MOVING THE BLOG

Hi all. I'm moving the blog to my own server and wordpress.

Please follow along at http://blog.mavsolve.com

Thanks.

Jim.

Can you do it better?

How do you know your performance is good enough? Ask for criticism.

I didn't post yesterday because I was trying to figure out how to recover from some criticism I asked for and received. My critic is a well-polished editor whom I respect and admire, and I was hoping to get back glowing reviews. However, while she liked my ideas, she had some suggestions for improvement. Yesterday I was figuring out how to use those to make my writing better.

Today is my first post incorporating her suggestions. Please feel free to comment on my trial, as additional critique is always welcome.

So, the big questions: How do we get criticism and how do we use that to be better? I had a boss once who suggested we always ask ourselves, and our customers (including our family) a simple question. "What could I have done better today?" Do we want that much interaction, though? I say yes. We can always be better. But, who should we really be asking? We can't please everyone. Make sure you are pleasing the appropriate audience, and as self-centered as this may sound, that audience is ultimately the one which can help us the most. Ask yourself, who is my customer? If you sell retail, your customer is obvious, but what if you are in a corporation working as a project manager? Who is your customer, and do you have a few? Obviously, the stakeholders in the project would be customers, but who else? Don't assume that your boss is your customer and the only person you should look to please. Think about the outcome of the project, who will be the consumers, and who is to benefit from the results. Those are your customers, and the people you should be looking to please. They are the ones you should be asking: "Can I do it better?"

We can always do better, and we should. In a world of ever increasing commoditization of products and services, differentiation from your competitors is paramount to success. If you want to survive, you have to constantly seek to do things better, more efficiently and deliver superior result. The best way to get there is to ask your customers, the consumers of your product, "...what can I do better?..." on a daily basis.

The outside of the inside... a different perspective is often needed.

Adapting....

How much is it ok to ask for? How much can you take? How much should you settle? Ooh, how I despise that last one. Compromise is so, well, "icky". But, if we look at it a different way, settling isn't always compromise. Sometimes, it is just payment for something else. Every day I have to tell myself, you can deal with this, because... the payout is worth it.

I get paid to help other people make things "right". And my nature is always searching for the right, just and better way to look at, perform, any given action. The downside of this personality is that I'm always looking for a better way to do everything. I mean, I look for a better way to brush my teeth and do laundry every day. This creates a constant disruption, and I have to quell my mind at times, and remind myself that oft-times it is better to "stay the course" and get some results. It is a constant balance of cost vs. benefit.

So, we work through the tough stuff, always making suggestions of how to make the little things better, but, at the same time, keeping our eye on the ball of the big goal. Learn to make balanced decisions which support the long-term plan, but allow the actions in the middle to find solid ground with those performing them. The best way to do so is to manage by accountability and goals, rather than by tasks.

Of course, all of this is very difficult when you are faced with managing not only the goals, but also the resources performing the tasks. Managing the intricacies of personnel increases the complexity of any project immensely. It is specifically for this reason that it is sometimes a very good idea to bring an outside resource to manage the goals and keep the team focused on the objectives, rather than their individual jobs. (shameless plug for consultants)... The outside resource can focus on clarifying objectives, goals, and assist in managing work breakdown structures while not being responsible for the overall "well-being" of the employee. It may seem harsh, but the separation of responsibilities creates a situation where the consultant is viewed more abstractly, as if he doesn't have a "dog in the fight". The consultant can spend more time managing the objectives while the manager can spend more time managing the employees.

All of this because I'm dreading having to use a windows machine at work...but will somehow choke it down and not make any waves. Still, what a dismal tool Outlook is. (shortened rant... so I don't get myself too worked up...)

Home sweet home.

What is it about returning home which makes us feel so great? Is it the comfort of being surrounded by our stuff? Is it truly a feeling of belonging? I don't know the answer, but as much as I enjoy traveling, I enjoy coming home equally.

How does this affect most of us in the business world? Do we long for home and comfort each day in our professional endeavors, the same as our personal? I think we do. I think this can be seen in our offices, our lunch compatriots, and our work style. Is this a good thing? Well, sometimes it is. Other times not.

We are in a really tough economic climate now; one which will force many businesses to change heavily in a short period of time or face extinction. As such, each one of us should stop thinking about how to make it through the day and start thinking about how to make it better. If we all want to be able to return to the safe, comfortable feeling of "home", then now is the time to adventure and travel (metaphorically) on behalf of your clients or company. Now is the time to be a skeptic and challenge everything static about all we do. The right questions to ask now are: "What do we do really well? Do our consumers still want that? How can we make that competency better? What other things can we do which leverage our core competencies without compromising what we really do well?"

Focus is more important now than ever. Companies should be shedding all they do not do well and center their efforts on leveraging the best that they are to continue. Let other (partner) companies provide services for other aspects (i.e. .. outsource email, HR, benefits planning, recruiting, etc...). They can do it better, and cheaper because it is their core competency. Focus now on your unique capabilities to win this battle.

....tomorrow....

-j

tools?

I'm in such a great city. I really love Seattle.

I'm experimenting with new tools. Can I really blog with my Blackberry?

Sorry for the lack of meaning in my post this morning. Tomorrow will bring new and exciting rants.

What did we do?

I've never really spent time in Seattle before, but as I visit, I can't help but think it is underutilized. As it was in Vegas, instead of people waiting on cabs, it's the opposite. And, towncar drivers are offering fixed price / negotiated rides to compete with cabs. How bad will it get before it gets better? My cab drivers told me that the great buildings, financed by Wamu, which once housed thousands of workers, now see twenty.

What have we signed up for? How can we make it better (or at least help)? The only words that come to mind are "don't panic"... But, our fear is probably warranted.

Many authors have foretold of conditions like we now have. Ayn Rand, in "Atlas Shrugged", wrote about a society of "second handers", willing to live off the fruits generated by those who can without any payment whatsoever. They had no appreciation for the men who had the ideas to create masterpieces like these buildings in Seattle, and only expected them to "share" their wealth, mind and effort for the "common good". Slavery is evil. It is no less evil to enslave a creator, because they "can" than to enslave a worker because they "will". And, some will say, as they always do, "...you don't have to look at it that way...we all have our civic duties..." They are wrong, and they will see the result.

I don't mean to be doom and gloom this morning, but I'm worried, concerned and alarmed at what we have just signed up for. I'm not as concerned about the man taking office, or the dismal state of congress, as I am for the "Joe's" who asked for it. How can a supposedly educated populace truly believe that the collectivization of "health care" will make their situation better? How can we believe that we can continue to consume more than we produce and survive? HOW could we possibly believe that we will get better results from physicians who are conscripted to serve us than from those who voluntarily choose to trade with us? And, if we truly believe these things, that the government is more able to provide for us than ourselves, then what right do we have to disagree with whatever they propose? Why not just give our entire lives over to them? "From each according to his ability; to each according to their need". Isn't that what we are proposing? Aren't we saying, as long as you don't make too much, you won't be punished (as much as those rich people), and if you are in more need than your brother (because you have more children, are obviously less capable, and are crying louder) then we'll just give you some money (which we just stole from that rich person).

That is what we just voted for. I'm not going to stand here and tell you that the alternative was a whole lot better, but I am going to tell you that RECORD NUMBERS showed up to confirm that the overwhelming majority of American voters prefer a free ride to the American Dream. I'm dissapointed, concerned and worried. Also, I have no intention of breaking that $250k mark for the next four years (as I'm sure you are aware, other businesses are making the same plans).

Seattle is beautiful. I'm enjoying my life today, likely at the expense of tomorrow. Thanks for the opportunity to rant.

Better than you remember? Or just different?

Perspective is so much, or should I say paralax? How much is internal when you are viewing the world, and how much is the truth? As you all know, I'm not a relativist by any means, but, I do realize that all things take on a different look, feel and taste when viewed from a different angle.

This week I made my first trip to Las Vegas in 21 years. I was not a fan of the Vegas I went to 21 years ago, finding it dirty and hostile and, well, Elvis Presley - cheezy. Well, this time I went on business (SEMA convention), and stayed at one of the nicer hotels on the strip. How much had Vegas changed, compared to how much had I? Which one had changed more? Was Vegas more appeasing to everyone or was I in a better place to enjoy it?

Needless to say at this point, I did thoroughly enjoy my time there. I found much of it to be far less glitzy, more about the quality of things instead of the quantity, and, in cases, even elegant. I did a bit of gambling, with the expected results, and stayed up way past my bed-time. I would say that both angles were working. Not only is Vegas more grown up, but I'm in a much better position to enjoy some of its best attributes (great hotels, restaraunts, bars) without having to dive in to the underbelly and wait for my cocktail waitress to bring me another PBR....

maverickSolutions is now mavSolve inc

Hello all.

As of November 1, maverickSolutions will be known as mavSolve inc. You can expect the same level of service; we are changing only our name and organization.

Thanks again for reading.

-j

"Abba Zaba - You my only Friend"

With all that's going on, I thought I would lighten up the posts today. Halloween is fast approaching HERE , and I'm not a huge fan of a lot of dressing up, but as nostalgia whispers into my brain, I find myself dreaming of abba-zaba. I'm not really a huge candy fan. I couldn't care less about chocolate. All those funky Jolly Ranchers leave me cold. But this, my friend, is one of the most dreamy things (to eat) ever. The peanut butter filling is perfect consistency. The taffy chewy.

A little known trick with Abba-zaba: If you eat it rather cool (not warm it too much with your hands), you can break pieces off. The trick is to leave the wrapper intact. Using your thumb and forefinger, choose the section you want to break off, then slowly begin to bend it one way, and the abruptly bend it hard back the other. The piece between your thumb and forefinger should break with a clean break. Give it a try.

Everyone have a great halloween; enjoy your candy and your kids and be safe.

Why does collectivism cause war?

Power is the answer.

Through guilt, fear or force, those who seek power convince others to become "followers" of their cause. I wanted to use the term "idea" or "principle", but Ideas and principles are adopted by individuals of their own accord. Individuals use reason to judge ideas and either accept or reject them as truth. But, collectivists don't seek to allow reason and judgment. If you are a person of reason, how many times has someone called you "...too judgmental..." The collectivists seek to indoctrinate, not educate.

HOW MANY TIMES have you disagreed with the notion of Anthropogenic Global Warming and had a collectivist respond with "It is accepted science", or "My sources, who also agree with me, are professors at MIT..." ??? As if WHO believes it is more important than the ideas themselves. As if the argument can not stand on its own merit, point of fact, or evidence and, thus, must be bolstered by the "others" who believe it.

So, how does collectivism cause war? Us against them. This abandonment of reason, personal responsibility and accountability is the beginning of war. The left marches around telling us that they are anti-war, but you are your brothers' keeper, or else you aren't a good person (Jesus tells us so...). The "right" marches around telling us they are pro-life, but if you want to live your life married to another of the same sex, you aren't a good person (Jesus tells us so....). In this country, they are both collectivists, and anyone who values individual liberties is in awe of the implications.

The true war-mongers hide behind the majority. "Majority rule", if we all believe it, you must too. Now, we took a vote, and it looks like you won't be able to be married anymore. We all say so. Oh, majority rule: we all took a vote and we aren't coming back to work unless you give every one of us two more dollars, 5 minutes more on our break, and pay our union dues. Hey, we all took a vote and, as it turns out... oh wait, we didn't vote on this one, this was mandated by the people we put in power to make sure our collectivist butts were covered, but you are going to have to subject yourself to a strip search each time you want to get on an airplane... oh yeah, you are going to have to pay for that too. Yup, your taxes and ticket-price hired that really intelligent, thoughtful and kind customer service representative who's yelling "Take yo' shoes off! Put 'em in da tray! Don't walk fo'wad until you hear da beep!"

How do we prevent war at all cost? WE DON'T. As long as collectivists seek to control through majority power, guilt and fear, we will need to defend ourselves with force. We must protect individual liberties. The right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". We need to, once again, teach our children how to think and judge based on principles, and to no longer accept guilt, fear or force as the arbiters of right. We have a right to liberty, not security. If we, as individuals, want to give up the right to liberty in favor of security, each person should be allowed to do so, on his/her own terms. They should not have the power to infect or burden others with their fear, or enslave them under duress in order to quell those fears.

I could go on for hours, so I'm going to stop here. Have a great Thursday.

-j

What do you do in the meantime?

At lunch with friends yesterday, we started speaking about the situation of the world and what may become. We all see some major issues with the entire system and are concerned that at some point we may wake up with a "failed" economy and fiat money which is worthless. Wow! That's a daunting thought. What should we do in the meantime?

So, we discussed preparation: "I'm going to buy land with water; somewhere remote", "Buy ammunition", "Max out my credit cards and buy 'stuff' that will be worth something".... But what until it happens? Do we freeze and wait for it? What if it doesn't happen?

We can run into this same situation in business. When we endeavor into something new, it is often easy to pin our action to some pivotal event, and freeze until that happens. But, it isn't appropriate behavior. When we match it to business, it's obvious that it doesn't fit, whereas in our personal lives, it seems to make "less of a difference", but it does. So, prepare for the pivotal event, but stay your current course until it happens. One of the best strategies in uncertain times is to unencumber yourself of the unnecessary. Make yourself and your business agile and adaptive in these times. Keep your eye open for unique opportunities to do more with less. Examine problems as opportunities; if they fit your core competencies, jump on them.

So, we all left feeling better that we weren't alone in our concerns. We all re-learned something new about each other and (I at least) came away feeling that I had found some kindred spirits upon whom I could rely when the proverbial SH&T hits the fan.

...

New things become old and vice-versa

Today I'm having lunch with two old friends. Ironically, I got in touch with them using a relatively new technology - social networking.

It is kind of funny the way new opportunities or experiences will sometimes lead to reliving of old things. It isn't the first time in my career or life where a new method, technology, process or way of thinking has brought on a wave of nostalgia. Perhaps it is the endeavoring into new territory that actually gives us the reminder of school days and learning? In any case, the message for today, for myself anyway, is to throw off being a luddite and continually move forward. Each new experience brings opportunity for connection with both the future and the past. Being open to new experiences helps us to adapt to an ever changing universe.

I'm looking forward to having lunch today with some old friends I made on a new medium.

Cheers...

I came across this question on linked in this morning. I was pleased, yet disheartened, to see that others are experiencing and starting to speak about the same issues as I. The organizations we have currently built are dysfunctional. They are formulated for the rise and maintenance of power over others rather than the delegation of work for the purpose of efficiency.

Obviously, this isn't true for every organization, but it is true in the majority of corporations within which I have worked.

Boss is feeling insecure…

We are living in a competitive world. Promotions and salary hikes are no longer associated with years of experience. It’s all about intelligence and performance. You perform and you get rewarded…and move up the hierarchy. Old people and experienced people are asked to report to younger and dynamic managers. It’s all about your performance on the day…during the quarter…during the year.

This has certainly put some managers of old management school into dilemma. They feel insure in their role and position. They have devised one methodology…to sit on the work.
They keep their subordinates busy by assigning them unwanted projects / assignments.
They put their one team member against the another so that they do not get time to unite.
If there is any work that needs immediate attention…they sit on that work for their life.
They are too scare to take any decision. There are always plenty of reasons not to take a decision, reasons to wait for more information, more options, more opinions.
They don’t want their team members to interact with members of other teams.
And lastly, it has been seen that such managers work for longer hours.

Have you worked with such manager in your career…in your department or another department?
How do you handle such bosses?

Looking forward to hear from you and learn from your experiences.

How can we make it better? Bring back personal accountability at all levels of the organization.

Individuals are hired to do a specific job. They should be given the tools needed to complete the job, be given incentive to succeed, and then allowed to do it. Instead, we bring them in, tie them up with administration, and then let them flounder on and on, endlessly, on the same mundane task of building consensus until the reason for hiring them in the first place becomes blurred and they are just another cog in the wheel of the empire. Give them the freedom to fail and the incentive to have them fail quickly.

Also, stop expanding your organization just to make it look bigger. Why do you need to do HR? There are so many talented companies out there providing far better HR services (including recruiting) than your internal people. I.T. ? Do you need internal people? Should you, a mortgage company, really be building your own software? Can you do it better than anyone else and still be the best mortgage company? Or would you be better off having a strategic (visionary) officer who understands technology and process and allow him to outsource it to a provider who specializes in the development of software? Which will render better results in both your software and your mortgage business?

To close: We must get back to a country of individuals, focused on individual liberty, achievement and value. Our companies, corporations, etc. must also begin to reward and recognize individuals, hold them accountable, and, at the same time, set them free to do their job.

Passing this on; was sent to me in email.

Dear ....

Before you mentally check out because of the "Save America" headline on this email, please read the next 2 paragraphs.

This is not a conservative or liberal, Republican or Democratic letter. This is for anyone who is angry about how our government is running, or who is frustrated by a feeling of helplessness, or who feels unable to do anything about our current mess. A legislature that has a 9% approval rating, ONE MONTH before an election, just passed a bill that constituents' comments ran 100 to 1 AGAINST! Not only did they ignore voter opinion, but under extreme scrutiny they STILL added lots of breaks for cronies, and they did so KNOWING that 90% of them would be re-elected ANYWAY. This letter is long, but at the end I will tell you how I think we can do something about it.

My name is John F. Dini. I am a small business owner in Texas, with 4 employees and well under a million dollars in gross revenue. I have lived in both red and blue states, on the east coast and the west. I don't think what I have to say should offend anyone. That's why I'm willing to put my name on it. My email is jdini@mpninc.com. Unlike many of our legislators, I will take personal responsibility for my actions. You are welcome to let me know what you think, and whether you're signing on to this.
If you don't want to read about the bailout bill, skip down to where the bullet points end.
Last week Congress passed HB 1424, the "Emergency Economic Stabilization Act." As you've probably heard, it was a bit more than just the bailout bill. I've gone through all 451 pages. Here are some highlights:
·

Sec. 103: The Treasury can also purchase mortgages on apartment buildings. To my knowledge, those who own apartment buildings aren't usually in danger of having their house taken away.
· Sec. 110 allows the regulators (there is a whole new bureaucracy being formed) to make any change to any troubled mortgage, including giving the property away.
· Sec. 116: Keeps the bureaucracy in place until the last asset is sold, or the last loan is paid.
· Sec 122: Raises the debt ceiling to $11,315,000,000,000. For historical reference, we broke the $1 trillion debt limit in the Reagan administration. That runaway borrowing is what George H.W. Bush called "Voodoo Economics" Last week we borrowed another trillion in a day.
· Sec. 132 suspends FASB 157. That's what made banks show the real value of their assets on their books, even if it had fallen to zero. That is no longer necessary, (but we WILL form a commission to decide later on what they should be showing to their shareholders, presumably something other than the actual value of their assets.)
· Sec. 136 raises the FDIC published coverage limit to $250,000 per account. What they haven't mentioned is that this higher "coverage" expires in 15 months, and the FDIC is ordered NOT to adjust the insurance for these new risks. That law actually just orders the FDIC to change the number $100,000 to $250,000 everywhere, nothing else.

That is the first 112 pages. The next bill (actually several different laws, passed on the same vote) extends a bunch of energy tax breaks for wind, clean coal, biofuels, geothermal, and others. It also gives credits to the steel industry, for plug in vehicles (in addition to the $25 billion handout to GM and Ford last week), for the black lung trust fund, and for home appliances that recycle gray water.
The next bill tacked on is a Tax Relief bill. That one raises the AMT trigger by a fraction (from $66K to $69K) and has special tax breaks for:
·

Restaurant and retail depreciation
· Rum from Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands
· Businesses in American Samoa
· Mine rescue training
· Businesses on Indian Reservations (casinos)
· Railroad tracks
· Motorsports Racing Facilities (the "NASCAR" break)
· Employees of companies affected by Hurricane Katrina
· Investing in Washington DC
· Wool producers
· Film and television production
· Wooden arrow manufacturers
· Winners of Exxon Valdez lawsuits
· Farming Machinery purchases
Also, the failed 2007 Paul Wellstone mental health bill is included here, which requires all health insurers to cover mental health treatment just like physical illness. I'm not sure how long this bill has been trying to get passed, but Senator Wellstone DIED in 2002.

Under "other" THAT bill has another 100 pages including the following:

Funding for schools, roads, weed control, forest ecosystems, improved cooperation among Federal agencies and the Oregon & California Railroad.
· Secure payments for states with Federal Lands, which you would think was everybody, but is defined as only LA, CA, OR, PA, SC, SD, TX and WA.
· A call for proposals to cooperate with Federal agencies, which upon reading is actually a requirement that BLM accept a minimum of 50% 0f timber logging contracts over the next 3 years.
· Doubling of the "Mine Reclamation Fund"
· Rewording of the Katrina relief bills to include IL, IA, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, and WI
· Further extension of Katrina Relief to ANYONE "affected" by Hurricane Ike.
My sympathies to the folks in Maine and North Dakota, who appear to have been left out (unless that's where the wooden arrow makers cluster.) Actual outlays are not $700 billion, but an estimated $852 billion, apparently not counting tax reductions.

Are you angry yet?

END OF BAILOUT BILL DISCUSSION

In her 1957 novel "Atlas Shrugged" Ayn Rand foresaw an America where corrupt businessmen and politicians allied to loot the country for all they could get. They got away with it because most people either believed that a bit more hard work, a bit more struggling, would see things turnaround eventually, or that everything was beyond their ability to control anyway. Many people disagree with Rand's conclusions and philosophy, but on this she was truly clairvoyant.

Most voters believe that Congress is full of bad actors, EXCEPT FOR THEIR GUY! Your congressman (or woman) came to your Rotary meeting, or saved a local industry, or got funding for your favorite park, and therefore is one of the "good guys." I put forward the idea that if any one of them was truly above the corruption, he or she would have been back in your district screaming bloody murder rather than in DC casting a vote for or against this farce. Instead, every single Congressman is telling you that it was the other guys who got us into this mess. They are cultivating and depending on our fear of each other to stay in power.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO SAVE AMERICA

I don't "do" chain letters, even the ones my relatives send me that say "return this to show you care for me." This is my first-ever exception. I care enough to risk your annoyance with me for sending this. It's up to you to decide whether you care more about saving this democracy, or having a friend, customer or client think you are "too political."
I believe that if we continue "business as usual" by returning over 90% of Congress to office, we are rewarding their arrogance; and surrendered any fantasy that our government is answerable to the people. They obviously don't believe it. That is why Congress has exempted itself from labor law, equal opportunity, OSHA, Social Security and any liability. This may be our last chance to remind our elected officials that this is supposed to be a government by the people.

"My vote can't do anything"

You can't vote to throw out the other guy's representative, you can only vote for or against your own. In 2006 the Democrats won their average district with a 54.8% vote, considered a landslide. The so-called Republican Revolution of 1994 was won with an average of 51.6% of the vote. So if one person in twenty changed their vote, the result would be an almost complete turnover in Congress!

Our Founding Fathers designed the checks and balances of government well. The Senate is supposed to change slowly, so that it provides a longer-term perspective. Congress changes every two years because it is supposed to reflect the current mood of the people! Returning 90% of Congress to office year after year, decade after decade, is surrendering the responsibility that Jefferson, Adams and Washington placed in us. It confirms their belief that they are untouchable.

On November 4th, vote for whomever you feel would be the better President, Senator, Governor, and for any state or local office, BUT VOTE AGAINST YOUR INCUMBENT CONGRESSMAN OR CONGRESSWOMAN. It doesn't matter who it is. It doesn't matter who the other candidate is. Cross party lines. Close your eyes or hold your nose when you do it, but do it. In 30 days we can send the biggest message to Congress of the last 100 years. It's a message that says "You aren't above the law. You are answerable for this mess. You still serve the people of this country."

And pass this along widely and quickly. Remember, we have less than 30 days, and it will only take one in twenty.

Thank you. John F. Dini, CMBA, BCB, CBI
President, MPN Incorporated - (210) 615-1800 ---------------www.MPNinc.com

A rant....

"I wish a buck was still silver..."

I do. But, wishing won't get us back there. This is representative of something bigger than just the silver dollar, of course. It is a symbol of a time when things were much more "real". They were more real in terms of our liberty, our opportunity, and the consequences thereof.

How can we fix what is happening? I look around and I see people swallowing stories that are so incredibly wrong, and they don't see the errors. How can the federal reserve "print" $1 Trillion and not create inflation? Is wealth actually being generated that rapidly? I don't think so. So, we get triple taxed in that equation, right? First, the dollars we currently hold lose value and buy less, second we have to pay the money back, and third, we have to pick up the interest on the interest on the interest. And, yet, people around me are just so glad the government was there to swoop in and "save us". That isn't their job.

Folks, the government's job, as established by our constitution, is to protect us, not save us. We have become a nation of takers. We need to get back to focusing on liberty. We need to get back to protecting individuals from tyranny. Right now, our government is very much a tyranical giant operating on the guilt and fear of its constituents. They made you believe a war in Iraq was the "ONLY" solution capable of making you safe from planes flying into your houses. They made you believe that a loan from the Fed for $1 Trillion was the only salvation from financial collapse. In each case, we have given them more and more dictatorial power, and WE ARE PAYING FOR IT. It's like hiring a body guard and then having him tell you you can't leave your bathroom. ??

I am concerned about this election; more than I have been concerned about any election in recent times. While I realize that, constitutionally, the president has limited power, we are in very real danger of handing him/her the keys to the kingdom. Every day, our liberties shrink and we become further enslaved to the burden they have created. Think really long and hard about this election and you will come to realize that neither of the major party candidates have anything more to offer than further enslavement. The only responsible vote is one against them both.

System Complexity

Half the complexity of most systems is their initial organization. As I look at the systems within companies, and our government, I'm reminded that simple is always better. The less encumbered an organization is, the simpler it's processes can be. When you add layers to the organization of the system, the complexity grows, but must it?

In some cases the answer is yes, immutably. Volume always adds complexity because in every system there are gates and valves which are created for a certain throughput. When you increase volume you tax these constrictions. So, we must create further gates and valves in order to control flow through the initial gates and valves so as not to overwhelm them.

Can we make it better? Of course we can. How? Plan for expansion. When we create systems, think, up front, about the potential for growth in the system. When you plan for capacity, multiply it ten-fold, assess if that is realistic, and then back down from there according to budget. But, you have to address the trade-offs at some point. If you hit that ten-fold volume and didn't plan for it, the first thing that happens is that you have people in remote areas of the system creating valves and gates without regard to the downflow stream to others. They become myopic regarding their specific portion of the system. This causes people to start focusing on results instead of causes, which can lead to all sorts of crazy happenings.

There is no set answer to the problem here, but it is interesting to ponder in mechanical as well as political systems. In some instances with the political organizations, the complexities are designed into the system from the outset to force others to focus on results instead of causes. When we are drowning in media hype about how our "economy" is going to fail, it's easy to forget that we believe, as a principle, that government shouldn't be involved in our economy. When faced with the potential of unknown masked men flying planes into "our houses", it's easy to forget that WE DIDN'T do it and give up our individual liberties in favor of the appearance of increased safety.

The point being: The complexity of the system can be due to its volumetric requirements, or it can be falsely complex in order to confuse, entangle and confound its constituents. In the case of the American political system, the latter is becoming more and more true every day.

Overwhelming Tasks; How to Handle Them.

As I was unwinding last night, I came across a new web-site which gave me some hope:

http://www.freedom-force.org/freedom.cfm?fuseaction=home

One of the things that G. Edward Griffin advocates here is to continue working on the problem. I have always been in favor of quick eradication of issues and problems and a positive re-instatement of the good. But, that doesn't always work. I have seen projects where the gutting of a team and recreation of a project from the ground up has been very effective, but you have to have completely willing stakeholders to get there. And, typically, when this is effective, the project has already hit rock-bottom.

So, how can you be effective in creating change in an organization where you don't have the authority or charter to "start over"? You have to march forward with a mission. Find the intended goal and begin to publish it. Along with that goal, publish the precepts, or principles, which will get the team to the end, and continually champion the virtues, or values, of following those principles with respect to reaching the goal. You have to go into each meeting or task with the energy to stand your ground on the principles and not get sideswiped arguing about the day-to-day exceptions and concrete examples of results, as opposed to principles.

G. Edward Griffin, as published in his web-site above, is attacking a much bigger project than I have. He is applying this methodology toward the abolition of the Federal Reserve and returning us to freedom. In that fight, I intend to help. But, we can all help modify behavior and reestablish virtue by taking the core principles to everything we do.

Beginning of the week

And so another week begins. I didn't get much done this weekend; got hit with one of the nastiest colds I can remember. I felt miserable for two days from a little head cold. Now I have so much work to make up.

This week is all about deliveries. I have done a ton of research and thinking on a number of projects, and now it is time to deliver some documentation and results. Expect some better posts from me later in the week.

Do the work

A good friend of mine once told me: "There is only one way through it; through it!" I will never forget those words. It was at a time when I wasn't sure I could get through the things happening in my life. That doesn't mean I was looking for a way out, but we all have a tendency to procrastinate the stuff we feel uncertain about. Well, I'm here to tell you, whatever comes your way, you can handle it. So grab on to the rails and start pulling.

This feeling we have, of uncertainty, others leverage that when they can to gain control and power over our lives. The government and other elitists have been doing it for so long it's hard to remember how it started. They are all here to save us from ourselves. Well, I suggest, push them off.

In your personal life and your business life, once you set on a path, the only way to get to the end is to do the work. So, put your fears aside and face the next task. You will figure it out as you go along. Go into it with the knowledge that it will be difficult, tedious, perhaps painful, but the only way to get to the end of it is to do the work.

Enough preaching for this morning. Cheers..

How do you figure it out?

So many perspectives. So many choices. So many avenues. Which should you believe? How should you decide?

Reason. There are those who hold that reason is only a production of logic. But, in the human condition, that is not the case. Because we are subjective beings; with emotions, and concepts beyond just perception, we have the ability to use our minds to figure things out. You are saying: "DUH !", but we don't all do it. When we step into the arena of anything emotional, sometimes we let rationalization rule instead of reason. We make excuses instead of finding solutions.

Recently, I made a decision to incorporate my business. There are three forms of organization available to me right now: Sole Proprietorship, LLC, and S-Corporation. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. I spoke with my accountant, who admitted she didn't know everything, and listened to her recommendation and asked why. I spoke with other trusted advisors, and I even asked my network on LInkedIn for suggestions, recommendations and reasons. Ultimately, I made my decision, and decided to become an S-Corporation. In order to decide, I had to prioritize my values and match them to the benefits / drawbacks of each type of organization. (btw: I also did traditional research on the difference between LLC and S-Corp. and found that the information available is ambiguous at best).

So, the biggest factor which put me in S-Corp territory is its formality in division. With an LLC, you are skipping the creation of an entity unto its own. This means that you are really just creating a more abstracted DBA and notifying people that this entity is exclaiming its independence from the individual who created it. However, the assets of an LLC belong to the individuals within as a percentage of their ownership. They do not belong to the LLC itself. This may seem unimportant, but it became the deciding factor for me because I value the ability to hold my company separate from myself. As time goes on, I may want to do all types of things regarding expansion, etc... and I want the company to stand on its own as that happens.

So, long story short, this is just a simple example of gathering information and then making judgement based on values. Both individuals and businesses should behave this way.

The problem with democracy

Is that it is organized mob rule. You wouldn't allow your business to be run by democracy; If you did, pretty soon you would be the only one working while every employee kicked back, smoked a cigarette and drew some pay. Oh wait, that is what is happening in our country too.

Now, we are going to let Tom Citizen go to the polls and vote on who we get to love and marry? We already let Joan and Tom go to the polls and decide how much money they will let the government steal from those of us working in order to pay those of us who are not.

The government was built in three branches for a reason. With three branches of government, no one branch could ever garner enough power to dictate law. The rule of law, or principle was to be the prevailing form of judgement. Ideas were the method of government, not men. Men were only the keepers of the government, and yes, we elected them democratically, but THEY DIDN'T CAMPAIGN. Now we have everyone running around campaigning for the role of prom king/queen, and we pay them handsomely, to steal from us.

This post is a bit disjointed, and rambling, but I needed to get this off my chest. Don't EVER model your business organization, structure, or goals after anything that is currently being done by the US Government.

Put it out there....and they will come?

I have often been told that I am extreme. Throughout my life people have attempted to moderate me. For the last few years I have fought an internal battle, feeling that I had a voice which needed to be heard against learning to "moderate" myself in order to reach the goals of others. I think this affected many around me, negatively, as I was in constant turmoil; wanting to scream out that the emperor was naked, only being subjugated by the fear of reprisal from my colleagues. What is the message here? We need more loud voices in disagreement. We need healthy debate in our corporations to arrive at the best decisions. We need to test our ideas against those of others to prove / disprove their worthiness.

How many times have you heard the saying "two heads are better than one"? Well, do we think that is because of consensus? It's not. Two heads are better than one for the same reason that GPS works better than Loran-C. The more input we have from different perspective, the more able we are to arrive at the "truth" of our situation, which will lead to better solutions. Too many times have I seen "two heads are better than one" become a power-play, rather than a debate.

And, what about consensus? So much time is spent on meetings to drive consensus. Is that really the right way to lead? Well, I suppose it is the right way to manage; but, not the right way to lead. We spend a lot of time coddling. I don't mean to be harsh here, but we need to return to a philosophy of personal accountability, individual differentiation, and independant thought. We should surround ourselves with those of a different perspective, who will argue with us, so that we have the opportunity to test our ideas. We should pursue the ideas that are "right" because they have been tested, and we believe in their success, not the ones that are agreed upon under force of politic.

There is a lot to be written on this subject, and I haven't done it a great deal of justice here, but I intend to in the future, so keep reading.

Body, Mind and Soul

Have you ever noticed how natural things come when all the parts of you are focused in the same direction? When you have a pursuit and a passion, it is easy to get to the gym, fulfill your spiritual requirements, and get all your work done. This is the same with organizations as with organisms. Look at a school of fish. I know, they are unthinking creatures, but when we observe them in the water, the entire organization almost seems to be one being.

How can we get the same results in business? Again, it comes down to the articulation of goals, philosophies and principles to each person in the organization. We don't have mid-lines like fish, or sonar like Dolphins. We haven't all figured out how to tap into our empathy well enough to call it ESP. We need to discuss ideas, philosophies and principles and allow others to come to the same conception as we.

If you are a business leader, you should be asking questions of your employees and colleagues to make sure they are on the "same page" as you. If not, don't be afraid to have arguments with them. Healthy debate is the human mind's means of reason. Not everyone has the same perception, so convincing them to go your way will take some reasoning. Invite others to join in, the more ideas on the table, the more you encourage innovation, while at the same time having an opportunity to continually re-enforce the company's business principles and philosophy.

The goal to all this is to get your organizations Body, Mind and Soul all headed in the same direction. If you have ever been in a business environment where everyone marches in the same direction and doesn't constantly waffle; because they all know why they show up every morning and what their mission is, then you know how productive that situation can be. I try to impart this paradigm to each client organization I visit. From the CEO to the janitor, everyone should be able to give you the "elevator pitch" on what their company is and does; what their part in it is; and why they chose to take that role.

Cheers...

j

busy...busy...busy...

It's often hard to believe how fast the day goes when you are busy and enjoy what you are doing. Silly to focus on that, I know, but today screamed by. I started the day working on some self improvement at the gym; even had a consultant (personal trainer) helping to whoop me into shape. Then, I went through some of the minutae of managing a business, paid some bills, designed some code, wrote some code, had a little lunch, wrote some more code, sent a few emails, scheduled a few appointments, and now, here I am blogging. Whew.

One of the things most important when managing a consultancy/business on your own is making sure to leave time for marketing, networking and sales. When you are swamped with work for clients, it is really easy to forget that, at some point, this work will end. You need to constantly be looking for that next opportunity, and be ready to pounce on it when it comes along. I didn't get any in today, but met with a colleague yesterday and had a catch-up session to make sure he knew where to sell my capabilities, and where I could sell his.

So, tomorrow is out at clients, see you then...

Fail Quickly.

One of the most important aspects to business innovation is learning how to fail quickly. I have been in many situations and business environments where the organization is so set on success of a project, they don't look at the outcome to understand if they should be continuing their development.

Project/product managers and line managers should be equally accountable for constantly checking premises, testing results, and understanding the benefits of success. While it is true that this is risky behavior, in the sense that speaking up and declaring failure may lead to a dismissal, or closure of "your" project, the right thing to do is to always keep an eye out for the ultimate, rather than the intermediate success of your product. What is the ultimate success? DOES IT COMPLETE ITS MISSION? In most cases, especially in today's financial climate, that test should be: Does it gain us market share? Will it make us more margin? Will it increase sales? Will it completely change the marketplace? There are many other "litmus" tests for your project, but you should continually ask them, always taking the risk that the answer is no.

On the other side is the result of not failing quickly. I have seen companies spend MILLIONS of dollars on projects; never to have them succeed. We aren't talking about striving to be the first to the moon here. We are talking about mid-tier management tools, with intentions of simplifying business process, which end up mimicking current process and never make things better. Furthermore, they were undertaken on political rather than profit-margin motives, and their success or failure was based on completion, not on benefit. In each of the companies I have seen this behavior, they are now suddenly in financial strife. (one of them so worthy that moniker that they are the motivator for our government's "financial bailout package").

We have to assume this behavior isn't just in technology, but also in the politics at the "top levels" of the organization, where people are thrown political bones for their favorite political scheme. So, if we see it in the IT arena, we should assume it trickles upward into the core philosophy of the organization. As a consultant, I have the opportunity to raise the awareness as high as it can go, and tell the CEO or even the board: "Sirs, the emperor is naked. You should clothe him immediately, or advertise him as naked. More importantly, you should FIRE THIS TAILOR!"

So, keep the words in the back of your head. Fail Quickly.

Traveling on business

For my one follower:

I will be out of the country on business this week; publication will be suspended until I return. Thank you for your understanding.

-j

Is the customer always right?

I suppose the case could be made in retail sales that the most profitable mode of doing business is to always allow your customer to be right. But what about in consulting? I'm going to argue that a consultant should never take the customer's answers as "right", just because they came from the customer.

As a consultant, we are being paid to be critical of everything. It is our job to "ferret" out the right course of action for our clients. We have to listen carefully to what they are telling us they want so we can figure out what they really want. Often times they are not one and the same.

The consultant should bring with him a very broad toolset with which to address the clients' issues. Our experience gives us a different perspective from the client, but even more importantly, our abstraction from the political organization allows us to perceive all internal situations more objectively than the client themselves. This is our value proposition. We are actually getting paid to have a different perspective and tell the client where they are wrong and/or validate when they are right.

So, if your consultant ever says "...you're the customer...", it's time to find a new consultant.

Take it while you can.

Opportunity that is. When you run a small business, I think one of the most critical aspects is to be able to see and act on an opportunity when it presents itself. This isn't easy. You find yourself in a situation, sometimes, where you are so busy that you can't even see straight. But, taking the opportunity now, and working your butt off to get it done will pay dividends later.

I know... short post today. They can't all be diamonds, but they will be there for the record. ;-)

The problem with pragmatism in the workplace

Truth!

According to pragmatic philosophy, truth is mutable. Truth is a product of our own perception combined with the "unknowable" reality of the situation.

I say HOG WASH !!! Truth is knowable. One of the issues facing our world today is the influence of pragmatic philosophy. The relativism with which we are facing the world and our problems is, in fact, the problem. There is a knowable right and wrong way to do things, and not striving to do them right is inappropriate.

We have built, within our companies, organizations of diffused accountability based on pragmatic approaches to business. We have simple precepts, which when followed, lead us to the right way of doing things. Yet, we complicate these with acronym-laden processes as if choosing the right credentialed people and implementing the right (flavor-of-the-day) process will make everything OK. It won't.

We need to return to more simple management techniques. We need to begin holding each step in the value chain accountable. Someone asked a question the other day about management by objective. It took me a little by surprise, because I think it is the only way of managing. But, it made me realize how many don't. They manage the process in between in a constant state of micro-management. This is an ineffective way of managing humans, in my humble opinion. It kills innovation and improvement, and at the end, everyone is responsible for following the process, but no one is accountable for the result.

TURN IT AROUND. Give your employees the rules, and the objective, and let them figure out the best way to achieve the result. Reward them highly for improvement and innovation, and if they don't reach the objective, well, tough love should be the route. Find someone who can hit the objective.

This is a huge subject, right? But, I'm starting to talk about it now, and I'm focused on making this better in each organization I touch. Thanks for reading my ramblings this morning.

Make it a little better each day

I don't know about you, but I'm a big results guy. I love walking into a situation, doing a quick assessment and finding some low hanging fruit that changes my client's world. But what if the easy stuff isn't there? What if issues are deeply entrenched within the organization, their core processes, or philosophy?

In these cases, I like to approach the problem differently. I'm not even going to attempt to find the low hanging fruit. Fixing the easy stuff sometimes leads to the perception that the "problem" is fixed. In these instances, I want to sit down and really dig deep into the company's behavior, and that of its operators. I want to find that core thing which they do well, and re-define it for them. Then, we can start working on peeling away the chaff to get to the wheat.

Once we have defined that thing they do well, it is time to "...make it a little better each day..." In this instance, things aren't going to get better overnight. In fact, there will be lots of days where things get worse. My job is to help the business leaders, first see, and then move toward a better way of operating. They are not going to want to change; even though they have hired me to institute one. They are going to put undue power into the hands of the very people they don't see as the future of the company, simply because in the day-to-day operations, the leaders of the company have lost touch with their vision and are afraid to "interrupt" what is going on.

This is where the outside consultant can provide the most value. We have the ability to stand on the floor with the operators and remind them and the leaders where we are going, and how we need to behave in order to get there. And, that is how we make it "... a little better each day..."

Task Prioritization

As I moved through last week, I uncovered many new thoughts. I try to stay focused on a single objective, but all of these flashy new things pop up.

So, I have been told on two separate occasions that this is not the "best" blogging platform. I'm not really part of the "blogosphere" here and that I need to move to a better platform. So, I've taken it into consideration and, when the priority is as important as others, will move to a new platform. But this brought up some other things as well.

We each do things based on our own perceived value from those actions. For me, this blog is an exercise both in psycho-analysis (of myself) and discipline. It is more about the commitment to publishing and practice in communication than any traditional "blog" type activities. Would I like it to eventually turn into a method of self-promotion? Sure! But, that isn't the primary goal. Will I take others' consideration that this isn't the best platform seriously? Yes, definitely, but all in its own time.

So, when we approach issues, advice and tasks, it is critically important that we put them in their appropriate prioritized order and perspective. I have client issues to work on now, and they must come first. For right now, this blog is satisfying my personal needs, and as I need it to grow, move or progress, I will adjust accordingly.

So, the business lesson here is the same: As we move into more difficult times, it is very "easy" to find shiny-object type distractions to move us from our intended goal, rather than toward it. Make sure you take the time to understand your objectives. Stay the course...everything in it's own priority.

Gratitude and Reflection

As we bring this week to a close, I'm feeling particularly gracious. I've had a great week. In fact, this last month has been one of the best of my life. I'm reminded to think upon and be thankful for the things, both good and bad, which brought me here.

When I was pretty young my dad told me that there wasn't anyone whom I couldn't learn something from. That impressed me a great deal, and in every situation I keep this in mind. To this day, I try to put myself in unique situations with unique people to gather more knowledge. I have had more than my share of fun because of this as well.

So, how does this affect us professionally? How can we be gracious with our business? I think it is a matter of being earnest with your clients, and always making sure they are receiving value from our product or service. Sometimes, it is "giving back" or "paying it forward" to the community, but I think gratitude should be aimed; and the benefactors should be those who make your life good (or better). So, sometimes, just a simple "thank you for your business" note is enough. Sometimes, it feels good enough to simply reflect upon how thankful you are to be doing what you love and be getting paid for it. That reflection will show in your interaction with them.

Have a great weekend.
-j

Better late than never

I didn't get to blog in the early morning today. But, I made a commitment; I intend to stick to it.

When you are dealing with clients, this is a very important matter. I haven't dealt with a company or an individual yet who delivers 100%. We all have our moments. The most important thing is how we deal with them.

Personal accountability is the answer. If you make a commitment, but you are unable to fulfill on time or at all, the first thing you should do is notify the other party. Don't spend your time "hoping" something will happen to change the situation. No one has time for that. Everyone expects some level of disappointment in life. It's just part of the game. But, the earlier we can deal with the situation, the more likely we can find a just solution. So, when you are going to let someone down, the ideal way to communicate it is BEFORE you let them down. Be honest, explain the situation and let them know you intend to rectify the situation. Step two: follow-through. Make sure that whatever you commit to for remediation is absolutely achievable within the parameters described. If you let someone down once, and you are forthcoming, they will likely give you a second chance. Let them down twice and, in most cases, you are done.

This is true in both your business and personal relationships.

Until tomorrow... -j

The heart of the problem is the core of the plan

The most critical part to any plan is the objective. Every plan has to have an clear, consise and explicit objective, or the end is never reached. This objective needs to be measurable. So, "increase revenues in Q1" is not an appropriate objective. It isn't very difficult to make it measurable, though. "Increase revenues 10% in Q1" is an appropriate objective. Not all goals are that simple, though. In the creation of a new piece of software, or migration of multiple datacenters into one, the objective needs to be more fully defined, so that should be your first step.

The definition of the objective is often called a requirements document and should be the first step in planning. It should include the following elements:

1. Background: What is the current situation / landscape
2. What is the overarching goal or objective
3. Explicit sub-requirements for reaching that objective
4. A picture of the future - what will be different from current situation / landscape

Many methodologies have intricate templates for publishing these documents. As long as they contain and capture the above, choose your flavor.

The creation of this document should include a critical analysis of the objective, the sub-requirements and the outcome against the intended goal. If these are all consistent, then the next test is to make sure we are still on the right track. WHAT WILL IT COST? This is a critical component and not one to take lightly. The measurement of the cost is always a bit fuzzy, but it should be estimated up front and measured against gain from the intended goal. If we expect positive return on investment (we are going to derive "value" from the product now or in the future), then we proceed with the plan. If not, now is the time to kill it!

The next step is to break down the big pieces into smaller tasks (work breakdown structure) and assign out those tasks. There are multiple tools one can use to record, track and measure the WBS (work breakdown structure). Again, whatever your choice of methodology, just keep the big picture in mind. It all comes down to holding people accountable for doing what they said they would do. I have known project managers who are supremely effective at running complex projects within an excel spreadsheet; and others who couldn't manage a project with MEGA tools provided by MEGA software companies.

Once you have a plan, it's all about communication. Everyone should understand the big goal, their part in it, and why they will benefit from it. It seems like that wouldn't be a huge deal, but you would be surprised at how many times a project will stall because its resources lose sight of "the ball".

MANAGE RISK: The biggest risk to the objective is not managing and communicating risk. I would consider this the project managers primary role. Creating a work breakdown structure and checking the boxes as things are finished is actually pretty simple. A GREAT project manager will constantly be acquiring, absorbing and analyzing information from resources, external issues, budget, etc. and build a risk profile and communicate that to stakeholders.

Well, I've oversimplified I'm sure. As with anything else, there are thousands of intricacies in the execution, but I hope I've hit some of the more critical elements involved in successful planning. People have written entire libraries on the subject, so I can't do it justice here...except to offer what's important from my perspective.

Planning and Doing

How do you get started?

Some things need to be planned well in advance. Other things you can endeavor in a moment. What is the difference? Let's talk first about those things which you can do on the fly.

I think the difference is expertise, expectation and necessity.

Expertise: When you are really good at something; you do it regularly, sometimes these activities need no planning. Even when you take on new activities within the arena, results are often good because of your existing tangential knowledge and capability. Here, you may see a shoe repair shop begin working on saddles, or a bicycle mechanic be comfortable working on lawnmowers because, while the power source is different, the power train is very similar.

Expectation: If no one has any expectation of success, or specific result, it is easy to wing it and still win. I believe many inventions are created in this environment, and at the opposite end, specific planning in the area of "new widget" innovation is likely throttling at best. I think we can all agree that, no one expected the iPod.

Necessity: This is the biggest one...and I will quote one of my favorite fictional characters, John McClain, in saying "...no one else was doing it..." You see, in order to innovate or move forward, one must put themselves in uncomfortable situations. Sometimes things go awry; that's when necessity takes over and you "have" to do something. This is when you grab two items and combine them, McGuyver-like, and create something new.

When is planning necessary? Well, in my experience, planing is critical anytime your outcome depends on more than the individuals in your "pocket". If you require input from outside suppliers, or if you require a group of employees to perform tasks on a timely basis then you need to plan. You can get away with "winging-it" in a very small business where you are the "dictator" of all/most situations. Your leadership will carry the others through. But, as soon as it grows beyond that handful of trusted resources. You need a plan.

Tomorrow's entry will be about how to formulate a plan, and what to do with it.

Negative Behaviors

How easy is it to fall into a series of bad "habits", or behaviors leading to our demise? In our personal as well as our professional lives, there are certain, let's call them, habitual behaviors which can be very detrimental to outcomes. And the biggest problem with them is that they don't just affect our immediate situation, but have reverberations which cause further affect down the line.

I think when we feel smaller and less powerful than we are is when we are most susceptible to our old habits. This is particularly true in the face of change. Within our psyches, we have a natural reluctance to change, and when faced with a sweeping change, tend to actually rebel. What can we do to modify these behaviors?

First, it's critically important not to dwell on the "harmful" behaviors. If you find yourself moving backward, into old habits, don't beat yourself up. Recognize the issue and look for positive steps to help persuade yourself not to repeat this again. Focus on the positive outcomes of positive behaviors. Dwelling on the negativity doesn't seem to help. Try to immerse yourself in the goal of the change and stay the course. In an organization, this means you need to evangelize the goal, and help others understand the steps toward the change.

Ultimately, the path to positive change is a continual management of the behaviors and steps required to effect that change. The goal has to be the right one, and sold correctly, but that doesn't guarantee results. Results are the outcome of diligence, positive enforcement, and guidance through the process.

And, I digress...

While I want to stay focused on business issues in this blog, it will often come up that inputs to business behavior are far beyond day-to-day retail, wholesale or distribution processes. Utimately, the whole thing revolves around human behavior and that is what makes it really interesting.

So, on with the fun.

Last night was "back to school night" for my eighth grade son. My normal cynicism aside, I have to say that I was VERY impressed. Typically, I consider the public school system to be far more an indoctrination than education. However, the group of individuals who will be instructing my son this year are an amazing bunch, and I couldn't be more pleased. I feel very fortunate to be living in this area and have the opportunity to send my son to this particular school. Having been with this school from its inception, I credit its differentiation to its founding principal and her educational philosophy.

Some notable observations:

• His math teacher for Honors Algebra is nothing short of absolutely engaging. She is bright eyed, energetic, obviously loves what she is doing and shows it.
• His Social Studies instructor is hilarious. It was more like watching a stand-up than a typical eighth grade U.S. History instructor. My boy has indicated a great deal of respect for his teaching ability, and humor, and I couldn't agree more.
• English is being taught as a holistic curriculum with an eye toward the importance of vocabulary, grammar and structure as a means to more effectively communicate within our species. ;-)
• Every teacher, including his P.E. teacher stressed the importance of personal (pet peeve: they called it responsibility when they actually meant accountability) responsibility. They reminded the parents that all required information was posted on web-sites, boards within the class, etc. and that if a child was absent, that child was accountable for the class/home work completion and to seek the teacher out for any make-up tests or quizzes.

Overall, I couldn't have been more impressed, nor happier about eighth grade for my son. In spite of himself, he is enjoying school and learning. And, as for me, I've become just a little less cynical regarding our public edudoctrination system.

Pressure is on.

When one commits to do something, it is very important to stay the course and complete the task. Yesterday, I notified many colleagues and friends that I intended to blog every (week)day. Overwhelmingly, the largest response was a wowing that I was committed just to the act of doing this daily. I think, perhaps, the reason I told everyone was to have them hold me accountable.

In business, and your life, this is a valid behavior.

Accountability and responsibility are two sides of the same coin. Often people confuse the two, but ultimately responsibility assigns accountability, but doesn't always require it. Accountability, on the other hand, requires responsibility, or invokes it. Accountability requires results.

So, which is more important? In business, I believe accountability is the more important of the two. For example, I am now responsible for a (week)daily post on this blog. Had I only thought in my mind, "...I will try to do this on a frequent basis...", that would leave me accountable to no one. By setting and publishing a goal (metric), I have made myself accountable for a (week)daily post. Expectations are set, the goal is clear, measurement is simple.

If we could re-impose this type of accountability in the corporate environment, projects and products would be much better. At some point, in the recent past, we departed from traditional accountability for results in favor of simply assigning responsibility. I have walked into businesses where simple projects have been dragging on for months, even years, and no one is getting fired. Responsible parties (for the project) are still sharing in corporate bonus programs. This isn't ok. Employees, contractors, managers, and executives should all be held accountable for results. We should no longer hire credentialed experts to fill chairs. We need to hire folks who can and will produce results, and are willing to put themselves at risk; be accountable for results; not responsible for actions.

I leave you with a motivational mantra. I can't remember the authors last name, but her first name is Lynn, and she is a business coach in Santa Barbara, CA:

Show Up
Know Your Message
Put Yourself At Risk Every Day

Ability to move, adapt, and progress.

Funny thing about blogging...

I never thought I'd really get into it. I've never kept a journal; and I'm beginning to wonder why. Throughout my life, in each of my endeavors, I've been asked to write technical manuals, specifications, etc... and writing in a journal always seemed to be a continuation of work. However, as I have been (somewhat religiously) blogging, I am beginning to recognize the benefit of a consistent outlet for my thoughts.

So, on the advice of another (successful) blogger, I have committed to writing an entry every weekday, regardless of my mood or content. It is forcing me to come up with new topics each day. Some days I can't muster the regulated cynicism you (future readers) have come to expect, and so they will be more practical articles. There will be those days when I'm burning particularly bright and will call the emperor's clothes for what they are. My hope is that in all this drivel, at least one or two nuggets stand out as particularly relevant and help someone who needs it.

That's all for this morning. Tomorrow, I promise a good one.

Why consultants work

Because they don't have a dog in the fight....

When a company begins to contemplate a change in business process or systems, there is a tendency to have internal battles, a lot of spin, and a difficult time making decisions. This comes from a couple of issues; namely, the problem is outside the day-to-day core competency of the organization, and each individual will look at the problem myopically, with a focus on "..what's in it for me?..."

Solution: Well versed outside personage. (i.e. consultant).

In many circles, of course, consultant is a bad word. This is especially true if you do have some internal IT staff, who may be very capable IT implementers. However, that does not make them appropriate resources to help you through a system or business process change. Why? Because they DO have a dog in the fight. Even if they have the right solution in mind, know how to implement, and can execute flawlessly, they are in for a huge fight. In these circumstances, it becomes a "...what's in it for YOU?.." battle, where the stakeholders are quite certain that the IT department has chosen or recommended based on their limited knowledge of "other" solutions. Meanwhile, the IT department is quite certain that the only reason the stakeholders want something different is because "...their brother in-law told them that they would be stupid to use X product, when Y product is really where it is at..."

Bringing an objective third party in is like arbitration, only better, because everyone wins. The first thing a good consultant is going to do is ask questions. He/she will document findings from the questions in an analytical format to understand the true needs/desires/wants of the organization as a whole. Next, they will use any of a number of processes to prioritize the needs and wants. Finally, they will present the findings to the whole of the stakeholders and build consensus on the requirements, not on the solution. Now, we understand the real problem, time to match a solution.

With the whole problem documented, finding a solution becomes a matter of matching requirements to features, assessing budget, and managing risk. Simple.

So, as a final note, when you are considering surgery, you don't try to find your own anesthesiologist and scalpels, you bring in a surgeon. When you are operating on your business, you should take the same care to find an expert as when on your body.

Cheers...

-j

Change Management

Moving through change is a difficult proposition, especially for organizations. Each individual within the organization has to come to his own realization and acceptance of the change on his own schedule. We attempt to improve process, but we sometimes don't give creedence to the understanding, and adoption of the change by the individuals involved in the "day-to-day".

The best way to make change happen and stick is to work top down. That is, if you already have and publish/subscribe to a business philosophy, then the change can be more simple. Leveraging your already existing communication and understanding with employees regarding your philosophy, you can more simply communicate the REASONS for your policy, process, or functional change. If your employees understand the purpose of the change, they can more rapidly answer the all important question "...what's in it for me?" And, that is the fulcrum of making change stick. Once the people involved in the process have the yardstick by which to measure the value provided or taken from them, they can make a rational decision whether or not to commit to the change.

So, it's all down hill now, right? Wrong, unfortunately, because of habit. Even though the individuals involved in the change have come to the realization that it is better for them, overall, they will still look for ANY excuse to fault the new process, and/or return to old process. This, obviously, doesn't apply to all individuals, nor does it to explicitly defined and highly technical processes. But, for the majority of systems and people it sure does. So, you must coach, ensure, and (to some extent) evangelize the new process. Help your employees see the light by continually ensuring them that current path leads to the goal they already accepted.

Business Philosophy !!!!!!

You need all the pieces to put it together. You need someone who understands the big picture to keep it all on track. In today's organizations, it is very easy to focus on the tasks; we hear managers all the time parading the phrase "stay the course". Well, if your job is to fiddle, is it ok to fiddle while Rome burns? Maybe you can't put out the fire, but you could at least stop fiddling long enough to call 911, right?

The key to successful business enterprise is to keep everyone marching in the same direction, and being able to change course for everyone quickly and accurately. The key to all of this is a clearly defined and published business philosophy. Each person in your organization should know where the business is going, why it is going there, and what the intended result will be. If you haven't published this to your employees, then you are behind. If you haven't written it down for yourself; if you can't immediately, as a business owner, define and articulate your philosophy, mission, goals, well then -- you could use some help.

Keep in mind, businesses have survived for years without these simple precepts. I have worked in many who no longer even know how they produce revenues, let alone profits. Once a wheel is in motion, it is difficult to stop. Increase the mass of the wheel, even more so. However, eventually it will run out of momentum, and stop rolling. The same is true for your business.

The road back to the basics is difficult, but each proprietor, CXO, president, etc... owes it to him/herself and to shareholders (where applicable) to challenge status quo and look to re-define (not necessarily modify, but clarify) their business strategy and start focusing on the path to reach that/those goal(s).

FOCUS vs. distraction

What makes successful companies so?

The differentiation of competitors is often slight. In essence, all products and services eventually become commoditized. So, how can your company continue to thrive.

A simple solution is to remain focused, as a vision, mission, set of core values, etc... on your core competencies. This means, keep your staff lean. Make sure that your employees are all focused on providing the best service possible within your businesses core competencies.

The opposite is the bloat and waste that comes from distraction. I will provide one simple example: internal eMail servers. There are a plethora of services available to businesses to solve this problem. Many are simply an outsourced replacement for your current internal product and staff. Others provide a level of service not even closely feasible given your internal resources and staff. The ubiquity of bandwidth almost completely negates the argument of: "...what if the network goes down..." and with today's remote workers, I'm not sure that argument holds water anyway. This is a really minor example, but in all cases, business leaders should be considering ways to purchase the utmost in value, from external resources, within their budget when considering business services required outside their core competency.

Great Communication Skills

We live in a real time world. People, things and activities are moving quickly. But, that shouldn't give us a reason not to communicate. Lately, I'm amazed at the lack of communication and courtesy given forth from people.

eMail complicates the situation, because the communication is asynchronous. You can send an email to someone, and there isn't a guarantee they actually receive it, so it may be common to re-send or remind someone. What irks me about this, is that I know in 90% of the cases, the email has been received and is ignored. Why? My suspicion is that the receiver:

1. doesn't have a good answer
2. is extraordinarily busy and doesn't have time or energy to communicate
3. doesn't consider your communique important enough to warrant a response
4. doesn't like the answer they have to give, and hopes you will just "go away"

NONE of these are acceptable excuses in my book. When one receives an email from another, and I'm not talking about SPAM here, or a voice mail, physical letter, IM, or other communication, the responsible option is to reply. Put your answer out there, or indicate you are too busy to deal with a situation at this point. The above behavior is just rude. I make it my duty to consider communication an important aspect of my business and life. I check my SPAM folder daily and clean it out to ensure I don't miss a communication from a client. And, I'm not afraid to communicate bad news where it is required. I try to help my clients behave the same.

Simple ... (imho)

Building a consulting practice

There is a lot to consider when building a new business. How should I organize? Corporation, LLC? I have helped so many businesses grow and prosper, but what about my own? The risk seems to turn everything a different color. So I am telling myself what I tell my clients.

1. Focus on the important stuff; don't get distracted with the little problems along the way.

2. Remember what you are good at. Leverage that, and find engagements which fit, rather than trying to shoe horn your services into a paradigm not your own.

3. Build and manage a process which produces repeatable results.

4. And, in the words of my estranged grandfather, "...provide a great service at a reasonable price and the consumers will beat your doors down to get it..."

That's all for today.