Nonsense & follow-up sales of extended service contrats

This morning I received a phone call from a major computer hardware provider.   They were reminding me that the service contract on my equipment (original warranty, multi-year) was about to expire.   Did I want to purchase an extension?   I *distinctly* said no, and was able to end the conversation quickly.

Ironically though, only minutes later, I received an email from them, reaffirming their offer that I was interested in (I was?  I don't remember that), a price quote (we never got that far on the phone) with instructions to complete the transaction.    Not only was the email insulting, the price was silly for a product that was already multiple years old! 

One good way to lose a customer!

revisiting social media revolution video

While experimenting with G+ thought it was appropriate to revisit this video.


Social Media Revolution 2

tangled cords

I always keep one spare set of ear buds in a drawer in the end table next to my favorite reading chair.  Great for a quick grab when wanting to listen to something quickly on my laptop and not disturb my wife.  

However,......   it never fails to amaze me that the cord is always tangled and takes several minutes to resolve before using.     Does anyone else have this problem?

Change the structure of State University education NOW

Finally, some dramatic thoughts about education -- outside the box thinking.  Today's opinion section of the Des Moines Register has an opinion piece --  the key foundation of the discussion plays attention to restructuring the governance & funding of state universities in Iowa.  Costs of education have gotten ridiculous, and we continue to  allow the problem to continue to grow and manifest. Many good ideas noted.       Sunday opinion: Gartner says Iowa's state universities need to change quickly

Stuff,Stuff,Stuff.... I might just need it some day....

Are you a pack rat like me?   Confessions are good for the soul they say.    I think the challenge I have is trying to break the habit of keeping "stuff", 'cause I may need it tomorrow, or next month, or ....

The past year I have gone through a change -- by accomplishing various levels of focus upon PURGING.    Mainly paper, (I have numerous filing cabinets).   I must say I have made major strides in the cleansing process.   However, efforts have been sidelined, and Stuff is starting to accumulate again.   

One area that I have not looked into yet is electronic Stuff.   My goodness, I have tons of PC files that have not been touched for years / been copied over from old PC to new PC to newer PC. 

While I have not done any cleansing electonically, I have successfully developed a new strategy on emails -- I create my own trash can FILE (I don't trust the system generated one).   Unless I MUST keep it for some reason, after being read it goes to MY-Trash-Can.  Every few weeks I purge everything except the last few days.  At least I can recover something trashed if I threw it away yesterday.

Here is another similar article Usless-career-stuff-you-might-be-holding-onto

Work-life balance or Work-Work

A friend and former colleague told me this story.   He was invited to a work-life balance meeting by his HR department.   However, the meeting was scheduled over a normal lunch hour period.   Work-life (?) or Work-Work?   (The latter is his new label).    Does this make sense?

Thanks Eli

The man of Theory of Constraints (TOC) has made his mark, and now has left this world with a great legacy.  I became a believer of TOC thanks to his effort and work.  Enjoyed reading his books.

Thanks Eliyahu Goldratt !!

motivation,by a little one

Pay attention to this little guy.  Believe in yourself,  and Rock and Roll.



Thumbs Up for Rock and Roll!

A quote of something to think about. R U sure you understand?

“I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.”   - unknown.

Book Review: Social Media for Project Managers

A book review: Social Media for Project Managers by Elizabeth Harrin

   The title of this book could easily find strong resistence by the traditional project manager.   He/she might say that it would be a conflict of traditional definitions, hard fixed expectations and deliverables controlled by a project manager.   However, that already is not the case.  Just consider enviornmental factors that have been in place for years, such as email and virtual conference status calls.  Elizabeth Harrin notes those very factors as a basis for her intial discussions in her book.

I am a strong proponent of moving beyond the ways of yesterday.  I was very curious of what the author would bring forward that to the novice, new to the experienced, and most importantly how the subject would cross into the hallowed halls project management.  She did very well covering a gambit of topics.  We are at the beginning of a new era, and a loose term is becoming much more prevalent - Project Management 2.0.  Much of the book touches upon tools and concepts that are already well recognized in many varied ways, such as blogging and collaboration.  However, the author does a great job of placing a proper perspective acknowledging key and sometimes critical corporate business concerns such as costs, security, legal, configuration, transistioning, ongoing maintenance, privacy, and professionalism.   These are all extremely important factors that are overlooked and / or not understood by the individual sitting in the privicy of his home, twittering and blogging away, or the stand-alone independent project manager who does not have the understanding nor exposure of the bigger picture of business operations.  Unfortunately, these become somewhat dry topics, and as a result some the book reading is slow. 

I commend the author, who is a well recognized blogger, on a healthy book.  I believe project management personnel who have the ability to break the mold of tradition should give this book a try.  This is not a book on how to be a blogger, nor should it be.  There is value from the novice, to the indvidual who thinks he already knows it all. 

A clean desk

How clean is your desk and office?   Are you presenting a a healthy image to visitors?  Are you well organized or is there too much clutter and junk?  

Several weeks ago new employment at a new employer allowed me to rethink how I manage my workspace.  A started with a few foundational approaches.   Minimal hardcopy dependency and retention was the 1st rule implemented.  This was difficult for me as I am a pack rat who thinks there is a need to have a hard record of everything.   

A second approach to pursue was a combination of minimal stuff on the desk throughout the day and a clean desk at the end of the day when I go home.   I implemented this approach about 20 years ago upon a job promotion and new office at that time.  Good organization of manila folders and hanging folders are key.  At the end of the day, everything on the desk is cleansed and placed away.  There are a few special color hanging folders at the front of the desk drawer that reflect current activities or projects.

The last and yet most important factor is my To-Do list management.   I have a very small, thin portfolio sporting a writing tablet where I manage my daily prioritized To-Do activities and very quick notes.  While I have tried technology solutions like desktop tools (or PDAs in the past), they don't always fit well within corporate rules and boundaries, and are not always as accessable, portable and quickly usable as one would wish.   I also exploit my Microsoft Outlook - extensive use of folders, categories, Notes and Tasks functions.   As an example I have a 'standing' Note in Outlook where I capture notes and thoughts throughout the week to add to an agenda for a weekly project status meeting.

Here is another article for your review on this topic:  Does Your Desk Tell Secrets About You?

How many tweets ..... Come on.....

How many tweets?   How many tweets show you have value or something meaningful to say?

While I may not be a big tweeter I look for value, not volume, when I look at potential people to follow. It is amazing to note how often some people tweet. I recently saw an individual who had 38000+ tweets!!!! Yes, you read that right. Come on, really... don't you have anything better in your life? I have seen one individual who did nothing but post inspirational thoughts pertaining to a specific profession. While that may be good in intention, it becomes bad once they become recycled within 10 days or so. Come on, don't you have a better way to contribute than that? I have seen several people totally facinated by posting via 4Square every 5 minutes. Come on, are you totally addicted to technology, .... I hope you are enjoying it -- maybe I am missing the point there. ..... Then there are those who are doing providing nothing more than transposing their own, or their corporate advertising. And then there are a few people who post meaningless messages -- they remind me of people who you meet who just love to hear themselves talk. Of course I am not perfect either, but I am not sure about some of this.

Courage

Courage.   Whenever that word is breathed one automatically builds an image of strength and other personnaly motivated factors.

It is often related to internal strengths to utilize and exploit, and hopefuly overcome professional or personal challenges often of size and importance. 

Sometimes we weaken to the opposite forces.  Hopefully not to often.

In my last office I had a great motivational picture hanging on the wall.   It was an interesting picture but the caption underneath was just as important, talking about integrity and courage.   It hung on the wall directly across from my desk.  A great motivator throughout the day.

Here is an interesting article on courage.    Courage to Lead in Uncertain Times

The Wave of Overwhelm-ment

Late last week I had an interesting humorous chat with another long time professional colleague about the challenges of new employment.   We came up with the phrase "wave of overwhelm-ment'.  That is, the unknowns of new job responsibilities are only short term in duration.  They will pass on soon enough.

How do you respond to new challenges of a new job or new project?  Do you let the 'unknowns' roll off you or do you succumb to frustration? 

Google Art Project

If you haven't seen it yet, check out the Google Art Project. 

Really cool.


GoogleArtProject.com

Beyond the glass front door

Why do we often stop when we see a barrier right in front of us, regardless of professional or personal nature? 

I just encountered this story and have to share it with others.   Pete Echert encountered a serious challenge, life changing in fact.   But he paused, found multiple bumps, several of which were enough for an average person to give up, and continued on.   Please watch this inspirational video about perseverance, photography, and blindness.


Pete's story - video

Pete's own web page

Melisma, Oversouling and Musical Destruction

Have vocal musicians gone well over the top too far in their performances?

Already so much as been said about the unfortunate situation of Christina Aguilera's rendition and lyric mistakes of the National Anthem at the Superbowl last weekend.   However, there is another side of the discussion that goes a little deeper.   A Huffington Post article talks about "melisma" -- the singing of a single syllable of a word, while at the same time moving all around the musical scale of various notes.  The article also utilizes the expression "oversouling".  My spouse has little tolerance for it, and usually references it to screaming, not singing.  While I have a full appreciation for vocalists to express the extensiveness of their talents and ranges, I tend to agree.   What happened to just expressing the natural qualities of the tune itself, i.e., the allure of the natural artistry and elegance as it originated?


Huffington Post Article

Wikipedia definition of Melisma

Linchpin book review

Yes Seth did it again. He wrote another remarkable book. I finished it a few weeks ago and am now reviewing my notes.

A book review cannot provide full justice to his writings. This is a book that must be read individually. Seth digs down deep and hits the nerve of what keeps many people from success. I strongly suspect each open-minded reader will walk away with motivation to improve upon their skills. While a few people may be strong headed and disagree with some of Seth's observations, Seth does a great job of identifying why there is a lack of valued linchpins in business today.

Seth says that a linchpin is a person who is indispensable to an organization. That is, he is a person who cannot be replaced. He points his finger at us with a challenge to be one. He is passionate about us finding our passion.

Here are just some of my own take-aways.

1. Linchpins do not work in a vacuum

2. Today's business strives for environments of PERLs (Percentages of Easily Replaceable Labors) in order to meet today's models of financial success

3. Average is over

4. Mediocrity and its Obedience is stifling everyone

5. Not My Job -- should be dead

6. (True) Leadership is a critical skill that is often overlooked

7. Knowledge is not enough

8. Who to please --- current assessments are often incorrect !! (a major discovery reviewing my own past)

9. Challenge current processes !

10. Be flexible, and then be more flexible

11. Build and demonstrate your passion / live your passion

12. Move past resistance! Resistance is the big killer, not only with ourselves, but with others !!

13. Acknowledge discomfort and uncomfortable-ness --- and then move past them.

There is so much more in this book. Please find time to read it.

Multiple Project Leaders: Roles and Definitions

Challenges exist when there are multiple leaders within a defined project.  From a project management theory perspective the project manager should be THE 'leader'.  However, what happens if a team member is designated the project lead?  What does that mean? Has that dimished the responsibilities of the project manager? Is he/she only an adminstration role? 

I read an interesting blog on this topic - see link below.  However, I don't think the discussion went far enough.   Every business has its unique spin upon positions, titles, responsibilities.  It is very reasonable to assume that some key team member may bring the expertise to the project that enriches the project processes and deliverables.   It may be a senior developer, an expert business analyst or subject matter expert, or a committed business sponsor possibly acting as a champion and spokesperson for the project. 

My solution to ensure clarification of leadership is really quite simple.  Early in the life of the project, the project manager should create and communicate a Roles and Responsibilities chart.  This can be as simple as a spreadsheet or matrix in a Word document.   For each major project team role -- project manager included,  it declares the expectations, roles, and responsibilities.  This can be built in a collaborate environment as needed.  When shared with the team, confusion is lessened and expectations are set.  While I have not used this technique with every project, it is a valued approach to bring a team together and allowing me, the project manager, to present my leadership over the project.  I can reaffirm the roles and responsibilities of the project manager.   Additionally,  I promote that these other 'leaders' can focus upon their natural duties where benefit can be obtained.

What's your approach?

Link to original "PM Voices" blog

British Humor + Technology + food

Humor always brings relief to us.   Nothing better than having some laughs about our recent growth of tech tools and the related problems they bring.    Watch this....

Post Mortem Holiday Eating Worries

"People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas." - Unknown