If you can stand a flashback to high school music theory class for a while, I want you to try something next time you walk by a piano. Strike the white key immediately to the left of any pair of black keys using your right thumb (see the key labeled C on the left).

Then use your middle finger to strike the white key immediately to  the right of the pair of black keys (see key labeled E above).  Now use your right ring finger to strike the white key on the inside left of the three black keys (see key labeled G above).  Each one of the keys are individual “Notes”.

Now strike all three of them at the same time.  Congratulations, you just played a“C – Chord” on the piano.  To appreciate what you just did, randomly strike any other three keys at the same time.

Hear the difference? Unless you accidentally made another chord or are tone deaf, it should have made you cringe a little bit because it sounded so bad. That’s the beauty of a “chord”. It only sounds good once it’s complemented by two “notes” that work well with it. This principle doesn’t only apply to music.
Each of us individually has gifts and strengths that resemble those of a unique ”Note” but no matter how good you are, you can only achieve so much on your own. Building partnerships with people who have different skills, passions, and work styles to create a “Chord” is critical to achieving success in business and life.  Just as great songs are made of a combination of the right ”Chords”, great organizations are made up of authentic and meaningful collaboration.

So don’t miss the chance to be a part of something great by working selfishly, and attributing all outcomes to your “note” or “gift”. Instead, build strong harmony with people who complement what you bring to the table.  Reach out to the right combination of “notes” and what you will create will be music to everyone’s ears.

-Andy

PS-If someone ever asks you if you play piano, you can now say ”a little”.

I have a good friend who always says that “The best thing about you is also probably the worst thing about you”.

According to my peers, I have both a gift for being able to make people believe they can do anything and the curse of being able to make them believe they can do nothing.

We have been working diligently to insert accountability into our culture and assign ownership to all organizational responsibilities.  It’s going great and I am very proud of our progress, however, in a few cases where something slipped through the cracks, my body language has shown obvious disappointment.

At a lunch meeting last month, I was bragging to my friend Pam about how well we were doing but that I was concerned about a few people who seemed to be struggling at the office.  As I expressed my thoughts, she looked at me and asked “Do you know how much we hate to disappoint you?

I couldn’t say a word.  The recent images of moments where I know the team felt like they disappointed me flooded through my brain.  It was then I realized how important it is for me to always convey an unconditional confidence in our team especially when we make mistakes.  Why didn’t I realize this?  Everyone works so hard and takes so much price in the company.

Needless to say, I have been pulling people aside to apologize for letting my body language and / or words shake their confidence.  These moments of contrition have actually led us to determine 3 things that are ideally present when we do make a mistake.

It was a good mistake for us to make if it was done with CARE, ANTICIPATION was applied & we hadn’t MADE THE MISTAKE BEFORE.  If all these things are represented then we will celebrate it.  If they aren’t then we will identify where the breakdown was and address it.  So far, it’s been a very helpful exercise.

With my new appreciation for this gift & curse, my next leadership quest begins.  I will tame this curse.

Wish me luck….

Andy

PS-I used this picture because we had just seen a shark in the water a few hours earlier and I was able to get my son to believe that we would be safe to go back in.

I have been my own boss for the last 17 years and the idea of the days getting easier as I achieve success has been one of the notions that has kept me driving harder.

A few months ago, I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t see a day coming in the near future that wouldn’t be consumed focusing on heavy issues.  When I stepped back to consider this dynamic, it hit me that it didn’t matter how hard I pushed myself, but as long as I put myself in a position of responsibility, the days would be heavy.

Coming to terms with this has inspired me to look at the days a little differently.

First, I approach each day by identifying one thing I am super excited about…one thing I need to push off the fence…and the one thing…that I am really concerned about.

Second, I am focusing on reducing the level of responsibility instead of the number of hours.  Instead of delegating tasks, I must force myself to delegate responsibility.  (You think delegating tasks is hard…)

How do you bring yourself to have faith in someone to care as much as you do and assume some of your responsibilities?  It’s not easy but when it happens, it is the greatest feeling.

So if you feel the weight of the world on you every day no matter what you do, consider focusing on sharing & shifting responsibility with people you trust.  In the meantime, be sure and shine a light on the positive things to give you energy to bust through the challenging issues.

Today I am excited about some new technology we just integrated that is going to allow us to serve our guests better, I hope to push a new cruise opportunity off the fence and am concerned about one of our cruises coming together like we want it to.

Just like this photo, one issue is the dark clouds, one issue is the white clouds and the other is the blue sky.  Whenever I look at it like this, it’s another Partly Cloudy Day with a Chance of Awesome.

-Andy

One of the inspirations for the name Sixthman originated from the basketball term, The Sixth Man, which refers to the non-starting member of the team who consistently impacts the outcome of the game.

In 1988, I played this role on my High School Basketball team even after getting off to an auspicious start.  It was the first game of the year and within a few minutes of me getting into the game, I had already taken 3 shots and missed them all.  During a timeout, my coach pulled me aside and said “Andy, your role on this team is not to shoot, it’s to play great defense, grab rebounds, get the ball in our good shooter’s hands and out hustle everyone on the floor.”  *see image below

Up until that moment, I was operating under the assumption that everyone was playing the game to get open, shoot & score.  From that day on, I focused on those things and was able to help my team win without scoring many points.  It was the first time I had heard the concept of playing my role and it has appeared in my life many times since then.

A couple years ago, a good friend’s dad handed be a book called the E-Myth.  The author makes a great point about the 3 roles that must be played in every venture for it to work.  The Technician, The Manager & The Entrepreneur.  The book features story after story about businesses started by people who are only strong at one of these critical roles and either give up or fail before realizing they need the presence of all 3.  It doesn’t suggest that all businesses must have at least 3 people in each to play each role.  It simply proposes that their must be a presence and balance of all 3 disciplines for a business to thrive.

It is so true in my experience and we all know someone who launched a business based on their strength in one area only to fall down because they were not developed or focused on the other two.  Maybe it was the “Idea” guy who did not follow thru on promises or the “Bookkeeper” who was unable to create demand for their services.

When I walked into my son’s room this weekend, I noticed a toy airplane without wings on it and it reminded me of this theory in action.  The propeller is the Technician spinning thousands of times per minute creating thrust for the plane to move forward.  The cockpit is the Manager monitoring performance and directing action.  The wings are the Entrepreneur taking wind and making it travel a longer distance to go over the wing than below the wing resulting in the plane lifting into the air.

For those of you who know me, I am clearly of the Entrepreneur mindset and once I realized that it was ok not be a great technician or manager, I was able to recruit talented people to compliment my strengths.

Are you mainly an entrepreneur, manager or a technician?

-Andy

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The Rock Boat XI goes onsale today to guests who sailed with us on TRB X last month and it feels like Game Day.  I always get nervous on these days because even though we have been blessed with quick sell outs the past few years, we inevitably make many people happy and just as many frustrated with our choice of artists, port and dates.  And if anyone wants to make everyone happy, it’s me.

This year is especially interesting because we are making a conscious decision to make The Rock Boat a place to discover new artists we think you should know about.  That means less familiar names on the marquee and more faith in Sixthman to assemble a better lineup than the previous year.  It also means less returning artists from the prior year.  When we look back on the past 10 years where we witnessed Zac Brown, Marc Broussard, Stephen Kellogg, Wideawake, Gaelic Storm, Blackberry Smoke, Green River Ordinance, Tyrone Wells, Will Hoge and others go from newcomers to Rock Boat heroes, it just reinforces our commitment to discovering new artists.

Why the anxiety?  I had a long conversation with a loyal guest on Friday about how important it is to at least give the 60% of the guests who return each year some familiar artists so they can recruit friends to try The Rock Boat.  I had never thought about it that way.  We ended up having a great debate and I walked away committed to finding a couple artists who are further down the road with their career and inviting them to join us for TRB XI.  That should give us a good balance without taking the emphasis away from discovering new bands.

So think of us today as guests are making the decision to join us next January, wait a few months to see how the lineup shapes up or choose to sit out one year.  We will be making our guesses, ringing the bell at sales milestones and grateful for our good fortune to be here.

I promise that we have not done our best work yet and The Rock Boat will go to 11 next January.

Andy

Just over 6 months ago, Sixthman created… for lack of a better term, a “reading club” within the company.  Not mandatory, but structured.

The idea for Sixthman University was this:

* Over a 6 month time period, those who wanted to participate would choose to read 1 book/ month out of a selected 12 books.

* They would check the books in and out, and would share their thoughts with the whole team at various staff meetings.

*Some of the books would be biographies on artists we work with, some about technology, some about customer service, some about personal growth, and some just completely off the wall.

* The books would be a combination of thicker, dense readings – and light, shorter ones.

* Those who participated would love what they learn, and be excited to continue participating.

Then, the cycle would start over for another 6 months.

Now in month 7, we are tracking behind and desperately need more books.

I know our guests read… I mean, you are reading this blog right now!  What I need from you are suggestions for books, magazine articles, blog series, audio tapes, etc that you think will be a great addition to Sixthman University.  Topics can range, as can length.

As long as I get more than 10 suggestions, I promise to choose at least half of our readings from this list – so please suggest wisely! I want to know what you’ve read lately, or are reading, or heard you should be reading that we can add to our list.

Come on… bring it!

-Ape

As the year starts to wind down, it’s time to start thinking of Christmas break, holiday shopping, and a bunch of Sixthman Cruises right around the corner!

With the economy being the way it is, I’m sure everybody is trying to save money.  After all, you need to be able to afford that Carnival bar tab (Simple Man Cruisers and Rock Boaters, I’m looking in your direction), and make the occasional/frequent donation to the on-board casino (Mom and Dad, I’m looking in your direction).

I figured we could use today’s blog to come up with various ways everybody can save money at this time of year, inspired by this great post over at the Simple Dollar:

Eating in Rather Than Going Out - Rather than taking two hours of your night to go find a restaurant and pay big bucks for it, why not learn how to cook a few really great meals yourself?  Save a bunch of money, acquire a new skill, and eat healthy.  As a fitness nut I cannot condone cutting back on food funds by increasing trips through a drive-thru window.  Don’t do it!

Cable - All of the great internet TV services out there are really making me start to question our hefty Comcast cable bill.  Rather than spend an extra 60, 80, or 100 bucks a month on HD cable with the sports package, dvr, HBO…cut out the TV, keep the internet, and watch your favorite shows the next day on Hulu.com or any of the other awesome internet TV sources online.  Now that you can get video in higher quality for free online, I have less and less reasons to pay for this every month.  Even if you NEED your cable, why not cut it out for three months and then start it back up after cruise season?  That could be 100+ bucks right there.

Get rid of the stuff you have but don’t need - books, dvds, videogames, etc.  All of the stuff that you own but never are going to play again, step up and get rid of it!  Your life will be much less hectic, and you’ll have more money.  Jackpot.

Library - Hit up your local library to rent DVDs for free rather than hitting up NetFlix.  Sure it’s only 15 bucks a month, that’s still an additional 45 dollars (assuming you stop it for 3 months) that you can use to bet on the pass line at the craps table…not that I would do such a thing. I’d put $15 on the pass line and $30 behind it.  If this doesn’t make sense to you, save your money and don’t play craps.

STOP BUYING STUFF! I used to buy everything, all the time.  Luckily, I’ve been much better lately, but I still struggle with buying things I really don’t need.  I’ve saved 100 bucks recently by getting a library card rather than buying a shopping cart full of books on Amazon.com.  Once you have your priorities in order, it’s easier to stop these types of purchases.

What am I missing? How else can everybody save money to get ready for the upcoming holiday and cruise season?  Found a way to save money while cruising?  Post in the comments below.  If you’re looking for more great long term and short term solutions to saving money (and staying out of debt), check out my buddy Baker’s blog over at ManVsDebt.com.

-Steve

Hi my name is Joy, and I’m a last minute packer. I’m not joining most of my co-workers en route to Tampa for the Elvis Cruise tomorrow, but if I was I know what I would be doing this morning. I’d be starting think about maybe beginning to pack. I’ve always been chronically last minute. Heck, I started writing this blog a few hours before it was due.  But, I realize that not everyone throws caution to the wind and that there may be some of you out there not sailing with us until January who’ve already begun packing.

Although I’m usually just happy if I remember to bring a change of pants and my laptop, there are a few key items I always try to remember to pack:

Emergen-C packets – These have helped me stay healthy through out the last two cruise seasons. Whether they actually work, serve as a placebo or just encourage me to drink more water remains to be determined, but I won’t travel with out at least a whole box.

Bottled water – Yes, there is perfectly safe filtered water available to drink on the ships. Personally, I think it tastes gross. Usually I try to limit my bottled water consumption (save the earth, blah, blah, blah), but I need water that doesn’t taste funny to put my Emergen-C in. Because I always get asked this: There is no official limit on the amount of bottled water you can bring on board, as long as you’re not bringing on so much that security thinks you’re going to try to sell it.  And yes, there is bottled water available for purchase on the ship.

Portable Alarm Clock – In what I guess is an effort to encourage guests to sit back and enjoy their vacations, there are no alarm clocks in the staterooms. They can provide a wake up call to prevent you from sleeping through your favorite band’s set, but it can be discombobulating to wake up in the morning or the middle of the night and not know what time it is (especially if you are in an interior cabin).

Digital watch –Like most people these days I depend primarily on my cell phone to help me tell time on land. On my first cruise I quickly realized that this wasn’t practical and bought a cheap plastic watch from the gift shop. Unless you want to be responsible for roaming charges from calls and texts received from people who forgot you were out of the country, it’s best to keep your cell phone turned off. I prefer a digital watch that lights up in the dark (comes in handy when in a dark venue) and that has an alarm to use as a back up to my portable alarm clock and wake-up call.

Hoodie sweatshirt – Hopefully there won’t be any unseasonably chilly weather on your cruise like there was on The Rock Boat IX, but you can always count on the air conditioning on the ship freezing you out at some point. Before you ask, no you cannot buy my Sixthman sweatshirt off of me just because you forgot to pack a hoodie.

Luna bars – Of course there will be more food on board than God ever intended one person to have access to, but I like to make sure I have some nutritious and filling snacks in my carry on in case we’re stuck in the airport going to or from the cruise or if I get a sudden case of the hungries on board the ship and don’t have time to stop for a meal.

Beach bag – When you head into our port of call, you’ll probably want a beach bag to carry around you towels and sunscreen or at least to hold the duty-free Tequila and tiny sombreros you will probably end up buying.

Cash –Although you can’t use it on the ship (except in the Casino), all of our ports of call accept US dollars. Although most restaurants and shops will take credit cards, that’s not always a guarantee. Also, if you want to grab a taxi, you’ll need cash. Cash also comes in handy to pay off any bets you lose to one of your co-workers (or co-cruisers). Just don’t forget that in Mexico prices will be listed in pesos. Pesos are not equal to US dollars. Someday I’ll have to tell you about the time I accidentally bought a $17 bottle of sunscreen.

Stuff You DON’T Need to Pack: beach towels or bathrobes (both are provided by the cruise lines although NCL only has robes in the suites), more than one formal outfit (or none at all if you don’t want to), liquor or illegal drugs, laptop computer (unless of course you are working for Sixthman.  You’re on vacation, and the ships have internet cafes if you HAVE to check your email), local money (we’re only in port for 8 hours and most if not all places you will go to accept US dollars and or credit/debit cards).

Do any of you Sixthman cruise vets out there have any advice for newbs wondering what to pack?

See you on the flip side,

Joy

PS: Happy Veteran’s Day! My love and appreciation goes out to all troops past and present today and every day.

This is something that I am not.  I can admit it, I’m just not a fan.  If you know me, you can probably understand.  I live only about an hour away from where I grew up.  I still keep in touch with my close friends from high school.  I have only had one job change in six years.  I am a serial monogamist.  I only try something new if my friend is trying it, too.  I am a serious pack rat.  I get anxiety and general worry when being taken from my comfort zone.  I am not a champion.

However, that doesn’t mean I am a recluse.  I have ventured out here and there, and I have had many great experiences.  So, I’m not really sure why being a champion doesn’t seem more appealing to me.  However, I’m learning that I have to try.  I currently belong to two establishments that are discussing a reorganization.  As you can imagine, I’m kind of losing my mind.  This means I will be around people that don’t already really know who I am.  People that might not get my sarcasm.  People that might not know what I have to offer just because I talk a little less.  People that might not make me laugh quite as much.  People that forget to have fun.  People that might make me feel like an outsider.

Of course, this probably won’t be the case.  Everyone is probably just as worried as I am that they won’t be accepted.  So the truth is, I’ve got to look on the sunny side.  Blegh.  It sounds forced, just typing it.  But nonetheless, something true.  So, I’m now considering the opposite qualities.  I will be around people that I can learn from.  People that believe in the same values that I believe in.  People that need me to put them in their place.  People that could use my sense of humor.  People that will reaffirm my abilities.  People that I will like.

It doesn’t smell like roses, but it is off the beaten path.  And I’ve always been one to go that direction.  So, hello, new challenges.  Welcome to my abode, I’m going to kick your ass.  I am the Queen Champion.

-Lisa (more…)

How do you stay productive?

A co-worker mentioned to me earlier that cranking high-energy music really gets her going. Some people need a quiet space. Others need to move around frequently throughout the day to keep the juices flowing. For me, I really think it’s my To Do List. I employ them for my work stuff and my personal life. Sometimes I have several running lists that I make as I go, constantly thinking and adding. Then I joyfully cross things off the lists, combine them and keep charging ahead. I find it so motivating and rewarding to check off the tasks, that sometimes I add an already accomplished goal specifically so I can cross it off the list. (Is that cheating? C’mon, it feels so great!)

And then, there’s the reward.

Yes, I have put a reward system in place. It helps! Maybe it’s “Okay, finish proofing this huge document, then go eat a chocolate bar”. Or, “If you do 3 loads of laundry, treat yourself to a Frappucino.” Hmmm, now that I am writing this down, all my rewards seem to involve food or drink…No worries! I’m getting stuff done! True, true, having focus helps (I’m an Earth sign) and a little discipline does go a long way (Have I mentioned Sister Agnesca?) but overall, I guess that’s just how I am wired. Line ‘em up, zero in, and knock ‘em down.

To Do Listers Unite!

-Carla