really experienced wilderness so there is less research.

I have done quite a bit of canoe tripping - just not enough lately.  Not sure why I would think of it in the dead of winter.

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I know it is snow season - not garden season.  I wonder if snow shoveling is the equivalent of gardening from a health view.  I have seen few articles on that but lots on the benefits of gardening.

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I find myself stressed.  As I look at it though, I figure out that all of it is stress I am causing myself.  Part of this is by "standards" I hold myself to (EG - up to date on reading, clean den, even maintaining a social media footprint etc.).

In my opinion this stress occurs when the reward to too disconnected from the activity.  Sometimes this can be a time disconnect.   Sometimes it can be because the outcome is not assured.  EG - write an article but it may not get read and even then will it result in opportunities.

I know we choose our reaction to outside happenings so no one or nothing can cause stress if we do not choose to let it.

The same needs to be true of these internal stresses.  Being stressed detracts from enjoyment and does not add to performance.  Now to be zen...

Continued Inspiration from my father - Don Estill

My father died exactly one week ago.  He was 87.

Up to then and this week have been a blur.  Although I have grieved often since his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer in October 2014, I still grieve and actually look for "time" to grieve.

I knew he was dying and asked him if I could do anything for him.  His answer was "no".  And he did not have needs so I thought of only one thing I could do.  I named my new company after him - DDE Media Company.  He alway initialed things DDE and my brothers and I would call him DDE sometimes when we spoke about him.  And he always took a keen interest in business so I thought he would appreciate it.

Dad was a picture of health until his diagnosis and actually enjoyed a good life for almost a year after the diagnosis.  His wonderful health was not an accident.  He worked hard on it.  He worked out daily and tracked his progress.  I asked my brother Glen (the executor) if I could have his workout record which span decades.

He ate almost perfectly.  Everything was home made from scratch.  The bread being the most memorable for me.  When I was young I was jealous of school friends who got "white" bread.  Ours was heavy whole wheat/multigrain.  Now I hardly ever eat white bread and appreciate "healthy" bread.

One lesson I learned from Dad was self discipline (although he was way more self disciplined than I am).

He was the picture of moderation.  I tried to get him to run a 5K when he was in his early 80's but he thought it was "too extreme".  I knew from his workout routine that he could have done it easily.  He was walking 2 miles per day and going on the elliptical trainer in the common gym where he lives for 30 minutes a few times each week in addition to doing some weight training.

I am not sure I learned moderation yet.

The elliptical trainer had been a gift from my brothers and I when my parents moved into Arboretum Village.

He was a life long tee totaller and of course never smoked.

One of Dad's characteristics which I always admired was his humility.  Nothing and no body was beneath him.  He exhibited that in spades when he came to work for EMJ after he retired.  He would do anything from picking up the mail to helping build an office to doing mundane accounting (I have yet to learn his fastidious accounting record ways)

He was highly organized.  On Meyers Briggs he would be off the scale J.  He did it naturally - I do not ,which is why I think I had to write a book on Time Management.  It was my way of learning it.  He did not need to learn it.

His service was well done.  As I listened to the stories by my brother, son and niece, I thought "What will my legacy be".  Dad certainly left a huge legacy and impact on the people who knew him.

To live a life thinking of the legacy left is powerful and inspirational to me.

My son, David, spoke of the "what would Don do" question that could be used to determine action in any ethical dilemma.

My niece spoke about how each of us carry a bit of Dad in all of us.  I was later sent a video that reinforced this thought.   It is comforting.

I was moved that a young friend, Tara Jamieson, wrote a song about Dad.

It is before 7 on a Sunday as I write this so it brought another thought.  I learned getting up early.  Dad always was up early.  Even into his 80's he would never sleep in.  He valued work ethic and this was one of his ways of showing that.

Dad, we will miss you.  

Seven Disciplines of a Leader

I am once again back to posting book reviews.  The way the holidays fell, there was lots of "reading" time.

I read Seven Disciplines of a Leader - How to Help Your People, Team, and Organization Achieve Maximum Effectiveness by Jeff Wolf.

It starts with a few chapters on "What is the job of a leader" including that it is not that easy.

Then it gets into the Disciplines.  The first one is "Initiative and Influence".  The subtitle was the way I like to lead.  It said "Set an Example for Others".

Then it moves to "Vision, Strategy and Alignment" which I thought might be a bit theoretical but it jumps right into the progression from plans to accomplishments.

Throughout the book are examples to drive home the points.  The example given for this one was Mollie Katzen who was starting a new venture.  Her first critical rule was "Capitalize on your past and reputation".  It certainly resonates with what I am doing now.

Discipline 4 was Social, Emotional and Political Capital.  (yes I did skip Discipline 3 - I am not doing a book summary, I am commenting on the book).  I would add Adversity Capital.  I am a big believer in the importance of the Q's - EQ, PQ, AQ and to a lesser extent - IQ.

Discipline 6 - Love and leverage.  There is no substitute for passion about work.

After the 7 Disciplines, it had 11 Practices of Highly Effective Leaders.

Practice 5 was "master communication".  And a Jeff Wolf quote "Listen more - talk less"

Good book - I learned from it and got some ideas.

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I almost did not blog today because one of my blogging rules is to only blog when I am "up".

My father is sick and that is overriding much of my thought.

The end of life brings sadness.  The beginning brings hope.  So some grandkid pictures to brighten the day: