Bret Simmons
Profile
Summary
I speak and train passionately about leadership, followership, and social media for business
Experience
- Jul 2006 - PresentAssociate Professor of Management / University of Nevada RenoMy day job. I teach, research, and do service. I teach undergraduate courses in organizational behavior, leadership, management research, social business, and personal branding. I teach MBA courses in organizational behavior and personal branding. My research focuses on positive organizational behavior, eustress, employee health and employee performance.
- Jan 2008 - Dec 2010President / Sierra Management Research, IncPublic speaking, organizational training, and consulting. Specializing in leadership, followership, positive organizational behavior, evidence-based management, systems thinking, personal branding, social business, social media for business, and inbound marketing.
- 1994 - 1994Federal Sales / Telect
- Jan 1989 - Jan 1994COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS PROGRAM MANAGER / United States Air Force
Education
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1995 - 2000Oklahoma State UniversityPh.D. in Management
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1993 - 1994Whitworth CollegeMASTERS in INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT
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1990 - 1992Park CollegeBS in MANAGEMENT
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1987 - 1988Community College of the Air ForceA.A.S in LOGISTICS
- University of Nevada-Reno
Additional Information
Posts
Always assume full responsibility for your behavior
Always expect others to assume full responsibility for their behavior
Always show up on time, well prepared, and give your best effort
Always think in every situation you find yourself in “how can I help?”
Always be willing to walk away when you can no longer add value
Always ask for what you need to do the job right
Always listen more than you speak
Always prepare to sacrifice for anything worth having
Always beware the danger of becoming complacent
Always look people in the eye when they speak to you or you speak to them
Always surround yourself with people that will tell you what you need to know rather than what they think you want to hear
Always challenge your assumptions
Always maintain perspective
Always help your people find the larger purpose in the work that they do
Always let your people know where they stand with you
Always admit and learn from your mistakes
Always behave as if you are always on stage
Always find the courage to stand up for what’s right
Always expect the best but prepare for the worst
Always remember that almost everything always changes
Always assume that if you don’t care you don’t really matter
Always try to understand the big picture
Always examine the evidence
Always be respectful
Always say “please” and “thank you”
Always forgive
Always praise perseverance
Always find a reason to smile and be thankful for every day, regardless of the situation you find yourself in
I found this list harder to write than the one I wrote about “never.” I know I left out some very important points – I always do – so please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Related Posts:
Never apologize for having reasonable expectations of other people
Never make excuses when you fail to meet the reasonable expectations of others
Never ask someone to lower their expectations just to make your life more convenient
Never lower your expectations for your team just because of pressure from one member
Never make a change without first consulting the people that will be affected by the decision
Never put your personal needs above the needs of those you’ve been given the privilege to lead
Never ask your people to do something you have not yourself been willing to do
Never compare yourself to anyone with standards equal to or lower than your own
Never assume that everyone’s opinion matters
Never treat a problem as an isolated incident
Never stop learning how to learn
Never blame others without committing yourself to become part of the solution
Never surrender your voice
Never sacrifice your personal health and well-being for your work
Never lose your will to pursue joy and help others do the same
Never underestimate what you can accomplish
Never take shit from an asshole
Never hold a grudge
Never stop being thankful
Never lose hope in the power of simple faith
Never forget your purpose
Never regret
What else belongs on this list? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below
Related Posts:
Wise leaders initiate their listening process by asking a lot of questions. The most important question they teach others to ask is “why”? Why do we do things this way? Why does this process matter in the first place? Why did it take so long for someone to ask why?
At its best, leadership becomes a dialogue about how to continually improve processes and policies to better accomplish a shared purpose. Effective leaders ensure that learning to ask the right questions is a responsibility widely distributed throughout the organization.
Effective leaders expect to be questioned by their people. They teach their people the value of questioning leaders because they learned it themselves as followers. Only interdependent followers can become interdependent leaders that encourage partnership.
If you want leaders skilled in the ability to be questioned, you have to recruit, equip, and encourage questionable followers.
What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!
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Enabling Covenental Relationships
The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice (Proverbs 12:15).
Leadership is about influence, relationships, real change, shared purpose, and doing the right thing. I agree with Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus that an important part of leadership is a set of skills “that can be learned by anyone, taught to everyone, and denied to no one.” (p. 25)
Learning to develop leadership skills is your responsibility. The ability to self-reflect on your behavior and then to marshal the courage to self-authorize continual change and improvement is the foundation of assuming full responsibility for yourself. As Chris Argyris correctly asserts, there are a lot of “smart” people that are unaware of their unwillingness and inability to learn.
Henry Cloud wisely states that “the fool tries to adjust the truth so he does not have to adjust to it.” (p. 133). Fools often surround themselves with other fools, which renders them unable to recognize and close their integrity gaps. Many leaders deceive themselves into thinking they are wise because they seek the trusted advice of carefully vetted advisers. Unfortunately, advisers that formulate and confirm their advice only with each other can never offer wise counsel.
Fools are reactive listeners. They have “open door” policies and claim to be ever available to answer our questions and concerns. Their feel-good approach to listening rarely leads to substantive learning. We learn very quickly that the orifice of the oracle leader is actually a black hole instead of a source of light.
The wise are proactive listeners that initiate the process of listening with their own questions about what needs to change and how to make things better. The wise are proficient meta-learners, continually improving their ability to know what they know and their capacity to understand how to use knowledge to change their behavior.
Does your leadership development reflect foolishness or wisdom? How do you know? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!
Related Posts:
I love Campo restaurant in Reno. I’ve tried both their lunch and dinner menus; the food is excellent and the service is very good and at times brilliant. Campo’s owner, Mark Estee, is more than a chef in the restaurant – he is also an active and visible leader in his business.
I have not always loved Campo. My very first visit to Campo did not go well, and I blogged about the experience in my post entitled “The Cycle of Service Starts at Your Website.”
Since finding my blog about his restaurant through a mutual friend on Facebook, Mark has left three separate comments in response to both my original observations and the thoughts shared by some of my readers. In all honesty, I was very indifferent about returning to Campo; however, Mark’s comments on my blog motivated me to give his restaurant another chance, and I’m glad I did. Mark’s responses on my blog were exactly what they should have been.
Mark gets his social media and inbound marketing advice from Abbi Whitaker of Abbi PR. Mark is fortunate to get solid advice from someone that practices what she preaches – something all too rare in social media marketing and PR. And frankly, Abbi is fortunate to have a client like Mark because he is willing to blog at his website, post simple but effective videos to Youtube, and personally participate on Facebook. Together, I think Abbi and Mark are creating the foundation for what could become one of the most effective social businesses in Reno.
I would much rather spend my money with business people that I recognize and trust, and I like what Mark is doing through his employees with his business in Reno. The next time you are in Reno, I highly recommend you give Mark and his folks an opportunity to impress you with their continuously improving operation.
What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!
Related Posts:
Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Makes Good
According to Ira Chalef, courage is the ability to step forward through fear. One of the manifestations of courage is pushing beyond your comfort zone.
I require every student in my social business and personal branding courses at The University of Nevada to make a brief “about me” video to post on their blog at the end of the semester. Considering how little guidance I give them, some of my students have produced impressive videos. Kendra Wilson’s video busting the myths about snowskating is the best one I’ve seen so far.
But my favorite video was made by Caitlin Durkin. Before I even hit the “play” button, I knew it must have taken tremendous courage for Caitlin to make this video. She pushed WAY outside of her comfort zone to do this, and I admire and respect that kind of courage.
Sure, it’s just a video, and not a perfect one at that. But I think it demonstrates that Caitlin understands that if she wants to have courage in the “big” things in her life and career, she has to find courage in the small, seemingly insignificant details of routine assignments. Caitlin could have sat at her kitchen table in front of a laptop and recorded a video that was “good enough.” Instead, she took a one hour drive to the shores of Lake Tahoe and spent considerable time recording this video while strangers wandered by and stopped to watch what she was doing.
Caitlin flexed her courage muscle and gave herself permission to shoot for excellence. I am very, very proud of her. As you watch the video, please feel free to shout out loud “hell yes!”
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My daughter and I just returned from lunch at Rose’s Café. As always, the service was fast and extremely friendly, and the food was delicious. I’ve never had a bad experience at Rose’s.
But Rose’s is not where we planned to eat lunch today. We walked in and right back out of Campo at about 11:08 today.
My daughter’s 18th birthday is fast approaching, and she wants to celebrate by hosting a special dinner with her friends. She asked me for recommendations, and I suggested Campo. I’ve never eaten at Campo, but I’ve heard great things about it from one of my Facebook connections. We decided last night to have lunch at Campo today so she could check it out before planning her birthday event.
I checked the Campo website, and it clearly said they open at 11 am. I went to the gym early this morning and told my daughter to get up and ready earlier than usual so we could head downtown by 10:45 am. We parked in the parking garage and walked the two blocks to Campo. The doors were open when we arrived about 11:08, but when we got inside, we were told that lunch did not start until 11:30. I told the hostess the website says they open at 11, and she politely replied “sorry.” She invited us to have a seat and wait, but I felt the wrong information at the website had already wasted my time and I was not willing to let them waste another 20 minutes. As we left, we walked past the owner standing outside the restaurant. We don’t know each other, but I recognized his picture from his website. I once again said “your website says you open at 11” and he politely replied “sorry, we need to change that; we open at 11:30.”
At 11:30, we had already walked the two blocks back to the parking garage, driven to Roses, ordered, and were taking the first bites of our exceptional sandwiches.
A company website frames expectations and makes the initial promise of satisfaction to customers. Campo failed the cycle of service with me when their operations did not deliver as their website promised. It was reasonable for me to expect them to be open at 11 am because their website said they would be, and it was reasonable for me to be very unhappy when I was on time but they were not.
They made a mistake, but they could have easily recovered from that failure – if they had seen it as a service failure, which they clearly did not. To compensate for their mistake and our inconvenience, they could have simply offered us some complementary coffee while we waited or a complementary drink or dessert with our lunch. A large gesture was not necessary, but some gesture was. I’m sure they thought their polite apologies were enough, but I interpreted those to mean “we really don’t care.”
If you can avoid it, never let a customer leave your business unhappy, and never let someone that walks through your doors with the intention of making a purchase leave without spending money. Campo lost a good lunch ticket today, but they also lost a much larger dinner party sale and my free word-of-mouth marketing. They did not give me the opportunity to do for them what they cannot do for themselves – recommend them to my friends.
Check your company website right now and fix any inaccurate information. Review your entire cycle of service and make sure you have procedures in place to meet or exceed your customers’ reasonable expectations and to recover impressively when you don’t. If you leave impressive customer service to chance, chances are it might not happen. Never forget that the cycle of service often starts long before the customer ever walks through your front doors.
What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!
Related Posts:
Why I Always Complain About Poor Service
I caught this interview with Kaki King on CNN today. I’ve never heard of Kaki King, so I was barely paying attention when she said something that just blew me away:
I play guitar for a living, and this guitar is way smarter than me. I know that, and I say this a lot, but I really mean it from the bottom of my heart. I am a guitar student, and I will be for the rest of my life. There is just too much to learn in a lifetime. There is something beautiful and challenging and humbling about that that I don’t want to let go of.
This is a woman that Rolling Stone magazine named a “Guitar God” in 2006, yet instead of considering herself a master, she embraces the role of life-long learner. Although the art of the music is interdependent on both her and her guitar, she exalts the potential of the instrument over her own strengths and accomplishments.
Gosh, I wish more leaders would view the people they’ve been given the privilege to lead that way. Our attitudes as leaders should be “these employees of mine are way smarter than me. I am a student of the potential of their behavior, and I could spend a lifetime learning how to better partner with them to create an organization where we, our customers, and our community can all thrive. I am humbled by the challenge of what our interdependence can achieve.”
Kaki’s comments about her music remind me that the art of leadership is in mastering the discipline and joy of continual learning. Kaki might disagree, but I think people are more fascinatingly complex than any musical instrument. There is just too much to learn in a lifetime about how to work well with others.
What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!
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When I was around 18, I worked as a shift manager at McDonald’s Corporation in Tulsa, Oklahoma. One of the assistant managers that helped me get promoted and then trained me was a man named Don Griffin. I admired Don because he cared about the work that he did and he cared about me and the rest of his employees. He was also very focused on producing results for the company. Don had a huge influence on my work ethic and basic management philosophy.
Over the years, I’ve never forgotten Don telling me “Performance talks, bullshit walks.” I could count on hearing it every time I tried to give Don an excuse for poor performance. That simple concept still influences how I interpret almost every interaction I have with people in my various work related roles.
I’m OK with folks dropping the ball and making occasional mistakes, and I’m OK with people not delivering as promised from time to time. We all do it – including me. But I have a very low tolerance for folks that won’t accept responsibility for their mistakes. I’ve never known anyone commit to fixing a problem without first admitting “I screwed up.”
Don still lives in the Tulsa area, and he and his wife have a son named Bret.
What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!
I’d really appreciate your help with a survey I am conducting! Click here to learn more about participating.
Related Posts:
Making McGood On A Service Failure
The ability to say “thank you” to people that perform well or otherwise advance the shared purpose of the organization is a character strength that I believe we should require from those that we grant the privilege to lead. Expressing gratitude for the contribution of others is a type of reward power that can make us more influential with others.
The evidence on the power of gratitude in the workplace is meager; however, a very well done study published in 2010 helps us better understand why a little thanks goes a long way. Adam Grant and Francesca Gino proposed that when we express gratitude, people are more motivated to be helpful because it increases their feelings of self-efficacy (capability and competence) and social worth (appreciated for making a difference).
Through a series of four separate experiments (see below for full citation) they found that when people received expressions of gratitude for their work, it increased both the frequency and duration of behaviors intended to help the organization. When people were thanked for their efforts, it enhanced both their feelings of self-efficacy and feelings of social worth, but only social worth was a significant predictor of helping behavior. According to the authors “when helpers are thanked for their efforts, the resulting sense of being socially valued, more than the feelings of competence they experience, are critical in encouraging them to provide more help in the future” (p. 953).
If all your people ever do is only what is in their formal job descriptions, your organization will be mediocre at best. For your organization to excel, your folks need to be good citizens and do more than what’s simply required to help the organization and their co-workers. Leaders that express gratitude to their employees make them feel valued, and this evidence shows that when employees feel valued they behave in ways that the organization values.
What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!
I’d really appreciate your help with a survey I am conducting! Click here to learn more about participating.
Full citation: Grant, A.G. & Gino, F. (2010). A little thanks goes a long way: Explaining why gratitude expressions motivate prosocial behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98 (6): 946-955.
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Posts
What I have learned Silence your body to listen to your words Silence your tongue to listen to your thoughts Silence your thoughts to listen to your heart beating Silence your heart to listen to your spirit And silence your spirit to listen to His spirit In silence, you leave many and be with the One Mama Maggie Gobran, August 12, 2011 Global Leadership Summit
One of my former students, Corey Ryan, forwarded this announcement to me today. If you are interested, contact Corey directly at the e-mail provided at the end of this post. Thanks, Corey!
Position: Part-Time Marketing/Social Media Intern
Company Overview:
Barnard, Vogler & Co. has a long history of providing a full range of accounting, auditing, consulting and tax services to clients in the northern Nevada area. The firm was founded by J. Richard Barnard who acquired a small one-man public accounting practice from a retiring practitioner. Now, forty years later, the company has grown into one of northern Nevada’s largest local independent accounting firms and is 100% owned by professionals who practice full time in our Reno office. The firm combines the depth of experience and breadth of knowledge found at the big national firms with the independent critical thinkingand personal service of a local firm.
Nature and Scope:
We are seeking a Marketing/Social Media Intern to assist in the launch and maintenance of a social media campaign. The ideal candidate will have a thorough understanding of the major social media platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.) as well as familiarity with writing/developing a blog. The candidate will develop/optimize sites for social media, create social media marketing content, work closely with members of the firm to develop blog content, and champion social networking initiatives. In addition, he/she will also assist in the proposal process, sales pipeline maintenance, and various other functions as required. This
position requires a self motivated individual who works well independently and has the ability to effectively communicate his/her goals and objectives. Because social media is relatively new to the firm, the ideal candidate will work closely with others to design processes, establish a universal understanding of the initiative throughout the firm, and assist in the overall change management function.
Minimum Qualifications : Requirements - Required and/or Preferred
Minimum Education:
Junior or senior level undergraduate in related field, or equivalent
experience and qualifications. Preference will be given to those who
have completed Dr. Simmon's course on personal branding.
Minimum Experience:
Thorough understanding of the various social media platforms.
Exposure to one or several blog platforms (Wordpress, Blogger, Etc.)
Basic understanding of accounting firm operations and marketing
activities.
Knowledge / Background / Experience:
Proficient in MS Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (HTML coding
a plus). Excellent written/verbal communication skills.
Other Qualifications:
Must be energetic, organized, accurate, flexible, and willing to manage
various projects at once. Must have the ability to be a positive team
member, encourage marketing efforts and effectively communicate
marketing vision.
Contact Corey Ryan at the e-mail below for more information or to apply
I turned 50 last week, so to celebrate we took a short trip to South Lake Tahoe. We are so blesseed to have this world class resort within an hour's drive or our home. The weather was cool and windy, but sunny and beautifu. Here are a few pictures from our trip.
A few pictures from a day with my son's class on a school field trip to Virginia City, Nevada. Visted a mine, museums, and took a ride on the railroad. Fascinating history. Love this country, but it was cold!
I'm creating a twitter hashtag for members of my church in Reno, Nevada. The hashtag is #gracechat . Hashtags are a great way to organize conversations in Twitter among people with shared interests. So, for example, this week Dan asked us to think about doubt and then to tweet our thoughts. If you will include the hashtag #gracechat somewhere in the body of your tweet, then we can all see what each other's comments simply by clicking on #gracechat when we are in twitter or whatever program we use to access twitter.
This week the topic is doubt, but this hashtag can be used anytime anyone in the Grace Church community wants to organize a topical discussion on Twitter.
You can follow hashtag organized chats easily from either Twitter, Hootsuite, or a program like TweetChat. An easy way to do this is to set up a separte stream in Hootsuite just for #gracechat .
Give it a try!
Below is the text of an e-mail request from Dan. If you think you have something that he is looking for, contact Dan directly. How cool would it be to get your story in his book?!!
I'm looking for success stories from employees who have 0-7 years in a company (preferably a large company) for a new book I'm writing on workplace success. I'm looking for younger employees who have done activities at work that have made them stand out and advance in the workplace. I'm only looking for people that are currently employed.
I'm especially interested in employees who have:- Switched roles inside their company without getting any backlash by their current manager
- Turned their passion (inside or outside of their company) into a new position at work
- Found ways to network with key executives
- Gotten compliments by the way they dress and behave at work
- Started a new business on the job or helped their company enter a new market
- Had their online profiles (what they published, their picture, etc) effect the way they were treated in the workplace for better or worse
- Exhibited teamwork that has led to a promotion or more responsibilities
- Gained more visibility at work with more people knowing who they are
- Developed cross-generational relationships
- Challenge themselves in a new way, which led to a new opportunity
- Became the go-to-expert at work for a specific skill or on a topic and then sought after internally for that ability/expertise
Please let me know asap.
Thanks!- Dan--Dan Schawbel
Managing Partner, Millennial Branding, LLC
2010 Inc. Magazine 30 Under 30
#1 International Bestselling Author of Me 2.0
BusinessWeek / Wall Street Journal / Forbes / Metro Columnist
Brad Ingber of Target contacted me and asked for my help in getting the word out about full-time job and internship opportunities with Target in Las Vegas. He told me they have hired UNR graduates in the past for these and they have done well, which I was glad to hear. I've known students that have gone through the Target management training programs and they loved it. My impression is they run a very good training program so I am very happy to recommend them. The position announcements are below and Brad's contact information is at the bottom.
FULL TIME JOB DESCRIPTION
JOIN US AS AN EXECUTIVE TEAM LEADER
Executive Team Leader: Full-Time -Video
About This Opportunity
Use your business, leadership and people skills to inspire exceptional performance. Maximize sales and profits for your Target store. Ensure great guest service and team member satisfaction. Create a fast-paced, energetic environment that delivers a consistent Target brand experience for team members and guests.
Use your skills, experience and talents to be a part of groundbreaking thinking and visionary goals. As an Executive Team Leader in Training, you'll take the lead as you…
- Drive sales by overseeing the guest service and merchandising of two to three departments with sales ranging from $2 - $9 million
- Act as leader on duty, as well as opening and closing the store on assigned days
- Assist with recruiting and hiring of your team
- Receive extensive training to help you become a strong store executive leader
- Ensure great service by interacting with guests and team members
- Strive to achieve sales goals and maintain budget controls
Requirements
- 4-year college degree
- Supervisor level experience
- Proven conflict management skills
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in all situations with great interpersonal skills
- Flexible work hours including some nights and weekends
- Strong cognitive skills, including problem analysis, decision making, financial and quantitative analysis
Benefits
Eligible team members will receive one of the best earnings packages anywhere, including competitive pay, all-around insurance coverage, 401(k), flexible scheduling, training and development and many other perks and benefits. Target is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and is a drug-free workplace.
About Target®
Expect the Best. At Target, we have a vision: to become the best - the best culture and brand, the best place for growth and the company with the best reputation. We offer an inclusive, collaborative and energetic work environment that rewards those who perform. We deliver engaging, innovative and on-trend experiences for our team members and our guests. We invest in our team members' futures by developing leaders and providing a breadth of opportunities for professional development. It takes the best to become the best, and we are committed to building a team that does the right thing for our guests, shareholders, team members and communities.
Minneapolis-based Target Corporation serves guests at stores nationwide and at Target.com. Target is committed to providing a fun and convenient shopping experience with access to unique and highly differentiated products at affordable prices. Since 1946, the corporation has given 5 percent of its income through community grants and programs like Take Charge of Education®.
INTERNSHIP JOB DESCRIPTION
Executive Team Leader: Internship - Video
Executive Intern
· The objective of the Executive Internship is to give you an overview of Target Stores’ Operations and company programs while strengthening your leadership skills, enabling you to be an effective executive and strategic business partner for the stores pyramid. As a Stores Executive Intern, you will receive support of all areas within a store as you develop your leadership skills in our three part program: Target Fundamentals, Basic Leadership, and Hands-on Special Project.
Skills we’re looking for:
· History of academic success
· All majors are encouraged to apply
· Participation in school or extracurricular activities and experience in leadership roles
· Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in all situations
· Strong organizational skills with the ability to multitask
· Problem-solving skills, assertiveness and strong initiative
· Team-oriented thinking
· Desire to learn about a career in retail management
· Leadership and strong decision making skills
Training and Support we offer:
· 10 week internship program
· 400 total hours
· Paid training and opportunity to receive school credit
Follow your Internship - Imagine an offer to start a career where you will:
· Receive 6 of training in our Business College Program
· Manage a $10-15 million+ work center
· Oversee the staffing development, and retention of 25-40+ team members
· Strive to achieve financial success for you and your store
· Be on a career path to run a $30-50+ million business with 200-400 team members within 3-5 years
612-696-5591
Below is a message from Ski and Eric at NSET on the new running groups that start this Saturday. This is a great group to run with – people of all skill levels including beginners. Bret
NSET New Year Baby (runners, run/walkers, walkers)!!!
We realize how difficult it is to get started with your New Year’s resolution. The Answer is NSET. We would like to invite you to come be part of our Northern Sierra Endurance Training family. Save this information or just go to our website: www.nset1.org for your waiver to get started.
This group will start preparing you for your 1st 5K, 1st 10K and look to train for Rock N River 1/2 Marathon in May. We will have seminars in: using the training schedule, shoe and equipment, nutrition, stretching/injury prevention and race preparation.
Start Date: Saturday, January 15th
Time: 7:45 a.m.
Location: Eclipse Running Store (Corner of Lakeside and McCarran)
Any questions just email our two coaches:
Coach: Stacie DeRushe Email: staciederushe@yahoo.com
Coach: Richard Bartholet Email: richardb@unr.edu
See everyone on Jan 15th!!!
Cheers Eric
The 24HourFitness on Sky Mountain Drive is the worst health club I've ever been a member of in the last 30 years. I had to leave the club today BEFORE I could finish my workout because their facilities are not adequate. They don't have near enough treadmills, and 12% of the ones they have are broken and have been broken for several weeks. Today there was a line three deep to get on an open treadmill at 10 am. I don't have time for that.
When I toured the club, the sales person that gave me a tour told me the peak times for the gym were between 4 pm and 7 pm, and even then she had never seen all the treadmills full. I've been a member about one month, always go in the morning, and this is the second time I've not been able to get a machine. Obviously, either the salesperson lied to me or she does not know her product well enough to be selling it.
I tried to speak to the club manager, Jessica, today before I left, but she was not in her club.
24HourFitness wasted my time today, and I don't appreciate that at all. In a service business like theirs, that is totally unacceptable. If I had known how low their operational standards were, I would not have signed up for a 2 year membership.
I'll keep you posted on www.bretlsimmons.com where I will write more about their operatonal medicority and lack of a sense of urgency in serving their guests.
Balloons from the Great Balloon Races in Reno landed in our neighborhood this morning. Some glided right over our home and a few landed just down the street. What a surprise!
Don't miss our final speaker in the series of free social media public events we have hosted this year. Scott Armstrong, CEO of Dibbs, will talk not only about the new app he and his partners are developing for the Iphone, but also about the challenges and joys of being an entrepreneur. This is event is also part of NCET eWeek and The UNR College of Business bWeek.
As always, this event is free and open to the public. Details:Thursday, September 16, 6-7:30 pmWells Fargo Auditorium of the UNR Knowledge Center (lower level)
Parking available in the Whalen Parking Complex at 15th and Virginia St. Moderator: Dr. Bret L. Simmons, UNR College of Business
Co-Host: Kathleen Carrico, Nevada Small Business Development Center
Co-Host: Jim McClenahan, UNR Extended StudiesIf you have any questions, please call 682-9163, leave a detailed message, and I will return your call as soon as possible. See you there!
Don't miss our next social media public event! Join us as Esteban Kolsky shares his thinking on why and how to conduct a social media readiness assessment for your business. Mr. Kolsky is the Principal and Founder of ThinkJar, an advisory and research think-tank focused on Customer Strategies. He will be a featured presenter at SM@RT 2010 this December in Reno.
To learn more about Esteban Kolsky, visit http://www.estebankolsky.com/
6-7:30 pm, Tuesday, July 27, Wells Fargo Auditorium of the UNR Knowledge Center. Park in the Whelan Parking Garage or metered parking, 15th and Virginia. Walk across the street to the lower level of the new UNR Knowledge Center. This event is free and open to the public.
Last year, I was in Spain on the 4th of July. This year, I was in London.
I LOVE London. There is history, culture, and fun around every corner. It is a VERY diverse city both in terms of it's citizens and it's visitors. There are people here from every corner of the world. This is a fabulous country, and the British are wonderful people. Still, I firmly believe that the US is the greatest nation on the planet. I'm very grateful to be an American, and very mindful that when I travel abroad I am an ambassador for my country. I always feel a tremendous sense of responsibility for my behavior because I want to represent my country and it's people as well as I possibly can. It really is an honor and a privilege to be an American. I'm sure that sounds pretty sappy, but it's too easy to take what we have and who we are for granted. One of the things I enjoy the most about traveling abroad is reflecting back on what I have to return home to.
The weather in Bilbao, Spain was lousy the three weeks I was there recently. Two Friday's ago, another faculty member gave me a copy of a novel called "The Girl That Played With Fire." I started it at 2 pm that Friday afternoon and by noon Saturday I had read all 640 pages. I rarely read novels, and I don't recall ever finishing one in a day.
Unfortunately, the book she gave me was the second book in a three book series. Ugh. So the following Monday I made a trek to Bilbao to find one of the few stores that sold books in English and payed WAY too much for the first book in the series, "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo." I also read it's 600 plus pages in a single day. There is an AMAZING bookstore two buildings down from my dorm here in Spain called Waterstones. The place is massive and the collection of books is impressive. Today I bought the final book in the series, "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest." It is 743 pages long, and I doubt I will finish it in one day. Oddly enough, I don't think the first two books were that great. I am surprised that they have become such huge bestsellers. But, I have read two novels in two days, something I have never done before in my life, so there is more to it than just having lots of time on my hands. The stories in each had some gaping flaws, but they were nonetheless very compelling. But what hooks you in these books are the characters Stieg Larsson has crafted, namely that darn Lisbeth Salander and her buddy Mikael Blomkvist. In between consuming tons of coffee and sandwiches (which we now know must be big in Sweden), they are very interesting as they solve mysteries and chase some very bad men. I read novels only once every few years, and despite the fact that they really are not all that good, I am enjoying the heck out of these.After three weeks in Bilbao, Spain, I am now in London for the next four weeks teaching International Organizational Behavior through my own College of Business at The University of Nevada, Reno. I love Spain, but the weather in Bilbao was disappointingly bad the three weeks I was there. I did not get to lay on the beach even one day :(
I've traded my quite, comfortable apartment with a view of the beach in Spain for a small, noisy dorm room on the campus of the University of London. I'm sure glad I packed plenty of ear plugs because a good night's sleep would otherwise be hard to come by. But I LOVE London, and the location of the dorms is excellent. Characteristic of London, around every corner are coffee shops, pubs, great places to eat, and often good shopping and historical sites. I will be here for a month, and I'm hoping to walk (not take the tube) all around town. My first night here was spent eating fish and chips (check, got that done) with mashed peas washed down by a delicious cask ale at the pub around the corner. I don't see much more fish and chips in my future, but alas, the same is probable not true of real ale. If you've never had ale pumped up fresh from the cask, you don't know what you are missing - it is delicious. And much to my delight, the pubs are non-smoking! While the traditional food in Spain is hands-down better than traditional food in the UK, I personally could never fully enjoy it because EVERY place I ever ate in Spain was full of smoke. Here in London, I can enjoy the food and atmosphere and not have to take a shower to wash the stink off me when I get home. Although noisier, the dorm room is also much better for working than the apartment. I have fast, reliable internet access and a comfortable desk, something I did not have in Spain. So who knows, I might even get a bit of work done :)
Here are a few pictures of the USAC group gathering the Thursday night before the end of the term tomorrow. Most of the students are pictured as well as most of the staff. Ibon, Maria, Aranxta, Marne (not pictured) and the rest of the USAC staff are just fantastic. This is a diverse group of students from all over the US. Most are off for home on Saturday, but some will be back for the second term. They will get to experience sunny, warm, and vibrant Getxo. Even though the weather was not good, it was once again great to be in Spain. I love this place. Off to London on Saturday!
I am trying to eat better this summer in Spain than I did last year. I am staying away from the fresh (and delicious) breads and pastries and eating lighter. I fix myself a three egg omelet for breakfast with Spanish Ham and cheese (yummy), I have lunch meat and cheese (no bread) for lunch, and usually a salad for dinner. I treat myself to some of the delicious fruit they have here for desert, and it would be a shame to come to Spain and not drink the wine.
Spain is famous for it's Rioja region of wines. The red's are more popular, but my favorite is an inexpensive white wine called Diamante. It is quite sweet and one of my favorite white wines ever (I am NOT a wine connoisseur by any stretch). I can't find it back home so I drink a glass almost daily the three weeks I am here in Spain - it is that good. I was going to save my beer tasting until I got to London because Spain is not famous for it's beer. Most of what you find in the store is imported, with a very good selection of German beers. But I saw this beer the other day named Pagoa, a basque beer, and decided to give it a try. Again I am not a beer buff, but it is as good as any pilsner I've ever had. If you can find this beer, give it a try - I bet you will like it.
Don't miss our next social media panel discussion! This one will feature local business people that are practicing inbound marketing on their websites and through social media. Learn from their experience about what works, what does not, and why you should get started using social media to market your own business. Come with your questions!
Our panel features:Alice Heimanhttp://aliceheiman.com/ Kristy Crabtree
http://kristycrabtree.com/Larry Rickman
http://www.dream2clean.com/Ron Bell
http://renohomevoices.com/Co-host and moderator: Dr. Bret L. Simmons, www.bretlsimmons.com
Co-host: Kathy Carrico, Nevada Small Business Development CenterThursday, May 13, 6-7:30 pm, Wells Fargo Auditorium of the UNR Knowledge Center. Park in the Whalen parking garage or metered parking at 15th and Virginia. Walk directly across the street to the UNR Knowledge Center. The Wells Fargo Auditorium is on the south side of the lower level. This event is FREE and open to the public. Call Dr. Bret Simmons, 682-9163, if you have questions. Link to Map: http://bit.ly/aNZRY7
The Sparks Chamber of Commerce is a fantastic chamber. Join us for lunch next Wednesday when I will be speaking on social media and specifically content marketing. See the flyer for details or visit this link:
http://www.sparkschamber.org/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=86
