Bad planning = Unexpected Surprises
Niah Merrill
Mar3rd
Topics: History and Philosophy
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I was recently sitting in a parking lot waiting to meet a prospective buyer for a car I’m selling on craiglslist.com. Somehow he got lost on the one (and only) turn of the trip,  extending his 1 hour trip to 2 1/2 hours. After calling multiple times saying he was passing “a city with a lot of stores” and wanted to know where to go from there, he finally arrived. The minivan came to a halt and I was surprised to see not one, but six adults and two kids get out and start inspecting my car! The driver came over to me and without a “hello” or introduction said, “you gave me the wrong directions…give me the key so I can drive it.” 01_bmw_530i_4709

After completing their autopsy on the vehicle, I received an offer that was less than half of my asking price. I scrounged up every kind nerve I could find in me to say “thanks, have a good day,” got in the car and left.

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I’ve been so busy.
Louisa Stephan
Jan29th
Topics: History and Philosophy
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Have you ever asked someone, “How are you doing?” and they respond absentmindedly “Oh man, really busy.” and that’s all they say? I used to be one of those people who said this. However, someone, in much the same way I’m doing now, recently told me that it’s a conversation killer.

When I was in grad school, I also worked as a part time manager at a clothing store, full time as a project manager at a textbook company, and was a nanny to children one day a week. I felt like I lived in a constant state of exhaustion, and I remember giving people the “busy” response when asked how things were going–mostly because I was too comatose to give a proper response. They would chuckle, wag their fingers at me, and say “Life only gets busier!”

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2009 Worthwhile Year in Review
Dan Wooster
Jan12th
Topics: History and Philosophy
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For the most part I prefer looking forward as I like the view better. However a new year gives a brief opportunity to look back and reflect on the events of the past year.

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A History Lesson
Louisa Stephan
Dec8th
Topics: History and Philosophy
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So I don’t think I’ve ever made a mistake. I’m pretty good at everything I attempt. Seriously, ask my boyfriend: I’m perfect… Oh. Wait. Okay, well there was that time that I pulled an all-nighter in college because I forgot that a huge paper was due the next day at 8. I’ve sent e-mails out with massive typos. And I’ve locked my keys in the car. Oh no, it’s ALL coming back now. I stepped on my gerbil when I was a young girl. And come to think of it, I’ve made a lot of mistakes since then.

But you know what–they were good. These mistakes (and the ones I didn’t mention) were vital for growth and learning.

Not that we should revel in our mistakes or rejoice over them, but we must see the opportunity to learn from them and change as a result. That’s part of growing and becoming better. Whether it’s you personally or your business, mull over some of your past mistakes and assess how you can avoid them in the future.

After all, “those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

A crisis is a terrible thing to waste
Jonathan Pait
Oct13th
Topics: Company Culture, History and Philosophy
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Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s Chief of Staff, caught a bit of grief earlier this year when he made the statement, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” Of course, the reaction to that statement varies according to your political leanings. One thing we can all agree on is that we are facing an economic crisis. When it comes to your business, what are you doing about it?

Thinking about this question brought to mind an interview I read earlier this year in Fortune.  It was a question and answer session in a profile section on Jim Collins, author of Built to Last and Good to Great.  The title of the article was, “How Great Companies Turn Crisis Into Opportunity.”  It got me to thinking about how The Worthwhile Company is fairing during this time of economic upheaval.

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