David Goldsmith - Developing Plans: Paid to Think

What you should know about your Paid to THINK Single

Here are a couple of tips you should know now about the Paid to THINK Single. The Paid to THINK Single is being offered to decision makers as an educational tool, designed from a long history of people seeking to use portions of content in their quests to do their jobs better. Over the years, countless leaders have received and utilized single chapters from Paid to THINK effectively to solve certain challenges and create opportunities, and now they are available to you, too.

Although each Paid to THINK Single stands on its own as a proven educational resource, be aware that within the content of certain Paid to THINK Single books, you may come across references to other Paid to THINK Singles or to the full edition of Paid to THINK. In these instances, you may want a full edition of Paid to THINK on hand to clarify terminology and concepts not fully described in this particular Paid to THINK Single.

Regardless, leaders and managers have used Paid to THINK Singles as cost-effective means of sharing information with other leaders and/or stakeholders. For instance, if you want to get six managers and 34 group members up to speed on a particular topic rapidly, you dont have to purchase 40 copies of Paid to THINK and ask everyone to read only one chapter within the larger book. Instead, you can economically teach your people by simply securing six copies of Paid to THINK for your leadership team and 34 copies of a Paid to THINK Single and achieve the same outcome!

Paid to THINK Singles offer additional value to people working in NGOs (non-governmental organizations), NPOs (non-profit organizations), and in emerging markets where the need for leadership information is great but where budgets may not be ample enough to cover pricey educational tools and methods. Luckily, Paid to THINK Single gives more people the opportunity to learn and develop..

Paid to THINK Singles make great gifts, and theyre convenient for those who dont want a full book. Whatever your purpose in choosing a Paid to THINK Single, youll find it to be an economical and easy way to learn.

This book is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information about business and leadership. Neither the author nor the publisher is engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services, by publishing this book. If any such assistance is required, the services of a qualified financial professional should be sought. The author and publisher will not be responsible for any liability, loss, or risk incurred as a result of the use and application of any information contained in this book.

This book contained single-subject material from the book Paid to THINK. Content within this Paid to THINK Single, therefore, does not necessarily cover all the terminology or descriptive material referenced within that pertains to the comprehensive resource Paid to THINK.

Copyright 2012 by David Goldsmith

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

BenBella Books, Inc.

10300 N. Central Expressway, Suite 400

Dallas, TX 75231

www.benbellabooks.com

Printed in the United States of America

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this title.

978-1-9378-5645-8

Editing by Lorrie Goldsmith

Copyediting by Shannon Kelly

Proofreading by Cape Cod Compositors, Inc. and Rainbow Graphics

Indexing by Barbara Holloway, WordCo Indexing Services, Inc.

Cover design by Jelena Mirkovic

Text design and composition by Maria E. Mendez, Neuwirth & Associates, Inc.

Printed by Bang Printing

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TWENTY-THREE YEARS AGO, AN ENTERPRISING man by the name of Hee Bong Park departed his native country of Korea for a trip around the Asia Pacific region in search of a place to set up manufacturing facilities for his growing tent manufacturing firm, HKD International. After stopping in several countries on his fact-finding mission, Park elected to look into the possibility of Bangladesh as one of his site locations.

While he traveled the countryside of this impoverished area, two thoughts repeatedly ran through his head. The first was that if he were to build a manufacturing facility in Bangladesh, the development of infrastructure and personnel would be more challenging than in any other country he had visited thus far. Yet he knew that if he drew up a solid plan and addressed these issues, he could establish his facilities in Bangladesh and reap significant rewards both economically and personally. He knew in his heart that if he were to make this decision, he could help to create jobs, offer new opportunities, and provide improved futures for many of the citizens of Chittagong, the city he was contemplating as the place of operations. Second, Park believed Bangladesh would be a good location for a successful and long-term business, even though most of the people in the industry thought building a manufacturing plant in Bangladesh was impossible at that time. On this visit, he made up his mind that this was to be his future. His next call was to his two sons to tell them the news.

Today, HKD International has grown far beyond Parks imagination. His firm now produces more than 60% of the tents manufactured worldwide and has recently entered into the outdoor furniture business, already with great success. Hes also working on constructing a new 500,000-square-foot facility that will improve working conditions and quality and increase capacity.

As Park recounted his firms beginnings to me while we took a ride in his car, I vividly remember his body language as he moved forward in his seat so that he could address me face to face. I did the right thing, right? My heart when out to this man whose focused plans have enabled him to provide good jobs for 7,000 employees, whose products have touched so many people, and who has transformed tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of Bangladeshi lives over the decades. Choked up, I could say nothing but, Yes, yes you did.

A decision has the power to transform entire lives. Sometimes we can forget that fact. Im betting that you can look back on a single moment in your own life where you made a decision that affects how you live today.

Think about all the decisions that your stakeholders make in a day on behalf of your organization. Frontline workers, vendors, allies, board members, volunteer workers, decision makers, bankers, and other individuals are making decisions every day that, collectively, will impact your organizations future. What if each one of them made just one better decision per day?

Consider the positive outcome arising from a managers decision to fight her temptation to close up shop five minutes early. She keeps your doors open until closing time and ends up securing a new loyal customer who refers her friends to your boutique.

Picture a machinist who decides to speak up about a tiny rattling noise he notices in a piece of equipment, even though no one else hears it. By catching a minor precursor to an otherwise costly imminent breakdown, this decision keeps your equipment operational throughout your busy season.