I was talking with a friend the other day about implementing change to create growth, and I was reminded of a five-step process that has been cemented in my mind as a result of my experiences. Each of us has our own way of doing things, but there are a few common, underlying principles that seem to work in the various aspects of our lives, whether those be at work, with various organizations, in our family lives, or with our hobbies. Whether you are the leader or a team member, you can help by seeing that these five steps happen. See if you agree.

1. Create a vision. If you are leading the charge, you better have a plan you can clearly communicate to everyone involved. If you are not leading the charge, you have every right to ask what the vision is. Plans do change, but we all need to know the overall mission in a way we can understand — and the simpler that vision is, the better.

2. Clearly define expectations. Each of us plays a role, and each role is equally important. A football team may have a linebacker who dominates every defensive play, but that doesn’t mean the team is going to win. Every player must do his or her part to be victorious. If you are the leader, clearly define everyone’s role and the expectations you have — in writing. If you are another part of the team, ask what is expected of you, and then make sure you do it.

3. Hold everyone accountable. The first two steps are useless unless this step is implemented. Criticizing those in charge is easy, and most all of us have done it. This criticism is often a result of us responding to being called out when we don’t do what we were supposed to do. But if what is expected of us is clearly defined and agreed upon, then we have no right to criticize — and we don’t need to make excuses. We simply need to face up to our shortfalls and regroup so we succeed on the next step.

4. Celebrate the victories. Taking time to enjoy our successes and applaud each other’s work are vital. Studies show that most all of us appreciate bonuses and perks, but the No. 1 thing we want is a thank you. As a boss, an employee, a co-worker, a parent, a child, a sibling or a friend, we want to know we are appreciated. That’s why we need to make time to celebrate the victories and thank each other publicly and in meaningful ways.

5. Rinse and repeat. A guy I used to work with on our company outings would often tell me, “You are only as good as your last event.” His point was that nobody cares about your prior successes; they only care about what you are doing right now. So we celebrate our successes, and then we get back to work and figure out how to do it again… and again… and again.

Does all this ring a bell? Do you do something similar in your work or personal lives? Drop me a note and share your experiences.

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

People clearly want to know who and what local residents feel are the “best.” It is why they search on the internet and read customer reviews. But, unfortunately, those results are often skewed by scammers and firms that assist with “reputation management.” 

So, how does one truly know who or what is the best locally? We created a way to uncover those answers last year with our Best of Guthrie County poll, and we are pleased to bring it to you again.

Yes, it is round 2 of this fun competition, and, as I stated last year, it is important to note that the winners are not based on our opinions but are the results of the votes of our readers. That is an important distinction the naysayers often miss. 

The poll and its categories will certainly change in years to come, but our second effort is much like our first. You will once again have 82 categories to vote in. Best pizza. Best pastor. Best park. You get the idea. Simply fill in the blanks in one category or all 82.

The poll will be promoted in our publications, emails, social media and mailers to encourage widespread participation throughout the county. Please take the time to vote and share the link with your family, neighbors, co-workers and anyone in Guthrie County and encourage them to do the same. Last year, a total of 471 votes were cast in this poll, and we hope to exceed that this year. 

We make voting incredibly easy. You can choose to vote in just one category, or you can vote in all 82. But, just like the political elections, once you submit your choices, you can’t go back. In case you are wondering, we catch the cheaters who try to vote more than once and throw those votes out, so don’t even try. Click here for the poll rules and the link to vote. 

I thank you in advance for voting and for helping us to recognize the people, places, businesses and events that make Guthrie County so great. 

Thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

I am not a cowboy, but I do have the boots — or at least I used to. 

Here’s the story. For one reason or another, I was late to the game in learning how to tie my shoes. In fact, I was the only kid in my kindergarten class who failed to figure it out. It wasn’t due to a lack of effort on my part. I tried and tried to learn how to tie my shoes. All I ended up doing was tying strings around my fingers. It was frustrating, even for a 5-year-old. I have a similar struggle today with an iron, as I just seem to iron one wrinkle into another. Someday I will figure it out, but back to the shoe-tying dilemma of my youth.

No worries. I had a solution — cowboy boots. Yes, cowboy boots. Simple to put on. Simple to take off. And none of those annoying shoelaces. They weren’t fashion friendly with shorts, but I mostly went barefoot in the summer months anyway. When the school year rolled around, this kid looked like Roy Rogers, sans Trigger, of course. 

In case you are wondering, I wasn’t a farm kid. I grew up in town, so I was urban cowboy before urban cowboy was cool. But a trendsetter, I was not. No other kid in my class wore cowboy boots, not even the farm kids. They all knew how to tie their shoes. 

I did eventually learn this life skill, sometime in the first grade. I may not remember the exact date, but I know it was a glorious moment. After a few years of others showing me how easy this was, I finally figured it out. Something just clicked, and I then proudly showed everyone how I could tie my shoes. Most didn’t understand my moment of pride, but that’s OK. They also didn’t wear cowboy boots to kindergarten class. 

Now if I could just figure out the iron. 

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

If you don’t know by now, today is April Fool’s Day, and it’s not too late to still pull off a good April Fool’s prank. Just remember, as the old saying goes, it is better to give than to receive.

Our oldest daughter, Sara, enjoyed April Fool’s day in her youth, as she would put green food coloring in our milk jugs at home and set all the clocks in the house at different times. Her favorite prank, though, was to brush oral numbing gel on pieces of stick gum and wrap them back up, waiting for a friend to ask for a piece.

If you appreciate this type of humor, here are a few more to make your April 1 a bit more exciting. 

Have coffee drinkers at your place of work? Swap out the sugar supply with salt and watch the looks on their faces after the first sip — then get ready to pour more cups of coffee.

If you work at an office and have a co-worker who uses a computer, cut out a small piece of paper with the message “GOTCHA” and tape it on the bottom side of the mouse, covering the sensor that makes it work. 

I have read about this one in the past but haven’t tried it. It is worth repeating, as it is incredibly clever. Unscrew your friend’s showerhead and pop in a bouillon cube. Who doesn’t like the smell of hot chicken broth in the shower’s streaming water?

Do you have rugs in your home? If so, place bubble wrap underneath one and get ready to laugh. 

You may remember the “kick me” signs that you taped to each other’s backs in middle school. Here is an adult version. Write the words “HONK AT ME” on a large piece of paper and tape it to the back of your friend’s car. 

And while you are at it — and if you just happen to have a harmonica laying around — secure one to the front of a friend’s car bumper. As the car goes down the road and the wind blows in the instrument, the driver will be baffled by the newfound noise, even with the windows rolled up. 

Like Oreo cookies? Carefully unscrew a few and replace the filling with white toothpaste. 

This one is especially good. Take a pair of a family member’s socks and sew them shut about halfway through.

Do you have a bottle of clear nail polish? Take a bar of soap from the shower and coat the entire bar with the polish. The victim of this prank will work up a sweat while trying to lather up. 

And here’s my all-time favorite April Fool’s prank. Smear a glob of peanut butter on a person’s shoe. Enough said.

Have a thoughtful — and cautious — Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

I have four pictures of my grandfather. Four. That’s it. To be honest, he probably only allowed his photo to be taken five or six times throughout his life, so four isn’t bad. I have one image of him as a young man in his work clothes (shown here). Another of him with one of his prized horses. One of him and Grandma and their five kids at their 50^th wedding anniversary. And one of him and Grandma taken at my aunt’s kitchen table just a few hours before they died in an auto accident. As you may imagine, I treasure those four photos. 

My youngest daughter takes at least four pictures of herself every hour and posts them on various social media apps. I sometimes act like I am doing the same to annoy her. She doesn’t fall for it. 

The whole selfie rage seemingly came out of nowhere. Who would have thought that taking pictures of yourself would be a thing? I remember a timer on a film camera I once had that could be set and would give 15 seconds to get ready before it snapped a shot. Of course, you couldn’t see the image until the prints were made. Even so, I thought that was high-tech. 

I am not amused by selfies. I am amused by smellfies. Yes, smellfies.  This was demonstrated to me by a young female employee of ours who took a sniff of her armpit to see if she needed a deodorant refresh. A smellfie. Now that’s funny. 

Back to photos. Some of you may remember the Polaroid rage in the 1970s when photos could be viewed almost instantly. This seems archaic today, yet Polaroids have made a comeback in recent years. When my youngest daughter isn’t taking selfies, she actually uses Polaroids — sparingly. 

When we used film cameras and had prints made, we valued those photos, often storing them in scrapbooks. Polaroid photos were kept in those as well. Then we saved digital photos sparingly on small storage cards, then larger storage devices, and now in the Cloud. Most of us feel that our images are safe in this mysterious storage place, even though we recognize that Big Tech is somehow tracking, sorting and selling the data from it in some way.

When our company websites went down a few years ago and the data was potentially lost, it made me think twice about relying on people I don’t know to be in charge of storing our valued files and images. Then the sites were restored, and I am back to having faith in the Cloud again. Although my grandfather didn’t seem to see much value in photos, I am guessing this kind of trust would have made him sweat. He might have even tried a smellfie.

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

Do you ever notice how so many products today are challenging to use because of their packaging? Some have improved, like Band-Aids. Many of you remember the old system with the red string that you had to pull to open the package, which almost always yanked out. Other products could use improvements as well — like plastic gallon milk jugs. Sure, the cap is easy to screw off, but that seal with the tiny tab on the protective film that rips off in my hand is more than irritating. 

Garbage sacks are another challenge. It’s like those things are ironed together. I carefully attempt to open them, only to realize that I am working from the wrong end. You may have similar problems with the bags in the produce aisle at the grocery store. Uggh. 

How about starting a new roll of cellophane or packing tape? Worse yet, when the roll rips off, and you try to restart it? I struggle to get under the tape, and when I do it inevitably tears off sideways to the edge, and I have to start all over again. 

If you take any over-the-counter medications wrapped in foil packages, you likely know the effort it takes to get those tiny pills out. And if you are not careful, you get a foil cut on your fingertips. Ouch.

Hot dog packaging drives me crazy, too. I am not fond of hot dogs to begin with, but trying to open a package without a knife or scissors results in hot dogs on the kitchen floor, packaging water on my shirt, and an empty wrapper in my hands. 

When our kids were young, they were fans of juice boxes. If I was fortunate enough to find a box with a straw attached to it, I then had the task of inserting the straw into the tiny hole without cracking it and making it unusable. I was glad when the kids learned to do this on their own.   

I continue to struggle with anything that deals with plastic wrap used in the kitchen. I can’t seem to get it to stick to the bowl, but it most certainly sticks to my hands and to itself, leaving me with numerous rolled balls of plastic to dispose of. 

Unwrapping items sealed in hard plastic takes the cake. Of course, a sturdy scissors is required, but one must then carefully avoid the newly created sharp plastic edges that are sure to draw blood — and require some of those handy Band-Aids. 

How about you? What products have packages that leave you in fits? Send me a note and let me know.

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707