Meeting Muhammad Ali at 2 a.m. in the morning

Meeting Muhammad Ali at 2 a.m. in the morning

by Nicholas Ashton, CEO/CIO, CommSmart Global Group of Companies

The Grosvenor Hotel, London, 1978, 2 a.m., as our company (SSAF) was working on bomb blast glass protection for the hotel, a limo drew up and out stepped Muhammad Ali, he had just been on the U.K. version of 'This is Your Life'. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWZOBX1vE7A) 

The revolving doors were being worked on and access to the hotel was limited.  

As he approached, we exchanged pleasantries and he showed interest in what our company was doing.  I asked him if he was enjoying his stay and where he had been that evening, which he replied, "they got me for the count on 'This is Your Life'."

Yes, I did ask for an autograph, for which he signed the back of my shirt, which shocked me.  Courteous and a genuine man who slipped through the doors and left me with a signature to remember.

I went inside to the front desk and asked if 'lost property' had a shirt in my size, which they found, so I could preserve my trophy of the evening.

That shirt is in Norfolk, England with an ex-wife and hope she has kept it...

I then met Muhammad Ali with my then business partner, Mike Winters of the British comedy duo 'Mike and Bernie Winters'.  Miike was finishing a book on Angelo Dundee, Ali's trainer.  This was in 1983, we had conversation for about 30 minutes and then all of us went to lunch.  

Four guys shooting the boxing breeze and knowing I was at the table of a guy who signed my shirt, which he said he remembered and he did in detail.

Angelo Dundee and Mike Winters passed on, respectfully in 2012 and 2013 and now Muhammad Ali has joined them in that great ring in the sky. A lot for them to talk and spar about.

So that leaves me, to share a couple moments of life and have dear memories of three great men.

www.commsmart-global.com

Email: thankyou@commsmart-global.com

Telephone: +1 (330) 366.6860

copyright 2016

Is It Too Much To Ask For Quality Customer Service?

Is It Too Much To Ask For 

Quality Customer Service?

by Nicholas Ashton, CEO/CIO, CommSmart Global Group of Companies

If you receive bad service anywhere, complain!  Not just make mention, explain the failure and why you will never recommend or come back to their establishment.  By the way, see how they take logical criticism. 

If you do not tell someone at the establishment, then stop moaning as they may not know of the situation. 
You would think they should, but focusing on the most important aspect of any business, customer service is missed by the majority.  

It is not just about food, it is all retail establishments that need to improve. Hospitals, supermarkets, lawn care/garden centers and any business that interfaces with the general public, need to spruce up and change their customer service qualities.

I live in a small 17,000 population city and asked the other day about a downtown restaurant, the comment was direct and stunk! Smelly bathrooms, not just an odor more like an open sewer. I am not even going to attempt to go there and nostrilly sample the ambient air thank you very much...

I mentioned this to a city official who made the comment that the heart of a city is its first impressions.  If a business needs a lick of paint, a kick up the rear-end on presentation, improved customer service or to show interest in their investment, then do so.  

If not, get out of the business and sell!

A city, especially in a downtown area works on teamwork and presentation to attract collective customers and their business.  Right now it seems only a slight few are even trying. 

The town square has a prime example of someone who cares, at least on one corner.  Complacency does not work! 

Talk about investing in a difference!  House of Stones and the local Rotary Club paid for the creation of a carousel horse and it is now on display on the corner next to the House of Stones.  

New Philadelphia, Ohio is famous for a carousel.  Around 1940, they purchased the Herschell-Spillman carousel secondhand. It is a rare all-wooden carousel. It includes 36 carved wooden jumping horses, two chariots and 428 individual lights. The center panels are adorned with 14 original oil paintings. Music is provided by a Wurlitzer 153 band calliope. The carousel is 40 feet in diameter and weighs 10 tons. It was manufactured in 1928 by the Spillman Manufacturing Company of North Tonawanda, New York. The First Town Days, which includes a Grand Parade and fireworks display, runs on the weekend leading up to the Fourth of July.  

The park is open on the weekends and has a musical Summer Showcase each Sunday through September 4th, so come on down...

Oh, the concession stands at Tuscora Park will provide you with great drinks and food.  All with that smile and service that makes the difference.  Come try out the pool too!

There is a lot more happening on the downtown square, the corner is cleaned up, the benches painted and reflect the business and they are but one, who has gone out of the way to make a difference.  

Believe it or not, YOU can too!

It is not arrogance or 'I am special' to want to have quality customer service in a very polite and professional manner.  Bars and restaurants should go out of their way to make you welcome and have a thoroughly good experience in their establishment. 

Repeat business comes with quality of service which includes wait staff, bartenders, bus staff and host, if the service was abysmal, check them off your list after you have stated their faults to management.

So New Philadelphia, Ohio and any other city in the USA or globally, get your Customer Service Act Together...!

www.commsmart-global.com

Email: customerservice@commsmart-global.com

Telephone: +1 (330) 366.6860

copyright 2016

Ponderment for the Weekend - THEM & US...

Ponderment for the Weekend

THEM & US...

by Nicholas Ashton, CEO/CIO, CommSmart Global Group of Companies

It has become a 'THEM & US' world:

• the client against the salesman
• sales manager against the salesman
• manufacturing against inventory control
• bank against lender
• accounting against management
• customer against customer service
• CEO against management
• teacher against pupil
• elected official against electorate
• prison guard against inmate
• police officer against the community

Sound familiar?

This is what life has become, a series of disagreements, no one listening to the facts and all, jumping to conclusions!

Life never use to be like this and it had better change and change fast, back to what we laughingly called, normality.

The infighting has become downright dangerous and  handling it is with an authoritarian big stick is totally WRONG!

TRUST & DISRESPECT abound at all levels of society, which by the way, has even changed on a downward scale of 'bloody fast'!

You know you fit right in there and it is no good nodding your head or thinking of stop reading.  That is not going to make it go away.

What has happened to dialogue?  Are we not educated people?  Does hiding behind voice-mail, texts and emails really constitute to being a communicator?

Of course there is the requirement of people and crowd control.  It is not with a blanket big stick approach.  Instilling fear, or being the big bully that dressing in a menacing manner does not get you 'brownie points'.

It is with precise proven tactics which your 'frontline' has been meticulously trained for.  Not in public view until required!

It is still an individual world with absurd overtones of uneducated indoctrination.

There are natural rules and regulations for life to succeed.  Spent energy needs re-energizing, food, water, sleep etc.  Lies and misquotes must be replaced with trusted answers.  To do that you must trust those that are attempting to explain and not shout them out.

them and us

informal

› used when describing disagreements or differences,especially between different social groups:If parents are encouraged to be involved in school, there is less chance of a them-and-us situation developing.The management has its own restaurant. - It's definitely a case of them and us.Political candidates using fact not fictionPublic safety not facing protesters in mencing riot gear and inciting the crowd

There is a far better approach to resolvement that does not end in firing an employee, bludgeoning a protesting crowd or indiscriminate pepper spraying and praying you hit the agitator.

It is about preparation on all fronts and having the right tools and trained personnel to complete the task.

Confrontation leads to more anarchy when you do not have the facts in front of you.  It is not THEM & US, it is about being precise in those seconds before you take action and not allowing the adrenaline drive you beyond the point of no return.

This can only happen if you have full understanding of how to deal with these situations.  Maybe you have got it wrong and thought you knew.  There is a time to step back and reflect that you do not know it all and others are here to educate and show you in a logical manner to improve situations.

That is us...

CommSmart Global Group of Companies has the proven solutions from counter terrorism tactics, protest/riot control, cybercrime, crime/predictive analytics, smart city implementation, and the Peelian Principles of Law Enforcement, called the Policeman's Bible.

We never look at you as 'THEM & US', we cohesively make the change at all levels from within, bringing back what society was and is all about!

Now back to your ponderment...

WE ARE IN THE NOW & KEEP YOU; IN THE KNOW

www.commsmart-global.com

Email: nomorethemorus@commsmart-global.com

Telephone:

USA, New Philadelphia, Ohio: +1 (330) 366.6860

Europe, Utrecht, Netherlands: +31 611 303489

copyright 2016

Cleveland, Ohio has to get the Republican National Convention RIGHT! The residual effect of failure will be unbearable!

Cleveland, Ohio has to get the Republican National Convention RIGHT!  

The residual effect of failure will be unbearable!  

Law Enforcement Cannot and Must Not Use the Failed Crowd/Protest Control In Place Now!  

This is no time to be ‘politically correct’, it is a simple as following the Peelian Principles of Law Enforcement established in 1829, which have been eroded.  By not adhering to them, are causing the Disrespect and Miss-Trust of those who are paid citizens (the police) to uphold the laws as they are stated on the law books.

The Republic National Convention which takes place in Cleveland, Ohio, July 18^th- 21^st 2016 and is a magnet for genuine people with a gripe and always attending such events, even though they know not why and the ardent violent miscreant who is a professional agitator will be present. 

They are organized to the ’enth degree on their terms, with preparation and tactics amassed from other protests nationally and globally. In fact through media footage of these events you have the majority of them on video and can list them one by one, which would be start, to know your individual enemies.

It will not be a pretty sight and Cleveland police department is ill-prepared on all fronts. Correct training, wrongly purchased equipment and true leadership is not what it should be.

www.commsmart-global.com

Email: help@commsmart-global.com

+1 (330) 366.6860

When Does SMART Really Mean SMART?

When Does SMART Really Mean SMART?

A Smart City Must Have Fiber Optic and an Innovation Team on All Levels For Success

by Nick Ashton, CEO/CIO, CommSmart Global Group of Companies

A car that goes 250 m.p.h. is a dangerous weapon in dumb hands!  

It not just about speed!

It is about communications on all levels that can improve all.

Society believes it is better at communicating because we have accelerated our connections with the likes of social media.

WRONG!

It is not about speed and about how fast data travels, it is about what you utilize it for to improve your city.

Monetization of technology is key!  If the power company owns the Fiber Optic lines, then by bringing about a partnership to increase and commerce is a meritorious action.

More commerce, more energy is used and sold, bringing more revenues for all.

Using the new communications will highlight how a city center will be an attraction.  Digital advertising, secure public Wi-Fi, community understanding by advertising through 'Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity', far better VoIP (telephonic) communications and importantly connecting all of levels of society.

Making it easier for local retail to compete in this technology world and expand their horizons and their share of digital purchases.  Online shopping is growing at such a fast rate, we all need to get on board.

Improving that communications will enhance the coverage of such organizations as 'Crime Stoppers' and bring instant information on 'Missing' Children and Seniors'. 

With all this data at hand we must have far better analytics, including crime and predictability analysis for law enforcement.  No, not 'Big Brother', it is about the people.

Remember the 'People are the Police and Police are the People'!  (www.9pp.us)

So how SMART are YOU and YOUR Political Leadership?

A question not for ponderment... YOUR answers are required!

www.commsmart-global.com

Email: smart@commsmart-global.com

Telephone:

USA, New Philadelphia, Ohio:  +1 (330) 366.6860

Europe, Utrecht, Netherlands: +31 611 303489

copyright 2016

Gentlemen, Do You Dress to the Right or Left? More seem to dress to the left, has nothing to do politically. No idea, does it move around like a windsock...

Gentlemen, Do You Dress to the Right or Left?

More seem to dress to the left, has nothing to do politically.

No idea, does it move around like a windsock...

by Nicholas Ashton, CEO/CIO, CommSmart Global Group of Companies

Maybe you have never been asked that question...

It is as important, important as the question each woman should be answering about the fitting and size of her bra.

When one has a dress suit or a pair of dress pants made for you, by a 'bespoke tailor', that is the important question, as he has taken your inside leg measurement.  You know the one where the tip of his brass ended tape, misses the family jewels.

You see, if you have ill-fitting trousers they pinch your testicles and are extremely annoying.  Discomfort really does not describe the feeling and making a 'public adjustment' is not done by a gentlemen.

Ladies, you fully understand that one when your bra pinches and misplaces your assets.

You may be wondering what is my point or where this is leading to.

Simple, societal issues have gone way beyond a discomfort stage, especially completing one's daily employment.  Having a job description is one thing, being allowed to fulfil those challenged tasks is quite another.

Inner corporate forces that you must listen to each day drive you to despair. 

The bullying supervisor, or in law enforcement, the overweight desk sergeant or patrol leader, who purely makes your life hell in their forceful manner.  Telling you, no demanding, how you will do your job or your life will be a misery, which it already is.  This is happening in all walks of life where you as a decision maker have been compromised in doing the right thing.

Oh it is greater than dressing right or left, or wearing an ill-fitting bra.  It is about how you react with the community and what life-changing actions will be enacted today.  

Discomfort can be masked and forgotten about.  Underneath you have no idea what is driving you to make the wrong decisions.  Depending on your employment, they can and will be life-threatening.

Doctor, surgeon, lawyer, judge, CEO, police officer, teacher, aircraft mechanic and parent, all have various decisions each and every day.

As a corporate leader what influence do you have and on whom?  Does it just affect their employment or does it trickle down to their family life?

Do you really know who you work with?  Is HR being used correctly in your decision making?  I know not... only you can answer that question.  

I believe though the answer is a resounding NO!

Life is made up of rules, I know, you say that 'rules can be broken', what though is the long term effect of rule breaking?  Vast and after an event, the look-back will prove how wrong you were.  You cannot afford to be wrong, you must have all the facts at hand to be a decision maker, a confident decision maker.

It is all about principles, whether written five minutes ago, decades or centuries, they were created with a purpose.  Holding grudges, wanting to get back at someone or pure 'one upmanship' has no place in society, but will always be their, causing catastrophic problems.

It is all about CHANGE, following principles and not being a 'know-it-all'.

Bringing Back TRUST & RESPECT in All Your Daily Life!

Corporately, make sure you have all the facts at hand.  Use your Human Resources department and make them sit on your board.  They have lot more knowledge than you think they have, especially about the passion and competencies of employees and your future roadmap.

In law enforcement, know your Peelian Principles, if you do not, get to know them real quickly and how they are more relevant than ever, they are your Policeman's Bible.

www.commsmart-global.com

www.policemensbible.org

Email: inform-me@commsmart-global.com

Telephone: 

USA: New Philadelphia, Ohio -  +1 (330) 366.6860

Europe: Utrecht, Netherlands - +31 611 330489

copyright 2016

Healing Leaves Scar Tissue - Required Is Change, which includes strong HR and Use of Old School Policing With New Technology and Absolute Removal of Infected Managerial DNA That is Required NOW!

Healing Leaves Scar Tissue

Required Is Change, which includes strong HR and Use 

of Old School Policing With New Technology and Absolute 

Removal of Infected Managerial DNA That is Required NOW!

Law enforcement and society is more than broken.

There is NO TRUST or RESPECT!

Police officers are not some sort of special or different people, as stated by Sir Robert Peel back in 1829: 

'The Police Are The People 

and People Are The Police'

Police officers live among communities with their families, siblings and friends. They too have the same everyday issues as us all!

The resignation of the Police Chief of San Francisco by the Mayor changes nothing!  Purely a politician showing us all he has no idea about society, communities, policing and what is and has been changing globally with human beings regarding social actions.

The BBC reported:

At a news conference on Thursday, Mayor Lee said he hoped the resignation would help "to heal the city".

The mayor, who until now had supported Mr Suhr, added: "The progress we have made has been meaningful but it hasn't been fast enough, not for me and not for Greg, and that's why I have asked Chief Suhr for his resignation."           Full BBC Story http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36339286

That is typical political talk that is causing even further issues and is fueling the embers of opinions within our communities.

This is not just a San Francisco issue, look at Cleveland, Ohio who are being thrust into the spotlight of protests by professional agitators and will bring blood letting to the RNC conference in 60 days.

It does not have to be this way!

The most damning Peelain Principle that is broken and in total disarray is #9:

This principle has not only failed over and over again and it is time to CHANGE NOW!

It cannot continue and in all honesty it is only going to get worse and put more lives at risk on both sides of the equation.

The surge of questionable actions by officers is fueled by inner rhetoric and radicals who watch every single move and turn it into pure anarchy.  

Retaliation is being shown by the increase in police officers deaths in recent months and the natural internal reactions is not acceptable. Hiring the right people for the job, having managers, supervisors and leadership must be readdressed in double time.  That is available NOW for those that understand that CHANGE MUST Happen NOW!

We know that re-education is a long process and cannot be ignored any longer.

The fire of dissatisfaction is more than kindled and no matter where in the world an incident occurs, the added fuel brightens the visual attributes of concern.

This is not a water cooler discussion topic, this is more than trending on Social Media, which is amplified by the ‘trolls’ who post vile comments that enrage us all.

Stop talking and become proactive on this issue.  CommSmart Global and our partners have the proven, logical answers and the capability to make the necessary CHANGE NOW!  

CommSmart Global leadership includes former successful police officers and change agents.

Sir Robert Peel knew what was needed and if alive today, would be in tears and disgust on how we have abused our communities and ourselves…

www.commsmart-global.com

www.policemansbible.com

Email: 9pp@commsmart-global.com

Telephone:

USA, New Philadelphia, Ohio, : +1 (330) 366.6860

Europe: Utrecht, Netherlands:  +31 611 303489

copyright 2016