Kevin W. McCarthy

The Professor of On-Purpose

Television

Small Business Innovation

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You don't have to be 3M Corporation, Apple, or IBM with a sizable research and development business to be innovative.  Meet Frank Petracca, my barber for the past 25 years. 

When Judith and I first married, she would complain every time I came home from the butcher (barber) shop.  Finally, she called a friend of mine whose hair cuts she really liked.  She asked Bruce Woodruff who cuts his hair and he gave her Frank's name and number. 

What was remarkable about Frank in 1985 was that he was a barber who worked only by appointment and catered to business people.  He rarely ran late for an appointment and if he did it was 5 minutes at the most.  Frank charged a bit more but the time savings of not having to wait at the barber shop for your turn was worth the savings.  Frank's wife, Donna, would call to book an appointment.  It was great customer service in a very small business.

He grew up in Italy and came to the USA as a teen.   He became a citizen – a tax paying citizen.  Frank lived in Buffalo and loves the Bills, and despises the Miami Dolphins (which is ironic you'll see shortly). 

Frank and I have been through a lot together over the years.   Frank was the first person to cut Charles, my son, hair.  He called me when his wife Donna died unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm.  We cried together.  I saw his daughter marry and divorce.  We talked about everything, we prayed together, but mostly we laughed together.  As Frank moved his business I followed him from place to place.   He semi-retired and cut hair out of his home the past few years.  Yes, our relationship was hung together by a hair… joyfully!

Yesterday was my last haircut with Frank.   At 70, he is retiring and moving to south Florida to be with Rosita, a love in his life for the past few years.  She's a sweetheart.  Does this mean he'll become a Dolphin's fan?   Not Frank.  He's from the old country and loyalties remain strong.

So here I am in Frank's barber chair for the last time.   I wish Frank and Rosita best wishes for a great life together.  I have been blessed in friendship by this innovative barber.  Frank was my barber, but most of all he is my friend. 

Frank was an innovator, but he never did answer my question, Frank, why are you putting that silver stuff in my hair?

DSC00388

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Sarah Palin Network – Really Funny

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I make no bones about my politically conservative point of view, but funny is funny.  Tina Fey's Saturday Night Live Skit about the Sarah Palin Network is smart, clever, and extraordinarily well done.  Ms. Fey and SNL – kudos for your satire.

This clips starts with an ad, but it is worth the wait.

On-Purpose Profile: Shakira Sings For Education

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ShakiraShakira via last.fm

One's education and life trajectory are highly correlated.  For some reason, however, many segments of our US population (children and parents) view schooling as a prison sentence instead of an opportunity of a lifetime.

Let me assume you don't know of Shakira, a international pop sensation from Colombia, South America, not South Carolina.  This young woman's remarkable voice, talent, and moves (She Wolf song video) have catapulted her to the top of the song charts. 

Shakira, gets it, however, when it comes to education – she is pouring much of her earnings into education by founding a school in her hometown of Barranquilla.  The multiple Grammy winner has gifted $6 million through her foundation, Pies Descalzos, which means "barefoot" in
Spanish, to create a school to help 150 kids get ahead in life.

And if you're tempted to think Shakira is simply an empty-headed, manufactured public relations image, let me encourage you to watch the short video (below) of a speech she gave in the United Kingdom at Oxford Union about the importance of education.

Shakira, you are an on-purpose person!  Thank you for converting your pop
culture fortunes into dollars dedicated to improving the culture of your country.  Your legacy will live in the lives of those children and the
generations to follow.

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There You Go Again, Congress!

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My prediction is that the Health Care Reform Bill about to negotiated between the US House and Senate to put before President Obama will be to health care what the Community Reinvestment Act was to the housing and financial markets – a disaster filled with unintended consequences.  Rather than people losing their homes and facing financial ruin, this time it will be people’s lives and health at stake.  The sub-prime crisis will pale in comparison.

The very engines of wealth creation and free enterprise are being eroded by these proposed policies.  The Community Reinvestment Act fiddled with market economics to qualify previously unqualified borrowers by providing a government backing.  The Health Care Reform Bill is yet another round of government policy rigging the health care system, playing politics and power rather than reforming.  Look no further than the massive fraud in the Medicare and Medicaid systems to see what we have coming our way.  Now multiply this by tens of millions of new people who think insurance is a blank check entitlement to cover their poor choices and unhealthy lifestyle.  

Insurance is a business concept based on actuarial science of share risks. Insurance is not health care.  The very concept of risk-reward and personal responsibility has been lost in the health care reform debate.  We’ve also lost sight of the important role of community hospitals for indigent care.  The Hippocratic Oath remains a prevailing approach to caring for our fellow humans.   Government mandates to universal coverage are yet another falling domino in the Great Society that would undermine greatness and society.  When government steps in as a “brother’s keeper,” then society steps back from helping. 

Please review the track record of greater government direct involvement in non-defense services.  The Declaration and US Constitution speak to the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness, not as the reason for government to be the public option.  Government is to regulate, not run industry.  The current trend is alarmingly off-purpose.

I welcome your opinions.

PS – I found this clip on YouTube about Health Care in the 1980 Presidential Debates with Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.  Reagan’s comeback to Carter inspired the title of this posting.  Enjoy!

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How Would You React?

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My daughter, Anne, is a 16-year-old competitive soccer player.  She serves as a junior captain of her Trinity Prep high school soccer team as well as a player on the Football Club of America (Kumba Soccer) located here in Orlando.  Her Kumba team was having a car wash fund raiser in late September.  An accident occurred where one teammate's foot slipped off the brakes and the car pinned another teammate against a wall.  Bree McMahon's legs were crushed.  Anne was one of many who sprang into action.  She called 911 and provided a towel for Bree's head as she lay on the ground awaiting the arrival of paramedics. 

Initially, we anticipated broken legs and damage to Bree's knees.  The severity of the accident came to light a few hours later when Anne's text from the hospital said, "Bree's legs might have to be amputated because the blood vessels were crushed."  Judith and I immediately headed to the hospital to be and pray with the girls. 

Jenna Bush Hager (George and Laura Bush's daughter) of The Today Show did a feature on Bree.  The clip below tells the story.  You'll also get to see and hear a brief comment from Anne from behind Bree's hospital bed. 

Bree and Chelsea (the driver involved in the freak accident) are young Christian girls whose faith is serving them both well in terms of forgiveness given and received.  The character of both young ladies is remarkable.

If it were your legs crushed that day, how would you respond?  My hope would be that I would have grace and understanding like Bree.

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What Anchors Your Health?

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If you don't know your purpose for being then you are missing out on life… literally.  As you ponder your New Year's Resolutions consider not just what, but why for each of them.

In November, Florida Hospital launched a campaign called Healthy 100.  Their web site headline says,"Have
you ever thought that you could live to be 100 years old? How about
being 100 years old and still doing the things you love? It may sound
unbelievable, but at Florida Hospital, we are on a mission to help you
do just that. Through support and education, we want to help you
kick-start your journey to living a healthier, happier life."

Imagine living to be a healthy 100 year old!

Cover of Cover via Amazon

At the launch event (I attended), Dan Buettner, the author of The Blue Zones, engaged us with his case studies and keys to vitality and longevity which are: Right Outlook, Move Naturally, Eat Wisely, Right Tribe.  Afterward, I spoke with Dan about my work with purpose which falls into the Right Outlook category.  He said to me, "Purpose is the anchor to health, yet it remains the most under celebrated aspect.  Research shows that having a purpose in life adds six to seven years of longevity."

In an article Dan wrote in 2008 for AARP, Dan provides this source, “People who feel their life is part of a larger plan and are guided by
their spiritual values have stronger immune systems, lower blood
pressure, a lower risk of heart attack and cancer, and heal faster and
live longer,” says Harold G. Koenig, M.D., professor of psychiatry and
behavioral sciences at Duke University Medical Center, who has studied
the phenomenon broadly.

EXTRA: Watch Dan Buettner's interview with Martha Stewart in the first link.

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Syfy: Why?

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SyFy LogoThe SCI FI Channel has changed its branding.  Check it out with this link.

At On-Purpose Business Advisors we inevitably end up in branding because of our core work on business design and strategy.   Branding is one of the first external expressions and places to create alignment with customers.  

I had to laugh when I saw the new name.   SCI FI says it all.  Syfy – what does that say?  There are some names you just don't need to change.  That said, a logo update would certainly be in order, but to change the name at this point to Syfy is just plain stupid.   Perhaps they have some magic hidden up their sleeve with this new name.  I sense someone got paid a great deal of money to develop a new look and name.  Unfortunately, the emperor's new clothes made it through tight-lipped committee after committee for approval.

The new logo makes me think this is a Styrofoam cup business, a paper company, or a pharmaceutical conglomerate with some made up name due to some chemical compounding.  Certainly not an edgy science fiction television channel.  

The good news is the execution on the web site is stunningly well done in terms of navigation, look, graphics, etc.  They've kept the traditional purple (outer space?) for highlights.  There is a lot there and they manage it nicely.  So kudos to the team that took what was probably given to them and took it boldly where few have gone before.

For now, all I can do is sigh, fyi. 

Be On-Purpose!

Kevin

See Kevin’s Interview on The Good Life

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Watch The Good Life with Ken Mikesell and Barbara Beck.  TV45

Kevin's interview airs on March 2nd & March 5th at 7:30AM, 12:00PM, 3:00PM, & 8:00PM on station WTGL.

The Good Life is on channel 45 in the Central Florida area.  For Brighthouse customers, tune in to channel 19.

For those not in Central Florida, you can see the interview on WTGL's web site after the episode airs.