It’s been a bit over a year since an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 crashed on approach to San Francisco International Airport. The NTSB has published their final report. I offer my thoughts on this story here.
Photo: Air shot of the Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash at SFO via KTVU.
Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com
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Posted by Dave Gardner
I recently flew from San Francisco to Istanbul, Turkey, and back. It was a short trip of only 3.5 days with 10 time zones each way. I left San Francisco at 2 pm Friday afternoon and arrived in Istanbul on Saturday at 5 pm local time. Total flying/connecting time was 17 hours.
My schedule called for an 8 am meeting Sunday morning (10 pm Saturday in San Francisco) and a presentation from 9 am to 1 pm on Sunday. I was a nervous about how my body and mind would react to such a short turn-around after having traveled 10 time zones.
I unpacked, had dinner and headed off to bed at 11 pm. I awoke at 5:30 am without my alarm and felt good and mentally ready for the day. I was really happy about that! I went to breakfast at 6:30 am and continued with my schedule for the day. I retired about 11 pm and was up again at 5:30 am Monday morning, alert and ready to go.
Adjusting to the time change was easier on this trip than, say, a trip to the East Coast. Why? What did I do differently?
I used a product called FlyRight Jet Lag Formula. as directed for my travel to and from Istanbul. I repeated the use of the product for my return trip, arriving back in San Francisco at 10 pm and was up and ready to go at 6 am PT the next morning.
So, I’m hooked on Jet Lag Formula. Ted Ray, the creator of this product, claims it helps on long and short trips. So, if you’ve ever experienced jet lag symptoms, give this product a try!
Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com
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In the process of writing an article for Fast Company, I polled a few parents using Tabtor to get a sense of what they are seeing in terms of results. The following PDF file contains the results of the survey.
Tabtor Questionnaire (Responses) – Form Responses (1)
Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com
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Posted by Dave Gardner
Caltrain is a commuter train with service from Gilroy to San Francisco, California.
When I have meetings in San Francisco, I invariably use Caltrain to travel from Silicon Valley to San Francisco and back. My round-trip fare today from Sunnyvale to San Francisco was $13 plus $3 for parking. Add $20 for cab fare and my transportation costs were $36. If I had to do it everyday, I’d probably learn more about bus transportation to cut my daily cost.
As I left the hotel where the event was held, I noticed that valet parking was $15 per hour up to a maximum of $48 per day—no meal or beverage was included with that parking fee. The bell desk informed that their valet parking was a bargain—a nearby hotel charged $65 per day! I can’t begin to tell you how much better I felt after hearing that!
Caltrain and taxis are a very viable alternative to the hassles and cost of traveling to San Francisco. Yet, Caltrain isn’t succeeding financially—it currently faces a $30 million budget deficit—and is:
o Cutting variable costs: offer less frequent service during the mid-day and weekends
o Instituting minor fare increases—increases that usually have a much greater impact on less affluent riders
o Proposing eliminating service from Gilroy to San Jose and eliminating stops at some 16 stations presently served along the route to save money. Note: These stations are unattended—ticketing is handled by machine.
These changes are proposed at a time when some experts are predicting gas will rise above $4 per gallon and possibly as high as $5 per gallon by summer of 2011.
Cutting service and eliminating stops is contrary to what is really needed: increases in ridership creating top line revenue growth.
As I rode Caltrain back from the event today, I saw a headline: “California’s High Speed Rail Gets a Boost from V.P. Biden.” While a huge public works project like high-speed rail would boost jobs in California throughout the construction phase, I wonder how on earth it will be economically viable if we can’t make Caltrain viable today.
The plan has been to provide high-speed rail service the same corridor that Caltrain travels. Cities are balking at the idea of having this service run through their communities and want the rails put underground.
After living through the “Big Dig” project in Boston—a project to put a freeway underground, I can tell you that what seems simple isn’t. The original cost estimate for the “Big Dig” was about $3 billion. When I last heard, that figure had gone over $22 billion (which includes $7 billion interest payments) and took years longer than originally predicted.
The current political climate isn’t to make investments in a “if we build it, they will come” public works project that lacks evidence it will be self-supporting. Amtrak isn’t self-supporting! Why would California high-speed rail be self-supporting? Who is demanding this service and why? Why should the public invest in a major infrastructure project like high speed rail if Caltrain isn’t financially viable?
Caltrain: you cannot cost cut your way to prosperity. Caltrain must stimulate top line revenue growth by means other than fare increases, not merely reduce service and the number of stops. Your current ridership wants this. You have a need for better marketing!
Dave Gardner Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com
© 2011 Gardner & Associates Consulting
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Posted by Dave Gardner
“Thank God It’s Monday” is to help companies thrive!
This week’s focus: leadership
Karen Quintos, Chief Marketing Officer for Dell, encourages all professionals to spend time in customer service getting closer to real customers and the issues they face. Karen believes that the perspective gained in customer service is invaluable as an individual’s career evolves.
Getting closer to the customer will help you and your company thrive!
Happy Holidays!
“Never mistake motion for action.” – Ernest Hemingway
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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com
© 2010 Gardner & Associates Consulting All Rights Reserved
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Posted by Dave Gardner
“Thank God It’s Monday” is to help companies thrive!
This week’s focus: leadership & innovation
I’ve long been concerned about HP’s CEO Mark Hurd being so focused on execution that he lost sight of the need to innovate to ensure a sustainable, viable business. Now, in light of Hurd’s unplanned departure from HP, others are suddenly writing that it is time for an HP CEO who embraces the need to innovate.
The CEO’s role is to create and deliver a compelling strategy. The COO’s role is driving execution. HP does not have a COO, a structural problem in the company’s leadership team that may have distracted Hurd. Hurd acted like an extremely effective COO, not a CEO.
Great strategy and great execution are required to ensure a company thrives.
“It’s only a dream until you write it down. Then it becomes a goal.” -Emmitt Smith, NFL Hall of Fame Induction Speech, August 2010
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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com
© 2010 Gardner & Associates Consulting All Rights Reserved
Note: To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here. I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.
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Posted by Dave Gardner
“Thank God It’s Monday” is to help companies thrive!
This week’s focus: configurable products and services
An information technology department contacted me seeking assistance selecting a new configurator software package.
My response: before we can talk about the technology, I first need to understand your business and your business requirements as well as the needs of your customers and channel partners.
Getting an appropriate configurator system will ensure a company thrives. Conversely, selecting the wrong system will take a company to a deep dark place they will soon wish they had never entered.
Thought for the week:
“Courage is being scared to death – but saddling up anyway.” John Wayne
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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com
© 2010 Gardner & Associates Consulting All Rights Reserved
Note: To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here. I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.
Privacy Statement: Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.
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Posted by Dave Gardner
This week’s focus: mass customization
Customized products can be the royal road to greater market share and increased customer loyalty.
“Customizers” do not enjoy the same efficiencies as “mass customizers.” Inefficiencies destroy profits. Imagine a gross profit of 1% or less on millions or even a billion dollars in annual revenue. The inefficiencies suffered by customizers cost 1-3% of revenues and, in some cases, even more.
Mass customization is a different business paradigm with its own requirements for success–it’s not a slight mid-course correction from what you are doing today. Product configurator software, like most enterprise applications, plays an essential role but does little by itself to ensure the outcomes you are looking for.
Here’s a self-diagnostic assessment to help you understand your current situation. Isn’t it time your company thrived?
Thought for the week:
“The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.” –Thomas Edison
Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting
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Posted by Dave Gardner
Business Execution Insights 