Protecting the Snorkeling and Diving Tourism of Cabo Through Charter Enforcement

I had the opportunity to travel recently to Cabo and engage in some of the outdoor activities. One of these activities that seem to attract people is snorkeling and diving. You will find boats lined up around famous underwater areas and people swimming back and forth. Reefs and underwater creatures dot the area.

They do a pretty good job at coordinating. The charters have realized that if they damage these precious resources they won't be able to get them back. At the very onset they state that if you see garbage pick it up or tell them about it and they will pick it up.

Likewise, there is some discussion on not touching the reefs as they are not only sharp but also full of life. Disturbing that life could mean the lose of habitat and the creatures that live there.

Ecotourism is likely to grow in the future. As these resources dwindle the few remaining resources will need to be protected. That can't happen without funding and that will come from tourists.

If adventure companies desire to protect these resources and avoid future legislation they will need to work together to coordinate their protective activities. Perhaps panels of interested parties will meet to discuss how best to manage tourist and their activities.

Positive Communication Patterns Can Connect Employees Despite the "Stars"

Negative communication patterns can cause all types of havoc in the workplace and slow dissipate groups. I have seen it over and over. Functioning teams take in a real "go getter" that works like a bullet to get things done. In their goal achievement they begin to be condescending, judgmental, and rude. The team breaks apart but the "star" is not blamed because it isn't something that can be easily calculated or put on paper.

I once read a study on game theory and how people who are rude are eventually punished. As they move from group to group trying to gain resources for themselves they leave a wake of resentful people. People who have the capacity to work together and they in turn refuse to work with that person or share information.

In the end the "star" employee with a bad attitude and poor communication style gets locked out of opportunities and eventually is forced to move onto other organizations. It takes them a long time to get caught because it takes their bosses a long time to see that they were simply telling them what they wanted to hear. The "star" can sometimes be manipulative.

Great organizations are not made from "stars" they are made from everyday workers. When strong teams are built and people can work together the "star's" prowess becomes less toxic and the path forward is based on team collaboration. The "star" becomes a team performer versus a pariah on the good nature of others.

Success comes from hedging the abilities and skills of others and that requires collaboration. Collaboration the selfish are not often willing to make because it requires sharing the spotlight. If the "star" tries to steel it back....the team stops sharing information and the "star" fails.

A true star is one that knows the rules of the game and can raise others while raising themselves. They are capable of not using others but leading others to greater performance through the development of teams that trust and share. Where others have had the folly to promote the selfish it takes the intellectually advanced to see that the way in which a person communicates indicates their thinking patterns and their potential to draw together a community.

Lands End-Pictures of the Last Place on the American Continent

Near Cabos San Lucas are plenty of tours and outdoor adventures. Lands End is the last destination on the West Coast before you reach out into the broad ocean. It is a just a tiny rock that sits out on the point near Lover's Beach. 

The place has some history associated with it. Sailors from around the world, and pirates, have landed on that beach and used Lands End as a signal for safe harbor. They came back many times in order to find fun and protection. 

Of course now it is a tourist destination. Galleons have switched to cruise ships and adult pirates are now replaced by little ones with plastic swords. The history is still alive as people make their way to that beach and hang around. 

I love to travel and see new places. Learn a little of their history and come to understand the people better. It is one of those things that helps me feel connected to different cultures and people around me. Likewise, I feel the adventure of travel and excitement. 

How Mangers Can Damage Innovation Through Discouraging Curiosity

I'm reading through the October version of the Harvard Business Review and I came across two great articles on curiosity and innovation. According to these two articles managers often kill off innovation by discouraging employees from being creative by implicitly giving signals that asking questions is not acceptable. They further push employees to be silent and work toward what makes them look good to people higher up the food chain.

That pushes employees to be quiet, not look for alternatives, review processes, or understand the bigger picture of what is going on within their organizations. Thus, the employee becomes the worker and the boss becomes the gatekeeper to benefits. Strong employees may leave and the weaker one's stay. The entire organization starts to die.

The problem is that bright, intelligent, and capable employees don't rely on their bosses for much other than information. Their boss could easily be replaced as high quality employees work on their own without direction. Micromanaging bosses destroy self-directed creativity, learning and performance. They turn something wonderful into something that is not rewarded within the organization.

Thus such bosses actually suck the life out the organization in the long run. They don't allow cross collaboration, don't allow bright minds to move into new positions and often hamper the whole organization. Innovative companies need a new way of thinking and methods of flattening the road blocks that some bosses put in place.

They don't know this though.  Insight into one's own behavior is very difficult. They can't see that their decisions and constant push on projects that promote themselves slowly take away from the full functioning of their employees and the long-term competitiveness of the organization. Any employee who raises such objectives against task oriented self-gratification is likely to be punished in terms of promotion and opportunities; at the very least by negative feedback.

The near term takes precedence over the long-term, the employee is silent, and leaders are ignorantly happy until it all comes crashing down. Most companies have no clue how their culture and choices of managers improves or hampers their business. Once they start loosing money they begin to hire consultants to tell them things their common sense should have told them a long time ago.

Herein is the biggest crime of all. The smartest, brightest, and most competent are punished by the selfish that regularly choose themselves over the needs of the organization or others. Those employees simply leave instead of having clash after clash with their bosses who have more formal power. Dominant, high quality, employees with the most creative capacity and the highest intelligence do not find paths for success and put their talents to work for people who appreciate them.

Creativity and exploration should be encouraged. Cross collaborative projects are also helpful. Poor bosses should be demoted, removed or counseled. The boss is only an information giver and collector. While they do provide direction for work they are generally information bound on what priorities to work on. These priorities should include the needs of the entire organization beyond their own needs to be promoted. Of course, we know this on a theoretical level but rarely do we find enough insight to implement it in an organization.

Product Descriptions in Online Retail Marketing

In the online world of market-spaces and places your product description is going to have a huge impact on your success rate. Considering that people want to know and understand what they are purchasing they will inherently scour these descriptions for information. Without being able to inspect the products before purchase they will rely on whatever information is present and therefore writing a strong description is necessary.

Clear and concise make sense here. Be specific in the beginning and let them scroll down for lengthy descriptions. Attention span is short in the online world and having the most common questions answered quickly will improve conversion rates.

Provide diagrams, pictures, and other displays that might help them visualize the product. While market-spaces like Amazon only allow the first picture with a white background it is beneficial to include pictures of the product in action. These pictures make impressions and motivations.

The word usage should be active and encourage a purchase. Don't be too vague as it may seem like you are offering a solid product. People who are searching for information to make a purchase might be looking for sizes, specifications, and other information so they don't have to return the item. It will help you in the long run.

Organic Wine by Shaw?

Wine snob alert! This Cabernet Sauvignon wine is pretty good but doesn't cost $50 a bottle. I know, I know...that will probably mean the wine snobs will reject it, because there is no way to produce a good wine without jacking up the price to the ceiling. Well turn your noses high and bust your bank account because economic shoppers got a great thing going!!

You may want to read an article on the wine from Wine Economist

This wine retails under $5 but has a $20 dollar taste. I must admit I'm a little picky about my wine. While I will drink what I buy I won't necessarily buy some products again. This wine is rich, bountiful, and you can taste the lush environment the grapes cultivated in. You can sort of get a hint of the soil.

As organic grapes they must be a touch hardier than average and likely were picked at a slightly riper age making the wine a touch darker and more fruity than other wines. Not a lot of tannin aftertaste which suits me just fine. I would consider this on more of the wetter side and slightly sweet.

Its definitely a table wine that could be served at supper. Some under-taste of spices but not really sure of what they are so I probably shouldn't mention it. For the most part it is a clean and simple wine manufactured for a specific market. Organic grapes but not organic process still has its appeal!

This wine would get a thumbs up as a repeat buy.

Does Building a Successful Business Have Something to Do with Repetition?

Repetition is not seem highly in many business development patterns but it should be. We sometimes overlook the obvious in the attempt to create innovation. Yet...we should be honest and realize we can't improve unless we do something enough to actually improve it. Repetition allows us to delve deeper and deeper into a process and come to new conclusions that can push our business forward.

Let me give you an example to ponder. Let us say you are desperate to make a profit so every time something doesn't immediately work you radically change what you are doing. This is exploratory behavior that can be effective at times but often simply bounces from bad idea to bad idea.

There are times when it is necessary to make these radical changes but often it is only after you have understood your current process. Perhaps it isn't about radical change but about putting together the right "mix" of different aspects of the business processes. You may need a better supplier, better descriptions, stronger advertising, etc...

Doing the same thing when the production process is logical and sound is important in the analysis of what part of that process needs to be adjusted. It is important to remember that its a bunch of small steps and you should use some scientific reason to understand them before changing. In many cases, it may be the small adjustments that improve the overall process and profitability of the organization.