Virtually everyone who has ever been to the movies enjoys the experience of surround sound. To feel like you are actually in the middle of the what is going on in the movie is a powerful experience. The pulsing force of the sound itself pulls you into the action.

      Wouldn't it be great to be able to have that experience at home, too?  Actually we can, but it is usually quite a hassle and can be rather expensive, as well.

      The traditional way to create surround sound at home is to buy a nice stereo system with at least five or six speakers and place them in just the right places around the room. You have to be careful, though. Not only does each speaker have to be in the right place, the person listening also has to be seated correctly among the speakers. But when it is working right, even the most mundane show becomes a sound feast.

      But that is not the only way to get surround sound at home. Recently a technology has come out that provides surround sound using your regular stereo system with only two speakers - and they don't even have to be great speakers. This system uses a little black box with a computer chip which alters the frequencies coming out of the stereo system. These altered frequencies simulate what you would hear in an actual surround sound environment with multiple speakers. And the amazing thing about it is that no matter where in the room you are, you hear the same great sound. At some point I believe that this new technology will supplant the more bulky and expensive systems.

How to Evaluate Your Human Systems

      As a business owner, I face situations every day that challenge me. Whether I am working on marketing, PR, sales, product development or production, there is one challenge that is always the same - to run my business in a way that allows it to grow and thrive.

      As a result of training and experience I have learned methods which help me to accomplish the things that I need to do. I have created systems to make the routine tasks of my business easier so that I can be more effective and profitable. When I get to the place where I am able to create a system for a particular task, it is because I have found a way of doing it that is effective for me.

      Once a system is created, it is easy to just sit back and let the systems run. But we have to be careful not to become complacent. Before you know it a new technology will emerge or someone will develop a magnificent innovation that is better. Just like the surround sound. The old traditional way may work great, but the new technology will likely be cheaper and more effective. Without continual adaptation, we could soon be overrun.

      The speed with which the world is changing makes it imperative that we stay on the cutting edge. If we don't, we will find ourselves invested in systems that cannot compete in the current marketplace.

      But how can we make sure that this doesn't happen to us? It is certainly important to keep up with the latest technology and innovation. But there is an even more important area that needs to be taken care of. Oddly enough, this other area is not related to new technology or to innovation. In fact, it relates to something that mankind has struggled with since the beginning of time. No generation moves beyond it and every one has to deal with it. It is the issue of personal human development. The struggles that people dealt with 10,000 years ago are the same ones we deal with today - a different context, maybe, but the same personal issues.

      The specific issues relate to how we deal with emotions, how we take care of our bodies, how we operate our minds and how we manage our spirit. These all deal with the human part of our being. While some may not think that these are not top priority issues for the workplace, the fact is, your organization can only operate efficiently to the degree that your people are masters of themselves. We have to make sure that we ourselves, and those who work for and with us, are developed to the highest level possible. Ultimately it is our human ability to grow and adapt that makes the difference.