Personal Safety

I want peace of mind that my family is not only going to be safe but that they can live their lives and pursue their happiness.  I am a Democrat who enjoys the safety and sport of having firearms, an interest shared with my family and many friends.  I want our country to have a discussion about tragic events that occur multiple times a year and the lack of safety it instills in the society.

Dividing Democrats over firearms will disenfranchise a large portion of voters the Republicans crave for the next two elections. I want universal health care and allowing people who love each other to marry, I also want a  sense of safety for my family and that we can help ourselves.  As Miller points out, this is a wedge issue people will leave the party over despite all our other common ground.

Changes in rights and liberties rarely are sweeping and immediate, what seems a reasonable firearm for self protection today could be only one tragedy away from restriction.

• In the mid-80's less than half of the U.S. states issued conceal Carry permits, Illinois will be the last state to formalize this process in 2013.
• IN 1920 all women in the United States were allowed to vote, 230 years after New Jersey let them vote.
• Chicago's reputation as an organized crime capital peaked during the 1930's and 40's under characters like Al Capone but has its roots dating back to the corruption of erecting a city on an unstable mud foundation in the 1850s.

Recognizing rights and infringing on them is not something that happens in a president's single term but I do not want to look back at this presidency and realize this is where fear for our safety gathered significant momentum. 

Our competitive, sensationalizing nation needs to talk about mental health as the impetus to societal impacting violence.  Erdos recommends the MMP for only firearm permit holders and Jacobson believes the use of mental health professionals is optimistic.  Erdos has to narrow of a scope to be impactful.  I agree with Jacobson, there is no fair way to profile, examine and restrict a portion of society.  We need to become a more cohesive society with a safety net.  Violence comes from three mindsets:

• I want, you have
• I will be noticed after I do this
• I don't have and SOMEBODY needs to pay for that

I am left with the opinion reactive politicians want to continue to chase and strip protective tools from responsible individuals in a single political term without laying groundwork to build a society that:

• Exhibits value in earning wealth through work and responsible wisdom (e.g. Andrew Carnegie, Bill Gates)
• Lessen the notoriety given to those who infringe on the society or rocket to momentary stardom (e.g. John Wayne Gacy, any Jersey Shore TV personality)
• Provide reasonable mental/physical health care to those in need and encourage society to help grow and care for each other

I am open and interested in having dialogue about 'personal safety and peace of mind'; 'gun control' is a narrowed focus of a concept the majority of people are in agreement on, we want to feel safe.  It is the fear of the unknown, either misuse of a firearm or violence directed at us, is were the divide continues to exist.

Toss the Tapes, I'm Backing Up & Working on Business Continuity

My new concern/consideration for the idea of backups is many of today's applications use live data that does not fit into the static idea of 'copy LOCATION X to TAPE Y'.  With each of these applications kindly (read the sarcasm) providing their own methodology for backing up, certainly outside the standard for your enterprise.

All of these applications have a method for delivering a static copy of the data but you need to evaluate if this is required.  Considerations are (a) memory dumps to store what hasn't been written to disk, (b) transaction logs that allow you to replace transactions from a time period and (c) general ability to sync data to disk, at which point a storage solution snapshot can take over.

As well as utilizing the application, I hit on the key functionality of storage solutions and created a business continuity methodology, reusing older storage devices.  I worked my way from disk to RAM to understand the application and then flipped that to determine the right approach.  The disk has a copy of the data but there were items in memory and it had an option to maintain a transaction log.  A large DB takes a big amount of time to back up so I needed a large window for a full backup.  This also means I can't do a full backup during most of the business week.

Digging in the configuration files and the documentation, I found a few settings that are of value in this situation.  First, I could send a command that forces all the writes in memory to be put into the DB stored on disk.  Second, I found the flag that turns on transaction logging and specifications necessary to construct this.  These were the two points I needed to start developing my plan.

Recovery time... I can replace a full day in about 2 hours, thus I could recover nearly two weeks in one day if I had to.

The plan of attack:

• Do a full back-up via application on Sunday when activity is low
• Each night do a backup of the transaction logs so we can 'replay the day'
• Take both of these and store on a separate NAS

Even better, we found an old NAS serving limited purpose, migrated that destination to high powered storage and reused it, as well as migrated it to a secondary location, giving us some level of business continuity.

Why is eMail Still in House?

With everybody trying to outsource SOMETHING in the Tech Department and reduce costs why not start with the most basic services where functionality has maintained relatively stagnant since the 1990s?  What has changed in your email system since then really, it is essentially the same system with trusted functionality.  So is it those nagging intangibles that keep it in-house?  I see three simplified dismissals:

1. In-house STRONG, out-source FAIL - There is a giant leap of faith that has to be made to say that the evils you don't know are more trustworthy than the evils you do.  Having somebody you can physically loom over when you need email services restored, despite their slow response time, is of more importance then trusting a team who maintains and restores one type of system regularly but is a mythological coven in the distance.
2. Our company secret emails will end up on the web - The concern over an outside company conspiring with your competition to achieve an advantage by knowing your secrets is an unfounded fear, this situations currently lacking significant news events.  If a competitor really wants to get ahold of your competitive information, they will get them from an internal source, I see it time & time again in previous eDiscovery work.  Even then, the information is more likely to be offered up from a disgruntled employee than outside powers seeking them out.
3. Email admin positions are easy to fill  - The CIO has a friend that can use a job, was a Windows admin and certainly can keep an email server running.  The Exec in marketing has a brother-in-law he just finished 8 tech classes at the local community college and needs a job, he can run an email server.

While there are certainly legitimate concerns regarding email, I am becoming more of the opinion there are two primary concerns about outsourcing email preventing progress.  First, people do not know what it costs to run their current email system or are uncomfortable with the idea of billing departments based on specific usage, an entire how-to topic in itself. Second, the fools that we know are more comfortable than the boogie man we don't.

UPDATE : I had a great conversation with a colleague the other day regarding this topic and he has first hand experience with the issue.  As of this update there is NO LEGAL HOLD ABILITY for the major cloud email providers; this includes Microsoft, IBM and Google.  While they have things in the works and half-baked solutions, their cloud email systems do not allow for clients to easily do legal hold of email boxes.  Using standard software in unconventional manners, my friend has figured out how to make this happen at the enterprise level.  I am almost dumbfounded that cloud email providers did not make this a consideration up front.

Happy Birthday to you, I did it!

A Child's First Birthday is About the Parents

Deep down we all know it, a child's first birthday is about the parents not screwing up more than it is about the kid, even more so on that first child.

Most of the time these parties last for three to four hours and there is a pretty good chance that the child will need to nap for a good portion of it, not to mention there is little to no chance anybody will be able to spend what they call "adequate" time with the child. So let's give up this pretense and start enjoying this part for what it is... a celebration of parents managing to not fail, and possibly succeed in the first year. I'll drink to that!


Remember, these first-time parents were the people that, three years ago, you felt you had to check in on while they house sat for you and cared for a $50 bonsai tree that you have had for four years. Now they have somehow managed to keep a helpless human alive despite their tendency to fail to care for most personal belongings.

And why shouldn't we celebrate this unique accomplishment. After all the stress, aggravation of the last year and admitting that what they once knew as their lives, and the what they used to define as fun, is in jeopardy. I say remind them they are doing well. Consider the fact that you have to go through a few days of training to ring groceries and you would never consider hiring a dog walker that was not certified by the neurotic National Expedition of Unified  Referees Organized Toward Independent Canines, but we will let anybody become a parent without training. I want to be clear, I do not advocate mandatory training because that would lead to certification before allowing conception. What I am saying is this is one of the most intense on-the-job training programs with one heck of a risk factor. I'll drink to that!

As a parent it is importance here is that you do not acknowledge that you are amazed that you accomplished it and neither will your party goers, well, the tackful ones anyway. Let's drink to us!

If you are a first time parent and getting ready for this fun insanity while calculating the number of hours you have slept in the past few months; you will likely realize you can do this on just your fingers, the best thing you can do right now is get ready to accept compliments. How would you do this graciously you may ask? Don't diminish the compliment but don't be overly expressive to the point of appearing fake.

Personally, I try to play physical compliments off humorously:


These are actually from my kid's first birthday...

"You look very domesticated." Now I know this was intended as a compliment and had it been directed at a home maker, she may have taken mild offense to it but it was directed at me, a guy, and I was going to slug the man who said it. This was about the most emasculating things somebody could say to me at that point and called attention to the fact I had to take care of the kid & house because my ex chose not to.


I simply responded with, "I am glad you see me as an involved & caring parent, an involved part of my son's life. I believe a father should take an active role in developing their child."

Being the father, I did not have to deal with the weight comments but I am sure my son's mom had a few along the lines of:

"It looks like you have lost almost all of the pregnancy weight." Again, intended as a compliment but to somebody who just saw their body expand to extents they never thought possible and with limited sleep this is not a compliment. I over-heard it and retorted with the following, saving my friend the jail time she would have endured for pulverizing them. "These first few years are so crucial to the baby's development I don't focus on my cardio routine like I used so thank you." It got a laugh and then I pulled my friend into a new conversation elsewhere.

"Thank you so much" is the easiest way to get out of most compliments without issue. Other phrases I use include "We really appreciate you saying so". Everybody has an opinion, they are mostly wrong, they all sound wrong when you have only slept a bit.


To that new set of parents who are wondering if it is inappropriate to order the keg for their kid's first birthday, go for it! This is a celebration of your learning to grow up and blend your old personality into a new one... and finally, I drink to you!

Get out of the way, daddy wants to see the floats!

Are parades really for children?

Years ago I went to the parade for my small suburban town with a group of adults and kids. My son was just about to turn two so I figure he would enjoy the sounds and activity. Firetrucks, cheerleaders, candy and some well decorated floats.

I found myself filled with a sense of pride as the armed forces cars drive past; standing up taller, puffing out my chest.

I found myself evaluating the cheerleading squads and identifying the loose ones, one ones that should not be in skirts and really, how much energy do you have as you cheer for the cross-town game.

Six minutes past the leading police and fire department vehicles my two year old son is already board but was moderately entertained by the family next to us while I felt compelled to stay and keep watching. So I started to question, why do we really go to parades and why are we, as adults, so interested in them? 


Break down the different types of participants that were in there.

Social activity clubs from school (e.g. Football, soccer, rugby, band, cheerleading)

We are watching these in remembrance of our youth and in the hopes of what I child will be. One of the guys we were with leaned over to remind me about his great 'almost pro' freshman football experience, I revisited some amazing moments in gymnastics in grade school. This is the reflections of what we could do and remembering when people would be excited about what we do day to day, now we just work. With that I look down at my son and explain to him the significance of him playing baseball in the future and what it will mean to our time together when he is a boy schout; I am sure he was intently listening as he drooled in his stroller, fast asleep.

The Attention Whores (e.g. Homecoming king & queen, politically elected, candidates and clowns)

No, I don't see much difference in the people in that list, do you? These are the people who won't stand on the side lines and enjoy things, they need to have attention focused on them to enjoy the day. These are the people that will use the phrase "don't rain on my parade" because to them, that is it, MY parade, not OUR parade. They need to be dressed up with music, energy and entertainment because on their own, we wouldn't care. Their saving grace is they are normally tossing candy into the crowd.

The Pride Groups (e.g. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, religious groups, Millitary Forces, Fire and police)

They are the organizations that make us happy to be part of something greater, and if it isn't for us there is normally just a hushed underhanded comment. Otherwise you look at these groups with admiration and remind yourself you should get involved in helping the world more. Last is...

The Chance to Change Your Life (e.g. shriners, red hat society, church groups)

These are the 'now do something ADULT' options and you really should embrace them. These are the people that, at the core of their mission, are trying to better society in their view of beter. Isn't this the core of what we are as parents, people who now have a responsibility to better the world we are handing off? At least take a picture as a note to yourself to look at their website or calendar, that you really want to be a better person and make the place you live a better place.


Parade Announcers Take Note these are the reasons we go to parades, these are our thoughts as the participants pass. Put them in this order and help make your community a better community.


Parents get your kids from the first group as they finish the parade, distract them as you reverse up the parade route and they won't notice the attention whores and finally find a seat to show them the last two sets of participants. Then explain to them why it matters so much that they are involved, why you want to be involved and why we are going to come back next year to see this again.


See you after that last police car passes and we all flood the streets...

Alton Brown is Smarter Than Most CEOs and TV Personalities

My father will tell me over and over, 'If you always do what you always did, you always get what you always got.'

That goes for:

• falling off skateboard ramps
• talking to girls
• spending / saving money
• buying cars
• work & my career in just about every aspect.

Every time you change something, you impact the end result.  In business, we decide we are moving to quickly to look at WHAT we changed that made the difference and more concerned with fixing the fallout or basking in the adulation of the win. 

It is time to explore the use of a scientific tool in the business world with all the data already sitting in a corner waiting to be tapped. We have experiments, we just don't document them and often, people are not honest about the variables, effort and thus results.

So where can we look to for examples and variations?  The news is now digital, there are plenty of business articles & books out there and of course there are blogs, us spewing our minds from the perspective of what we have experienced.  With that in mind, I am going to make an effort to add more retrospective views on situations and the point I think they changed direction, the variable.  This is loose on the scientific part since the variables are plenty in daily life and we are focusing more on the research.

What is the scientific method at its core?

A seven step process to getting where you want to be.

1. Question; build your 'what if'.
2. Research; utilize what others already have learned/experienced.
3. Hypothesize; If we <insert change here> then <result> will happen.
4. Test; In business this is more of an implement/take risk idea.
5. Analyse and Conclude; Determine if your change got the desired result.
6. Proclaim the result; If your hypothesis was true state 'I knew it all along' or, conversely, 'Here is what I learned'. Don't take the easy way out and say I would have been right but something else made it happen different.
7. Report on it; Who cares if you learned something, add to the greater good of the knowledge that exists in this world.

Want a more detailed, simplified, actual version of the Scientific Method, check out ScienceBuddies to occupy a little more space in your brain. I was inspired that this method does apply to the office by a great research project that was done involving personal happiness and giving people envelopes of money covered on Ted.com.

Here is how the steps can apply more to business life and not just the IT guys in the corner, although some of them can use a refresher on the scientific method. (I'm talking to you Mr. 'we are going to have to re-image your laptop' for any damn problem.)

Step 1 Question Development

This is the day to day decision making we do at work. What if...

• we hire a less skilled member and train them instead of paying for a sales-pitched expert?
• send the team home early every so often?
• do just enough testing instead of being thurough?

You have these questions coming at you every part of the day, these are not the problem. It is identifying the one you want to learn & teach from and tracking it, documenting it and growing from it.

Step 2 Research

You have the internet right? So fire up your modem (anybody else hearing 9600 baud sounds in your head) and start typing away. Do the research on your phone while waiting for a train, sitting in the meeting nobody is on time for, whatever. Searching on what you would use as the headline for your report would be a good starting point. "Is it worth developing a skill instead of hiring it in?' might bring a few decent results from your search engine of choice... I tried it, it does... go ahead, verify it, I'll wait.

Satisfied, ok on to...

Step 3 Hypothesize

This is where you take your question, stack your research on top of it and proclaim you are going to use your environment to determine just how genius you are. So from the ones above I would have:

• IF I hire a less expensive, semi-skilled employee and train them then I will have a productive worker that cost less in the first 2 years than hiring that skill set in.
• IF the team leaves early on slow days and let them work remotely then I can increase morale and get more out of them on a regular basis.
• IF we test basic functionality then the additional, rarely used features will go unconfirmed but we would save time.

That seems pretty straight forward so on to the next item.

Step 4 Test

In the business world, this would mostly consist of implementing the change or observing what happens AS the decision has been implemented.  Your organizations is rarely going to let you set up a control group and a hypothesis group of employees to do the same job.  This is where we are going to be questioned by the scientific community on the validity of our results but this is the best measure we have right now or implementing change so we roll with it.

Step 5 Analyse & Conclude

Look back at your belief at the beginning, look at what happened, OK, now look at it again and be honest with yourself.  You are likely clouding your judgement so go ask somebody else to confirm they saw what you saw.  This is the point you have to be honest with yourself and say, 'meh, that didn't work', without giving yourself the option to dismiss it because of another variable.

Step 6 Proclaim Your Result

This may be a personal proclamation as in an email to yourself or a note stating a recognized behavior or a discussion at a team meeting.

Step 7 Report It

Figure out how you are going to do this during these experiments / learning exercises / growth opportunities.  It may be as simple as writing a blog entry or journal page about it or something as formal as a report to a superior or colleagues for their understanding.  This will give you some sense of finality to it and a growth for next time.

Cost to Business of the Scientific Method


To perform true experiments inside of a business structure would be significantly costly and not tolerated by stakeholders, executives and clients; that is what colleges are for. What I am proposing is use a similar approach, acknowledge the multiple variables but don't dismiss every problem as NOT MY FAULT. At the end of every corporate experiment do some documentation so you, and maybe others can learn from it.

Teach, Learn, Build Relationships at Work

Did you know there is somebody in your office that likes to collect gems, play the kazoo and ride a unicycle? There may be.

In the age of a mobile workforce, globally distributed teams and 'stay in your lane' organizations it is all that more important that we develop a persona/image within the organization.  (I HATE that phrase by the way and it deserves it's own conversation.)  Take an interest you have, discuss it amongst the people you talk to every day, it isn't important if you are the best, you are building a learning group here.

Why is this important?

Companies are product factories.  You take the information they have, use your smarts on them, create product, rinse repeat. For human enjoyment  (read: better work environment) we need to interact, build relationships and look forward to conversations beyond 'nice weather', and 'how is your work going?'.  When I am in the office/city with a few people that share my interest, I send them an email, come see them at their location and we talk about our topic and a little work.  This is networking for the sake of sanity.

OK, but what are good ideas?

I am the worst guitar player in our company potentially, but I talk to a group of guitar players weekly about what they are studying.   I know something about investing, but I have learned plenty from people I am talking 401k investing with, and researching topics so I can teach others.  Right now I am communicating around my new found passion for motorcycles and before that it was cycling.  I find people that are into both and want to talk to me about these passions as well.  Spending your day hearing about data can put you in a trance, break that up with a bit of a conversation about an upcoming ride and your day became much more interesting.  These become your driving conversation starter for coffee, lunch or a quick break.

Sample ideas:

investing/401k, fishing, knitting, brewing, cycling, motorcycles, musical instrument, computer building, foreign language.

I have discussed with HR departments about forming groups within the organization and have found most are OK with it as long as you avoid a few things.

• Don't use company funds for anything involved (buying them all lunch)
• Hold meetings / discussions on non-work impacting time (e.g. lunch or after work)
• Keep them aware of any HR relevant concerns that may happen during these events.
• Make it clear to those attending 'This is NOT a company sponsored/involved gathering.'

We want examples.

Figured you would...

1. Guitars - There are about five of us in my company who talk weekly about guitars, current lessons we are working on and equipment.  This is more of a relationship builder and a motivator to keep picking up the guitar that sits in the corner of the room that may otherwise be collecting dust. 
1. What I get from it - Motivation to keep practicing and people to bounce ideas off of in an interest to keep learning.  My life schedule doesn't allow for a weekly lesson schedule with a teacher.
2. What others get from it - Everybody likes to teach and show other how to do things.  Not to mention, it is great to find a group member that understands the passion for just picking up a stick & strings and making something flow from it.
2. 401k & Mutual Fund Investing - We have an email group that talks weekly on topics and meets monthly for lunch to decide topcis for the coming month.  We also offer a competitive environment where we track % change year-to-date to give a motivation to stay aware of your position and see where you relate to others.
1. What I get from it - I learn more about the topics I already know and am motivated to keep on top of my investment portfolio.  I have learned a few new topics as well that I was not aware of.
2. What others get from it - First, same as myself, they get the motivation to continue keeping on top of their 401k investments.  Second, they are learning to get better knowledge about something they have little experience about it. Third, people learn they are not alone in knowing just a little about this thing people say drives your future so much.

So there are some limitations, right?

Don't be afraid to be different, but do avoid trying to form the 'Left Handed, Left Leaning Financial Investors Club' or 'Bondage Fanatics Play Group' at work, they just cause to much exposure and are opposing topics.

Basically anything that is politically dividing or emotionally polarizing should be avoided, you don't need that kind of turbulence in your life or work environment.  While on the topic, don't allow gossip, conspiring or poor performance to be part of these topic groups.  There is no place for 'Did you hear about the blowout Manager X and Director Y had?', that is not part of your topic and not productive to a professional team.

Riding Your Motorcycle Through a Cubicle

You have a job, you do it every week but where are you going, where are you trying to take your bit of the organization? Declare you will get off your ass and make a difference by having destinations in mind. How many different things have we learned in life where they tell us 'look straight ahead', 'look where you want it to go', 'point and shoot'. The most recent one I have found is the logic in my motorcycle class and I have been applying it to many different situations in my life (e.g. ex-, raising a child, hobbies & improvement)

How learning to ride a motorcycle applies to your professional life... (the simple rule of cycling, business and life spelled out.

"Look where you want the motorcycle to go, don't look at the obstacles and look about 4 foot high, not at the ground."

So what does this mean to a man on a motorcycle? Don't look at the car opening his door, you are going to hit it. Don't look at your front tire, look off in the distance four feet up. Keep your head up, you will be amazed at what you catch if you trust your peripheral vision.


That is all well & good, but how do you apply it to business? Which of these sounds familiar:

• My email determines my todo list each morning.
• I figure out what I am going to do this week after our meeting.
• I have a stack of things on my desktop to take care of this week.
• I don't really plan my week, I fight fires.

You are a car pool passenger in a 1998 Ford Explorer! Technically you are getting somewhere but really, this is the least meaningful and least enjoyable way to spend the majority of your waking hours.

Wouldn't you rather feel the wind flow over your knuckles, feel the vibration of your career engine between your legs and know that the only way your course is going to change is your hands and body lean into the turn and change course?

Look where you are going is key; you can move around the everyday and delegate with more confidence if you know where you are headed. I recommend a four key behaviors.

1) WEEKLY - Reserve one of those nifty little conference rooms your company paid so much to have loaded with technology and $600 chairs. When you schedule the meeting call it something entertaining like 'mid-April documentation kick-off', especially if you have to reserve it with somebody else. (*for those that work from home / hotels, wipe erase markers work great on mirrors too)

What to do in there : scribble words, lines and links... then take pictures of it.

1. Write any key projects / efforts you are (want to be) working on.
2. Write 2 words for each responsibility you have.
3. Any dream idea that comes to mind gets a space up there too.

Don't know how to mind map? Check out some great resources including IQMatrix for a primer, Mind Tools, which has an available computer tool to use or iMindMap, sit back and absorb it in the below video and then check out the group that is taking mind mapping to the next level, ink factory.

2) QUARTERLY ISSOLATION - Go into isolation. Hop on Priceline, bid on a room near you at 50% of what it retails for, pack yourself an overnight bag (including 2 notepads, pencils, pens, scotch tape and your toothbrush) and do some great work. Leave these items at home / in the trunk: phones, tablet and laptops. You want to be alone for a block of time where you are forced to think, write, think, summarize, rinse, repeat. The ideal here is to be writing out project plans, meaning of life statements, how you invision the perfect anything... That is where this blog started from, some of the neatest projects on my teams and some of the major changes in my life happened this way.

I actually keep my personal phone with me but only listen to the voice mails left and only respond to texts that say 'I'm starting to worry are you alive?', with a response of, 'Yes, at a industry conference.' Try different areas of the hotel for inspiration, the pool area, lobby, the bathtub in your room, if they have an unoccupied conference room, business center, banquet room... I recommend staying out of the bar. Start Mind Mapping however you want, about anything. I have a few of them going at once. And you did 'disconnect' yourself so leave the damn TV off. As you are writing, create a list of follow up items to research or act on once you are reconnected. Arrange your note pages on walls with the tape you brought for browsing. Break up your time in increments... (e.g. 60 minutes random brain storming, 15 minute organization, 30 minute focused storm, new location, 30 minutes focused storm on another topic, 60 minutes random storming, new location....)

3) VALUE WHITE BOARDS - I love these things, they work like my mind.... idea over hear, great idea there, now something great in blue, another thought in red, erase the just OK options, continue. The key is to not let these become semi-permanent. These are tools to get what is in your (individual or the groups) thoughts out for display. They are to be organized elsewhere so rogue cleaning crew or other great minds don't erase what you have on the board without you having it somewhere. I take pictures using my camera phone and block out 30 minutes after a meeting to put them in electronic format.

4) GO UNDERCOVER BOSS ON THEM - I managed a 3 shift operation and would occasionally work 2nd or 3rd shift to see what they were doing during these shifts, also, what happened during 1st shift they felt they needed to call me about. I learned what I had not prepared my team to do and what training / methods were not being communicated from shift to shift. I have found some dead weight this way, I have also discovered a rock star or two but mostly what I have learned is every team can improve.

"You can teach smart people to do just about anything." I read that quote recently and fully believe it. With all the information work we do, we need to reorganize the shelves in our mind, find the gem we need to put into action and make sure we are feeding our soul with what we are doing. Look forward using these four tools to enhance your perspective and take control of your team, your focus and your happiness.

Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is, Invest Conciously

F' it, be a Conscious Investor

The depth of my investigation into a fund/stock is often limited but I do like to think I invest with some moral guide points.

I invest in U.S. Organizations when the economy is having issues and internationally when we are doing good. First, for the bounce back effect gaining me larger profits and second, we like to help an underdog. This is a reasonable risk, not 40:1 odds.

I tend to pick more small- and mid-cap funds which provide for developing businesses.

I don't limit myself to companies I will or won't invest in but I am a big fan of segment based investing (e.g. Technology, pharmaceutical) which is why I am disappointed to see we are heavily limited this year in our options for industry specific funds in many company 401k offerings.

Fund fees (what the fund manager is taking as payment) are limited as far as a 401k is concerned due to restricted options… but if I am debating two funds, I do take this into consideration.

So, yes, I let my conscience talk to my checkbook during evaluations because I want to know that I am not tied to 'Baby Labor, Inc.' because a big win for me is meaningless without some positive impact on the world. That being said, I will not invest in the 'Sinking Environmentally Friendly Fund'.

Mutual Fund 401k Basics

Front Page Information (the basics)

Mutual funds are investments made up of smaller investments inside based on the focus of the mutual fund. A fund is managed by the a fund manager (Fidelity) and a group of people at the company are responsible for adding and removing stocks to the mutual fund based on the purpose of the fund and stock performance. Then, they take your money in the fund and automatically invest it for you.

Large Cap (4 options) Funds that invest in big corporations, generally they have a value of $8 million or more. Generally these are the big, steady companies which will not have huge growth in performance but are less volatile. They invest in companies like Apple, Exxon, Discover, Google, Red Hat.

Mid Cap (3 options) Funds that invest in companies valued between $1 million and $8 million. They invest in companies like Microsoft, Best Buy, Abercrombie & Fitch, Oracle.

Small Cap (3 options) Generally invest in companies with a value under $1 million. These are going to be more active as far as value because companies will grow quickly or die in most cases. They invest in companies like Regis, Wesco, Spectrum Brand Holdings, Team Health Holdings. Most you will not be familiar with.

International (2 options) Mutual funds that invest in company stocks around the world.

Specialty (1 option) Specific categories to invest in. The only option here is an investment in real estate organization's stock funds.

Blended (many options) This is the auto-pilot option, pick the year you expect to retire and the Fidelity team adjusts the risk of the fund as it approaches your retirement. (e.g. They search for large gains from higher risk options while you are in your 20s & 30s. As you Are in your 50s the fund focuses on steady, small growth.)

Income (1 option) This is a bond investment option of Corporate bonds. More secure in troubled times than stock investments but also limited in gains based on this.

Short-Term Investments (1 option) This is a Money Market account, safe, secure, akin to a savings account.

I used the Fidelity website & Yahoo Business pages as reference for this.

Book Review Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable...About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business by Patrick Lincioni

If you have anything to do with meetings and people, read this book. It really doesn't take that long to read and while I am still out on the entire 'fictional story to explain a business concept', this one has stuck with me since I first read the book a few years ago.

This book breaks it down for WHAT you should be expected to bring to each meeting and what you should expect to get out of each meeting. From an organizational perspective, it also has encouraged me to do two major time changing things in my life, a) I will not hold a meeting without publishing an agenda first and then following it up with a notes/action items email and b) I will gladly refuse to attend a meeting without a published agenda. I now recoup about 4-5 hours a week regularly because of this and am starting a behavior pattern that will hopefully improve the organization.

Book Review: The Hamster Revolution

The Hamster revolution by Song, Halsey & Burress

I want to say something good about this book, about how I have taken some of the core concepts to heart or maybe that it inspired me to start writing better emails but I can't. Heck, I would even like to tell you this book (being the 3rd of this kind I have read) was not the one that convinced me I do not need to read any more of these professional improvement books that boarder on manipulating story rather than conversation about the topic.

Here are the details in a nut-shell:

• Lead by example, write better emails and people will follow
• Kindly correct your colleague's emails, make subjects clearer and summarize their points
• Drop the crap, no more 'It would be our department's utmost pleasure to assist you' and other political crap. You know it is crap when you get it, others know the same. Help me be productive or you are really just a barrier towards my goals for the day.
• Provide & encourage private feedback on emails and pre-reading of drafts by an extra set of eyes.

This isn't world changing news, get the rose sunglasses off, realize the people you interact with would rather have things happen properly and efficiently than get their egos stroked. If there is a meeting at 2 PM tomorrow to discuss process improvement in our department that is all you need to say. I do not need to hear the inspirational essay that you want to base the new direction on or the epiphany you had that revealed all things wrong while vacationing with your family in some lake resort town 4 hours away. I need:

2 PM tomorrow we have a brainstorming meeting where we will identify:

1. Hindering processes that prevent us from being the best
   
2. New opportunities to serve our customers
3. Time frames for removal, change or implementation of these new processes.
4. Individual responsibility for driving each of these within the group.

Now onto the story format for professional books.

I can easily appreciate that you need to stand out in the market and being just another boring dead tree with page after page of a)fact b) discussion of fact is not going to get you written up as a breath of fresh air but these are getting goofy. I was with them on the concept of the newly hired executive because I always wondered what went on in those conversations at the top levels of management. I dug the idea of the film student, inspired by his craft, to reshape meetings. (If you do not know what books I am talking about, I will get the reviews out if they are not hear already.) But a stinkin' hamster walks into office? The is more an opening to a sad, politically correct joke to replace the 'A walks into a bar' of my father's generation than a motivational texts opening. Completely ridiculous and screams 'buy me and take me home, I am more than a book to scan at your local Borders while sipping your latte.' I almost want to do the library I borrowed this from a favor and use it to start my next bonfire with it. Three author's and this is the best opening they came up with? I hope your other works are better.

Comments on the current state of India in Time June, 2006

This is an old magazine that I finally pulled out of the drawers and read through. The information is now a year old so there were only a few things I wanted to take out of it.

Initiative represents Bombay's- and India's- advantage over its competitors "it's people who make countries, not governments".

The above quote sticks with me because it may very well be what gives any one group an advantage over another. If we think back on the history of America we had one advantage over the rest of the world, we took initiative and did things. This can be said too for just about anything from a high-school that invests heavily in its football team to an individual that suddenly finds themselves ahead of everybody they once associated with... the only difference is somebody took initiative and did it first.

So now the question becomes, can they keep it and how do we make sure we are able to ride their wave of initiative? Change, change what you do, change professions, find an open market and feed it. This is so important because taking a chance is what America has been known for (Think Wild West) and good or bad, we need to drive change, not just ride it. Act as an individual if you must but drive the society and have others help you move change through new initiatives.

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Globombed (by Wipra): Outsourcing of a job. I used to work for a NOC in California but it was globombed and I relocated my family here to Texas and I now work in a Data Center.

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We realized no one was going to descend from the heavens to solve our problems, and we were going to have to do it ourselves.

Anything I could say about this comment is already said in the first section.

Book Review: Leadership and Self-Deception

Leadership and Self-Deception by the Arbinger Institute

This is the best opener to a way of changing how you think about professional conflict and common goals. The only problem this book has in my opinion is the closing conversation talks about additional learning the lead subject must undergo. As the reader, I was rather disapointed these additional lessons are not in print anywhere.

I always struggle between the cut-throat 1980's image of American business and the Eastern philosophies that interest me so much. I look at some of the things we do on a regular basis and have to ask 'why?' Things this book is not saying:
Business needs more heart
Ill gotten gains will rot your soul
Getting ahead is not about leaving people behind

360 Degree Leadership

1. Lead yourself exceptionally well (emotionally, time, priorities, energy, thinking, few words, personal life)
2. Lighten the bosses load, do your job well
Tell others (upward) what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.
Go the extra mile
3. Do what others won't
4. Do not manage, Lead
Facilitate change
5. Relationship/Chemistry
Know their priorities
Prep for meetings 10x
Clarify purpose to speed progress

1. Do the tought jobs
2. Pay your dues
3. Work in obscurity
4. Succeed with difficult people
5. Put your self on the line, not them or the company.
6. Make no excusses.
7. Do more than expected
8. Help others
9. Never say that is 'not my job'
10 Take responsibility.

U.S. Companies that fully Embrace ITIL

• Procter & Gamble
• Shell Oil
• Visa

ITIL V3 Books coming soon...

Vol I Introduction to ITIL
Vol II Service Support
Vol III Planning to implement Service Management
Vol V ICT Infrastructure Management
Vol VI Application Management
Vol VII Security Management
VolVIII Software Asset Management
Vol IX Business Perspective
Vol X ITIL Small-Scale Implementation

Money Magazine Corporate Ladder Quiz

1. You've just taken a new job in an unfamiliar organization and are anxious to make a good impression and rise quickly. The best way to do this is to:

Results: The best answer is b, because people who solve problems get noticed for all the right reasons. Ignoring the political climate altogether as in c, is unwise, because you'll never be able to anticipate an enemy you don't see. Meanwhile, a is even riskier. Become too embroiled in office intrigue and you tend to overlook a crucial fact: The people who have clout now may not have it later, or vice versa. Why choose sides now?

2. You've come up with a great idea for cutting costs, boosting efficiency, or improving customer satisfaction, but you've described it to your boss, and she just doesn't seem interested in pursuing it. You:

Results: The best answer is c -- not only is it the most likely to persuade your immediate boss, but even if she tries the idea and it flops, the approach makes her an ally you could keep for life. Don't go with b; it's just an excellent way to shoot yourself in the foot. And a shouldn't even cross your mind: Power is never achieved without a quality Reardon calls "relentlessness" -- an unwillingness ever to take "no" for a final answer.

3. A manager one level above you does you a very big favor--for example, saves you from a layoff or puts in a good word for you that helps you get your dream job. Your response is to:

Results: If you chose b, you're well on your way to understanding the secret handshake: People in power rarely get there, or stay there, by losing sight of who helped them along the way. That's why a is just not sufficient. As for c, it's downright dangerous: Never let anyone pressure you into returning a favor, even a very big favor, if it involves an ethical or moral lapse or could otherwise damage your career or reputation.

4. In a meeting with several of your peers and a few people more influential than you are, someone makes a pointed remark that might--or might not--be construed as a significant criticism of your work. You:

Results: By far the most effective way to handle this is b, but make sure to keep the conversation brief, brisk, and businesslike, and listen carefully without getting whiny or defensive. The only way c will help is if your peers know more than you do about what's going on and whose stock is up or down -- and if they do, that's a bad sign right there. And, to be frank, a is for losers.

5. You're a middle manager now, but you hope someday to be CEO. Your natural inclination is to base your decisions on the consensus of the group. In order to prepare yourself to move up, you:

Results: The best answer here is a, followed by b. In her book, Reardon identifies and describes in detail four distinct leadership styles, with most managers having some characteristics of each. In some companies, she writes, "the most effective leader is one who doesn't appear to be leading at all." Figure out what is the most widely respected style in your particular organization -- and, if the people at the top approach leadership in a radically different way than you do, consider moving to another company. Square pegs do occasionally fit into round holes, but the higher you go, the less likely that becomes.

Top 10 "Boss Gifts"

* Let friendship develop, don't force it

* allow employees to demonstrate reliability without oversight

* address conflict

* remain modest

* be decisive

* reflect before making decisions

* delegate

* maintain steady energy level

* be open to influence

* be professional

Then emphasize how many of the traits on the surveyed employees' "wish" list that your boss does possess:

* Trust in one's employees

* Honesty/authenticity

* Great team-building skills

* Effective coaching skills

* The ability to say "no"

* A broader perspective

* Patience

* Decision-making skills

Career Advancement Without Experience

Published:	August 9, 2006
Author:	Julia Hanna

http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5471.html

Stretch work strategies

The researchers identified four successful tactics for obtaining stretch work that were common to both groups:

• Differentiate competence. Anyone hoping to advance must distinguish his or her performance on the job. This is particularly true, however, for contract workers—because they are paid for each short-term job, their employers are likely to subject their work to close, frequent evaluation.
• Acquire referrals. Because high-tech contractors tend to work with a number of clients, brokers, and fellow contractors, they enjoy a broader social network from which to draw referrals than most permanent employees. In the film industry—where most hiring is done based on a production manager's previous experience with an individual—referrals are a vital aspect of getting any job, particularly if it stretches a worker in a new direction.
• Framing and bluffing. "This is one of the most creative attributes for obtaining stretch work," O'Mahony notes. "People who are good at presenting their prior experience in a way that allows for an easy translation to the desired job can narrow the gap between their past experience and future capabilities." Adopting a hybrid job title to identify oneself—"director-screenwriter," for example—can also help establish authority in more than one area.
• Discounting. Accepting pay below the market rate is a temporary disadvantage some contract workers are willing to accept, if it means gaining the experience and exposure that will lead to a new position. One technical writer put it this way: "I turned down solid offers from three companies, all paying over $100K a year…I would take a job at $55K if they're using a totally new technology so I learn something…It's like playing pool…You hit the green ball with the white ball, and the point is to place the white ball to get the next shot. So I take that job in order to learn skills for my next project."