~adventure.relationships.truth~

For the past five years or so, I’ve attended PLANET’s annual service project at Arlington National Cemetery…  Renewal and Remembrance this year attracted almost 500 volunteers to Washington DC, all in the landscape, lawn care, irrigation and tree care industries – to serve – at no cost to the taxpayers – the hallowed grounds of Arlington.  It still causes me goosebumps to be there, and to watch these professionals “give back” for one day…  This year we donated over $200k worth of landscape related services in just a few years.

I was the official Social Media person for PLANET this year, so you can read all of the Tweets from the day (including photos and quotes from guest speakers and politicians) here.

You can read some thoughts from R/R of mine from 2008 here…

Also, many news agencies were there – here are a several clips – CONGRATS to everyone who participated and served….

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A GREAT interview with Kathy Kolbe, founder of Kolbe Corp, which I’m a Kolbe Certified Consultant – check out this great article!   If you want more info, let me know!

Check out this great interview here….

http://www.smallbusinessadvocate.com/small-business-interviews/kathy-kolbe-8320

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OK, this is really getting out control… but its my voice – no credit given, but I guess they used my sound clip. Hilarious….

Here is the interview…

For the link to 980’s website, click here.

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So last night, I fell asleep early at about 8PM, and woke up at 1AM with a litany of texts and phone calls from friends that got their iPhone 4 early (much like me)… One was from my buddy J. Graves who decided to throw his Blackberry in the trash and get an iPhone, so he was in line at the Apple Stor on the Country Club Plaza… Since I just slept a typical nights sleep, I hit the QT for some drinks and went and hung out with him for 3 hours while he chilled. It was pretty funny since I had mine already, and no one there had one (except one dude who was sitting right next to Jeffrey)… While I was there, TV5, Fox4 and 980 KMBZ did an interview and videoed my new phone… Anyway, at 3AM, I get a text from my cousin that she is up and heading to the Leawood Apple Store. So, at 4:30am, I drove across town, grabbed some Starbucks for me and Melissa on the way, and was asked to do a live interview with NBC Action News in KC…. Here it is – what an awesome night and morning!

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I’m currently hiring, for a client of mine, the following positions.  If interested, please feel free to submit the requested information in each job posting…

Operations Manager

Social Media Manager

Sales Representative

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A local Kansas City company is trying to build their Social Media Presence by giving away a free iPad – Apple’s newest and greatest ‘productivity’ device….  Here is a link on how to enter, however, you can follow the following to ENTER…  Good luck!

• If you “like” KCFreePress.com on Facebook, that’s an entry.
• If you “like” TheFinderKC.com on Facebook, that’s an entry.
• If you’re a follower of KCFreePress.com on Twitter, that’s an entry.
• If you’re a follower of TheFinderKC on Twitter, that’s an entry.
• If you Tweet a link to this page so people know about the contest, that’s an entry (but make sure to use the hashtag #KCFP so we can track it).
• If you put a link to KCFreePress.com or TheFinderKC.com on your blog or personal Web site, that’s an entry (but make sure to fill out the form below directing us to the page where you put the link so we can track it).

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…. If so, check out my friend and fellow Kolbe guru/consultant Meredith Marsh Masse’s 6-week webinar – she is an awesome consultant, friend, and all-around person… and her content is second to none!    Click HERE to read more about her webinar series….

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Last night I received an email from David Kolbe, Kolbe Corp CEO announcing a one-day special as a result of the Wall Street Journal article about Kolbe that published yesterday.  (If you didn’t read it, click here to take a look)

Because I have used this tool as a LIFE DEFINING change in my own life and career, I want to pass this HUGE special on to you…  You can take the Kolbe A Index (tells WHO you are based on natural instincts) and a Kolbe Career MO+ (based on your Kolbe A, this tells you areas for job satisfaction, including a list of jobs that you would love, have natural energy for, and have a deeper level of personal and professional satisfaction)  for only $49.95, but you have to do it today…  Now, here is what I’m going to do as a value-added bonus:  If you take it online, I want to walk you through your results via webinar or face-to-face (if you’re in the Kansas City area) FOR FREE…   I’m so committed to Kolbe Knowledge, that I want to give my time as a Kolbe Certified Consultant away – today only.  I can’t tell you how empowering it is to know who you are based on natural instincts, and will undoubtedly change your life in some way.  It sure did mine, and it did for many of my clients…  (More on that soon, by the way!)

Here is what you need to do:

1.  Go to www.kolbe.com

2.  Click on the right hand side of the website where it says “Click here to get your free Career MO+”

3.  On the next page, follow the instructions.  Once you take the Index, your results will pop up.

4.  Please write down your Kolbe MO – the four numbers that are on the first page of your results

5.  Email me  [ jason(at)vg33(dot)com ] with the following information:  Your full name you entered, the email address you submitted and your Kolbe MO numbers

6.  Then, lets set up a time to talk…  I promise it will be worth a LOT more than the $49.95

Email or call me (913.735.7011) if you have any questions…

Enjoy!

This is usually over $200 worth of indexes and consulting, so its a great deal…  :)

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Kolbe was featured in today’s Wall Street Journal… Amazing as this author clearly showed that Kolbe has dominance conatively (measuring natural instinct!) over other Assessment Tools on the market… The answer is YES – Kolbe can help you identify your dream job… and the energy you can get from your current job…

If you’re familiar with Kolbe Wisdom, you’ll notice that the article clearly outlines the difference that Kolbe has over the other assessments – where Kolbe measures the Conative (Drive, Instinct, Natural Strengths…) the others measure Affective (Personality, Personal Style…) and Cognitive (Skill, Knowledge, IQ)…  I’m so proud of this article, and the founder of our knowledge, Kathy Kolbe…

(PS – My Kolbe A Index Results are above…)

Click here for the link to the Online Version.

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So I recently linked my Facebook Chat to iChat – which has been great since I’m on iChat all the time, but rarely the actual Facebook website – I’ve had some great conversations with my Facebook friends recently that I wouldn’t normally have – even with some of my clients.

This morning, I had a friend of mine – who is from my “extended family” in Wisconsin say hi – of course, it was great to hear from Amy, since I haven’t been to Wisconsin in many years…  It IMMEDIATELY smelled like a scam…  bad grammar, spelling, and no mention of Amy and her husband going to London (and I’m sure my mom would have said something to me about that) on her page…

It went like this (screen shots of the conversation are below)…  They said they were stuck in London, got robbed by a “mugger” and had no money, no phone, but did get to keep their passports (ah huh)…  I said I could call home or give her the phone numbers… I asked who she was with, and the scammer replied that HE was with his WIFE and kids.  Ah huh.  Scam.

Be careful – I’m sure they would have eventually asked me to wire money, and I should have now thought about getting them to say that – but I didn’t.  Argh!

Screenshots:

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OK, many asked for my reply…  here it is…  And then, check out her reply to me…  AMAZING!

Perhaps you should have not even applied.  Arrogance and self-realization rarely go hand in hand.  Your reply is unfortunate and I guarantee that you would have not been considered for hire, regardless.

Good luck in your effort to find employment.

And her reply to me this afternoon – I’m done with this person…

Being great at ones profession is not arrogant. You have to excuse me for actually having very good work ethics. I say this humbly, you would not deserve to have someone like me work for you. In conclusion you cant follow instructions, I specifically told you not to reply and you did……..shouldn’t you be going over your “list”? Don’t you have something better to do than to argue with a complete stranger? So on that note, why don’t you lower yourself a notch or two and actually conduct yourself as a decent human being…not like a little man with a Napoleon complex. To reiterate, I am asking nicely, please stop emailing me.

P.S. I was just hired for a job……..Have a great day..

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As many people know, I do a lot of hiring for my job as a consultant.  That has been an interesting proposition in todays economy of fairly high unemployment – sometimes when I place ads for positions, I get hundreds of resumes and replies within a few days.

Recently, I placed an ad for an Assistant Position in a Retail location.  It is an hourly, full-time position…  The ad clearly states to send a resume or work experience via email.  I received a reply from someone who simply said they wanted to be granted a face to face interview and had their telephone number.  They did say they had experience, yet did not include any relevant information, such as former employers or time on the job.  I replied last night asking if she would please send me a copy of her resume so that I could add her to the list to be interviewed.  My email was polite and to the point.  Here is her reply, which was absolutely amazing.  To me, there is a reason this person is unemployed.  The gross arrogance is amazing.

Thank you for responding. I say this with much respect. I have been a designer for 21 years which includes 8 years of managing a shop. I am technically overqualified for this position. As much as I am seeking employment, for you to ask me to be put on a list, insults me as a person. I am again very qualified for this position and have enough self respect to choose to not be on your list. When I hired people I never put them on an asinine list. With a 5 minute conversation via phone not email, I knew who would have been a good candidate for employment. So you see, I was actually great at my job, that is why I was hired on the spot and was never on a so called list. In conclusion, feel free to waste your time interviewing incompetent individuals that will do a half ass job for you for a meager $10.00 per hour……a rate of pay that I cannot live on………can you live on those wages? Please do not respond and waste anymore of my valuable time. Good Luck to you.

As a side-note, and I’m not even sure why, but I decided to search my emails after I read her reply – she also replied to a similar ad at the same location for back in December, which tells me that she has probably been looking for a job since December. What a shame…

Of course, I did reply.  :)

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Back in the early 90’s, Michael Stipe and REM wrote and performed an incredible song – Everybody Hurts – that has prolific lyrics and rhythm.  For years, it’s been one of my favorite REM songs – I even featured it as SONG 1 in my series writing a while ago about songs that meant something to me…  (Read that vulnerable entry here)

Today while driving to an appointment, I heard on XM Radio that Simon Cowell, of American Idol fame, amassed a group (ala We are the World) of musicians to cover REM’s Everybody Hurts to benefit Haiti.  I found the video online tonight, and I’ve posted it…  Pretty A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

Prolific Song.

Prolific Lyrics.

Prolific Cause.

I couldn’t get the embed to work but here is a clip to the video just released: LINK

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I’m on a flight home right now from a PLANET Interior Specialty Group meeting in Fort Lauderdale and I was doing some clean-up work in our Kolbe Database.  I ran a query of the Indexes that we’ve issued AND interpreted for our clients in the last 30 days.  I knew I have been unusually busy with three clients and some hiring I was doing on a project.

It made me think that four years ago this month, I registered to attend my Kolbe Certification Class in Phoenix to become an External Kolbe Certified Consultant.  Little did I know the impact that decision would have on my landscaping contracting company, as well as many others in the Green Industry that heard about Kolbe through the grapevine and gave me a call.

In these weird economic times we’re all presented with, as a Management Consultant, I’m often surprised about the product offerings from consultants that do not offer immediate impact – especially to the bottom line.  I’m here to say that every client that I work with that uses Kolbe finds immediate impact to their company, their teams, their livlihood, and their attitude about their business.  It’s true – just ask them.

When you learn your natural instincts, it just translates into idealogies such as mutual respect, which – in and of itself – is worth its value in gold.  Then, you add in the effeciencies that are created by beginning to “do things naturally” in your job everyday, and the impact is exponental.

In the last 30 days (since 12/15), my Consulting Company and myself as a Kolbe Certified Consultant has issued and interpreted 63 Kolbe A Indexes for our clients.  That is a record!  I’m pretty jazzed that we have been able to deliver that much to our clients – knowing deep down that the impact was likely life-changing to them… just as it was me.

For more information on Kolbe, visit here or here.

(By the way, that is my Kolbe A Index above…  I’m always amazed to see how I am wired – naturally – and how my job I’m doing now is right along my “MO – Mode of Operation”)…

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