A Healthy Opportunity...

I've followed bits and pieces of the health care debate and am at a loss as to whether a one size fits all solution can be found. The purpose of this post isn't to discuss the opposing views. There are many more qualified than I who can do that.

I have found it interesting that a key aspect has mostly been left out of the discussion. That's the idea that people worry less about the coverage and more about improving their own health.

We know that our country has become progressively fatter and more out of shape. An alarming number of children are suffering from diabetes. We celebrate our nation's finest athletes and consume large amounts of junk food while watching them. And for many, the closest they come to a sport is membership in a "fantasy" league.

Are we looking to health care as a safety net for our self-induced health problems? I would like to see our leaders focus on creating a national goal for improved health. Big things can come from a vision or a crisis. In the 1960s, we had a goal of going to the moon and made it happen. After 9/11, a wave of patriotism united Americans in a way that had not been seen in decades. Perhaps we can fly a flag of health in the coming days.

Maybe we should not just look to politicians for this kind of change. An avalanche starts with the movement of just a few pebbles. As individuals we should not underestimate our power to affect change. By making a healthier choice today, we could change our world tomorrow.

Do You Ignore the Obvious?

It looks like the Dallas Cowboys have a beautiful, state of the art football stadium. No expense appears to have been spared, especially with a massive video monitor that stretches across the field. Now even if you're in the cheap seats, you'll have a great view of the game action.

But there appears to be a problem with the setup. During a preseason game, a punter saw his kick hit the video monitor. That's not supposed to happen in a football game. As I understand, the wind can impact a punt but a physical object over the field of play isn't supposed to impede the kick's path.

The NFL is trying to figure out what to do with this situation. The Cowboys point out that they followed NFL guidelines when hanging the video screen and have no plans to raise it higher. It will be interesting to see how this is sorted out. I'm sure the NFL doesn't want to embarrass the Cowboys and the team's fans, especially after building a stadium that cost more than a billion dollars.

Perhaps the answer will come from everyday life. Our society has a long history of ignoring problems instead of addressing them. Sometimes, it's about minor stuff, like telling an obviously fat person that they've just got big bones. Ignoring a speed limit sign and getting into a fatal crash is a more serious situation. In these scenarios, it's good to keep in mind who or what is being served by your action or inaction and whether that adds to the greater good.

And mistakes can happen even though no one party may be at fault. While neither the Cowboys nor the NFL may be a guilty party, it will be up to one of them to decide what to do if punts are repeatedly bouncing off the stadium video monitor.

In the end, it's all a matter of perception. My suggestion to the Cowboys: Turn off the video during punts. After a few weeks, people will so out of practice at looking at live action, with just their eyes and not video, they'll forget to watch.

The Hot & Cold Truth

I live in South Florida where right now it is very hot and humid. This gives me a front row seat for an interesting aspect of human behavior. It's the fact that so many of us are rarely satisfied with the temperature.

Here, people go from inside a home chilled by air conditioning and get into a hot car. With A/C, the car is cooled quickly. Then they arrive at work, a place where many people feel cold.

So the first thing they do is grab a cup of hot coffee. For some, this causes them to warm up too much so they turn down the A/C. Then you have those who feel cold but drink iced coffee. They are the ones who have a trusted sweater on their chair which they can wear should they need some extra warmth. It's interesting that some people in Florida are often the most bundled up when they are inside.

In offices, you will often witness epic battles between those who feel hot and cold. They share a belief that proper temperature control is like a Constitutional right. Their biggest problem is over adjusting the thermostat. The overly hot or cold change things in increments of 5+ degrees, which tends to result in immediate protests from the other camp.

Consequently, the thermostat is locked and only one person has control over it. That person soon becomes the most loved or hated person in the building.

After work, a group may go to celebrate at a bar. There, some who are bundled up because it feels frigid inside will enjoy a cold beer and some hot wings.

A few words about interviews...

As part of my nonprofit work, I'm involved with the production of a campaign video. For me this was a bit of a flashback to my TV news days as we shot 10 separate interviews in a day. All were with clients and volunteers with with a social servcie agency. Most had never been on TV before.

As a group and individuals I was very proud of their ability to share their very personal stories. The interviews ranged from two Holocaust Survivors to a mentor and his 10 year old friend. Throughout the day I was reminded of some good tips for conducting interviews:

Ask open ended questions. You don't want to ask anything that just produces a, "yes or no," answer.

Keep your questions simple and to the point. When most people have an answer in mind, they're ready to say it. Don't keep rambling on with a longwinded question if you can tell that your subject is ready to talk.

Focus on your subject as if he or she is the most important person in the world. Unless the room is on fire, you really want to give them your full attention. Think about how rare that is in our multi-tasking world.

Always ask, "Is there anything you'd like to add?" at the end of the session. Sometimes people have a really powerful soundbite in them but they don't share it unless you ask for it. So give them a chance to share.

Keep things conversational. A good interview is a conversation and not an inquisition. Have some good questions in mind but let the discussion flow naturally.

Good for the Environment... Bad for My Hand

I recently heard a talk about reducing the amount of waste that goes into the local landfill. It was good to hear that more and more items (like all kinds of cardboard) can be recycled. At the same time, in my area at least, products with aluminium foil can't be reused as is the case for styrofoam. It can be a challenge to remember it all.

Perhaps as a way to encourage us all to remember and embrace the rules, everyone in the room received a special pen. A pen made out of recycled materials. The shaft is made of cardboard, the top and bottom seem to be recycled plastic, and clip appears to be made out of the same kind of wood you see on a tongue depressor.

It appears to be an impressive feat of engineering and I was quick to grab one. But my enthusiasm faded when I tried to write with the pen. It might be the most uncomfortable pen I've ever used. The weight distribution of seems off and the tongue depressor cuts into my skin. What appeared to be a smart bit of marketing, is painful to use.

Some may want me to relax and not be so critical of a giveaway. But I feel that if you're going to make something out of recycled materials to promote your cause, it need to be functional. Simply engineering a piece of junk does not achieve this.

Perhaps the only good thing about the pen is that it would never be stolen from my desk.

Do You Like Soap In Your Coffee?

Have you ever wondered why we like certain things but not others? And sometimes the reason makes little sense.

Recently I was in an office where I was offered some coffee. I was shown the coffee pot and was told to mix in my desired level of sweetener and creamer. I had to pause when I reached for the creamer. It was the artificial kind. I’m not a coffee snob so I had no problem using the cheap stuff.

But what freaked me out was the container. The creamer was in a gel concentrated form. It was in a jug with a plastic spout that you’d have to push down on to make it come out. Basically it’s the same setup that’s used to deliver liquid soap or hand lotion. And something about that just seemed weird.

I couldn't get over this delivery system. It seemed like how you'd feel if you opened an egg carton and saw hamburgers. It just wasn't right.

In my mind I know that this packaging is probably more environmentally sound. But deep down, I can't shake the feeling that creamer is either a liquid or a powder. I drank the coffee with the creamer and it tasted fine. Still I felt something was wrong with the drink. I doubt I would have felt that way if someone else had prepared the coffee for me and I'd never seen the gel.

I wonder what other hang ups we may have where we feel strongly about something, even though it's not that big of a deal.

What Are Your Customer's Needs?

The other day I was in the new terminal at the Raleigh-Durham airport in North Carolina. It's a pleasant place to fly out of (Are you listening Atlanta?) and I noticed something very different from most other airports I've visited. I didn't see people sitting on the floor or long cords being strung across the room like a tripwire.

I'm talking about a byproduct of people using laptops in airports. Usually while waiting for a flight, people will try to get some work done on their computer as well as charge it as well as other devices. The problem has been that the plugs have been located in inconvenient places. So in order to reach them, the user has to sit on the floor. Not only is this uncomfortable but it also can dirty your clothing.

At RDU, some of the seating takes away that challenge. Under the chairs you'll find a place where you can plug in your device. There are also ports for USB cables. Now you don't have to be uncomfortable while waiting for your flight.

This may not seem like a big deal but for frequent travelers it's a change that could make life a lot easier. The increasing portability of electronic devices has not been acknowledged by many airports. Too often customer service seems to be nothing more than acknowledging a problem. I was glad to see an airport that thought about its customer's needs and then provided a solution to their problem.