BLOG ARCHIVES 2014

FOUR QUESTIONS I ASK MYSELF ABOUT 2015

websitebuilder • Dec 11, 2015

Very soon, 2015 will be history. Now is a good time to assess how you did. If we never pause to assess our performance, we might forfeit valuable lessons. With that in mind, here are four questions I challenge you—as I challenge myself—to ask concerning 2015:

How did you do in your business performance? Reflecting upon all the professional roles you have held, how did you perform? Did you do your job with energy, accuracy, enthusiasm, and insight? By reflecting upon your business performance, you can bask in some well-deserved affirmation of the highlights. You can also reengineer your business approach where some fine tuning might be needed.

How did you do in your ethics performance? Did you stand tall and true to your ethics regardless of the cost? By reflecting upon those times when your ethical commitment was put to the test and it stood strong, you can rejoice in your victories. You can also rethink your approach to ethics if you found yourself coming up short for any reason.

How did you do in your leadership performance? Did you exercise strategic and sound leadership in every situation that demanded it? By reflecting upon your various leadership situations, you can affirm your leadership where it was tested and found to be solid. You can also identify those situations that may have revealed some leadership deficits and begin seeking ways to improve and refine.

How did you do in your personal performance? Did you exhibit maturity, passion, strength, and wisdom as you managed your attitude, money, opportunities, relationships, loved ones, spiritual or religious convictions, physical fitness, emotional and mental fitness, and overall wellness? By reflecting upon your personal performance in these areas, you can take comfort and joy where you know you brought your best self to the table. You can also take a hard look at any of those areas in which you know deep in your heart that improvement is needed.

These four questions are revealing. If you enjoy your answers, I am happy for you! On the other hand, if you are unhappy with the answers to any of these questions, then some thoughtful, soul-searching realignment is needed.

Now for the especially exciting news: you have the power to make the needed changes. Remember—our failures are only meaningless if we do not learn from them. Let us learn from them so we can make 2016 the best year ever!

PREPARING FOR SUCCESS IN 2015

websitebuilder • Jan 05, 2015

The brand new year of 2015 is upon us. How successful you or I will be in it is largely up to us. Much of that is further determined by how open we are to moving in new directions. Moving in new directions means a lot of different things depending on our life circumstances. Here are some suggestions to prepare for success:

Be Positive Regardless Of Your Problems.  Yes, I know you do not have to look far to find difficulties, roadblocks, and bad news. Nevertheless, carrying a negative attitude into those challenges never did any good, did it? On the other hand, by attacking every challenge with a positive attitude, you consciously and subconsciously unleash more resources. Those additional resources often make a significant difference in the outcome.

If You Are A Business Owner. You might come to realize 2015 demands some new strategies and policies. Will you implement them, and if so, how will you implement them? Thinking those steps through ahead of time can make all the difference in the world. Change is not always easy, but by planning for it and embracing it with a positive attitude you can make it more enjoyable and exciting.

If You Are An Employee.  Think about how you can add more value to your organization. Might you have some new approaches that will benefit your colleagues and customers? Do you have ideas or insights whose time has come? Look for new ways to enhance collaboration and success for your team.

If You Are Unemployed.  How might this be an opportunity to reinvent you? Could this be the time you search in some totally different directions for that dream job? Although searching for a new job is a fulltime job, remember to give yourself some downtime. Perhaps now is the perfect time to dive into some of those pie-in-the-sky projects you just never had time for in the past. How might you reorganize your life for better balance going forward?

Never Discount Your Experience.  You are usually your worst critic. Take a fresh look at all your experience with an eye to capitalizing upon the hidden gold. Surely there are some lessons you have learned from which you can benefit. By taking stock of those lessons now, you can build toward more solid successes in 2015. You can bring a vibrant freshness to your future.

Face Your Failures.  Sometimes it is easier to hide from your failures. Nevertheless, denial does not mean deletion. Worse yet, denial does you a disservice. Only by fully facing the things you messed up can you learn from them. You should be smarter entering 2015 than you were entering 2014.

Be Humble. I never met a person who thought he or she knew it all that learned something new. I enjoy learning new things . . . every single day. However, I cannot do that if I already know it all.

Remember Your Resources.  You have friends, mentors, and loved ones around you who genuinely care about you. You have a philosophy of life, and religious and spiritual convictions that sustain you. You have hidden opportunities just waiting to be discovered. You have time-tested strengths and abilities. Reach out to all those terrific resources because they are there to help you.

This year could become the most successful year of your life. Make it so!

FOUR QUESTIONS I ASK MYSELF ABOUT 2014

websitebuilder • Dec 12, 2014

Very soon, 2014 will be history. Now is a good time to assess how you did. If we never pause to assess our performance, we might forfeit valuable lessons. With that in mind, here are four questions I challenge you—as I challenge myself—to ask concerning 2014:

1—How did you do in your business performance?  Reflecting upon all the professional roles you have held, how did you perform? Did you do your job with energy, accuracy, enthusiasm, and insight? By reflecting upon your business performance, you can bask in some well-deserved affirmation of the highlights. You can also reengineer your business approach where some fine tuning might be needed.

2—How did you do in your ethics performance?  Did you stand tall and true to your ethics regardless of the cost? By reflecting upon those times when your ethical commitment was put to the test and it stood strong, you can rejoice in your victories. You can also rethink your approach to ethics if you found yourself coming up short for any reason.

3—How did you do in your leadership performance?  Did you exercise strategic and sound leadership in every situation that demanded it? By reflecting upon your various leadership situations, you can affirm your leadership where it was tested and found to be solid. You can also identify those situations that may have revealed some leadership deficits and begin seeking ways to improve and refine.

4—How did you do in your personal performance?  Did you exhibit maturity, passion, strength, and wisdom as you managed your attitude, money, opportunities, relationships, loved ones, spiritual or religious convictions, physical fitness, emotional and mental fitness, and overall wellness? By reflecting upon your personal performance in these areas, you can take comfort and joy where you know you brought your best self to the table. You can also take a hard look at any of those areas in which you know deep in your heart that improvement is needed.

These four questions are revealing. If you enjoy your answers, I am happy for you! On the other hand, if you are unhappy with the answers to any of these questions, then some thoughtful, soul-searching realignment is needed.

Now for the especially exciting news: you have the power to make the needed changes. Remember—our failures are only meaningless if we do not learn from them. Let us learn from them so we can make 2015 the best year ever!

DON’T KNOW THEM

websitebuilder • Dec 11, 2014

Social media continues to be an important part of most people’s lives and relationships. Harlan Lebo shares some of the latest research on this trend (Digitalcenter.org. The 2013 Digital Future Report: Surveying The Digital Future, Year Eleven , p. 106):

“ As online social networking continues to increase, a large percentage of Internet users said that going online is important to maintaining their social relationships. . . . —now 56 percent of users.”

Social media can be an enhancement to our in-person relationships, but it can also simply help us to connect quicker with people we do not know in person or may never meet in person. The realm of relationship possibilities enlarges significantly.

Social media occasionally puts us into new, unusual, or awkward positions. How we relate to people online can often be very different from how we relate in person. It is a lot to ponder. On that note, I think one of the funnier sayings I have heard was this one:

“ Twitter makes you like people you don’t know, and Facebook makes you dislike people you do. ”

A TIME FOR CRAZY GOALS

websitebuilder • Dec 10, 2014

Two Toronto engineers, Todd Reichert and Cameron Robertson, were on a quest to build the world’s first human-powered helicopter—and they succeeded! Experts had repeatedly concluded that a human-powered helicopter was an impossibility. Reichert and Robertson somehow missed that “fact.” Sometimes it is not knowing specific information that can indirectly fuel your success as David Noonan describes (“Impossible Flight” Scientific American , November 2014, pp. 78–83):

“ The two Canadian engineers are not helicopter designers, which is why they were ignorant of the scientific papers dooming them to futility. ” (p. 80)

Sometimes this kind of counterintuitive execution is exactly what is needed to break barriers and achieve new milestones. While I am never one to endorse foolishness or a general disregard for common sense, on the other hand, how will we ever discover anything revolutionary if we assume all our current “facts” or “presuppositions” are perfectly correct?

Similarly, how will we ever know whether a goal is genuinely realistic without putting it to the test or even getting a bit crazy about it? Just because something is perceived to be impossible does not automatically mean that it is impossible. Were that the case, then we would not have certain things in existence today such as tubeless tires, computers, robots, electron microscopes, stealth bombers, kidney transplants, and motion detectors to name a few. Moments of greatest accomplishment were often preceded by unusually overwhelming challenges:

“ When Reichert talks about the reasons for his and Robertson’s success, he goes beyond technology. He talks about their commitment to doing the impossible or at least trying to. ‘You have to set crazy goals,’ he says, ‘because that’s what motivates people.’ ” (p. 83)

Hey, if you aim for Pluto but only land on Mars, that is probably still a lot further than you would have traveled otherwise.

DUMB ENOUGH TO BE SMART

websitebuilder • Dec 09, 2014

Very few people would say that it is smart to be dumb. Intelligence is a highly valued commodity. Who among us has not gone through one day being grateful we had some smarts while more often wishing that we had more smarts?

On the other hand, sometimes it is a knowledge lack that indirectly leads you to success in your quest for knowledge. Sometimes being dumb results in being smart. Such was the case for two Toronto engineers, Todd Reichert and Cameron Robertson. They were on a quest to build the world’s first human-powered helicopter—and they succeeded!

Experts had repeatedly concluded that a human-powered helicopter was an impossibility. Reichert and Robertson somehow missed that “fact.” Sometimes it is not knowing specific information that can indirectly fuel your success as David Noonan describes (“Impossible Flight” Scientific American , November 2014, pp. 78–83):

“ The two Canadian engineers are not helicopter designers, which is why they were ignorant of the scientific papers dooming them to futility. ” (p. 80)

The team’s success also illustrates the power of a small team resolving a problem versus the big-company bureaucracy-laden behemoths resolving a problem. Big companies can do a lot of things, but their sheer size is not a guarantee of success and it certainly was not so in this case:

“ [Reichert’s and Robertson’s success], after so many before them had failed, demonstrates that in an era dominated by large teams of engineers working for huge companies such as Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, a small, nimble group can solve the hardest problems. ”

We need to appreciate big companies’ prowess, as long as we do not accidentally equate bigness with omnipotence and omniscience. However, we need equally to appreciate the small teams, the small companies, and even the team of one. No one has a corner on the knowledge market. Knowledge is available to be pursued every day. The more important question is are you dumb enough to be smart?

CHRONOLOGICAL AGE DOES NOT A PHYSIQUE MAKE

websitebuilder • Dec 08, 2014

One of the healthcare and wellness dynamics experts are increasingly studying involves chronological age versus physiological age. Just because you are 40 years old does not mean that you are 40 years old. Some 40-year-olds have the physiology of a 30-year-old, and some 40-year-olds have the physiology of a 50-year-old. It all depends on your genes and what you chose to do (or not do) with what you were given. Whether humorous or tragic, the saying belies the truth:

“ If I had known that I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself. ”

Physiological age makes a big difference in every facet of our lives. For just one example, consider the challenges of cancer. Claudia Wallis summarizes three leading reasons that cancer risk increases as we age (“Never Too Old for Chemo” Scientific American , December 2014, p. 34):

“ First, we experience more cumulative exposure to the things that mess with DNA, . . . Second, older cells are more vulnerable to this damage—or less able to repair themselves. . . . Third, the various housekeeping systems—such as the immune defenses—that keep our tissues healthy begin to break down with age. ”

Precisely because this is true, how a person chooses to handle personal health and wellness is a powerful factor in physiological age. Nutrition, lifestyle, exercise, attitude, sleep habits, and spiritual convictions all play into whether our physiological age matches our chronological age, advances ahead of it, or recedes behind it. Sticking with the example of cancer, Wallis reports that oncologist Lodovico Balducce and geriatrition Holly Holmes:

“ generally agree that chronological age alone is a poor indicator of how someone will respond to cancer treatment. What is more revealing . . . is the patient’s physiological age. ”

In other words, whether we are talking chemotherapy or any other stressor, the higher your physiological age, the less ability your body will have to withstand them, and the lower your physiological age, the more ability your body will have to withstand them. We could endlessly describe many additional examples in which the person’s physiological age becomes the determining factor in a stressor situation.

Remember, your personal life and your professional life will never take you further than your wellness can carry you. I don’t know about you, but I want to go as far as I can in my personal life and my professional life. That is why I make wellness a priority. I hope you do too.

FUN WITH FRUITCAKES

websitebuilder • Dec 05, 2014

Who among us hasn’t enjoyed a good laugh revolving around the notorious fruitcake? It seems fruitcakes are a love-hate relationship; you either love fruitcake or you hate it, and I think most of us hate it. A Harris Interactive survey revealed that 80% of Americans consider fruitcake their least favorite holiday gift (“Traditions: Haters Gonna Hate” Bloomberg Businessweek , 11/24/14–11/30/14, p. 26). A prior EBay survey found that 31% of fruitcakes are regifted. Now there’s a vicious cycle!

On the other hand, NASA spent years evaluating fruitcake as a standard ration for astronauts. Apollo 17 was stocked with the fruity snack. But hey, if all this gives us a good laugh during this holiday season, then so much the better. We can all use a good laugh occasionally. I shoot for at least several a day myself. Many have observed the positive effects laughter can have on your overall health and wellness, including the author of an ancient proverb ( The Message , Proverbs 17:22):

“ A cheerful disposition is good for your health. ”

On that note, I especially appreciate how Father Cyprian (one of the monks at the Assumption Abbey in Ava, Missouri) pokes fun at the abbey’s fruity creations (Donald Bradley, “Where Fruitcake Is Everlasting” The Kansas City Star , December 11, 2013, pp. A1, A8):

“ Every day this crew makes 125 fruitcakes. The sale of more than 30,000 cakes annually provides the abbey its revenue stream. . . . For years before starting fruitcakes in 1990, the monks made concrete blocks. ‘We had to change the recipe slightly,’ Cyprian joked. ‘And fruitcakes are easier to stack.’ ” (p. A8)

Well, I hope you don’t think too long about that one upon your next bite of fruitcake. Then again, maybe you should if it means it will give you a good belly laugh!

THAT’S A GOOD QUESTION

websitebuilder • Dec 04, 2014

Jeff Clarke is the CEO of Eastman Kodak Company. Reflecting upon his life lessons, he shares an important one related to leadership (“How Did I Get Here?” Bloomberg Businessweek , 12/1/14–12/7/14, p. 72):

“ Keep your ratio of questions to statements 10 to 1. ”

If you are honest, you realize that you enjoy the sound of your own voice more than someone else’s voice. Therefore, Clarke’s life lesson might be difficult to implement. (It is for me!) In spite of that difficulty, force yourself to implement it. This practice will improve your leadership for several reasons:

As a leader, you must keep your finger on the pulse. Listening to others answer your questions does that.

As a leader, it is easy to inflate yourself, thereby losing your effectiveness. Listening to others answer your questions reminds you that you do not have all the answers.

As a leader, you will build relationships faster and more effectively when you allow other people to feel that they have been heard. No one feels heard without being invited to speak.

As a leader, you don’t learn much when you are talking. You learn the most when you are listening.

As a leader, by virtue of asking questions, the implication is that you expect your team to answer with integrity and courage, regardless of what they think you want to hear.

All this reminds me of a leadership lesson I learned many years ago: The smartest person in the room is not the person who has all the answers. It is the person who knows what questions to ask.

As a leader, you will do a lot of talking. Just be sure that you are asking some good questions too.

JOB SECURITY SENTIMENTS IN 2014

websitebuilder • Dec 03, 2014

Money magazine did a reader survey exploring the question of how readers are feeling about their job security over the previous 12 months. The good news is that the sense of job security is better now than in the previous year. Here are the results (“How Has 2014 Stacked Up?” December 2014, p. 28):

24%—Feel more secure in my job.

63%—Feel the same or uncertain.

13%—Feel less secure in my job.

The year was jittery for that 13% who feel less secure in their jobs. No one enjoys being in that position.

On the good news side, seeing an increase to 24% for those who feel more secure is an improvement that we will be happy to receive. Overall, I think this emanates from the fact that the economy is continuing to move in a positive direction. The recession is officially over.

Hopefully, in another year, these numbers will be even better.

HERE IS HOW PEOPLE ASSESS 2014

websitebuilder • Dec 02, 2014

Money magazine did a reader survey exploring the question of how readers are feeling about the last 12 months. One question was simply are you better off now than you were a year ago? Here are the results (“How Has 2014 Stacked Up?” December 2014, p. 28):

24%—Doing worse.

22%—No change.

33%—Doing a little better.

21%—Doing a lot better.

The year was a painful one for the 24% who claim that they are doing worse. No one likes to see that happen.

On the good news side, over half (54%) affirm that they are doing a little to a lot better, with only 22% saying no change. Overall, I think this emanates from the fact that the economy is continuing to move in a positive direction. The recession has been officially over.

Hopefully, in another year, these numbers will be even better.

WHY I AM NOT GIVING UP ON HIGHER EDUCATION

websitebuilder • Dec 01, 2014

The degree debates continue as they always have. Without a doubt, higher education institutions, specific industry segments, and talent management professionals must thoroughly assess how best to equip students and workers to ensure that the job candidate pipeline is vibrant. Sometimes academic degrees are a part of that process and sometimes they are not. Other avenues of job-specific training are also a factor both before and after the candidate is hired.

Simultaneously, businesses are less willing to train on the job than they used to be and they expect more job candidates to show up ready to roll from day one. Unfortunately, this attitude is shortsighted as Peter Coy reports (“Job Training that Works” Bloomberg Businessweek , 11/24/14–11/30/14, pp. 6–7):

“ The gulf between what companies need and what workers have to offer remains huge. In most fields, companies have steadily reduced the amount of on-the-job training they provide, says Chauncy Lennon, who leads a $250 million New Skills at Work project for the charitable arm of JPMorgan Chase. . . . In 2011, an Accenture survey of U.S. employees found that only 21 percent had received employer-provided formal training in the previous five years. ‘A lot of small businesses have this fear that “If I train my people, I’ll lose them to ExxonMobil.” Our research shows the opposite. If you don’t train people, you’re definitely going to lose them,’ says Emad Rizkalla, founder and CEO of Bluedrop Performance Learning, an online education company. ” (p. 7)

Immediate continuous efforts to fix this disconnect are needed, especially given that September’s job numbers showed about 5 million open jobs while 9 million people were searching for jobs. When all the pegs are square and all the holes are round, then a realignment of resources is required. In this case, what is needed is a realignment of talent and jobs. Granted, many different approaches exist on exactly how we perform that realignment, but I remain convinced that throwing academic degrees out the window is not one of them.

I certainly concede that an academic degree’s value can vary depending on economic conditions. For example, Robert Reich cites numerous reasons why a college degree may not pack the punch it once did (“Is a Diploma Really Worth the Cost? You Need College, But It Gets You Nowhere” The Kansas City Star , November 27, 2014, p. C7):

“ Millions of people in developing nations are now far better educated, and the Internet has given them an easy way to sell their skills in advanced economies such as the United States. . . . The demand for well-educated workers in the United States seems to have peaked around 2000 and fallen since. . . . The starting wages of college graduates have actually dropped since 2000. . . . Although a college education is now a prerequisite for joining the middle class, the middle class is in lousy shape. ”

For all the good or bad that we hear on the value of higher education, we must be careful not to be blinded to some fundamental undeniable truths:

College and graduate degrees will always be substantial formal credentials by which untold numbers of decision makers will evaluate you.

The academic degree assures you and society that you have acquired a specific body of knowledge and expertise.

The content, wisdom, and insight you acquired via a degree program will stick with you for the rest of your life, continuously adding value to every aspect of your professional and personal life.

The more competitive the economy becomes, the more competitive you become by virtue of having a degree.

Once you have earned an academic degree, no one and no circumstance can ever take that accomplishment away from you.

The above arguments are important because increasingly we are hearing despairing, doom-and-gloom, capitulating voices decrying the sheepskin’s value. These voices affirm that the logical, practical, and economic justifications for earning a degree no longer exist. Nothing could be further from the truth. Even Reich, after his lengthy delineation of reasons that degrees may be less valuable than they used to be, affirms that the person with a degree will still have an edge:

“ Given all this, a college degree is worth the cost because it at least enables a young person to tread water. Without the degree, young people can easily drown. . . . A college education can give young people tools for leading full and purposeful lives, and having meaningful careers. ”

Additionally, I have always been impressed by the unemployment statistics. Anyone can argue the relative merits of pursuing higher education or choosing not to pursue it. Pros and cons certainly exist. Nevertheless, for the person who desires to improve his or her odds significantly of being gainfully employed, higher education is an extremely serious factor.

The seasonally adjusted October 2014 unemployment rate for persons not having a high school diploma is 7.9% ( Bureau of Labor Statistics ). Having a high school diploma drops that rate to 5.7% and some college or a two-year degree drops it further to 4.8%. Pretty good trending, would you not agree? Finally, if we look at people having a four-year degree, a graduate degree, or a doctoral degree, the unemployment rate is a low 3.1%. Not bad, given our rough economy.

Higher education’s value is especially clear when you consider the range of these numbers over the level of higher education. Look at the two ends of the spectrum: less-than-high school (7.9%) versus a four-year degree or higher (3.1%). Consistently, regardless of the measured time, the unemployment rate for a less-than-high-school-educated worker is two to four times larger than for the college-degreed worker. This is why, when people seek my counsel about career planning, higher education is always one of my main emphases. Education pays. Degrees still rock.

Regardless of how good or bad the economy is, regardless of how many individual academic and career disasters can be cited, and regardless of how loudly the antidegree segment howls, you are still in a better position having a degree than not having a degree.

Why not make higher education a priority in your life and in the lives of those you influence? That priority will positively affect your life, your career, and our society.

TAKE IT FROM A SAP

websitebuilder • Nov 26, 2014

A CEO sometimes must lead momentous change for the good of the company. SAP’s CEO, Bill McDermott, is on such a mission. When asked about the next steps in his plan to execute the needed change, McDermott’s response was rich and instructive (Geoff Colvin “A CEO’s Plan to Defy Disruption” Fortune , November 17, 2014, p. 36):

“ Many large global companies today have too many management layers between the top executive and the ultimate customer. So we had to de-layer the company. . . . What we used to innovate in 18 months is now coming out in monthly or even weekly cycles. . . . Empower people. Once you come out with the plan, I have no interest in having management teams inspect people’s progress. I don’t want managers that report the news. I want managers who are out there on the frontlines making the news. ”

McDermott articulates three crucial components:

Flatten The Management Structure. Repeatedly we see that anytime you can connect top executive leadership with frontline workers, fantastic communication can occur. The value of that communication more effectively informs the company leadership thereby keeping strategy on track.

Innovate Faster.  The constant argument of quantity versus quality will continue. Nevertheless, the fact remains that speed-to-market will make you a hero or a zero. Companies must continuously look for ways to speed up the innovation cycle.

Empower People. Who does not want to be empowered? When companies implement policies and issue directives that clearly communicate that employees are empowered to take action, then great things will happen. Companies that do not empower their people that are going to die. Companies that empower their people are going to live strong.

These are powerful lessons we can take from a SAP.

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IS SUPREME

websitebuilder • Nov 25, 2014

A CEO can occupy his or her time with all sorts of priorities and activities. Hopefully, all of them are important. However, certain items intrinsically command attention, and the customer experience is one of them.

SAP’s CEO, Bill McDermott, was asked about how he as a nontech kind of guy is successful at running a high-tech company. His response is a marvelous reminder to every businessperson (Geoff Colvin “A CEO’s Plan to Defy Disruption” Fortune , November 17, 2014, p. 36):

“ I see everything through the eyes of the customer, and fortunately, I’ve encouraged 67,000 of my colleagues and 2.1 million people in our ecosystem to do the same. In the end the customer must win, and I think the idea of having this empathy for the total customer experience is what counts. ”

McDermott has hit the nail on the head. The more that a company can discipline itself to see everything from the customer’s perspective, the more successful that company will be. The proof is evident in what we all experience every day. You know when a company has anticipated what you will experience, and you know when a company has failed in that regard.

The customer experience is supreme. As a customer myself, I cannot deny that truth.

UNDERCOVER BOSS—SEVEN REFLECTIONS

James Meadows • Nov 24, 2014

Initially, some people were a bit skeptical about the idea behind Undercover Boss , the television program that debuted several years ago in which the CEO goes undercover in his or her organization. The purpose is for the CEO to gain the inside scoop on exactly how well the company is performing. Employees interacting with the undercover CEO are given the fabricated story that the guest worker is being filmed as part of a reality-television program related to career changes. Think, “mystery shopper meets reality television on steroids.”

Me? I was never skeptical. What better way for the top dog to find out the good, the bad, and the ugly about his or her company? Having watched the entire series, both the original domestic-based one as well as the international spinoff version, I have been deeply impressed in so many ways. Here are seven reflections:

1—Extreme Value.  I think the entire undercover CEO approach is extremely valuable. Repeatedly, the CEOs in these programs reported the experience was, “absolutely amazing.” Often they affirmed, “I will never be the same person,” and “it changed my life forever.” Regardless of the business or the industry, the CEO walked away deeply changed in a positive manner.

2—Business Improvements.  When you run the business at the executive level, you periodically need to get down to the bench level to achieve new insights. Employees will say things to a colleague they won’t necessarily say to the boss. By getting down to the bench level and interacting on a daily basis with average employees, the CEO obtained powerful insights into enhancing efficiency and effectiveness. These improvement opportunities included areas such as training, customer service, operations, processes, sales and marketing, public relations, employee engagement, wages and benefits, corporate culture, health and safety, HR policies, business strategy, and succession planning. In some cases, without blowing cover, the CEO immediately stole a few minutes to make a private phone call to a key colleague for an urgent fix.

3—Human Element.  We are all human beings with ups and downs. In getting to know regular employees on a more personal level, these undercover CEOs often discovered heart-wrenching, personal trials and tribulations plaguing their employees’ lives. In many cases, the CEO chose to become more personally involved just to see a struggling human being helped in his or her difficult situation. These extremely moving events, all caught on camera, clearly displayed the emotional, genuine, human intensity, often accompanied by tears shared between the CEO and the regular employee. Regardless of a person’s position within the organization, everyone was reminded of our universal human challenges.

4—Buried Talent.  Tragically, some of a company’s best talent is its buried talent. As these CEOs navigated the various departments, offices, and locations of their organizations, in many cases they were pleasantly surprised at the wisdom, passion, experience, skill, and intellect brought to bear on every work situation by their frontline workers. Occasionally, the individual worker showed such marvelous performance that the CEO subsequently took specific steps to help promote that employee into higher levels of influence. The CEOs repeatedly stated that they wanted these workers to be given broader growth opportunities to tap their talents more thoroughly. These developments were always beneficial to the employee, the company, and the customers.

5—Communicate, Communicate, Communicate! Ultimately, the undercover CEO approach was maximally successful simply because it repaired old lines of communication or created new lines of communication. Executives were often perplexed about a decision or a problem that became almost instantly resolvable simply by connecting a bench-level employee with a key executive. Once that connection happened, all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Typically, these solutions became the genesis of major communications systems improvements.

6—Watch It. Regardless of your job title or your responsibility level in your business, I highly recommend you view the entire series of Undercover Boss . It consistently evokes a powerful learning experience at an intensity I have rarely encountered in the past from this type of television programming.

7—Brave Decisions. Finally, I admire each of the executives who made the brave decision to go all in on Undercover Boss . Those decisions emanated from men and women who were bold enough to try something new on the calculated hope that they would gain tremendous insights. The resulting positive transformations affected every level—personal, professional, and business. These made the experience well worth the sacrifices involved. These CEOs’ companies will never be the same again.

JAIL TIME

websitebuilder • Nov 21, 2014

Linda Zecher is the president, CEO, and director at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. She reflects on her long and winding career path. In so doing, I found one of the earliest points on her timeline (late 1960s to early 1970s) humorous yet very real life. Here is how she describes it (“How Did I Get Here?” Bloomberg Businessweek , 11/17/14–11/23/14, p. 88):

“ I worked at the county jail in high school and college. I was in charge of the commissary. It was a lot of exposure to people I probably shouldn’t have had exposure to. ”

I believe Zecher. And I also believe we can all remember places in our careers in which we probably had exposure to a whole lot of stuff that was not all that helpful or wholesome.

The upshot of her story of course is that she didn’t stay there. She progressed. She moved forward. All of us have the capacity to recognize when we might be in a less-than-ideal place. It is in those moments that we have the freedom to decide to choose something better.

I laugh every time I read Zecher’s assessment of her jail time. But more importantly, I revel in the privilege and freedom we all retain to choose something better. I trust that you, as am I, are making those choices every day.

THINKING ABOUT STRATEGIC THINKING

websitebuilder • Nov 20, 2014

In a recent survey involving nearly 10,000 graduating MBA students, over 100 business schools, and over 600 company recruiters, an interesting point arose involving strategic thinking. When the recruiters were asked about the hardest skills to find in new MBA graduates, 47.3% identified strategic thinking (Francesca Levy and Cristina Lindblad, eds. “MBA Confidential: What the Students Revealed” Bloomberg Businessweek , 11/17/14–11/23/14, p. 50).

Initially, that statistic might shock us. However, upon reflection, it really should not for several reasons:

Experience.  Just because a person knows and understands the language and tools of business does not automatically mean that strategic thinking has been mastered. Much strategy derives from another school named TSHK (The School of Hard Knocks). If you are paying attention to your growing experience daily, then your ability to think strategically should to some extent be improving. Many MBA students simply have not yet spent enough time in TSHK to refine their strategic thinking.

Training And Education.  Most training and education focuses on the history, nomenclature, tools, conventions, models, processes, and metrics of the business. It is rare to find training and education content that drills down to the core competency of strategic thinking. Additionally, even if it does, not every student will assemble the discipline to internalize strategic thinking principles and practices.

Aptitude.  Let’s face it. Not every businessperson has the aptitude for strategic thinking. That does not mean that the professional world has no place for them. It just means that not everyone is good at everything. For the businessperson honest enough to recognize his or her limitations, the best course of action is to collaborate with others who are strong strategic thinkers. This will enable the businessperson to compensate for that weakness.

Universal Truth. Coming up short in strategic thinking is not exclusive to the MBA degree. Regardless of the academic discipline, strategic thinking is simply not an overriding intensive subject in the curriculum. Too many other facets of the subject matter rightfully demand their attention. Strategic thinking tends to be viewed as a higher level, refined aspect of study that every student understands needs to be aggressively pursued. The unwritten expectation is that every serious student will recognize this opportunity and make it a subsequent ongoing activity.

MBA or not, strategic thinking is something that we can all afford to pursue.

BITCOIN BARGAINS AND BANES

websitebuilder • Nov 19, 2014

I continue to watch the bargains and banes of Bitcoin with fascination and amusement. On the bargain side—

1—You use a virtual electronic currency that limits government involvement in personal transactions.

2—You use a currency system independent of conventional currency systems.

3—You mine for additional Bitcoin via complex computer algorithms to solve mathematical cyber-riddles.

4—You are seen as technologically progressive.

5—You are part of an emerging “new economy” trend.

On the bane side—

1—Bitcoin is not guaranteed or secured by any government.

2—Questions remain concerning how governments might attempt to regulate Bitcoin. This could involve the SEC, the IRS, the FTC, and other national or international regulatory bodies.

3—The mathematical cyber-riddles, by design, become increasingly difficult to solve. This means you will expend increasingly more computer power to mine diminishing quantities of Bitcoin. The longer you’re in it, the harder it becomes. Some experts have postulated that eventually the cost for mining future Bitcoin will exceed the Bitcoin value itself.

4—Bitcoin values will sometimes fluctuate wildly.

5—You have no guarantee that any person or company will accept Bitcoin as a medium of exchange. It is purely voluntary.

6—Bitcoin is a high-profile target of hackers and scammers.

As I said, this is why I shall continue to watch the bargains and banes of Bitcoin with fascination and amusement.

BUILDING ON RISKS

websitebuilder • Nov 18, 2014

How many risks have you taken in your life? What are the biggest risks you have taken? What did you learn from taking risks? These are good questions to ask.

Even more important is the question of how you are choosing to build on your previous risks. I am not talking about doing anything stupid. I am talking about recalling your previous successes and failures, and choosing to build on what you learned from all of them. When you have taken a significant risk, and then chose to continue to live your life intentionally, those early prior risk experiences have a way of giving you strength. Significant successes can carry you forward into greater successes.

George W. Bush was recently asked about where his dad (George H. W. Bush) obtained his penchant for tremendous risk taking. The son’s response gives us food for thought (“The Leap of His Life: 43 On 41” The Kansas City Star , Parade , November 16, 2014, pp. 6–10):

“ I think it came from the early experiences. This is a man who at age 17 decides to join the navy and not go to college, against the advice of his father and [Secretary of War] Henry Stimson, for example. He wanted to serve. Then he gets shot down—and by the way, flying off of carriers was very risky—and survives. To me, the rest of the risks that he took in his life were minor compared to that. ” (p. 8)

You will never know success without taking risks. You will never know success without knowing failure. The exhilaration of success requires the pain of failure. The person willing to pursue success is the person willing to build on risk.

YOUR STARTING POINT

websitebuilder • Nov 17, 2014

From where does your worldview originate? Where and how do you tend to derive your approach to leadership and business? Different people have different perspectives.

It might also depend on your culture. East versus West can make a difference, as Andrew Liveris (CEO of Dow Chemical) relates. A very experienced Chinese businessperson explained it to him this way (Alan Murray “Editor’s Desk: Words to Live By” Fortune , November 17, 2014, p. 10):

“ There are three pillars to society: the rule of law, the rule of logic, and the rule of relationships. In the West these are prioritized as follows: first law, second logic, third relationships. In the East it’s exactly the opposite: first relationships, then logic, then law. All are indispensable. But what’s most important to understand is that the starting points are different. ”

I think that one of the benefits that the West has adopted from the East involves leadership. The best leadership is based in relationship. It is much easier to follow a leader whom you know in some personal manner as opposed to a leader whom you know merely by title.

Logic is always important. Law is always important. However, logic and law—like leadership—will produce their best results when performed in service to relationship.

THE OPEN DOOR OF OBSTACLES

websitebuilder • Nov 14, 2014

We tend to look at obstacles from a negative perspective. After all, isn’t that why we call them obstacles? They are things that get in the way of progress. They are things that interfere with where we want to go.

Fashion leader and designer, Cynthia Rowley, provides a refreshing reminder on how we should view obstacles (Kris Frieswick “The Art of Business: The Legend and the Superstar Talk about Work, Design, and Viewing Failure as a Gift” Inc. , October 2014, pp. 62–66):

“ If there is an obstacle that takes you in a different direction, that means you think about something in a way you never would have thought of before. ” (p. 66)

Shouldn’t we always value new insights? If so, then we should look at every obstacle as an empowering opportunity. While the obstacle itself might be frustrating and painful, it definitely provides an open door to tremendous new insights. If you embrace that open door, then it will force you to think about something in a way you never would have in the past. That alone can be the revelation you need.

THE ENHANCEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY

websitebuilder • Nov 13, 2014

Designers work with many tools and resources to do their jobs. The question arises whether these tools and resources fundamentally change the act of design itself. It seems to me that tools and resources should be an enhancement to design, but that is as far as they go.

Fashion leader, Cynthia Rowley, views this relationship similarly. Tools and resources are rich, powerful catalysts to design, but they do not intrude on the act of design. Rowley explains this with respect to technology (Kris Frieswick “The Art of Business: The Legend and the Superstar Talk about Work, Design, and Viewing Failure as a Gift” Inc. , October 2014, pp. 62–66):

“ For me, technology is a great tool that can enhance things visually and the speed at which we can create things. I don’t think it’s anything that has changed my perception of design. ” (p. 64)

As with all disciplines, we should embrace every available tool and resource to enhance our processes. However, those tools and resources do not change the fundamentals of the discipline. If anything, they should ensure that we are planted more firmly on the fundamentals.

GROWING UP HUMBLE BY DESIGN

websitebuilder • Nov 12, 2014

Growing up of humble means has its advantages. At least that is the lesson you might take away from fashion leader, Cynthia Rowley. Her mom would cut up the brown paper grocery bags after shopping so that Cynthia had something on which to draw. And draw she did!

Although Rowley has certainly made her mark in the world of fashion and design, she has never gotten away from her roots, as she expresses (Kris Frieswick “The Art of Business: The Legend and the Superstar Talk about Work, Design, and Viewing Failure as a Gift” Inc. , October 2014, pp. 62–66):

“ To me, a piece of white paper is almost a little scary. I like the comfort and the broken, blank plane of a brown paper bag. ” (p. 64)

Sometimes we do not get away from our roots because we do not want to escape them. Other times we do not get away from our roots because we cannot escape them. I suspect in Rowley’s case it is a little bit of both . . . and it has shaped who she is today, by design.

SERVICE METRICS FOR A SERVICE ECONOMY

websitebuilder • Aug 01, 2014

Each time the government calculates the GDP, we may be receiving a skewed indicator. This is because the government collects detailed information on products but less thorough data on services as Peter Coy explains (“Solving the Mystery of The Service Sector” Bloomberg Businessweek , 7/28/14–8/3/14, pp. 14–15):

“ Services account for 77 percent of private-sector output in the U.S. There are only six principal economic indicators for services (including ones for construction and retail trade), vs. 17 for agriculture, construction, manufacturing, mining, and energy. ” (p. 14)

How accurate that data is and exactly when it is released can convey very different results. For example, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (Commerce Department) published data indicating a 9.9% annual increase in healthcare usage this year. After refreshing its data and recalculating, it stated that the healthcare usage exhibited an annual decline of 1.4%.

These situations and other similar ones are prompting the BEA to reach out to the Census Bureau and other agencies to expedite and streamline its reporting processes. The goal of course is more accurate and timely data.

Everyone makes mistakes. That said, it is important to act quickly to revise procedures and reporting when you become aware that your data might be skewed.

SMART ENOUGH TO BE CREATIVE

websitebuilder • Aug 04, 2014

Creativity is a fascinating and important subject for anyone to study. Understanding how people tap into their creative powers and why some are better than others is quite interesting. Nancy C. Andreasen is a very qualified person to address this topic. In addition to a PhD in English literature, she later switched careers and earned an MD with a residency in psychiatry. In the current edition of The Atlantic , Andreasen writes on “Secrets of the Creative Brain” (July/August 2014, pp. 62–75). Not only do I highly recommend the article to you, but also I will devote several of my blog posts to various aspects of it beginning today.

A common misconception that Andreasen addresses is the connection between IQ and creativity. Many people assume that the more intelligent you are, the more creative you are. Citing the classic research of Lewis M. Terman (a Stanford psychologist who wrote the multivolume work, Genetic Studies of Genius ), Andreasen emphasizes that the supposed linkage between IQ and creativity is a bit of a misnomer:

“ [Terman’s studies] debunked some stereotypes and introduced new paradoxes. . . . High IQs did not predict high levels of creative achievement later in life. Only a few [of the study individuals] made significant creative contributions to society; none appear to have demonstrated extremely high creativity levels of the sort recognized by major awards, such as the Nobel Prize. . . . Thirty percent of the men and 33 percent of the women did not even graduate from college. . . . A crucial conclusion from Terman’s study is that having a high IQ is not equivalent to being highly creative. ” (p. 65)

Therefore, the first challenge we must conquer is assuming that because someone is extremely smart he or she must therefore be highly creative and vice versa. I have met extremely intelligent people at both ends of the creativity spectrum. Intelligence alone is not an automatic driver of creativity.

This insight has important implications for how we make business decisions, work in teams, delegate projects, and relate to colleagues. The dimensions of our diverse identities indeed run a wide and deep gamut. Perhaps we need to check ourselves in how we are assessing our own and our colleague’s intelligence and creativity. Assumptions can do a disservice to everyone.

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/06/secrets-of-the-creative-brain/372299/

CREATIVITY IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS

websitebuilder • Aug 05, 2014

Creativity is a fascinating and important subject for anyone to study. Understanding how people tap into their creative powers and why some are better than others is quite interesting. Nancy C. Andreasen is a very qualified person to address this topic. In addition to a PhD in English literature, she later switched careers and earned an MD with a residency in psychiatry. In the current edition of The Atlantic , Andreasen writes on “Secrets of the Creative Brain” (July/August 2014, pp. 62–75). Not only do I highly recommend the article to you, but starting yesterday I am devoting several of my blog posts to various aspects of it.

A one-size-fits-all formula for creativity approach or measurement does not exist. What works for one person, process, or situation may not work for another person, process, or situation. Creativity—by its very nature—comes in diverse packages and approaches.

For example, consider divergent thinking versus convergent thinking. Divergent thinking challenges us, as Andreasen explains, to identify as many uses as possible for a brick. Whoever comes up with the most uses must be the most creative person because he or she used divergent thinking. On the other hand, convergent thinking challenges us to identify the one correct answer to a question.

Is one approach intrinsically superior to the other when it comes to creativity? Andreasen makes the case that any bias toward using a divergent thinking approach (counting the number of uses for a brick) might involve some dangerous assumptions. Moreover, we have to be careful about the assumptions we make about creativity:

“ While [the divergent thinking] approach is quantitative and relatively objective, its weakness is that certain assumptions must be accepted: that divergent thinking is the essence of creativity, that creativity can be measured using tests, and that high-scoring individuals are highly creative people. One might argue that some of humanity’s most creative achievements have been the result of convergent thinking—a process that led to Newton’s recognition of the physical formulae underlying gravity, and Einstein’s recognition that E=mc-squared. ” (p. 66)

I agree with Andreasen’s observation. Divergent thinking is powerful and important. Convergent thinking is powerful and important. However, to ascribe superiority to one approach over the other is folly. Perhaps a divergent thinking approach will produce a superior result when convention demands a convergent thinking approach. Perhaps a convergent thinking approach will produce a superior result when convention demands a divergent thinking approach. Again, creativity by its very nature requires that we are open to diverse approaches.

You never know exactly where a good idea might originate . . . until you try.

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/06/secrets-of-the-creative-brain/372299/

CREATIVITY’S CURSE

websitebuilder • Aug 06, 2014

Creativity is a fascinating and important subject for anyone to study. Understanding how people tap into their creative powers and why some are better than others is quite interesting. Nancy C. Andreasen is a very qualified person to address this topic. In addition to a PhD in English literature, she later switched careers and earned an MD with a residency in psychiatry. In the current edition of The Atlantic , Andreasen writes on “Secrets of the Creative Brain” (July/August 2014, pp. 62–75). Not only do I highly recommend the article to you, but I have been devoting several of my blog posts to various aspects of it.

A major theme of Andreasen’s article is the link between mental illness and creativity, and a fascinating link it is. It seems that the very talents and giftedness that predispose a person to prodigious creative ability may also predispose that person to a susceptibility to emotional and mental struggles, even to the point of neuroses and psychoses.

Of course, this does not mean that just because you are creative you are mentally ill. The linkage speaks more broadly to the fact that as people, we are not a collection of ones and zeroes, on and off switches. Rather, we are all uniquely cast upon an immense array of continuums of every possible human trait and nuance. That is all part of the amazingly complex way in which we are designed.

The important thing is to recognize the linkage and that it manifests to different degrees depending on the person. The linkage is an amazing one with many implications for mental illness, creativity, brain development, and neuroscience. To that point, Andreasen describes her increasingly strong attraction to exploring this linkage:

“ I have spent much of my career focusing on the neuroscience of mental illness, but in recent decades I’ve also focused on what we might call the science of genius, trying to discern what combination of elements tends to produce particularly creative brains. What, in short, is the essence of creativity? Over the course of my life, I’ve kept coming back to two more-specific questions: What differences in nature and nurture can explain why some people suffer from mental illness and some do not? And why are so many of the world’s most creative minds among the most afflicted? ” (p. 64)

I have known two separate people who have manifested this severe struggle involving creativity and mental illness. Dave was my best friend in high school and college. He was extremely creative. Debbie was my sister-in-law. She too was extremely creative. She was a musician who earned a degree in music therapy. Tragically, in both Dave’s and Debbie’s cases, their lives ended in suicide. People within Dave’s circle, as well as people within Debbie’s circle, could see the struggles and the signs. Yet in spite of everyone’s most valiant, caring, and serious attempts, their lives ended tragically young.

The linkage is real. Exactly how it all works, we still have much to learn. I am grateful for what Andreasen has accomplished so far. And there is much more I am certain we shall learn.

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/06/secrets-of-the-creative-brain/372299/

DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?

websitebuilder • Aug 07, 2014

Creativity is a fascinating and important subject for anyone to study. Understanding how people tap into their creative powers and why some are better than others is quite interesting. Nancy C. Andreasen is a very qualified person to address this topic. In addition to a PhD in English literature, she later switched careers and earned an MD with a residency in psychiatry. In the current edition of The Atlantic , Andreasen writes on “Secrets of the Creative Brain” (July/August 2014, pp. 62–75).

One of the main concepts Andreasen identifies is the definition or the essence of creativity. In other words, what exactly is it about a creative person that makes that person different from a noncreative person? Based on all Andreasen’s research and experience, she articulates what she believes captures that key difference:

“ Creative people are better at recognizing relationships, making associations and connections, and seeing things in an original way—seeing things that others cannot see. ” (p. 70)

As I reflect on that description, two thoughts occur to me:

1—Part of the joy of creativity is the very act of recognizing those relationships, seeing those connections, and making those associations. Anyone who has any level of creativity can understand that pleasure. It stimulates the mind, it encourages the heart, and it builds something bigger. We enjoy being creative.

2—Part of the joy of creativity is the very act of seeing things that others cannot see.  This is experienced not as a conceited attitude, but rather as the sheer excitement the creative person naturally experiences in knowing he or she is treading on unchartered territory. (Of course, as Andreasen has equally emphasized, in that very same experience lies its subtle danger. Seeing things that others cannot see can also be a bad thing if the source of that supposed insight is not emanating from a healthy source, and hence the link with mental illness.)

This essence of creativity is what I believe underscores the importance of studying more than just your field. Acquiring knowledge in diverse disciplines becomes the seedbed to creativity. The more diverse your knowledge base, the higher the opportunity to see those connections and associations that others may have missed.

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/06/secrets-of-the-creative-brain/372299/

CREATIVITY AND THE MENTAL ILLNESS LINK

websitebuilder • Aug 08, 2014

Creativity is a fascinating and important subject for anyone to study. Understanding how people tap into their creative powers and why some are better than others is quite interesting. Nancy C. Andreasen is a very qualified person to address this topic. In addition to a PhD in English literature, she later switched careers and earned an MD with a residency in psychiatry. In the current edition of The Atlantic , Andreasen writes on “Secrets of the Creative Brain” (July/August 2014, pp. 62–75).

As I have quoted Andreasen in a prior post (“Do You See What I See?” Blog.reliableinsights.com, 8/7/14), she articulates what she believes captures the essence of creativity:

“ Creative people are better at recognizing relationships, making associations and connections, and seeing things in an original way—seeing things that others cannot see. ” (p. 70)

Therefore, possessing that free-flow aptitude for making associations of ideas to the point that you see what others do not see is at its core. Simultaneously and paradoxically, it is that very same quality that raises the specter of mental illness. Andreasen references the evidence of a genetic link both for mental illness and for creativity:

“ Exceptionally creative people are more likely than control subjects to have one or more first-degree relatives with schizophrenia. . . . creativity tends to run in families. ” (p. 72)

With those observations established, Andreasen then drills down to her seminal concept that perhaps:

“ some particularly creative people owe their gifts to a subclinical variant of schizophrenia that loosens their associative links sufficiently to enhance their creativity but not enough to make them mentally ill. ”

I think that her proposal is a brilliant and fascinating expression of exactly what happens on a broader scale with all creative people. It is so important to realize that as people, we are not a collection of ones and zeroes, on and off switches. Rather, we are all uniquely cast upon an immense array of continuums of every possible human trait and nuance. That is all part of the amazingly complex way in which we are designed.

With this understanding, we should all immediately have a heightened respect and appreciation for who we are as people and as individuals. This should be true not just on the basis of our amazing complexity and robustness, but also on the basis of our fragility.

An analogy that comes to mind is a tool. With a simple tool I can build great things and help the world, and with that same tool I can build horrible things and harm the world. I trust that we can have a similar respect and appreciation for all our human creativity—yours, mine, and the world’s.

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/06/secrets-of-the-creative-brain/372299/

CREATIVITY, MENTAL ILLNESS, AND THE PERSONALITY FACTOR

websitebuilder • Aug 11, 2014

Creativity is a fascinating and important subject for anyone to study. Understanding how people tap into their creative powers and why some are better than others is quite interesting. Nancy C. Andreasen is a very qualified person to address this topic. In addition to a PhD in English literature, she later switched careers and earned an MD with a residency in psychiatry. In the current edition of The Atlantic , Andreasen writes on “Secrets of the Creative Brain” (July/August 2014, pp. 62–75). In exploring the link between mental illness and creativity, Andreasen considers the importance of personality as a possible factor in predisposing a creative person to mental illness:

“ One possible contributory factor is a personality style shared by many of my creative subjects. These subjects are adventuresome and exploratory. They take risks. Particularly in science, the best work tends to occur in new frontiers. . . . They have to confront doubt and rejection. And yet they have to persist in spite of that, because they believe strongly in the value of what they do. This can lead to psychic pain, which may manifest itself as depression or anxiety. . . . Persisting in the face of doubt or rejection, for artists or for scientists, can be a lonely path—one that may also partially explain why some of these people experience mental illness. ” (p. 74)

This aligns with the idea that even though you might have a genetic tendency to some type of mental illness, the onset and development of that illness can be based strongly on how you tend to handle life in general. Some people may acquire the mental illness to a full degree, some to a lesser degree, and others never even experience the onset of the mental illness. In the nature/nurture dichotomy, we cannot underestimate nurture’s power. That is what gives us hope, even as creative people.

Understanding then, these statistical linkages with creativity, it seems to me that creative people must be intentional and self-aware about all aspects of how they exercise their creativity. This can include being introspective, reflective, and focused. Simultaneously, they should seek periodic consultations with friends, confidants, colleagues, and others to receive feedback. This approach can help to counter blind spots and to gain a more balanced perspective on how they are doing.

On a broader level of personal and professional growth, our personalities are so important in the level of progress we achieve. I believe we can predispose ourselves to enhanced or diminished personal and professional growth commensurate with the attitude we bring to the situation. I do think that it works the very same way with creativity.

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/06/secrets-of-the-creative-brain/372299/

CREATIVITY’S BLIND SPOT

websitebuilder • Aug 12, 2014

Creativity is a fascinating and important subject for anyone to study. Understanding how people tap into their creative powers and why some are better than others is quite interesting. Nancy C. Andreasen is a very qualified person to address this topic. In addition to a PhD in English literature, she later switched careers and earned an MD with a residency in psychiatry. In the current edition of The Atlantic , Andreasen writes on “Secrets of the Creative Brain” (July/August 2014, pp. 62–75). In exploring creativity, Andreasen reflects on the somewhat humorous nature of creative people’s self-awareness—or lack thereof—when it comes to their own giftedness:

“ I’ve been struck by how many [creative people] refer to their most creative ideas as ‘obvious.’ Since these ideas are almost always the opposite of obvious to other people, creative luminaries can face doubt and resistance when advocating for them. As one artist told me, ‘The funny thing about [one’s own] talent is that you are blind to it. You just can’t see what it is when you have it . . . When you have talent and see things in a particular way, you are amazed that other people can’t see it.’ ” (p. 74)

Many people who are especially talented in a particular ability often do not fully realize how gifted they are. By virtue of being personally immersed within their creative talent, it feels second nature. Therefore, it does not feel like anything special even though it is very special. This is creativity’s blind spot.

Creativity’s blind spot means that all of us need the affirmation and critique of other people so that we can sort through what we are good at doing and what we are not so good at doing. The sooner we can understand what comprises our giftedness and talent, the sooner we can refine and build on those strengths. This becomes extremely important to long-term personal and professional growth because we want to be continuously building on our strengths.

If you are in a place in which you know your talents, then continue to build on them for maximum benefit to you and to others. On the other hand, if you are in a place in which you are still trying to understand your talents, then seek wise counsel to help with your ongoing self-assessment. The sooner you do that, the sooner you can channel your resources most effectively.

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/06/secrets-of-the-creative-brain/372299/

BE CREATIVE—TEACH YOURSELF

websitebuilder • Aug 13, 2014

Creativity is a fascinating and important subject for anyone to study. Understanding how people tap into their creative powers and why some are better than others is quite interesting. Nancy C. Andreasen is a very qualified person to address this topic. In addition to a PhD in English literature, she later switched careers and earned an MD with a residency in psychiatry. In the current edition of The Atlantic , Andreasen writes on “Secrets of the Creative Brain” (July/August 2014, pp. 62–75). In exploring creativity, Andreasen reflects on an important characteristic of creative people, and one from which we can all learn:

“ Many creative people are autodidacts. They like to teach themselves, rather than be spoon-fed information or knowledge in standard educational settings. . . . Many of my subjects taught themselves to read before even starting school, and many have read widely throughout their lives. ” (p. 75)

Curiosity and a passion for learning accompany creativity. This makes sense. How much of an autodidact are you?

If we are serious about personal and professional growth, I believe we should all be autodidacts. Creative people are people who are serious about growth. Therefore, they are constantly looking for every possible learning opportunity.

Central to every creative person’s life is this fundamental passion for learning. It demands that extra effort to learn even when others are not spoon feeding you. That alone means that you are expending the energy for that extra measure of focus. When that happens, we set the stage for creativity.

That passion for learning can be applied almost anywhere. Just to name a few: books, journals, seminars, online resources, interviews, professional associates, formal education, and reflection upon significant successes and failures. I’m sure you can think of many additional learning opportunities. I know you can because you want to be creative, right?

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/06/secrets-of-the-creative-brain/372299/

HOLISTIC EDUCATION FOR MAXIMUM CREATIVITY

websitebuilder • Aug 14, 2014

Creativity is a fascinating and important subject for anyone to study. Understanding how people tap into their creative powers and why some are better than others is quite interesting. Nancy C. Andreasen is a very qualified person to address this topic. In addition to a PhD in English literature, she later switched careers and earned an MD with a residency in psychiatry. In the current edition of The Atlantic , Andreasen writes on “Secrets of the Creative Brain” (July/August 2014, pp. 62–75). In exploring creativity, Andreasen suggests a fundamental creativity flaw in our educational system:

“ The arts and the sciences are seen as separate tracks, and students are encouraged to specialize in one or the other. If we wish to nurture creative students, this may be a serious error. ” (p. 75)

This is a significant observation. I have so often seen marvelously talented professionals within their fields who simultaneously had incredible blind spots precisely because of their specialization. Please do not misinterpret me. I think that specialization is powerful and important. That is how cutting-edge, discipline-specific discoveries, inventions, and accomplishments occur. Nevertheless, I think we have to find ways to increase and broaden how we do higher education and professional development. Too much creative potential remains untapped otherwise.

As we have so often seen, it is the multidisciplinary approach that lends itself to a crosspollination of knowledge among fields. This is what tends to maximize creativity. At the risk of oversimplifying, why can’t we all be renaissance people? Why can’t we all be luminaries? Why can’t we all be multitalented? Obviously, we all will not be Da Vincis, but I believe that we each—in our own special way—can be unique and creative academics and practitioners in our chosen fields. I may be shooting for the moon here, but I have been known to do that a time or two.

Enough pontificating. To bring it down home, perhaps the best compromise is to encourage the specialization where appropriate while simultaneously encouraging students to augment their majors with complementary minors that truly broaden their perspectives. This approach makes sense if we genuinely want to maximize our students’ creative abilities. This is an approach that I believe stands to benefit higher education for our students, and society as those students graduate and enter their professions.

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/06/secrets-of-the-creative-brain/372299/

ANDREASEN’S ARTICLE—FINAL THOUGHTS

websitebuilder • Aug 15, 2014

Creativity is a fascinating and important subject for anyone to study. Understanding how people tap into their creative powers and why some are better than others is quite interesting. Nancy C. Andreasen is a very qualified person to address this topic. In addition to a PhD in English literature, she later switched careers and earned an MD with a residency in psychiatry. In the current edition of The Atlantic , Andreasen writes on “Secrets of the Creative Brain” (July/August 2014, pp. 62–75).

I have devoted the last two weeks of blog posts to the powerful and insightful concepts Andreasen brings to our attention. Today, I offer my closing thoughts on the article. (For my prior blog posts in this series, see Blog.reliableinsights.com, 8/4/14 through 8/14/14.)

Throughout her article, Andreasen challenges us with the linkages between creativity and mental illness. Obviously, she does not do this in a derogatory or chiding fashion. Rather, it is a thoughtful scientist’s reflection on the collective body of research, observations, creative people’s experiences, and her own direct research. Her objective has been to examine the evidence to derive conclusions, relationships, and dynamics about creativity.

The content of Andreasen’s article is among the most interesting I have ever read. Although many aspects of creativity are explored within this article, I think the most fascinating has been this relationship between creativity and mental illness. Her proposal is a brilliant expression of exactly what happens on a broader scale with all creative people. It is so important to realize that as people, we are not a collection of ones and zeroes, on and off switches. Rather, we are all uniquely cast upon an immense array of continuums of every possible human trait and nuance. That is all part of the amazingly complex way in which we are designed.

With this understanding, we should all immediately have a heightened respect and appreciation for who we are as people and as individuals. This should be true not just on the basis of our amazing complexity and robustness, but equally on the basis of our fragility.

Many have seen the movie, A Beautiful Mind , in which the creative genius and mental illness of John Nash are poignantly examined. It is a captivating and heartbreaking story. Perhaps all creative people are John Nashes. It may be only a matter of degree.

I am not saying all creative people are mentally ill. Nor am I saying all mentally ill people are creative. I am saying that we are learning so much more in recent years about creativity and about mental illness. We are also learning so much more about how, when, where, and why they sometimes overlap. That confluence promises to take us further in our understanding than we have ever gone. And on that note, I end this blog post with Andreasen’s poetic and potent words that she chose for her article’s final paragraph:

“ Some people see things others cannot, and they are right, and we call them creative geniuses. Some people see things others cannot, and they are wrong, and we call them mentally ill. And some people, like John Nash, are both. ” (p. 75)

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/06/secrets-of-the-creative-brain/372299/

PERSPECTIVES ON THE TASK

websitebuilder • Aug 18, 2014

How much you enjoy your work and how well you might do with it are all related to your perspective. The writing field is no different. James A. Michener once said (“On the (Opposing) Record” Writer’s Digest , October 2014, p. 15):

“ I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions. ”

When you love your field so much, you genuinely enjoy the tangling in more ways than one. That is—at least I hope—why you are in your chosen profession.

On the other hand, even within our chosen professions, sometimes we have certain tasks we just have to muscle through because they need to be done. Consider Dorothy Parker, who has a slightly different take on writing than Michener does:

“ I hate writing. I love having written. ”

YOU CAN BE 40 OR 40 OR 40

websitebuilder • Aug 19, 2014

Are you 40 or 40 or 40?

Before you accuse me of assuming your age, or of asking a ridiculous question, please hear me out on this. In considering age, more than one kind of 40 exists. Regardless of your age, more than one kind of that age exists. Here are a couple examples:

“Bob.”  Bob’s chronological age is 40, but he looks like he is 55. Bob has chosen to ignore physical fitness. He has chosen to pick up numerous habits that are simply not good for him. He has a negative attitude about his life, his job, and his family. When you meet Bob, you wonder whether he will be willing and able to do the job you have for him.

“Bill.”  Bill’s chronological age is 40, but he looks like he is 25. Bill has chosen to embrace physical fitness. He has chosen to avoid numerous habits that are simply not good for him. He has a positive attitude about his life, his job, and his family. When you meet Bill, you instantly have the impression that he is more than willing and able to do the job you have for him.

Life is not so much about what happens to you as much as it is about how you choose to respond. Life is not so much about what is out there as much as it is about what is in you. Life, to a very large extent, is what you make it.

As a professional, your approach to life will always shine through. You cannot hide it. The only question is are you 40 or 40 or 40? The choice is yours to make.

A NEW STYLE OF STRESS

websitebuilder • Aug 20, 2014

No one can argue that the American workplace has not changed radically in the last 100 years. How about just the last 20 years? The nature of work and the kind of stresses we encounter are changing. Part of this is due to the speed of work, its occasionally ambiguous circumstances, its always-on presence, and its technology. All these factors have created new kinds of stress as Geoff Colvin observes (“The New Trend? Reducing Stress in the Workplace—by Order of Management” Fortune , August 11, 2014, p. 42):

“ As work becomes increasingly cognitive, fast-changing, and uncertain, we’re wearing people out in new ways. These are unforeseen effects of the friction-free economy. . . . Friction made the economy less efficient, but it protected people; sometimes it was simply not possible for you to be reached or to get information or participate in a meeting. In today’s friction-free economy the old protections are gone, and employers and employees are struggling more than ever to figure out the new ones. ”

Technology enhances before it harms. We enjoy the enhancements, but we must remain mindful of how the technology works so that we can prevent its harm. We are technology’s governor.

Increasing numbers of companies are recognizing these dynamics and are taking steps to address them. Wellness has increasingly become important. Today, technology means that wellness is even more important because the opportunities to undermine it are many. As a result, too many employees are succumbing to a degradation of their wellness because of the added avenues of stress. Colvin summarizes the situation well:

“ We’ve been replacing the physical stressors of work with mental and emotional stressors for many years. What’s new is that we’re hitting a resistance point. Many people seem to be reaching a limit. In an increasingly friction-free economy, mental and emotional health is the new wellness. ”

IF YOU THINK IT’S TOUGH HERE . . .

websitebuilder • Aug 21, 2014

If you think it is tough doing business here, you can try moving to Argentina. Sometimes we can forget how difficult life is in other parts of the world. Some Argentines are not overly upset by the nation’s 40% inflation. That is because they can remember 1989 when inflation was a whopping 1,300%. Pharmacy owner, Eduardo Woznica, explains the typical business mindset in Argentina (Camila Russo “Argentines Gird For a Financial Storm” Bloomberg Businessweek , 8/11/14–8/24/14, pp. 16–17):

“ ‘In Argentina we’re all used to going to bed without knowing if things will be the same when we wake up. Now, that feeling is stronger.’ ” (p. 17)

All I can say is I am glad I am not a pharmacy owner in Argentina.

THE SEC LETS A CAT OUT OF THE BAG

websitebuilder • Aug 22, 2014

When the stock market fell 600 points in five minutes on May 6, 2010, that prompted the Securities and Exchange Commission that perhaps it needed a better view on stock trading. Seeking to create a massive new computer system to perform detailed tracking on stock trading, the plan is to create the Consolidated Audit Trail, or CAT for short. The CAT promises to be an especially thorough monitor of trading activity even to the point of providing data that in the past was not immediately available for SEC scrutiny. In addition to ferreting out illicit trading activities, the CAT will enable better and timelier postcrash analyses (Matthew Philips and Silla Brush, with Dave Michaels “An SEC Computer to Peer Into Dark Pools” Bloomberg Businessweek , 8/11/14–8/24/14, pp. 28–29):

“ [CAT] will be one of the largest databases in the world, designed to funnel 50 billion daily records into an archive. The computer will track every stock quote, order, and trade, including when and where transactions occur, the brokers who handle them, and the customers they represent. The CAT will pull data from the 18 U.S. public stock and options exchanges and the private trading venues run by banks, known as dark pools, that don’t have to immediately report data to the SEC. ” (p. 28)

Building the CAT is a big task. Who gets to handle this lucrative project remains to be seen. Among the bidders are the likes of Google, Sungard, HP, IBM, and Tata Group. Rumors are that the initial five-year contract could run as high as a billion dollars. Now there’s a CAT that is never going back in the bag!

SIMPLE SELLS

websitebuilder • Aug 25, 2014

When Mark Dwight founded Rickshaw Bagworks in San Francisco, he wanted to sell customizable bags for people and companies. He also wanted to offer very low minimum order requirements with fast delivery. His strategy required design decisions that have since infused all aspects of his business.

First, he simplified the customer experience by offering fewer customization options instead of more. Customers requested this simplification. Therefore, customers liked it (Mark Dwight “Simple Designs for Complex Times” Inc. , June 2014, p. 60):

“ We reduced the [color choice] options. This improved the customer experience, streamlined order fulfillment, and simplified our user interface. ”

Second, he preached the mantra of “keep it super simple” into all aspects of his operations. Regardless of whether it is raw materials, policies, or sales, everything is kept super simple:

“ We design with pencil and paper: simple tools for simple designs. We predominantly sell direct and build to order, avoiding finished-goods inventory, forecasting, and waste. We source most of our materials and components domestically, to keep our supply chain short and facilitate just-in-time material delivery and fast turnaround. We avoid rules and legalese. Our short, plain-language guarantee states ‘No reasonable request denied.’ ”

We can learn some lessons from Rickshaw Bagworks. Granted, some business situations certainly require much more complex design at all levels. If that is what is required to get the job done, then so be it. On the other hand, perhaps too many companies are making too many things too complicated for no real benefit. It all comes down to one key design word.

Simple.

THE CHALLENGE OF KEEPING IT SIMPLE

websitebuilder • Aug 26, 2014

When Mark Dwight founded Rickshaw Bagworks in San Francisco, he wanted to sell customizable bags for people and companies. He also wanted to offer very low minimum order requirements with fast delivery. His strategy required design decisions that have since infused all aspects of his business. He kept everything as super simple as possible. As powerful of a strategy as this has been, Dwight affirms that while achieving simplicity is one thing, maintaining that simplicity might be something else entirely (Mark Dwight “Simple Designs for Complex Times” Inc. , June 2014, p. 60):

“ I’ve found that maintaining simplicity is deceptively difficult. . . . Organizations, especially big ones, . . . over time . . . create layers of complexity, and this creates opportunities for smaller, simpler, nimbler competitors. At Rickshaw, it’s OK to brainstorm wildly complex ideas. But at the end of the day, we say, ‘How can we simplify this and make it work under our set of constraints?’ ”

I agree with the idea of maintaining the proven simplicity. What I appreciate even more is that the company remains free to brainstorm and explore new methods, strategies, and approaches. This means that it never assumes things are perfect. It also means that once the company identifies a new idea, it also looks for ways to simplify it while still maintaining the kernel of the idea.

DON’T FORGET TO MEET ALONE

websitebuilder • Aug 27, 2014

Sherry Turkle is a professor and psychologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her specialty is the study of the relationship between people and machines. Turkle’s latest book carries somewhat of an indictment beginning with its very title, Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other . In a recent interview, she responded to a question about how social media and technology are affecting human interactions (Mark Fischetti “The Networked Primate” Scientific American , September 2014, pp. 83–85):

“ One primary change I see is that people have a tremendous lack of tolerance for being alone. . . . Every bit of research says people’s capacity to be alone is disappearing. What can happen is that you lose that moment to have a daydream or to cast an eye inward. Instead you look to the outside. ” (p. 84)

Turkle’s observation speaks to the fundamental dynamic of being motivated externally versus internally. If I have a lack of tolerance for being alone, then that means that I am overly dependent on external factors. My motivation comes from the external rather than the internal. External factors will have a place in our motivations. Nevertheless, if our fundamental motivation is driven by the external instead of the internal, then I believe we lose character, value, and depth.

Turkle goes on to point out that this is a problem for all ages because it relates to our personal development:

“ Solitude is the precondition for having a conversation with yourself. This capacity to be with yourself and discover yourself is the bedrock of development. ”

If I never have any conversations with myself, then how can I develop myself? I cannot. Introspection, thoughtful reflection, searching deep within are all activities that lead to discovery and growth. We cannot do that if all our conversations are with someone else.

Today and every day, don’t forget to meet alone.

PERSON, PLACE, OR THING

websitebuilder • Aug 28, 2014

Sherry Turkle is a professor and psychologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her specialty is the study of the relationship between people and machines. Turkle’s latest book carries somewhat of an indictment beginning with its very title, Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other . In a recent interview, she responded to a question about how social media and technology are negatively affecting human relationships (Mark Fischetti “The Networked Primate” Scientific American , September 2014, pp. 83–85):

“ People start to view other people in part as objects. ” (p. 84)

Turkle’s observation speaks to the danger social media and technology present to us. If we do not maintain our internal moral compass, our sense of ethical standards, our fundamental approach to relationships, then we will transition to a lesser place where people are not people, but things.

In the physical world some can believe the façade that the more money and material things I have, the better I am as a person. The person who dies with the most money and things wins. That same façade presents in social media in a different form. The form it takes is that the more tweets, likes, comments, friends, views, followers, or connections I have, the better I am as a person.

The myths of the physical world have invaded the virtual world. It is that very dynamic that subtly causes us to see people as objects instead of people, and that is what we must guard against. Remember, anytime I view a person for what he or she is instead of for who he or she is, then everyone loses.

SOCIAL MEDIA NEVER SLEEPS, BUT YOU SHOULD

websitebuilder • Aug 29, 2014

Sherry Turkle is a professor and psychologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her specialty is the study of the relationship between people and machines. Turkle’s latest book carries somewhat of an indictment beginning with its very title, Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other . In a recent interview, she responded to a question about how some folks are so addicted to their phones that they take them to bed with them (Mark Fischetti “The Networked Primate” Scientific American , September 2014, pp. 83–85):

“ I’m doing a case study of a young woman who has 2,000 followers on Instagram. She’ll ask about a problem at 9:00 at night, and at 2:00 in the morning she’s getting responses, and she’s awake to get those responses. ” (p. 84)

I am certain that Turkle’s case study is just one scenario among many. For some people, social media’s draw is so compelling that they cannot turn it off at night. As Turkle affirms, it has created a new style of being:

“ I share, therefore I am. ”

A great philosopher once said:

“ I think, therefore I am. ” (Rene Descartes)

Perhaps we need to do more thinking and less sharing.

KNOWING WHO IS IN CHARGE

websitebuilder • Sep 02, 2014

Sherry Turkle is a professor and psychologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her specialty is the study of the relationship between people and machines. Turkle’s latest book carries somewhat of an indictment beginning with its very title, Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other .

In a recent interview, Turkle responded to a question about how some folks become so overly attached to their social media networks that they lose perspective on the boundaries of self and social. This is ultimately harmful to the formation and development of individual personhood (Mark Fischetti “The Networked Primate” Scientific American , September 2014, pp. 83–85):

“ You don’t fully develop a sense of an autonomous self. You’re not able to be in personal relationships, business relationships, because you don’t feel fully competent to handle major things on your own. You run into trouble if you’re putting everything up, ultimately for a vote. . . . You’re crowdsourcing major decisions. ” (p. 84)

I see a distinct difference between thoughtfully, intentionally seeking the perspective of a trusted confidant and automatically defaulting to a self-social merger for every single decision in your life. The former speaks of a mature, wise, discerning individual tapping into relationships to enhance quality and value. The latter speaks of an immature, unwise, undiscerning person whose individuality has been subsumed into cyberspace. The former speaks of a psychologically healthy person. The latter speaks of a psychologically unhealthy person.

Finally, even when the opinions of trusted friends and associates are considered, you remain the person making your decision—alone. While I will be the first person to agree that there is safety in a multitude of counselors, ultimately you alone have to make your decision. When you fail to recognize that, you risk entering the paralysis of analysis. And, as Turkle rightly proposes, you degrade that sense of an autonomous self. The bottom line is this: you—not your network—make your decision.

Sadly, for some people, the problem is bigger. They haven’t figured out yet who should be in charge of their lives.

Social media and technology are phenomenally marvelous and wonderful things. That is a fact. However, that fact does not change this fact: I am in charge of my life.

HUMAN OR ROBOT?

websitebuilder • Sep 03, 2014

Sherry Turkle is a professor and psychologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her specialty is the study of the relationship between people and machines. Turkle’s latest book carries somewhat of an indictment beginning with its very title, Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other .

Nothing drives me crazy faster than a robot that implies I should talk to it as if it were a human being. I think many people feel the same way. Tragically, I fear many people are willing to adjust to the robot idea even to the point of letting the robot replace a real person.

In a recent interview, Turkle responded to a question about how some folks are warming to the idea of interactions with robots that are just as real as human interactions. It seems that technology has made those interactions so humanlike that some people are embracing them as adequate substitutes (Mark Fischetti “The Networked Primate” Scientific American , September 2014, pp. 83–85):

“ When we started looking at this in the 1970s, people took the position that even if simulated thinking might be thinking, simulated feeling was not feeling. Simulated love was never love. But that’s gone away. People tell me that if Siri [the iPhone voice] could fool them a little better, they’d be happy to talk to Siri. ” (p. 84)

What does that say about the technology? Perhaps the more important question is what does that say about the person? My guess is that we will have many opportunities to face those questions in the future.

As in the movie, Her (in which a man falls in love with his operating system), Turkle sees evidence that increasing numbers of people are willing to embrace robots even when it means displacing humans:

“ I interviewed a woman who said to me that she’s okay with a robot boyfriend. She wants one of these sophisticated Japanese robots. I looked at her and said, ‘You know that it doesn’t understand you.’ She said, ‘Look, I just want civility in the house. I just want something that will make me feel not alone.’ ”

This says tremendous things about the technology, but it simultaneously says disturbing things about the person.

Some of our technology choices today make a lot of sense. Paper or plastic? Credit or debit? Some of our choices should leave us unsettled. Human or robot?

WHEN REAL TIME IS TOO REAL

websitebuilder • Sep 04, 2014

Sherry Turkle is a professor and psychologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her specialty is the study of the relationship between people and machines. Turkle’s latest book carries somewhat of an indictment beginning with its very title, Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other .

Much of Turkle’s material explores the fundamentals and the complexities of exactly how social media and technology affect relationships. This touches on email, messaging, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and the nature of our digital personas, all of which can affect our in-person real-time communication abilities. Perhaps nowhere is this truer than for developing teenagers and young adults. In a recent interview, Turkle shared a startling example (Mark Fischetti “The Networked Primate” Scientific American , September 2014, pp. 83–85):

“ I asked an 18-year-old man, ‘What’s wrong with conversation?’ He said, ‘It takes place in real time. You can’t control what you’re going to say.’ It was profound. That’s also why a lot of people like to do their dealings on e-mail—it’s not just the time shifting; it’s that you basically can get it right. ” (p. 85)

This event has a positive side and a negative side:

On The Positive Side —The man’s observation is correct. Normal conversation occurs in real time. You are speaking extemporaneously. Once you say it, it’s there. That is why we are all familiar with the adage of be sure the brain is engaged before the mouth speaks. Virtual, online, and other electronic communications allow us to adjust the content thoughtfully and cautiously prior to transmitting it. Therein lies one of the greatest advantages to nonconversational communications. As Turkle summarized, you can get it right.

On The Negative Side —The man’s observation suggests an aversion to real-time conversation. The danger here is that we adopt a position of insisting on the virtual or the digital at the expense of or in place of the real. When this happens, we do our children and our young adults a disservice. Learning to communicate in all arenas equally is extremely important.

As we continue to move forward with our social media and our technology, let’s ensure that we are striving to manifest excellence. Excellence in the virtual world should not come at the expense of the real world. Likewise, excellence in the real world should not come at the expense of the virtual world. I believe that if we take a balanced approach, then we can achieve excellence in both worlds.

THE BALANCING ACT THAT NEVER ENDS

websitebuilder • Sep 05, 2014

Sherry Turkle is a professor and psychologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her specialty is the study of the relationship between people and machines. Turkle’s latest book carries somewhat of an indictment beginning with its very title, Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other . In a recent interview, Turkle responded to a question about the ubiquity of our technology and how we balance it all (Mark Fischetti “The Networked Primate” Scientific American , September 2014, pp. 83–85):

“ I cannot live my professional life or my personal life without my phone or my e-mail. My students can’t even obtain their syllabus without it. We don’t have an opt-out option from a world with this technology. The question is, How are we going to live a more meaningful life with something that is always on and always on you? And wait until it’s in your ear, in your jacket, in your glasses. ” (p. 85)

Truly, our relationship to all our technology is a balancing act that never ends. Each of us will have to make serious decisions about how we are going to manage all this. What works for one person might not work for someone else.

We have to consider our professional roles, our personal relationships, and our personalities. The balance I strike might be very different than the balance you strike. However, the important thing is that we arrive at a place that works for us individually.

The land of technology ubiquity is here. That land is enlarging itself daily. Let’s be sure that we are continuously adjusting our balance because that is one thing we definitely do not want to lose.

PRESERVING YOUR SACRED SPACES

websitebuilder • Sep 08, 2014

Sherry Turkle is a professor and psychologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her specialty is the study of the relationship between people and machines. Turkle’s latest book carries somewhat of an indictment beginning with its very title, Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other . Her work addresses the deeply significant challenges we face in managing our complex, always-on technology and social media.

In a recent interview, Turkle offered a very important suggestion to help us all maintain boundaries around our technology and our personal space. It involves areas of our lives that we should consider sacred space (Mark Fischetti “The Networked Primate” Scientific American , September 2014, pp. 83–85):

“ One argument I make is that there should be sacred spaces: the family dinner table, the car. Make these the places for conversation because conversation is the antidote to a lot of the issues I’m describing. If you’re talking to your kids, if you’re talking to a community, these negative effects don’t arise as much. ” (p. 85)

Out of all the advice Turkle offers, I believe this is the most important. Yes, technology and social media are tremendously powerful and marvelously helpful. Nevertheless, by intentionally choosing to preserve your sacred spaces, you will mitigate the negative byproducts.

Preserving your sacred space is extremely important in all facets of your life. This enhances your total experience as a person, it adds value to all your relationships, and it maintains an internal holistic equilibrium. You are a human being, not a human doing. Once you understand that, then your doing can flow out of your being.

Some have voiced fears and misgivings about technology and social media. I used to share those fears and misgivings. However, I have come to a place of realizing that as long as I can preserve my sacred spaces, then I will successfully handle technology and social media.

So, what are you going to do today to preserve your sacred spaces?

REFINING RELATIONSHIPS WHILE TAPPING TECHNOLOGY

websitebuilder • Sep 09, 2014

Sherry Turkle is a professor and psychologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her specialty is the study of the relationship between people and machines. Turkle’s latest book carries somewhat of an indictment beginning with its very title, Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other .

In a recent interview, Turkle observes that our willingness to let robots replace people and our willingness to let robot relationships replace people relationships is not so much an affirmation of our whiz-bang technology as it is a revelation of our human-connection inadequacies (Mark Fischetti “The Networked Primate” Scientific American , September 2014, pp. 83–85):

“ As for the robots, I’m hoping that people will realize that what we’re really disappointed in is ourselves. . . . We’re basically saying that we’re not offering one another the conversation and the companionship. That, really, is the justification for talking to a robot that you know doesn’t understand a word you’re saying. We are letting each other down. It’s not about the robots. It’s about us. ” (p. 85)

This is why Turkle so stresses the point that we need to maintain our human conversations. The more that I get to know you and you get to know me, the more effectively and authentically we can work together. When we work together effectively and authentically then we can tap all technology’s benefits while preserving and refining our human relationships. As Turkle summarizes:

“ My message is not antitechnology. It’s pro conversation and pro the human spirit. ”

Turkle’s stance resonates with my own. Let’s do as much as we can with technology. However, let’s preserve and refine our humanity as we do so.

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL

websitebuilder • Sep 10, 2014

Sherry Turkle is a professor and psychologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her specialty is the study of the relationship between people and machines. Turkle’s latest book carries somewhat of an indictment beginning with its very title, Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other .

In a recent interview, Turkle explores many aspects of how technology and social media have affected our relationships, our businesses, and our families. Near the end of the interview Turkle reflects on the opportunities that we have with key relationships in our lives, especially with our young children (Mark Fischetti “The Networked Primate” Scientific American , September 2014, pp. 83–85):

“ When I go to the city park, I see kids go to the top of the jungle gym and call out, ‘Mommy, Mommy!’ and they’re being ignored. They object to being ignored when they’re five, eight or nine. But when I interview these kids when they’re 13, 14 or 15, they become reflective. They say, ‘I’m not going to bring up my children the way I’m being brought up.’ They’re going to have rules, like no phones at dinner. ” (p. 85)

Turkle’s poignant recounting presents a challenge. How well or how poorly will we choose to manage and balance all this constantly evolving and invasive technology? How will we allow it to affect our time, our families, our businesses, and our relationships? No doubt, we have learned much, and yet we have much to learn.

In this convergence of technology, social media, and relationships, Turkle brings a glimmer of hope emanating from the generation that came of age with it all:

“ The most optimistic thing I see is the young people who’ve grown up with this technology but aren’t smitten by it. . . . They see the ways in which it’s undermined life at school and life with their parents. ”

We must always teach our children well. Perhaps our children will teach us well.

TIME FOR A CHANGE

websitebuilder • Sep 11, 2014

Money magazine did a reader survey, asking the question, how do you feel about your job? The results fell into four categories (“Are You Happy at Work?” September 2014, p. 21):

42%—My job is okay.

22%—Retired or unemployed.

20%—I can’t stand it.

16%—It’s my dream gig.

Here are my reflections:

The Most Painful Point.  One fifth of the responders absolutely cannot stand their jobs. Ouch! My hope is that those persons are actively seeking and working toward a career change that takes them to a better place. You spend about a third of your life on the job. Let’s make it something that is reasonably pleasant.

The Most Positive Point.  I am heartened to see that 16% of the responders are in their dream job. When your talent, passion, and income converge so perfectly, it cannot get any better than that. That kind of success often allows you to become a model and a mentor for others to move in a similar direction.

The Most Potential Point.  Almost half of the responders claim that their job is okay. This speaks to me of high potential. It means that with a little bit of job enrichment work or perhaps a career change, that 42% group could jump to the dream-job group. You won’t know until you try.

I don’t know where you are at on this grid. However, I encourage you to do some serious reflection so that you can take your job situation to a higher, better level.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD

websitebuilder • Sep 12, 2014

Money magazine did a reader survey asking the question, does your job better the world? Here are the top five occupations most likely to make that claim (“Are You Happy at Work?” September 2014, p. 21):

1—Clergy.  As a clergy member myself, I totally understand how and why we believe our role betters the world. I have been privileged to work with people from all walks of life under the most diverse circumstances anyone can imagine. In every case I have witnessed people making decisions, changing direction, and embracing new opportunities in ways that radically altered the course of their lives as well as the lives of untold numbers of people around them.

2—Managers Of Religious Programs.  Very similar to the clergy, the fact that managers of religious programs comes in at second place is no surprise.

3—Surgeons. Surgeons are charged with the grave responsibility of taking scalpel and suture to any area of a person’s body. Obviously, this is a very personal type of work with varying levels of risk. Nevertheless, we all know people for whom a surgical procedure resulted in radical positive change.

4—School Administrators.  School administrators have the privilege of providing leadership to a team of frontline teachers who are working with students at the most intellectually and personally formative times of their lives. The mentoring opportunities of that team are enormous. Knowing that you are giving direction to those kinds of efforts is extremely fulfilling.

5—Chiropractors.  Finally, I am not surprised that Chiropractors are on this list. They make a lot of sense to me. For example, how sensible is it to expect a car or a computer to operate at peak efficiency if half of its electrical connections and mechanical linkages were impaired? You could try to treat the “symptoms” of all that damage, but without repairing all the electrical and mechanical connections, your efforts would be in vain. In an analogous fashion, the chiropractor rejuvenates your body’s electrical and mechanical connections. These treatments thereby allow your body to function at peak efficiency. That peak efficiency condition then predisposes your body to avoid or eliminate more intense, long-term damage that ultimately results in chronic disease, surgeries, and overall more expensive healthcare costs. Especially in this new age of preventive care and wellness, chiropractors are well positioned to meet the needs of anyone concerned with achieving prime health. Chiropractors and their

patients see the tremendous results.

Whether you are a member of one of the above professions or not, never forget that you too can improve the world just in how you approach your role. Bring your best self every day to what you do, and you will better our world.

MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY DAY

websitebuilder • Sep 15, 2014

Kathy Giusti is a former pharmaceutical executive who now heads up the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (which she founded). She had a rather personal impetus to make that change. In 1996, she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. In remission since 2006, Giusti offers a reflection on how cancer has changed her perspective on life (Geoff Colvin “Kathy Giusti: Cancer Warrior” Fortune 9/1/14, p. 20):

“ If I’ve learned anything, it’s to live in the moment, and the gift that cancer gives you is, you just assume I’m only here today, and I am going to seize that moment and cherish it. ”

Giusti brings us wisdom. I hope you did not have to endure anything like what she did to learn that lesson. Nevertheless, the lesson is one well worth embracing.

Let us make the most of today and every day. Not only will that enrich our own lives, but also it will enrich the lives of everyone around us.

HAPPY PROFESSIONS

websitebuilder • Sep 16, 2014

Money magazine did a reader survey exploring the question what are the happiest professions? Here are the top three professions most likely to be comprised of happy workers (“Are You Happy at Work?” September 2014, p. 21):

1—Software Publishing.  Most people involved in software work are analytically minded and deeply aware of how software operates. It seems to me that anyone who is able to appreciate those technical details will tend to find much happiness in being involved in software projects that work well. Is software publishing a happy profession because of that or do happy people gravitate to that industry? That is a good question and I do not have the answer. It might be a little bit of both.

2—Radio And TV Broadcasting.  Much of the traditional broadcasting industry involves creativity and entertainment. Most people involved in creativity and entertainment have a personality that feeds on being in the limelight. It brings them much pleasure. It makes sense therefore that this industry would earn second place for a happy profession.

3—Educational Services.  Educational services is a very broad category. Nevertheless, at its core is the idea of actively helping other people to learn and grow. Generally, I have never seen any industry that involves helping others to learn and grow in which its workers are not happy people.

Quite likely, many additional reasons exist for the happiness connection to the above three professions. What I have identified are the correlations that make the most sense to me.

A WHOLE LOT OF WASTED POTENTIAL

websitebuilder • Sep 17, 2014

Money magazine did a reader survey exploring the question how many employees are disengaged from their jobs? The results indicate only a 30% employee engagement rate (“Are You Happy at Work?” September 2014, p. 21).

Certainly, 30% is much better than 0%. Not that this finding is surprising, but I remain aghast at the lost potential within the workplace and within people’s lives.

We are living in an age and an economy in which we clamor for workplace efficiency and effectiveness along with personal and professional fulfillment. Wellness is the watchword of the day and every business leader wants to get the most out of his or her employees. Employee engagement is both a direct indicator and a driver of the organization’s health. Therefore, employee engagement should be a nonnegotiable high priority. It should be a determining factor in every business decision.

The problem as I see it today is that too many companies and too many individuals are willing to settle for second best. Employee engagement will not happen unless both companies and individuals intentionally strive to be the best that they can be. However, when they both move forward with that shared commitment to being the best that they can be, then the employee engagement rate will rise above 30% . . . and keep on going!

SHOW ME THE MONEY

websitebuilder • Sep 18, 2014

Money magazine did a reader survey exploring the topic of how important compensation is to workers (“Are You Happy at Work?” September 2014, p. 21). Not surprisingly, the findings indicate the money is definitely on workers’ radar. Here are a couple observations:

1—Among full-time workers, 65% do not earn their desired salary.

2—According to the Society for Human Resource Management, salary is the most important element in worker satisfaction.

Each of the above two points is quite significant. The two in combination is what should concern every employer because the combination exponentially increases their significance.

Losing a valued employee and then replacing that person is an expensive undertaking for a business. Sometimes valuable institutional knowledge leaves with that employee. The costs of recruiting, screening, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and training the replacement are high.

Perhaps a compensation review to sweeten workers’ pay packages will mitigate these situations. Just one employee retained could pay for the salary increases. Obviously, the budget must balance. However, it is the smart companies that see the long-term value of paying their employees the best possible wage. Those are the conditions that lead to long-term employee satisfaction and corporate success.

CAN WE GET SOME EMPATHY?

websitebuilder • Sep 19, 2014

People do business with companies for many reasons, but on a fundamental level, people do business with companies that make them feel good. That feel-good experience can manifest in many different places at many different levels. However, if it is going to show up at all, ultimately it will happen because the company’s employees are concerned about how their customers will feel. This means that the employees will have empathy, as Geoff Colvin reports (“Employers Are Looking for New Hires With Something Extra: Empathy” Fortune , September 22, 2014, p. 55):

“ A mushrooming demand for employees with affective, nonlogical abilities spans the economy. Empathy—sensing at a deep level the feelings and thoughts of others—is the foundation. ”

On the one hand this seems obvious. On the other hand it appears too many companies are in short supply of this warm fuzzy commodity:

“ When author George Anders searched for online job postings that paid over $100,000 a year and specified empathy or empathetic traits, he quickly found 1,000 of them from companies as varied as Barclays Capital, McKinsey, and Mars. ”

You and I both know that unmistakable impression that a company did not give any thought to our feelings. It is not a pleasant experience. This is why empathy is such an important trait for every employee. As disturbing a concern as this is, here is what is even more disturbing:

“ [Empathy] is becoming ever more valuable, in part because the supply of candidates who possess it seems to be shrinking—at least in the U.S. Empathy among American college students has declined significantly over the past 30 years, . . . Other research gives little reason to believe it will increase as they grow older. ”

So what is happening with empathy? As I have pondered this question, a few possibilities come to mind:

1—Although society has always had its problems, we do seem to be in a society today that is facing overwhelmingly complex challenges at every level. Perhaps family, economic, medical, emotional, spiritual, economic, and relational factors have subtly reinforced the selfish, narcissistic theme of the day. In that mindset, empathy is a strange bedfellow.

2—As a group, American college students are the first generation to have come of age during our social media revolution. Perhaps all the pitfalls and risks of the virtual world have infected our real world. If not used thoughtfully, online communication can destabilize the empathetic compass.

3—The complexity of our increasingly high-tech, virtual society might be displacing our formerly high-touch, real society. Perhaps that dynamic trains people to be less caring and communicative. The emphasis we have seen on technology may have pushed emotional intelligence and human feelings to the back of the bus. Sharing with the mind takes priority over sharing from the heart.

4—Everyone sometimes needs someone to point to the path. Perhaps the empathy dearth speaks of a mentor dearth. If qualified, noble, mature, professional, caring people do not initiate mentoring relationships, then potential mentees will suffer. Without leadership, everyone suffers.

To some extent, nature versus nurture applies. Some of these empathy deficiencies might be irreparable. Nonetheless, we still have nurture. As much as possible, I intend to continue integrating the empathetic approach to life and business. Now that’s good for people and it’s good for business.

How about you?

KNOWING WHO TO BELIEVE

websitebuilder • Sep 22, 2014

Security innovations are a constant business need as evidenced by a three-year-old startup called Pindrop Security. Based in Atlanta and founded by Vijay Balasubramaniyan, the company has created a real-time telephone-call analysis program that will likely catch on in company call centers. This should be especially true for financial institutions, security companies, and law enforcement agencies. The technology does some amazing things (Danielle Muoio “Audio Fingerprints” Bloomberg Businessweek , 9/8/14–9/14/14, p. 33):

“ The program analyzes 147 aspects of a call, such as the frequency and strength of the signal, to locate where it’s coming from and make sure that jibes with the caller’s story. . . . Within 15 seconds, the software tabulates the risk of fraud on a 100 point scale and sends its score to the call center worker’s PC. ”

The potential for reducing or eliminating fraud is high. Pindrop claims that on a per-call basis, the average call center experiences a 57-cent loss due to fraud. Pindrop’s software immediately identifies 80% of those nefarious calls. Pindrop’s fees start at $100,000 for 1- to 3-year subscriptions and the pricing is based on actual call volume.

We have always known not to believe every caller. Now we have software that will tell us which callers those are.

www.pindropsecurity.com

SPENDING MORE TO SPEND LESS

websitebuilder • Sep 23, 2014

We have all heard the proverbial statement that you can be pennywise and pound foolish. Nowhere is that truer than in nutrition, healthcare, and wellness.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City recently hired a topline chef for its cafeteria who specializes in highly nutritional meal preparation. Although employees might spend $6 or $7 on a company cafeteria meal, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City subsidizes the balance of the actual cost (closer to $10 per meal total).

Bill Crooks is a consultant with Good Food Good Futures who was enlisted to help with the cafeteria transition. His rationale sums up the corporate incentive (Diane Stafford “Blue KC’s Star Chef Leads Way” The Kansas City Star , September 22, 2014, pp. C1, C6–C7):

“ The cost of sickness is way more expensive than the cost of health. ” (p. C6)

Does it cost something to stay healthy? Sure it does. However, it costs much more to live in sickness. Companies that have captured this vision realize that they might be spending a little more today, but that will translate to much less over the long run.

READING THE ROAD SIGNS

websitebuilder • Sep 24, 2014

Road signs are there for a reason. They communicate helpful information and legal requirements that enable drivers to navigate successfully and safely. If we do not pay attention to the road signs, then we might place ourselves and others in serious danger.

Sometimes companies lose sight of a different kind of road sign. That was a major contributor to Home Depot’s recent cybersecurity breach. The company had somehow become complacent about purchasing, updating, and using an appropriate and effective antivirus product as Ben Elgin, Michael Riley, and Dune Lawrence reflect (“Hacked Wide Open” Bloomberg Businessweek , 9/22/14–9/28/14, pp. 39–40):

“ For a retailer with 2,266 stores and $79 billion in annual revenue, buying software to protect against hackers is a good idea. Using the software is a better one. ” (p. 39)

Tragically, somewhere between being that big retailer and remembering to remain totally serious about cybersecurity, a disconnect occurred. Even when security contractors urged Home Depot to activate key antivirus software features that could have prevented the breach, internal documents show that the company specifically chose not to do so. Many warnings were present, but Home Depot did not ascribe them their due urgency. For example:

“ Former managers say Home Depot was also using out-of-date antivirus software in its stores. In April it was still using Symantec’s Endpoint Protection 11, first released in 2007. Symantec unveiled version 12 in 2011, saying in a news release that the ‘threat landscape has changed significantly’ and that the newer product would protect against the ‘explosion in malware scope and complexity.’ ” (p. 40)

Cybersecurity is a matter that companies absolutely must take seriously. The cybercriminals never sleep. Their tools and devices run 24/7. So must a company’s defenses.

From a public relations perspective, this is definitely a negative. Customers are not happy when their credit card numbers show up on the black market. Customers believe that Home Depot does not care enough to protect sensitive customer data. This is not the kind of experience that adds any warm fuzzies to the customer experience.

Here is the bottom line lesson that companies so often forget—all this could have been prevented if someone had simply paid attention to the road signs.

ONE COOL JET

websitebuilder • Sep 25, 2014

Enough of those pintsized windows every time you fly! Wouldn’t it be neat to have windows so large that you have a panoramic view of everything outside as you fly? Technicon Design in Elancourt, France, thinks so and is proposing the Ixion Concept Jet. Although not at the manufacturing stage yet, all the design work has essentially been done as Carol Matlack explains (“Reinvention: Windowless Jet” Bloomberg Businessweek , 9/22/14–9/28/14, p. 54):

“ The plane’s interior would be lined ultrathin, flexible screens that display streamed images from a variety of sources. The screens could show real-time views of sky and landscape shot by high-resolution 360-degree cameras mounted on the plane’s exterior. ”

The technology would be fully programmable. This means that a less courageous flier might program the panels to display a completely conventional jet interior right down to the tiny windows. Alternatively, the screens could instantly display fake scenery or live images of conference call participants. As an added bonus, the windows elimination simplifies fuselage construction and reduces weight.

The design process has presented some interesting challenges related to the human experience. Although in theory the cabin floor could be designed the same way, scientists fear it might generate too much vertigo for most fliers to see 30,000 feet of air beneath their feet.

Finally, one remaining technical item still being studied is how to generate a changing panel perspective linked to the changing physical position of a person in the cabin. That is definitely an optical and programming challenge that will need significant work. But I have a feeling they will resolve that one.

CLOSER TO WELLNESS

websitebuilder • Sep 26, 2014

Observing how various people, organizations, and segments of society are moving closer to wellness is very encouraging and interesting. Wellness awareness is growing. For that we can all be thankful. The more we are onboard with wellness, the better for everyone. To that point, Arianna Huffington comments on the wellness transition we are experiencing and its benefit (Scott Leibs, “Exit Interview: Arianna Huffington” Inc. , June 2014, p. 148):

“ We’re at an interesting cultural moment, similar to the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, where the barbaric daily behaviors that we’ve grown used to are starting to change. We take better care of our smartphones than we do of ourselves—the phones are always recharged! But at the same time, 35 percent of midsize and large companies now have stress-reduction programs, and they have found a positive impact on the bottom line. ”

I am glad that we are moving from the “Middle Ages” to the “Renaissance.” Nevertheless, we still have a long way to go. Let’s not forget how important wellness is.

WHAT BUSINESS ARE YOU IN?

websitebuilder • Sep 29, 2014

Do you know what business you are in? Different people have different answers to that question:

“ I’m in the trucking business. ”

“ I’m in the restaurant business. ”

“ I’m in sales. ”

“ I’m in healthcare. ”

“ I’m in high-tech. ”

“ I’m in the construction field. ”

Although all these responses sound reasonable, they are all wrong. The reason is that long before you will be in a specific type of business and be successful at that type of business, you will first fundamentally be in the people business.

No matter how you slice it, you cannot be in business without people and you will never be successful in business without people. People are your customers, employees, vendors, and partners. People buy your products and services. People provide resources, influence, and connections that facilitate collaboration.

This is why interpersonal relations skills are extremely important. Otherwise, the “who” of your business (you) might incapacitate the “what” of your business (your products and services). If a person is turned off to who you are in business, they will quickly lose interest in the what of your business.

It is great to be in the [you fill in the blank] business. Just never forget that as wonderful as your business type may be, you are first and fundamentally in the people business. Businesspersons who maintain that mindset seem to be among the most successful.

DIVERSITY’S CHANGING CHALLENGES

websitebuilder • Sep 30, 2014

Diversity’s challenges are continuously changing. Some of those changes happen in fits and starts due to sudden changes in the culture, a company restructuring, an economic event, or any other contextual reason. Some of those changes happen very subtly and slowly due to generational differences and demographic trends. One thing is certain: today’s workplace is very different from the workplace 50 years ago, even 10 years ago.

Mollie Ahlers Estes is the owner of Ahlers Building Maintenance Company and Teri Rogers is the CEO of Hint. Both these ladies offer a refreshing and interesting perspective on the changes that they have noticed during their years in business. Estes touches on the hard reality that sometimes you just have to outlive your competition while you watch the diversity changes happen (“The List: How the Business Climate Has Changed During Their Careers” Kansas City Business Journal , September 19, 2014, p. 21):

“ When I opened my company 14 years ago, I felt like the young girl competing among grown men. I even had male colleagues in disbelief that I could actually run my own company. Now, all of those men have retired, and I deal with my peers. This newer generation seems more motivated by performance and success than gender and age. ”

Rogers makes a similar observation but for somewhat different reasons. She emphasizes not only the demographic changes but the enablement of technology, which of course is blind to gender or age:

“ My business has long been within a traditionally male industry, known for its technology emphasis. As such, it was years before I was taken seriously by my male colleagues. The times have changed—the world has changed—technology has changed—and that has changed all of the major challenges that I used to face. ”

I could be wrong, but I sort of hear Rogers declaring, “I’m dealing with very different challenges today, (but they are better challenges!).” Ultimately, I think that is the place to which diversity takes us. The challenges change, but they intrinsically become better in quality. Maybe I am too much of an optimist on this one, but time will tell.

TO FLUSH OR NOT TO FLUSH

websitebuilder • Oct 01, 2014

The Kansas City Water Services department is very serious about what we can and cannot flush down the toilet. The department is so concerned in fact that it included an article in its quarterly newsletter telling us specifically what we can and cannot flush. First, the article identifies the reasons we should be so very concerned about this (“Don’t Flush It!” What’s On Tap?: News for Water Customers , Fall 2014, p. 2):

“ Flushing the wrong items down the toilet can damage the sewer system, cause backups in your home, and cause overflows which damage the environment. ”

Second, the article clarifies precisely what items are safe to flush. I am so glad they finally explained this:

“ The only items you should ever flush [are] human waste (urine and feces) and toilet paper. ”

Now, just in case anyone is not completely clear on what that includes and what that does not include, the article goes on to name many specific items that are not safe to flush. These kinds of lists always amuse me because in trying to be so specific, matters sometimes become a bit humorous and even absurd.

Rather than just give you this extremely valuable list in its original form, I have decided to make things a bit more interesting. I have taken the liberty of adding some items to the list to make it even more helpful. In fact, one could consider the Kansas City Water Services department to be negligent by not including these additional items. See if you can identify which items were not on the original list. It may not be as easy as you think:

Automotive fluids, bandages and bandage wrappings, body parts, catalytic convertors, cell phones, chewing gum, cigarette butts, cleaning wipes of any kind, condoms, cotton balls and swabs, dental floss, disposable diapers, expired food products, F-150 pickup trucks made before 2011, facial tissue, forklifts, grease, Hello Kitty T-shirts, Honda Civics with manual transmissions, hula hoops, leftover pizza, loaded guns, motorcycles, nuclear bombs, paint solvents, particle accelerators, phone books, poisons and hazardous waste, rattlesnakes, sanitary napkins, sealants and thinners, spark plugs, tampons and tampon applicators, the state of New Jersey, Twinkies, unused medicines, vacuum tubes, violins, and wool socks. ”

Happy flushing!

WHEN THE ORIGINAL IS NOT THE BEST

websitebuilder • Oct 02, 2014

In 1886 John Pemberton created the original Coca-Cola. It was advertised as a brain tonic particularly due to its two key ingredients—cocaine and caffeine. Well, I am glad we got the coke out of the Coke. However, it was a good move to keep the caffeine. Most people appreciate that.

This is definitely a case in which the original was not the best. Companies sometimes create an original product and then fall so in love with it that they believe it can never be improved. Sometimes people become so immersed in the current culture that they can never see beyond it. For example, most of the cars we loved, adored, and drove in the 1960s and 1970s we call death traps today.

Perspectives and cultures change. Knowledge enlarges. When that happens new possibilities arise. New visions appear. What is ultimately important is that we continually embrace the possibilities of the future by being willing to discard the past. We have to be willing to dump the coke but keep the caffeine.

CLIF BAR GENERATES MORE THAN ONE KIND OF ENERGY

websitebuilder • Oct 03, 2014

Energy-bar and drink maker, Clif Bar, understands the importance of energy ingredients. Not only does it understand this with respect to its edible products, but it also understands this with respect to its employees. In addition to the many things the company has done to energize its employees, Clif Bar also grants every employee a six-week paid sabbatical every seven years. Gary Erickson (founder) explains it this way (J.P. Mangalindan, “A Heathier, More Rewarding Workplace” Fortune , October 6, 2014, pp. 49–50):

“ If I want to keep employees passionate and engaged, I’ve got to let them go, to make sure they have time to live their lives, have adventures in the world, and come back refreshed. ” (p. 50)

The bean counters might object. However, that is where the bean counters must learn to look at the big picture. Six weeks is a long time to pay an employee for not doing his or her job description. On the other hand, a six-week sabbatical can energize that employee in such a manner that he or she performs the job description with a heightened level of quality, engagement, passion, and effectiveness.

Smart companies have learned a very important truth about how to invest in their talent—you give a little to gain a lot.

THE RHYTHMS OF YOUR LIFE

websitebuilder • Oct 06, 2014

Many coaches, counselors, and leaders emphasize the importance of understanding the seasons of your life. I am all for that, but the large-scale seasons of your life will never come to maximum fruition if not supported by the small-scale rhythms of your life. Seasons are the major segments of your entire life. Rhythms are your daily and weekly routines. Your life seasons will achieve their maximum potential if the rhythms are right. Your days must support your decades.

Think about your daily 24-hour cycle of activity and your weekly seven-day cycle of activity. Think about where and how you spend your time and how much of your life is intentional and proactive versus unintentional and reactive. Think about the ebb and flow of work and play, activity and rest, physical and mental, private and public, personal and professional. Here are a few insights that I have discovered about life’s rhythms:

Know Your Rhythms.  Sometimes because you are by definition intimately connected to your rhythms, you fail to think about them. That is a mistake. Before you can achieve maximum benefit from your rhythms, you must have rhythm knowledge. Take time to do that if you haven’t already.

Capitalize On Your Rhythms.  After recognizing your rhythms, you then have the opportunity to capitalize on them to achieve maximum value in your life. You must think about why you have developed the rhythms you have, how they are working for you, and whether you may need to change them. You will accomplish more in your life on all levels when you capitalize on your rhythms because your rhythms help you to be more efficient and effective. Sometimes that means that you rearrange your workout schedule, change a family routine, adjust a priority, or restrategize time-sensitive projects.

Respect Other People’s Rhythms.  Just as you have rhythms, so do people around you. That is why sometimes it is best not to bring that major project proposal to your boss at 4 o’clock on a Thursday afternoon. Upon reflection, you may realize that your boss is at the top of her game for proposals in the morning hours. I could give a thousand additional examples, but the point is to understand what other people’s rhythms are. Only by understanding other people’s rhythms can you then choose to respect them. In so doing, everyone wins.

Be grateful for rhythms. As someone once said, time is God’s way of keeping everything from happening all at once. Isn’t that a good thing?

ANTIFACEBOOK

websitebuilder • Oct 07, 2014

For every movement there is an antimovement. Facebook is no exception to the rule. I came across an interesting antiFacebook called Ello. Here is Ello’s manifesto (www.ello.co “Manifesto”):

“ Your social network is owned by advertisers. Every post you share, every friend you make and every link you follow is tracked, recorded and converted into data. Advertisers buy your data so they can show you more ads. You are the product that’s bought and sold. We believe there is a better way. We believe in audacity. We believe in beauty, simplicity and transparency. We believe that the people who make things and the people who use them should be in partnership. We believe a social network can be a tool for empowerment. Not a tool to deceive, coerce and manipulate—but a place to connect, create and celebrate life. You are not a product. ”

As opposed to Facebook’s intensely visual newsfeed laced with ads, Ello tends to be minimalist. Some user data is collected for site improvement and you do have to set some privacy options. Currently, Ello has no revenue source, although special features for a fee are said to be forthcoming. Ello also takes donations.

Would you like to join Ello? If so, you cannot simply create an account. You must first register to be considered for an invitation. Once registered, then you are on Ello’s wait list. When Ello decides to issue a new batch of invitations, you might be on the list.

With all the new online networks being created daily, it is hard to know just how far Ello will go. However, given that Ello is specifically positioning itself as the opposite of Facebook, perhaps Ello will be one of the next big things. Of course, how big Ello can grow without ad revenue is another question entirely.

A MIGHTY LONG EXTENSION CORD

websitebuilder • Oct 08, 2014

Electric cars are the coolest things, but those extension cords are what really kill them. We’ve all heard that argument, in one form or another, anytime electric cars are discussed. Battery technology faces a daunting challenge to create a system that will produce reliable, long-term power. Without that, consumers and businesses simply are not interested.

A major positive development might finally be arriving on the battery scene. According to Ann Marie Sastry (the founder of Sakti3), the kilowatt-hour cost of her company’s batteries will become as low as $100. That is significantly cheaper than Tesla’s batteries estimated to be about five times that amount. The key is the use of a new solid-state electrolyte. It is more stable and easier to work with compared to traditional battery technology (Brian Dumaine, “Will This Battery Change Everything?” Fortune , October 6, 2014, pp. 33–34):

“ Sastry knew that getting rid of the liquid electrolyte and replacing it with a solid wall would eliminate a host of problems. Liquid electrolyte provides great conductivity to push lithium back and forth in the battery, but it can cause chemical reactions that over time degrade batteries or, worse, cause meltdowns and fires, such as the ones that occurred in a Boeing 787 and in Sony and Dell laptops. ” (p. 34)

Because everything is solid state, the manufacturing process is similar to that of computer chips. This means that it is faster and cheaper. Sastry’s has several financial backers who share her vision, including the state of Michigan, Itochu, and GM.

I think battery technology is a stupendous thing when it powers my smartphone. I remain a bit more apprehensive when I am driving hundreds of miles across the country. My questions are:

How reliable will this battery technology be?

How well will this battery technology hold up over five, ten, or more years?

Will the safety edge remain?

Will the replacement costs be prohibitive for the average consumer?

As Sakti3 forges ahead, these questions and many others will no doubt be answered. It is those answers that will convince me to plug in or just fill the tank.

PICK UP AN ALGORITHM ON THE WAY HOME

websitebuilder • Oct 09, 2014

Kenny Daniel and Diego Oppenheimer are the founders of a startup called Algorithmia. Algorithmia is essentially a virtual marketplace where companies can purchase algorithms, small snippets of code, or complete programs. Academic coders contribute code to the startup, which then makes that code available to companies. The areas of specialization include (Olga Kharif, “Innovation: Algorithmia” Bloomberg Businessweek , 10/6/14–10/12/14, p. 45):

“ language-recognition functions, . . . analytics for Web traffic or predicting user purchases. ”

Daniels clarifies the startup’s purpose as:

“ a way of crowdsourcing artificial intelligence. . . . We want to bring together algorithms that do image processing and language processing and hopefully build a more intelligent system. ”

I think the collaborative networking aspect of Algorithmia is outstanding. It is another example of excellent partnership between businesses and institutions of higher learning. When you consider all the talent residing in our academic community, the prospects are staggering.

Finally, if a company cannot find the code it seeks, it is free to post a reward for the specified coding. Subsequently, the company and the programmer who creates it can negotiate a licensing deal.

THE LUNCH CRUNCH

websitebuilder • Oct 10, 2014

Not all that goes crunch is lunch. Most people would likely agree with that statement, especially when they think of bugs for lunch. On the other hand, we have a new trend developing of insect consumption as a normal dietary practice. Katie Van Syckle describes her first experience of having bugs for lunch (“Crickets for Lunch: The Insect Food of the Future Is Finally Here” Bloomberg Businessweek , 10/6/14–10/12/14, p. 90):

“ At first bite, Exo’s cricket-based protein bar tastes like a fancy Fig Newton. The cacao nut variety, in particular, has a similar crumbly texture and datelike flavor, with boozy notes of brandy. Pairing it with coffee, I forget I’m eating the arms, legs, heads, and wings of 40 bugs that have been pulverized into cricket flour to produce the treat, which you can buy for $3 at health-food stores. ”

The trend is catching on at gyms, health-food stores, and specialty restaurants. As with any new, exotic, or nontraditional food, getting beyond the ick factor can be a challenge:

“ There’s a reason vanilla and cinnamon are still high on Exo’s ingredient list. Will the average consumer eat dried bugs? ”

Exo remains optimistic. It sees its cricket-based protein bar as the gateway bug. And we all know what happens from there!

EXPECTANT LEADERSHIP

websitebuilder • Oct 13, 2014

Do not expect in others what you do not first see in yourself. That is a leadership principle. If you are a genuine leader, then you will first be modeling the leadership that you expect your followers to embrace.

Sometimes this is difficult. You cannot model what you have not first embraced. It is only by effective modeling that your leadership gains credibility.

If you expect patience, care, kindness, and diligence in your followers, then by this leadership principle, you have some accountability. Are you modeling that patience, care, kindness, and diligence? If you expect your followers to provide an excellent customer experience, are you providing an excellent customer experience? If you expect your followers to project a positive attitude, are you projecting a positive attitude? If you expect your followers to be continuously learning and growing, are you continuously learning and growing?

Leadership is easier said than done. Every leader knows this. Expectant leadership is one principle you can never escape. However, the expecting only finds its fulfillment when you are doing the modeling first. If you are not modeling, then it makes no sense to be expecting.

WILL DIRECT BRAIN STIMULATION ENHANCE INTELLIGENCE?

websitebuilder • Oct 14, 2014

Advancements in neuroscience, medicine, and learning have taken us to an interesting place. Alexis Madrigal describes its background (“Prepare To Be Shocked” The Atlantic , September 2014, pp. 28–30):

“ Several years ago, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency got wind of a technique called transcranial direct-current stimulation, or tDCS, which promised something extraordinary: a way to increase people’s performance in various capacities, from motor skills (in the case of recovering stroke patients) to language learning, all by stimulating their brains with electrical current. ” (p. 28)

This is very exciting because it represents the confluence of several disciplines to produce a potentially powerful human benefit. Here are four key predictions about where all this might take us:

“ 1—Brain stimulation will expand our understanding of the brain-mind connection.

2—DIY brain stimulation will be popular—and risky.

3—Electrical stimulation is just the beginning.

4—The most important application may be clinical treatment. ” (p. 30)

These predictions are significant for several reasons. As with any new field, the potential for error is serious if not handled carefully. This reminds me of some of the early studies in virtual reality in which participants become so enmeshed in their virtual worlds, that upon disengagement they experienced severe depression and disorientation. Just as we learned with virtual reality, the promise of tDCS is great, but it will have to be used and monitored sensitively. There will be wise and unwise ways to use tDCS. Hopefully, we will be able to focus on the wise.

BAD ENOUGH TO BE GOOD

websitebuilder • Oct 15, 2014

Danny Meyer is the CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group. He has successfully launched numerous restaurants. In so doing, he has faced many obstacles. Out of that experience he shares some wisdom for all businesspersons (“Pivot” Inc. , June 2014, pp. 72–79):

“ Any great business has to figure out how to turn adversity into advantage, by determining what is good about the new situation. ”

What I love about this affirmation is that it condemns complacency and endorses creativity. It is not that you are ignoring the difficulties, but you are disciplining yourself to envision a better future. Rather than giving in to a defeatist mentality, you are exercising the opportunity to analyze the new situation so that you discover hidden advantages. It is these hidden advantages that reveal a new strategy.

The next time you are facing adversity, immediately ask the question how can I turn this into an advantage? What is good about my new situation? If you do that, then you will find greater success than you could have imagined.

Is the situation bad enough to be good? If you look hard enough, it will be.

PASSIONATE PURPOSE BRINGS THE NUMBERS

websitebuilder • Oct 16, 2014

Revenue, profit, sales, and other financial metrics are all important to a business. That is why we measure them. As important as they all are however, it is more important to ensure that the organization has a clearly defined purpose for existence. The organization’s purpose will drive its numbers. I like the way Jon Gordon expresses this truth in his book, The Seed: Finding Purpose and Happiness in Life and Work (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2011):

“ When a company focuses on its purpose instead of numbers, everyone is passionate and energized and this energy fuels performance and enhances the bottom line. . . . It’s not the numbers that drive people, it’s your people and purpose that drive the numbers. ” (p. 115)

You cannot be focused on your purpose without it driving your numbers. Every decision you make will first pass through the grid of does this help our purpose? If it helps your purpose, then it has to help your numbers. If it will not help your purpose, then it cannot help your numbers.

Numbers do not understand purpose; passionate people do.

tDCS IS COMING SOON

websitebuilder • Oct 17, 2014

Advancements in neuroscience, medicine, and learning have taken us to an interesting place. Alexis Madrigal describes its background (“Prepare To Be Shocked” The Atlantic , September 2014, pp. 28–30):

“ Several years ago, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency got wind of a technique called transcranial direct-current stimulation, or tDCS, which promised something extraordinary: a way to increase people’s performance in various capacities, from motor skills (in the case of recovering stroke patients) to language learning, all by stimulating their brains with electrical current. ” (p. 28)

Thync is a startup based in Los Gatos, California. Having already raised $13 million from investors, it plans to sell a small, Bluetooth-enabled tDCS device beginning next year. Brad Stone reports on Thync’s marketing strategy (“Just Relax” Bloomberg Businessweek , 10/13/14–10/19/14, pp. 35–36):

“ While most scientists are focused on the therapeutic effects of tDCS, Thync is developing it as an alternative to mood-altering drugs such as alcohol and caffeine. ” (p. 35)

Alcohol and caffeine work in two different directions. Alcohol is a depressant whereas caffeine is a stimulant. That is why the device can be set to whichever cranial effect is desired: “calm vibe” or “energy vibe.”

Technologically, this is fascinating. Therapeutically, it has the promise of changing people’s approach to mood-altering drugs. Commercially, this will be a very interesting niche to watch.

Many unknowns exist. Even Thync states that one of the biggest challenges is simply helping the consumer understand how to apply the device so that the correct electrical stimulation occurs. I would assume that Thync has done its homework in mapping the device to the brain. Otherwise, you are just wasting electricity or in a worst-case scenario, injuring your brain.

Currently, the company is in talks with the Food and Drug Administration to ensure regulatory compliance. Thync’s CEO, Isy Goldwasser, is very optimistic. He leaves us with an enticing sales pitch:

“ ‘the energy you’re getting is your energy, the calm you’re feeling is your calm, the self-control you feel is your self-control. We aren’t changing you at all. It’s your body and mind responding to a signal.’ ”

BEATING BLIND SPOTS

websitebuilder • Oct 20, 2014

One of the most important prerequisites for leadership growth is beating your blind spots. Perfect people do not have any blind spots. Therefore, if you are a perfect person, then this material will not apply to you. Read no further.

You are still reading. That is a good sign because it means you—like me—recognize that we are not perfect. We all have blind spots. We have come to understand that the question is not whether we have blind spots, but rather what are we doing to eliminate them where possible and compensate for the ones we cannot completely eliminate? Blind spot awareness is something that tends to grow over time if we are personally and professionally committed to growth.

Blind spot awareness directly correlates with a willingness to learn.  When a person is new in a certain industry or position, it is easy to be overconfident after acquiring a nominal knowledge of that new world. However, when that occurs, then that person will tend to have many blind spots and not even know they exist. Additional learning is usually the key to conquering those blind spots.

Blind spot awareness correlates with humility. An arrogant or prideful person will have difficulty recognizing his or her blind spots. However, amazing things can happen when that same person shifts to a humble attitude. Opportunities will abound for gaining insights into blind spots and how to conquer them.

Blind spot awareness correlates with a willingness to receive feedback from other people.  I am certain that you have observed a certain person manifesting a serious fault or flaw in some aspect of leadership or performance. You probably looked at that person and could not believe that she did not see what was happening. Turn the tables on this. Is it possible you have ever been that certain person? We all have. That is why continuously demonstrating an approachable persona is extremely important.

The worst thing about blind spots is that they enable us to do damage ignorantly. That is why recognizing blind spots is crucial so that we can correct them or compensate for them.

BLIND SPOT CONTROL

websitebuilder • Oct 21, 2014

Just as we have insect control and pest control, if we are serious about leadership growth and development, then we must have blind spot control. Blind spots, by definition, tend to sneak up on us. I cannot see my own blind spots but they are usually visible to others. Likewise, I seem to be very gifted at seeing other people’s blind spots. Here are a few simple yet powerful guidelines that can protect us from our own blind spots:

1—Be open to feedback from others.  You will not necessarily always enjoy the feedback and you might even disagree with it. However, that is not the purpose of feedback. The purpose of feedback is to pass along another person’s perspective or observation with the potential opportunity for your growth. Instead of summarily dismissing it, the wise person learns to welcome it and actively explore it. Perhaps you will gain a new insight about a blind spot. If so, you are well on your way to additional leadership growth.

2—Never assume that you know it all.  The moment you assume that you know it all, you will have closed the door to new insights. Your blind spots will remain invisible. Discipline yourself to ask questions of others, even when you think you know the answers already. Learn to be open to input from virtually any source. You never can know exactly where the next great idea or brilliant insight will originate. Assuming that you know it all will definitely kill that opportunity.

3—Spend time in self-assessment.  Taking the time to examine your life can pay rich dividends. Make it a point periodically to review all aspects of your leadership, your communication style, and your interpersonal skills. Look for any red flags or areas that may need improvement. Sometimes this strategy can be augmented by taking various skills inventories, psychological profiles, and other quizzes.

4—Tap your inner circle. Think about the individuals with whom you work or communicate most closely. These would be your closest colleagues, confidants, friends, and mentors. Seek their input about your blind spots. They can be a powerful source of insight. Additionally, they can provide strategies for correcting blind spots where possible or compensating for them as much as possible.

As long as we are human, blind spots will befall us. The good news is that an active strategy of blind spot control will help us continually to grow personally and professionally.

BEST PLACES TO FIND BLIND SPOTS

websitebuilder • Oct 22, 2014

We can have blind spots in any area of our lives. If we are serious about leadership growth and development, then we must seek blind spots wherever they may be found. The goal is to identify our blind spots, eliminate them where possible, and compensate for the ones that we cannot eliminate completely. Here are key dimensions of our lives that we should target:

Colleague Relationships.  Periodic feedback sessions can help you to assess blind spots you might be experiencing with your colleagues. Not only can colleagues help you to understand your blind spots, but the honest sharing often opens the door to a mutual blind spot assessment for everyone’s benefit.

Family.  Your family knows you better than anyone. By maintaining healthy, positive family relationships, you automatically have a free sounding board. That sounding board can be a valuable source of insight into your blind spots.

Career Planning. Career planning is a lifelong challenge. That is totally understandable when you consider the constantly changing nature of training, college, career choices, industries, the workplace, and the economy. If you do not have all the facts or if you are missing a key piece of the career-planning puzzle, then you might have a blind spot. Research, reading, and seeking expert opinions will enable you to eliminate or compensate for those blind spots.

Worldview.  Your worldview encompasses your philosophy of life, your overall spiritual or religious convictions, and your fundamental basis for how you relate to people. While you certainly prefer not to think that you have any blind spots in your worldview, by definition, your worldview is too important to accept blindly. Your worldview should be hardy enough to withstand scrutiny. Should you discover flaws within your worldview, then that means it is time to change your worldview. I have seen people make radical positive changes in their lives due to a worldview adjustment.

Blind spots might befall us in colleague relationships, family, career planning, or worldview. Seeking to identify those blind spots will give us the opportunity to make these four areas better. That will only help our personal and professional growth.

THE DECEPTION OF BLIND SPOTS

websitebuilder • Oct 23, 2014

The subtle yet powerful thing about blind spots is that we do not know we have them. It is the classic situation of we do not know what we do not know. It is one thing to have an awareness of your ignorance. At least in that situation you know the subject of which you claim ignorance. It is another matter entirely to be ignorant yet not have any awareness of the subject of your ignorance.

Blind spots’ deception is powerful precisely because of the subtlety. Blind spots don’t even have to sneak up on you. They are just there. This is what makes them so challenging.

If you want to conquer your blind spots, then I admire your commitment to personal and professional growth. I for one am constantly aware that I have blind spots. That is why I am constantly open to new insights and ideas for battling my blind spots. It is only when we understand the theater of war that we can engage the enemy. And blind spots are our universal enemy.

BLIND SPOT BRAVERY

websitebuilder • Oct 24, 2014

Are you brave enough to face your blind spots? That is a very good question. Some people claim that they are, but then run like a coward when the opportunity presents itself. That strategy will allow your blind spots to continue to rule you. It also guarantees that you will not maximize your leadership.

Not everyone is brave enough to face their blind spots. For those who can summon that bravery, they will create a better future. No pain, no gain, remains true.

Whatever you do, please don’t worry. As long as you are not committed to leadership development and as long as you are not committed to personal and professional growth, then you don’t need any bravery.

RELUCTANT WRITER REALITIES

websitebuilder • Oct 27, 2014

Different people have different perspectives on writing. At one time or another, everyone is a reluctant writer. The work is too hard, the subject too difficult, or the ideas too scarce. This all underscores the ultimate need for every writer to be disciplined, as David McDonald affirms (Jessica Strawser, compiler, “Plan Your Own Write-a-Thon: 30 Tips, Resources and Strategies for Writing a Book in 30 Days” Writers Digest , November/December 2014, pp. 23–29):

“ Passion will get you started, but discipline will see you through. ” (p. 25)

As with any serious craft, let there never be any doubt, writing demands discipline. The passion may be the prerequisite, but it is the discipline that will sustain you throughout the task. As Marie Millard humorously considers, perhaps we should study the subject of which we write:

“ I should know more about science if I am going to set my story on another planet. ” (p. 28)

Part of the reason that discipline is so important is due to the arena of the writing. It originates in your head and that can be a lonely place. What makes this so challenging is that we have all been warned about how to handle the voices in our heads! Emily Echols reflects on these dynamics:

“ So often this writing stuff can just feel pretend. It exists in solitude. Some of it exists only in my head. The only thing I have to show for years of work is a huge Word document. Sometimes when I do try to share it with people I feel crazy. ” (p. 25)

Ah, yes! The loneliness of the writing can cause us to question our sanity.

Finally, Himani Shah reminds us that not everything is neat and tidy when we are under deadlines:

“ Forcing yourself to write 50,000 words in 30 days is a bit like putting paint into a shotgun and pointing at a blank canvass. Something will stick, but there’ll be a lot of clean-up. ” (p. 26)

These are powerful writing truths and they are transferable to other fields. Passion is your prerequisite. You will need discipline. You will wrestle with internal demons. You will clean up messes.

Happy writing!

GLOBAL BUSINESS WORRIES

websitebuilder • Oct 28, 2014

Geoff Colvin did a fascinating interview recently with Dominic Barton who is the global managing director at McKinsey. Colvin asked the industry guru about the top trends, worries, and business needs taking us into the future. Among the top four items, Barton identifies geopolitics and cybersecurity (“Four Things That Worry Business” Fortune , October 27, 2014, p. 32):

“ Whether you’re in Russia, China, anywhere, the assumed stability that was there for the past 20 or so years—it’s not there. . . . [and concerning] cybersecurity: The amount of time and effort to protect systems and look at vulnerabilities is big. ”

Barton also cites the shift in economic power due to 2.2 billion new middle-class consumers entering the marketplace over the next 15 years as a major business challenge. Having the right people in the right places has never been more important for any business. Simultaneously, he emphasizes that:

“ technology . . . is moving two to three times faster than management. ”

With these kinds of global changes occurring and management not keeping up with technology, responsive organizational leadership is crucial. Business disruptions are changing the landscape in irreversible ways. For example, a company in the S&P 500 in 1935 had an average lifespan of 90 years, whereas we are now looking at average lifespans of 18 years. Although the technology does more of the grunt work for us, without wise and discerning leadership, success will be elusive. Leadership is the real need in this new global business arena:

“ You need leaders to help the machines figure out what questions you’re focusing on. If you don’t understand the business issues or questions to ask, you can crunch all sorts of interesting things and it won’t deliver. There are also judgment calls that need to be made. Machines are getting smarter at analyzing masses of information, but in a world that’s more volatile, judgment is going to be at a premium. ”

Thus once again we see that regardless of how sleek and smooth our technology becomes, having leadership that knows how to direct it is the top priority.

A GOOD MATCH

websitebuilder • Oct 29, 2014

The typical retail store today is as much a surveillance center as it is a shopping location. Retailers increasingly depend on hidden cameras, motion detectors, and other devices to collect information on shoppers’ habits. Given the pace of technology and the sales and marketing insights this data can provide, this is understandable. However, I chuckle at some of the “profound” conclusions the data generates such as this one (Cristina Lindblad, ed., “Retail: Mining the Store” Bloomberg Businessweek , 10/13/14–10/19/14, p. 54):

“ The data revealed that employee breaks and shift changes that coincide with peak shopping hours result in lost sales. ”

So I suppose this means it is smart to schedule our frontline employees to be fully on deck during anticipated high-traffic times. Well, I never would have guessed it!

I love big data.

WHOM WE SERVE

websitebuilder • Oct 30, 2014

It is easy to become excited about what we do well as professionals, and we should. Our leadership should manifest excitement because it derives from our confidence and pride in what we do. We are excited about our abilities as professionals and that is positive and healthy. On the other hand, we should always guard against that confidence and pride degenerating into arrogance. We must maintain a sense of humility and servanthood. Leadership without servanthood and humility is not true leadership.

One of the most significant illustrations of this truth is from Danielle Ofri’s book, What Doctors Feel: How Emotions Affect the Practice of Medicine (Boston: Beacon Press, 2013) as summarized by Meghan O’Rourke:

“ One day [Ofri] had a class with an intimidating cardiothoracic surgeon. To her surprise, he was as tender toward his wards as he was gruff toward his students, who, he insisted, should always seat themselves at the level of the patient or lower. ‘They are the ones who are sick,’ he emphasized, ‘and they are the ones running this interview, not you.’ ”

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/11/doctors-tell-all-and-its-bad/380785/

HEALTHCARE OR WELLNESS

websitebuilder • Oct 31, 2014

Healthcare has a long way to go before it fully provides care for our health. Wellness is our destination, but not all healthcare leads to wellness. Some healthcare merely operates in servitude to the healthcare system, keeping practitioners trapped in a frustrating place, consciously or unconsciously, of being unable to provide genuine healthcare that leads to wellness. Meghan O’Rourke summarizes it well (“Doctors Tell All—and It’s Bad” The Atlantic , October 14, 2014):

“ Health care in the United States operates predominantly on a fee-for-service basis, which rewards doctors for doing as much as possible, rather than for offering the best care possible. ”

Healthcare practitioners doing things does not guarantee wellness. Exactly what they are doing, how they are doing it, and what their overall strategy is all determine whether wellness is attained. If our healthcare system is truly going to live up to its name, then that means every healthcare practitioner needs to focus on delivering the best care possible. If we do that, then and only then, will we move toward wellness.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/11/doctors-tell-all-and-its-bad/380785/

WHEN YOUR WORDS BETRAY YOU

websitebuilder • Nov 03, 2014

Musing about email communication strategies, John Brandon suggests four opening lines to ensure capturing the reader’s attention (“4 Opening Phrases to Use in Email” Inc., November 2014, p. 10):

“ I’ll be honest with you.

Let me start with an apology.

I’ve completed my research for you.

The rumor is true. ”

I am in agreement with Brandon on three out of the four. Although all four of the opening statements definitely capture attention, it is the first one he cites that concerns me. If you must open a communication—any communication—with the words, “I’ll be honest with you,” then something is wrong. A couple things may be wrong:

1—You routinely lie. By saying, “I’ll be honest with you,” the subtle implication is that you are telling the truth now, but at other times you lie. Regardless of whether that dynamic happens to be true for you, the problem is that you have now planted the question in the reader’s mind.

2—You only tell the truth when coerced. By saying, “I’ll be honest with you,” the subtle implication is that you were planning to lie, but some pressure was brought to bear upon you and therefore you decided not to lie.

It is best to let your words stand on their own. If they are deserving of credibility, then your actions will back them up. Your actions will back them up because of your integrity. Your words will stand because your integrity stands.

EMPATHY-EMPOWERED HEALTHCARE

websitebuilder • Nov 04, 2014

Healthcare quality derives from many variables. Some of these include technology, protocol, insurance regulations, doctors’ education, and patient response. The proverbial bedside manner is extremely important to healthcare quality. One of the most significant evidences is from Danielle Ofri’s book, What Doctors Feel: How Emotions Affect the Practice of Medicine (Boston: Beacon Press, 2013) as summarized by Meghan O’Rourke (“Doctors Tell All—and It’s Bad” The Atlantic , October 14, 2014):

“ Empathy . . . can be key to medical efficacy. The rate of severe diabetes complications in patients of doctors who rate high on a standard empathy scale, Ofri notes, is a remarkable 40 percent lower than in patients with low-empathy doctors. ‘This is comparable,’ she points out, ‘to the benefits seen with the most intensive medical therapy for diabetes.’ ”

This goes back to a fundamental truth about people—people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. That is why empathy is so important to healthcare.

Repeatedly, healthcare research reminds us how important the basics are. All healthcare must be built on the basics and empathy is a cornerstone. If doctors lack that empathy, then healthcare quality degrades. O’Rourke summarizes:

“ Despite our virtuosic surgical capacities, our cutting-edge technology, and our pharmaceutical advances, the patient-doctor relationship is still the heart of medicine. And it has eroded terribly. ”

Therein lies our challenge, and therein lies our solution.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/11/doctors-tell-all-and-its-bad/380785/

THE OTHER END OF THE STETHOSCOPE

websitebuilder • Nov 05, 2014

Our healthcare challenges are many. However, no matter how difficult you know it is being a patient, try the other end of the stethoscope. It is not necessarily any easier being a doctor than it is being treated by one. The pressures of time, money, hospital administrators, risk management, insurance regulations, and morale have all radically changed the landscape of the contemporary physician. This situation is dissected in Sandeep Jauhar’s book, Doctored: The Disillusionment of an American Physician (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014) as summarized by Meghan O’Rourke (“Doctors Tell All—and It’s Bad” The Atlantic , October 14, 2014):

“ Today’s physicians . . . see themselves not as the ‘pillars of any community’ but as ‘technicians on an assembly line,’ or ‘pawn[s] in a money-making game for hospital administrators.’ . . . In 1973, 85 percent of physicians said they had no doubts about their career choice. In 2008, only 6 percent ‘described their morale as positive.’ . . . Doctors today are more likely to kill themselves than are members of any other professional group. . . . The biggest problem is time: the system ensures that doctors don’t have enough of it. To rein in costs, insurance companies have set fees lower and lower. And because doctors tend to get reimbursed at higher rates when they are in a network, . . . many work for groups that require them to cram in a set number of patients a day. Hence the eight-minute appointments we’re all familiar with. Paperwork compounds the time crunch. Studies estimate that today’s doctors and ‘hospitalists’ . . . spend just 12 to 17 percent of their day with patients. ”

For most of my life, I have always heard aspiring students and professionals talk about the medical doctor as a role that is greatly, nobly, and profitably desired. For most of my life I have seen that to be true. For the first time in my life during the last several years I have seen a major change in the atmosphere. Aspiring students and professionals are not looking at the medical doctor as a role that is greatly, nobly, and profitably desired. Rather, it is seen as a role to be avoided, ironically, for the sake of your health.

We have all heard the proverbial charge: physician, heal thyself! Apparently, if that is going to happen, then it will require a lot of help from all of us.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/11/doctors-tell-all-and-its-bad/380785/

WHAT WE REALLY WANT IN HEALTHCARE

websitebuilder • Nov 06, 2014

What do we really want in our healthcare? It certainly seems that increasing numbers of people are not getting what they want in their healthcare these days. What I want might be different than what you want. We are all different.

After reviewing several new books and other sources indicative of disillusioned doctors, Meghan O’Rourke definitely came to a realization of what she wants in her healthcare. She certainly knows that it is not the morass into which modern healthcare has degenerated. Reflecting upon diverse approaches, she identifies the approach by Dr. Victoria Sweet as perhaps best capturing her healthcare desires (“Doctors Tell All—and It’s Bad” The Atlantic , October 14, 2014):

“ Without being fully aware of it, what I really wanted all along was a doctor trained in a different system, who understood that a conversation was as important as a prescription; a doctor to whom healing mattered as much as state-of-the-art surgery did. What I was looking for . . . was a doctor like Victoria Sweet, and the kind of care offered in, of all places, a charity hospital in San Francisco. A doctor who is able to slow down, aware of the dividends not just for patients but for herself and for the system: this is the sort of doctor Sweet discovered she could be in ‘the last almshouse in America,’ as she calls Laguna Honda Hospital, a funky old facility for the destitute and chronically ill, where swallows flew through open turrets and 1,200 patients lay mostly in old-fashioned ‘open wards,’ and where she worked for 20-some years. ”

Not only does this describe what O’Rourke is searching for in healthcare, it provides some evidence of increased effectiveness in certain situations:

“ Granted a capacious amount of time and freedom with her severely ill patients (many of them drug addicts, schizophrenics, or elderly and with few resources), Sweet is able to make diagnoses that her patients’ previous doctors missed. Relying on close observation to help her understand what’s really going on, she weans them from an average of 20 medications to six or seven. ”

O’Rourke’s conclusion is that the simpler, slower approach may produce a higher quality outcome for all parties concerned:

“ It might actually be a form of efficiency: more-accurate diagnoses and effective low-tech treatments help the system save money, and result in fewer malpractice suits. ”

Yes, I understand there is some pie-in-the-sky attitude in O’Rourke’s thinking. Nevertheless, we certainly do not want to muddle forward with our current healthcare system blindly assuming that everything works splendidly well. The solution lies somewhere in the middle of these two. While the solution will be no easy task, we need to commit to certain principles and practices:

1—Fundamentally strive for wellness as the foundation of healthcare.

2—Adopt a holistic approach.

3—If simpler is better, then go simpler.

4—Where high-tech enhances, go high-tech.

5—Continuously improve all processes.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/11/doctors-tell-all-and-its-bad/380785/

TOGETHER IN A SINKING SHIP

websitebuilder • Nov 07, 2014

After reviewing several new books and tapping additional sources, Meghan O’Rourke, analyzed numerous aspects of our healthcare challenges today. One of the overwhelming themes is disillusioned doctors. Insurance companies, government regulation, malpractice suits, time limitations, hospital pressures, economics, and doctor control (or lack thereof) are all contributing to a healthcare system that simply is not working well for many. Both doctors and patients are the victims. Meghan O’Rourke concludes her provocative article with a summary of the people in mutually desperate need (“Doctors Tell All—and It’s Bad” The Atlantic , October 14, 2014):

“ In the course of our lives, most of us will urgently need care, sometimes when we least expect it. Currently, we must seek it in a system that excels at stripping our medical shepherds of their humanity, leaving them shells of the doctors (and people) they want to be, and us alone in the sterile rooms they manage. What makes our predicament so puzzling, and what may offer hope, is that nearly all of us want a different outcome. I used to think that change was necessary for the patient’s sake. Now I see that it’s necessary for the doctor’s sake too. ”

Again, it is not just the patient. It is not just the doctor. It is both. Perhaps, with that intense mutual need, and our good old American ingenuity, we will be able to create solutions that bring healthcare to a destination with which we are all satisfied.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/11/doctors-tell-all-and-its-bad/380785/

DEFINING DESIGN

websitebuilder • Nov 10, 2014

Different people might have different definitions for design. Award-winning designer, Milton Glaser, articulates a definition that takes us down to the most fundamental level (Kris Frieswick “The Art of Business: The Legend and the Superstar Talk about Work, Design, and Viewing Failure as a Gift” Inc. , October 2014, pp. 62–66):

“ Design is simply moving from an existing condition to a preferred one. ” (p. 64)

Regardless of how you might have been defining design, I think you have to admit that Glaser’s definition encompasses them all. For any possible definition you can identify, Glaser’s subsumes it.

What is especially exciting about this definition is the focus on the future. Design requires visionary leadership, intellectual horsepower, and artistic bravery to create that better future. Design challenges us to be dissatisfied with the status quo and to shoot for something that is better than what we have. That is a target worth pursuing.

EARLY DETECTION CREATES EARLY DIRECTION

websitebuilder • Nov 11, 2014

Direction in career choice can come in many different ways and at many different times. Award-winning designer, Milton Glaser, describes an amusing yet life-changing experience early in his life that convinced him design was to be his chosen career (Kris Frieswick “The Art of Business: The Legend and the Superstar Talk about Work, Design, and Viewing Failure as a Gift” Inc. , October 2014, pp. 62–66):

“ My cousin . . . had a brown paper bag with him. We sat down in the living room, and he said, ‘You want to see a bird?’ And I thought he had a bird in the bag, and I said, ‘Yeah.’ And he reached in and he pulled out a pencil. He drew a bird on the side of the paper bag. It was like receiving the stigmata. Suddenly, I almost fainted with the realization that you could create life with a pencil. And at that moment, I decided that’s how I was going to spend my life. And as it turns out, that’s how I have spent my life. ” (pp. 62, 64)

Life is funny. We never know what particular events might inspire us. This was certainly the case for Glaser. We could say that early design detection begets early direction. Early direction is never a bad thing. Lack of direction usually is.

THAT IS THE QUESTION

websitebuilder • Jul 31, 2014

If you thought cybersecurity was a mess in the West, try going to Japan. Japan is finally waking up to some of those realities and taking action (Yuriy Humber, Gearoid Reidy, Isabel Reynolds “Japan Takes Its First Step to Fight Hackers” Bloomberg Businessweek , 7/28/14–8/3/14, pp. 32–33):

“ In the coming months, Japan’s government is expected to pass a law designed to beef up the country’s surprisingly slack cybersecurity. Only about half of Japanese companies have an IT security policy. ” (p. 33)

William Saito is an IT strategy advisor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet. He of all people understands that ignorance is not bliss and what you do not know can hurt you. He also seems to understand the magnitude of Japan’s cybersecurity problem as evidenced by these words:

“ ‘At this point there are only two types of companies in Japan: the ones that have been attacked, and the ones that just don’t know it yet.’ ”

To know or not to know, that is the question. For Japan’s sake, hopefully many more will be in the “to know” camp soon.

10,000 STRONG EVERY DAY

websitebuilder • Jul 30, 2014

Demographics tell us that today another 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 years young. Lately and into the future for a considerable time, that 10,000 number will continue to happen every day. The baby boomer blob relentlessly pushes its way through the nation’s demographics charts and graphs like a large tasty meal through a python. This blob is not dead though.

It was not too long ago that if you even lived to be 65 you were quite the senior citizen. Modern medicine, improved healthcare, heightened focus on exercise, and improved nutrition have all helped everyone to live longer and better. The baby boomers are definitely on the leading edge of that trend, just as they always have been on the leading edge of so many trends (some good, some bad) throughout the past half-century of national history.

As a baby boomer myself, I feel a special privilege to have lived through so many of the iconic moments of our collective generational past. I am thankful for the opportunity to be part of a generation that has faced and conquered so many diverse challenges and situations. I have friends and associates on all sides of the issues. Life is never boring.

Here are a few lessons that I have learned through observation, formal education, personal and professional feedback, thoughtful reflection, and the school of hard knocks (where I’ve earned a PhD).

1—Every generation brings its own force.  Whether it is the baby boomers or today’s teens, every generation is simultaneously a product of its world and a creator of that world. People, businesses, and organizations ignore the generations at their own peril. People, businesses, and organizations that embrace the generations do so to their own success. This is why the very study of demographics and trends is extremely important.

2—Every generation can excel.  It is not over until it is over. You stop learning, growing, contributing, and developing when you decide to stop learning, growing, contributing, and developing. No generation has been without its unique challenges and its universal challenges. What makes the difference every time is how you choose to move forward. You can excel, regardless of what society, the economy, the politicians, your boss, your circumstances, or your critics may tell you.

3—Every generation leaves a legacy.  There is no question whether you will leave a legacy. The only question is what kind of a legacy will it be? That is something only you can decide, both for yourself and for your generation. It’s on you.

4—Every generation can inspire the world.  How you conduct yourself, how you carry yourself, how you choose to do business, how you apply your ethical standards, how you work, how you play, how you love, how you mentor, how you teach, how you reach out to others, all create the inspiration others will embrace. Never discount your influence. It is probably much more than you could even imagine.

Good thoughts for today and tomorrow. Oh, by the way, tomorrow is another 10,000 strong.

SEARCH IS THE NEW LEARN

websitebuilder • Jul 29, 2014

In Doonesbury comics, uncle Zonk got on nephew Zip’s case for overusing Google (Garry Trudeau, 7/27/14). Zip protested by affirming:

“ Search is the new learn. ”

I see something very good and very bad about this.

The Good.  Much has been written about how search engines and the Internet are a tremendous augmentation to our information manipulation processes. By tapping Google’s power, I can multiply my efforts and the quality of my data. Google and all competitor search engines are one of the most powerful capacities ever to roll onto our desktops. I would not want to live without it.

The Bad.  Never let a search engine replace your brain. Regardless of how snappy, snazzy, and sharp Google might be, it remains a search engine. It is not your brain. Search engines can do some pretty cool stuff with data via their algorithms. Nevertheless, everything they do should be superintended by the human intellectual process. And certainly—contrary to Zip’s declaration—they do not replace or displace the human learning process. Therefore, as funny as Zip’s statement is, search is NOT the new learn.

HERE TO GROW

websitebuilder • Jul 28, 2014

Charlie Rose asked Reid Hoffman (CEO of LinkedIn) if social media is experiencing growing pains and how much growth potential remains. Hoffman’s response is solidly optimistic and realistic (“Charlie Rose Talks to . . . Reid Hoffman” Bloomberg Businessweek , 7/21/14–7/27/14, p. 32):

“ A lot of the globe is still coming onto the Internet with the expansion of smartphones all over the world. That gives you a natural rising tide for all of [the social media networks]. I think there are growing pains, but I think that a lot more of the world is still coming online than is already there. So there’s a massive amount of growth possible. ”

Given the nature of the global population, ongoing technological development, and social media itself, I completely agree with Hoffman. By definition, growing pains will always accompany a growth situation. Unchartered territory reveals challenges. That is to be expected.

Reflect upon yourself as a person. Reflect upon your company or organization. I am positive that you will have no problem identifying various challenges that arose directly or indirectly related to social media. However, you weathered through them and very likely got better as a result. Therefore, will we continue to have growing pains? Yes. Will we become better as a result? Yes.

I fully agree with Hoffman’s affirmation that social media still has a massive amount of growth potential. It certainly is not disappearing any time soon. In fact, social media will only enlarge its footprint locally and globally.

Although some continuously bemoan the negative aspects of social media (it is a time suck, criminal activity, reliability of content, to name a few), I choose continuously to embrace social media for all the good that it offers. Social media allows you and me to do everything of value that we are already doing, and instantaneously splash it to an exponentially enlarged and valuable theater of operation. In that scenario, everyone wins.

NETWORKING MAKES THE WORK WORLD GO AROUND

websitebuilder • Jul 25, 2014

Reid Hoffman (CEO of LinkedIn) makes an important point about the power of networking for entrepreneurs in our ever evolving work world. Strengthening our professional networks is vital to entrepreneurial success (“Charlie Rose Talks to . . . Reid Hoffman” Bloomberg Businessweek , 7/21/14–7/27/14, p. 32):

“ A startup has a set of resources that all need to be there in order to make it successful. The speed at which you can assemble that is the strength of the network. How can we, as a society, strengthen networks in various areas? Is there something we can do in Detroit? Is there something we can do in New Orleans to create a much more robust network, to enable entrepreneurship, to create economic prosperity and jobs? ”

Repeatedly, when we can assemble the right people with the right talents at the right time, awe-inspiring things can happen. This is what is so exciting about social media. People are able to connect with other people regardless of geography, time zones, and artificial boundaries. Finding the right people with the right talent is immensely easier via social media because your networking efforts are effortlessly and seamlessly multiplied.

ALWAYS LOOKING AHEAD

websitebuilder • Jul 24, 2014

Reid Hoffman (CEO of LinkedIn) raises an insightful point about job security and the way the world of work has been changing (“Charlie Rose Talks to . . . Reid Hoffman” Bloomberg Businessweek , 7/21/14–7/27/14, p. 32):

“ Most people haven’t looked square in the face the notion that lifetime employment is gone. That’s not the way the world works anymore. ”

As others have observed, rather than pursuing lifetime employment, we should all pursue lifetime employability. The two terms have very different definitions. Lifetime employment means that you depend on a company for a guaranteed job for life. Lifetime employability means that you create your own job opportunities by how you continuously reinvent the corporation of YOU. The former no longer carries with it a guarantee; the latter has the guarantee that you are in control of your destiny. Now that is forward thinking. Speaking of forward thinking, here is Hoffman’s follow-up comment on the topic:

“ Our head of engineering and operations at LinkedIn actually does something that didn’t occur to me but now I’ve started to do. In his very first interview with an employee coming to LinkedIn, he asks them what job they want after LinkedIn. ”

SPRINT’S FOUR WOES

websitebuilder • Jul 23, 2014

Sprint keeps talking about its challenges of being in the number-three spot behind Verizon and AT&T. Sprint customers continue to leave for the competition. Since 2007, 12 million high-revenue customers have switched to another carrier. One of the big reasons is dropped calls due to poor network reliability.

My observations do not constitute a scientific study. Nevertheless, having been involved directly and indirectly in telecom for many years, and having paid attention to anecdotal reports, it does seem that Sprint consistently is associated with a less-than-the-best customer experience. Mark Davis summarizes Sprint’s four woes (“Merger Dials Up Tough Choices” The Kansas City Star , July 21, 2014, pp. A1, A6):

“ Sprint is small.

Sprint is losing ground.

Sprint’s network lags.

Sprint’s brand is damaged. ” (p. A6)

Each of these deficiencies aligns with my own observations and much of what I have heard other consumers affirm. One of the most interesting is that the brand has been damaged. Ironically, even though Sprint is working diligently to improve its network, the very nature of the upgrade process is that network interruptions occur. I think under normal circumstances this would not be so much of an issue. However, in Sprint’s case, I think so many customers have experienced so many issues for so many years, that these new network interruptions represent the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

Regardless of which direction Sprint moves, I’m afraid it will not be an easy road. Brand damage might be so bad, that the best action is for another company to acquire Sprint. At least that approach might provide the opportunity for the substantive portions of Sprint to be rebranded into a new product or service line.

WATCH AND SEE

websitebuilder • Jul 22, 2014

Ernest Hemingway once offered advice to a young writer. The advice he offered would surely be of help to any writer. More broadly, the advice he offered is something from which we can all benefit (Letter of advice to a young writer, reported in Malcolm Cowley, “Mister Papa” LIFE magazine, January 10, 1949, Volume 26, No. 2, p. 90, and also in Across the River and Into the Trees , 1967):

“ When people talk listen completely. Don’t be thinking what you’re going to say. Most people never listen. Nor do they observe. You should be able to go into a room and when you come out know everything that you saw there and not only that. If that room gave you any feeling you should know exactly what it was that gave you that feeling. ”

Do you know that one of the most respectful things you can do to another person is to listen? I am reminded of Stephen R. Covey’s statement, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” When we respect another person by listening, then we open the door of possibility to be understood.

How good of an observer are you? Most of us do poorly at this. Hemingway challenges you and me to ramp up our observation powers, ramp up our respect, and ramp up our genuine engagement in the moment.

This is something that I am still trying to improve. I have been amazed at the simple power of observation. Sometimes, one simple little observation becomes the key to a new door of opportunity.

Watch and see.

SPRINT MUST SPRINT

websitebuilder • Jul 21, 2014

Sprint keeps talking about its challenges of being in the number-three spot behind Verizon and AT&T. Sprint customers continue to leave for the competition. Since 2007, 12 million high-revenue customers have switched to another carrier. One of the big reasons is dropped calls due to poor network reliability (Mark Davis “Can Sprint Reconnect?” The Kansas City Star , July 20, 2014, pp. A1, A12, A13).

My observations do not constitute a scientific study. Nevertheless, having been involved directly and indirectly in telecom for many years, and having paid attention to anecdotal reports, it does seem that Sprint consistently is associated with a less-than-the-best customer experience.

Sprint contends that it is working diligently on its network so that the customer experience will radically improve. How quickly that happens remains to be seen. Hopefully, for Sprint’s sake, the improvements will happen sooner rather than later.

COMCAST CUSTOMER-EXPERIENCE LESSONS

websitebuilder • Jul 18, 2014

Yesterday I posted about Ryan Block’s horrific experience in attempting to disconnect his Comcast service. He encountered an exceptionally driven associate in the retention department. The over-the-top persistence manifested by the retention associate created an extremely frustrating and painful experience for Block.

If you have not already heard the call, I have a link at the bottom of this post. Please be forewarned that listening to the call is as painful as it is humorous. The Comcast event does serve to remind us of some basic principles of the customer experience:

Respect.  All of us want to feel respected. When an overzealous associate persistently pushes for a different decision than the customer has made, this violates the respect principle. First, the customer feels that her own decision powers are suspect. Second, the customer feels that her time is not valued.

Spirit Of The Law. Granted, associates are normally given guidelines and policies to follow. Nevertheless, professional judgment should direct how those are applied. When associates repeatedly pound away on the customer to uphold guidelines and policies, that means a serious oversight has occurred. That associate has embraced the letter of the law without giving any credence to the spirit of the law. This is a major mistake.

Leaving Well.  The adage remains true: do not burn any bridges. If a customer has made a decision to sever his relationship with your company, then work hard to ensure that the disconnection process proceeds quickly, easily, and yes, even pleasantly. You want your customer to have every opportunity for positive memories about his final experience. You never know if and how he might choose to return. Do everything possible to make that return more likely, rather than less likely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5TZPCl1DSU

DISCONNECT MEANS DISCONNECT

websitebuilder • Jul 17, 2014

When Ryan Block attempted to disconnect his service with Comcast, he encountered an exceptionally driven associate in the retention department. The problem as I see it was that this associate was so driven, he had stopped listening to Mr. Block.

It is one thing to be genuinely friendly and empathetic as you work to retain a customer and restore a professional relationship. All of us can appreciate that. In those circumstances, even if the customer remains committed to disconnecting service, at least the associate works quickly and pleasantly to make it happen.

In this case, the retention associate spent excessive time trying to analyze Mr. Block’s decision and how it had to be a bad decision. He spent excessive time trying to coax Mr. Block into revealing detailed reasons for his decision. Even when Mr. Block simply stated that he did not want to answer certain questions, the associate continued to press for answers. Moreover, the questions genuinely had no bearing on performing the disconnection.

If you have not already heard the call, I have a link at the bottom of this post. Please be forewarned that listening to the call is as painful as it is humorous.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5TZPCl1DSU

PRICY INTERNSHIPS

websitebuilder • Jul 16, 2014

Since when did internships become such high-on-the-hog gigs? Since they have been offered by cutting-edge, high-tech companies such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Google, Microsoft, VMware, and others. Based on data from Glassdoor, here are average monthly stipends for summer interns (Sarah Frier “OmggggBEST Summer Everrrrrrr!!!!” Bloomberg Businessweek , 7/14/14–7/20/14, pp. 31–32):

Apple—$5,723

Ebay—$6,126

Microsoft—$6,138

Facebook—$6,213

Palantir—$7,012 (p. 32)

Not a bad way to spend a summer if you are a struggling student. Companies are willing to pay these wages because they have their eye on the talent pool. Some are recruiting students even before their freshman year in college, and in some cases, during their high school years.

Michael Sayman taught himself to build apps when he was 13. Now at 17 and newly graduated from high school, Sayman is working an internship at Facebook. He is hoping for a fulltime job offer there eventually.

The age differences sometimes create humorous situations. For example, Sayman summarizes his current internship this way:

“ ‘I try to keep my mouth closed during meetings because I don’t want people to see [my braces] and not take me seriously. . . . I’m 17, and these guys are the best of the best. . . . I don’t know the things that they talk about that are old, like cassette tapes, but we get along.’ ”

LETTING THE MARKET SET A FAIR WAGE

websitebuilder • Jul 15, 2014

Some fast-food restaurants are choosing to pay their workers something better than the minimum wage. For example, in New Hampshire, word on the street is that McDonald’s workers are earning $7.25 hourly while Boloco burrito workers earn $9.00 hourly. In some cases, this strategy seems to be working because it reduces turnover and enhances teamwork, all of which add to a more positive customer experience.

Other fast-food restaurants are considering how they might revise their pay scale. What I like about that is that they are assessing all factors involved, including the marketplace. This is a superior approach to an arbitrary imposition of a doubling of the minimum wage or a $15.00 minimum wage. The former approach has intelligent, market analysis connected to it whereas the latter has none.

Although I always advocate for paying workers the very best wages possible, the fact remains wages are forever on the expense side of the ledger. Business owners cannot just inflate wages without any regard for the bigger picture. Every penny paid in wages reduces the company’s profit margin. This is always true, but it is particularly, painfully true in the fast-food business where profit margins are razor thin.

Workers receive wages because they work for them. Wages are not handouts. I fear some value shifts over generations have resulted in a contemporary mentality of “you owe it to me” when in fact I do not.

Paying a high school student $8 an hour to flip burgers is fair. Paying an attorney $200 an hour to handle a civil lawsuit is fair. Paying workers for the value of their contribution is always fair. However, to decide arbitrarily that all fast-food workers should receive double compensation is not at all fair.

Even if we immediately double the minimum wage for all fast-food workers, does anyone really believe that extra money materializes out of thin air? Someone always pays. In this case, it would be customers paying significantly higher prices for their fast food, restaurants laying off workers to reduce their labor costs, or some combination of the two. There is no free lunch.

Granted, we all have situations and circumstances beyond our control. Nevertheless, we all have a tremendous amount of situations and circumstances that are within our control. I can choose to flip burgers forever, but I can also choose to pursue my dreams for a better future. Some of those dreams might involve going to college, starting a business, working three jobs, or relocating. The more passion and dedication I bring to my dreams, the more likely I am to achieve them and to obtain financial reward.

Finally, let us remember that a wage is an incentive. Workers do their jobs hopefully because they enjoy them, but assuredly because they value the paycheck. The paycheck allows workers to live the lifestyle they want to live. Precisely because a wage is an incentive, people pursue training, education, apprenticeships, and entrepreneurial endeavors to enlarge that wage. Part of the indirect benefit of the lower fast-food wage is the very fact that it forces that worker to ponder whether he or she wants to remain in that wage bracket forever. In many cases, the worker opts to improve his or her skillsets to command a better wage. The fast-food wage itself is an incentive to advance to a better wage.

WHEN SPEED IS NOT KING

websitebuilder • Jul 14, 2014

Some of the strategies to keep workers efficient are effective and even humorous. Some companies dictate that all meetings should take place in a room without chairs so that everyone must stand. Others will require a large physical timer that ticks menacingly throughout the meeting.

I believe we all have those times when we must prompt our colleagues and ourselves to keep meetings moving along for the sake of efficiency. We do not always need an hour to handle a few simple items on the agenda. On the other hand, I think we can undermine our ultimate quality if we make speed king. I agree with Adam Grant (professor at Wharton who studies workplace behavior) who warns that the constant attempt to keep meetings fast may come at the expense of quality results (Belinda Lanks, “You Can’t Beat the Clock” Bloomberg Businessweek , 7/7/14–7/13/14, p. 78):

“ ‘When you rely too heavily on a device like a timer, you discourage people from raising minority opinions and maybe challenging the majority.’ ”

In those cases, we may end up excelling with time while killing the company via faulty decisions. Sometimes you genuinely need more time to mine the gold. As the late notorious gunslinger, Wyatt Earp, once quipped:

“ Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything. ”

MBAs CONTINUE TO GLOBALIZE

websitebuilder • Jul 11, 2014

Business globalization continuously demands globally strategic decisions. Hand in hand with that, higher education must keep pace for maximum success. That is why I was so excited to see the recent development between Washington University Saint Louis and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.

In a joint venture, the two universities will begin offering an executive MBA program beginning in early 2015. This approach is not new to the University of Washington but it marks new territory for India as Molly Duffy explains (“Wash U to Offer Exec MBA with Center in India” The Kansas City Star , July 8, 2014, p. C4):

“ The program will be modeled after Washington University’s joint executive MBA program with Fudan University in Shanghai that launched in 2002. That program is offered in St. Louis, Kansas City and Denver. This will be India’s first executive MBA offered by an American university. ”

Given IIT’s stellar record in engineering and technology and Washington University’s reputation, this should be a partnership that produces many dividends. That means a win for higher education and a win for business internationally.

TOO SMOOTH CAN BE A BAD THING

websitebuilder • Jul 10, 2014

Many factors contribute to design. One of them is the customer experience. If the customer experience is not positive, then it does not matter how intrinsically good the design might be. Because the customer is the ultimate judge of quality, as much as feasible, the design must be subservient to the customer experience.

Sometimes companies might place such an emphasis on the customer experience, that technical compromises occur. In some cases those technical compromises are not important. Such was not the case for General Motors’ ignition switches as Tom Krisher explains (“Switches’ Troubles Traced” The Kansas City Star , July 8, 2014, pp. C5–C6):

“ As [GM] began developing new small cars in the late 1990s, it listened to customers who complained about ‘cheap-feeling’ switches that required too much effort to turn. GM set about making switches that would work more smoothly and give drivers the impression that they were better designed, a GM switch engineer testified in a lawsuit deposition in the spring of 2013. The switches, though, were too loose, touching off events that led to at least 13 deaths, more than 50 crashes and a raft of legal trouble for the Detroit automaker. ” (p. C5)

I think it is wonderful and strategic for companies to receive customer feedback. Without it, companies are severely hampered in their ability to improve their products and services. Nevertheless, companies can do too much of a good thing. That is exactly what GM did. Too much of a good thing became a bad thing. GM began making those ignition switches much smoother, but now they were way too smooth and they no longer operated safely.

Listen to the customer feedback. Look for positive ways to respond. Let customer feedback inform your strategy. But never let too much of a good thing become a bad thing.

DUE DILIGENCE OVERDUE

websitebuilder • Jul 09, 2014

Remember the mortgage-industry fiasco? Well, now that most of that dust has settled, some interesting numbers are available. I want to look at just one. As of now (“Starwatch Consumer: Mortgage Tally” The Kansas City Star , July 8, 2014, p. C2):

“ homeowners have received $3.1 billion in cash under a federal settlement with 13 big banks over alleged misconduct in processing mortgages that may have resulted in wrongful foreclosures. ”

The banks finally had to settle up with consumers who quite likely were wronged in some fashion. The banks listed included such names as Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, JPMorgan, and Wells Fargo. Reputation did not guarantee reliability.

We all realize many things were happening very fast to create the housing crisis. This entire situation underscores how important it is—as businesspersons and as consumers—to perform due diligence. Just because a situation looks good does not guarantee it will be good. All that glitters is not gold.

POSITIVE PROFESSIONALISM

websitebuilder • Jul 08, 2014

Every single day as professional people, we face many things that we cannot control or change. I can only imagine the list we could create right now if we wanted to take the time. Somehow, we are all blessed with those painful realities.

That said, let us not camp there. Every single day as professional people, we all have one thing we can control or change. That is attitude.

Regardless of how difficult the challenges may be, we still each retain the free will to choose what our attitude will be. Interestingly, if we choose a negative attitude, we usually find the rest of the day does not go as well as it could have. On the other hand, if we choose a positive attitude even in spite of difficulties, it is amazing how much better that day progresses.

The challenge we face daily is this—What attitude will we choose? Obviously, my encouragement is to choose the positive instead of the negative. As John Maxwell and many others affirm, your attitude determines your altitude. Try taking a positive attitude into your day. You will be amazed at what happens to your altitude.

POSITIVE PROFESSIONALISM

websitebuilder • Jul 08, 2014

Every single day as professional people, we face many things that we cannot control or change. I can only imagine the list we could create right now if we wanted to take the time. Somehow, we are all blessed with those painful realities.

That said, let us not camp there. Every single day as professional people, we all have one thing we can control or change. That is attitude.

Regardless of how difficult the challenges may be, we still each retain the free will to choose what our attitude will be. Interestingly, if we choose a negative attitude, we usually find the rest of the day does not go as well as it could have. On the other hand, if we choose a positive attitude even in spite of difficulties, it is amazing how much better that day progresses.

The challenge we face daily is this—What attitude will we choose? Obviously, my encouragement is to choose the positive instead of the negative. As John Maxwell and many others affirm, your attitude determines your altitude. Try taking a positive attitude into your day. You will be amazed at what happens to your altitude.

JUNE JOBS—THE GOOD AND THE CONCERNS

websitebuilder • Jul 07, 2014

We are seeing some good numbers from the June jobs reports, but there is some bad mixed in there too. On the positive side, 288,000 jobs were added in June. This reduces the national unemployment rate to 6.1%. Looking just at those numbers, we can take heart. The rate is moving closer to a 5% range, the range most economists consider very normal for a healthy economy.

A deeper look at exactly what is happening however reveals some matters of concern. For example, Kevin G. Hall cites a serious red flag concerning the nature of the jobs involved (“June’s Surge in Jobs Hailed” The Kansas City Star , July 4, 2014, pp. A1, A8):

“ The number of full-time workers dropped 523,000 in June, the first such decline since October, and the number of part-time workers rose by 799,000, which was the largest one-month gain since January 1994. ” (p. A8)

Economists have various opinions as to the root causes behind these trends. One possibility is that companies are simply choosing to convert fulltime positions into part-time positions to lower costs of employment such as healthcare and other benefits. Although this is wonderful for those workers who want part-time work, it can be devastating for workers and their families who depend on the traditional fulltime gig with well-subsidized benefits.

Simultaneously, precisely because of growing healthcare costs, workers are finding that the playing field is leveling between regular fulltime employment versus contract or freelance work. Increasing numbers of companies will find that they simply cannot afford what the healthcare juggernaut will impose upon them. Therefore, whether you are fortunate enough to be in a regular fulltime job with benefits or not, your cost structure will look the same. Regardless of whether the company is passing more of those costs onto you or you are paying them out-of-pocket as an independent contractor, the cash flow will be the same.

Serious implications arise from these trends:

For Companies —These trends will increasingly demand that talent management is handled with much wisdom. It will be essential to satisfy the corporate bottom line while simultaneously addressing the serious demands of how to attract and retain the best talent. The companies that do best in the coming years will be those that can manage the profit margins while not shortchanging the value they attach to their talent pool.

For Workers —These trends will increasingly demand a very astute and constant focus on career management. The need to reinvent will be ever present because circumstances might change at any moment. The workers who will do best will be those who embrace and thrive on change, even to the point of transitioning from traditional fulltime gigs to becoming independent contractors. Those who abhor change will struggle the most.

The economy, increasing healthcare costs, and policies in flux will continue to create turbulence. Both employers and employees must absolutely monitor these factors closely, and be ready to respond as soon as conditions necessitate a change.

INERTIA’S BLESSING

websitebuilder • Jul 03, 2014

Inertia refers to the scientific concept that an object at rest tends to remain at rest and an object in motion tends to remain in motion. Psychologically, the principle applies to new-hires’ enrollment in 401(k) plans. I read recently of a study by Vanguard that explored the difference between plans that require the new-hire to enroll and plans that automatically enroll the new-hire. The participation rates were 65% and 82% respectively.

Although inertia can be a blessing or a curse, in this case it clearly is a blessing. The sooner a new-hire becomes enrolled in a 401(k) plan, the better for that person’s long-term financial security. Obviously, that enrolled employee must intelligently manage the available investment options and amounts for optimum payback.

The trend for companies to move toward this opt-in process for all new-hires is a very positive one. When it comes to long-term financial security, the earlier the start, the better. Inertia can be a blessing or a curse. I am happy to see companies are increasingly using it for the blessing side.

DELVING INTO NEW DIMENSIONS VIA DATA

websitebuilder • Jul 02, 2014

No matter how well you think you are monitoring your life with technology, there is one person who does it better, and that is Chris Dancy. About five years ago he took a special liking to all the technological devices and their capabilities, and he hasn’t looked back since. Some of the many devices he wears or hooks up to include a narrative clip camera for capturing images with comments, a Lumo Back (sensor to help monitor posture), a Wahoo Blue HR that measures heart rate, and a BodyMedia Fit that measures galvanic skin response to determine restfulness.

Dancy directs all that data into one of ten categories on Google Calendar (health, entertainment, environment, social media, knowledge work, travel, opinion, content creation, money, and spiritual). Dancy does not collect all this data just to be a data hoarder. Rather, he hopes to look for what the data reveal, and thereby live better and healthier. For example, (Ira Boudway “Really, Really Know Thyself” Bloomberg Businessweek , 6/9/14–6/22/14, pp. 88–89):

“ He also found he ate better when he slept better and slept better when air quality was better, so he changed the rugs near where his dogs come and go through their door dragging in dust. He says he lost 20 pounds simply by identifying such correlations and changing his behavior accordingly. ” (p. 89)

This past spring, Dancy finally gave up his day job to go fulltime into the field of data-assisted living. I don’t know that we all must become Chris Dancys, but I definitely believe we can all live better by letting the data inform us. After all, we never want to be guilty of asking the data, “Why didn’t you tell me . . . ?” only to hear the data respond, “You never asked!”

MORE MILLENNIALS FOR MORE

websitebuilder • Jul 01, 2014

Although any individual member of a generation will not necessarily have a major influence on the economy, sometimes it is the composite force and size of that entire generation that will. Reporting on this topic, Matthew Philips with Jeanna Smialek highlight this dynamic (“The 23-Year-Olds Will Save America” Bloomberg Businessweek , 6/30/14–7/6/14, pp. 14–16):

“ Millennials do have one thing going for them: numbers. At 4.3 million, 23-year-olds are now the single largest age group in the U.S. . . . [They] are starting their work lives in a weaker economy than the one the boomers entered. Yet they are better off than older millennials who graduated from college in the worst of the recession. While today’s economy isn’t great, it’s certainly better than it was a few years ago. ” (p. 15)

Is life going to be easy for the millennials? No. It never is for anyone. Nevertheless, I think the economy, the demographics, and the trends are moving us into a more favorable situation for the long run. Ultimately, that brings benefit to everyone, especially the millennials.

GIVING UP ON GOLF

websitebuilder • Jun 30, 2014

I admire anyone who can play a good game of golf. I will go one better—I admire anyone who simply keeps playing golf. I can say this with authority because I have tried very hard at certain times in my life to play golf and to become good enough at it that I might even play a respectable game. Unfortunately, golf is simply not in my genes. It remains a torturous experience for me. My golfing days will remain firmly on the miniature golf course where I tend to do much better.

From a business perspective, golf is not achieving the viability it once had. For example, the number of golfers peaked in 2002, but has steadily dropped since then by 24%. While 14 new courses opened last year, over ten times as many closed. Moreover, that was the eighth consecutive year in which more courses closed than opened. Lindsey Rupp and Lauren Coleman-Lochner report on some of the disincentives to a golf newbie (“How gold Got Stuck In the Rough” Bloomberg Businessweek , 6/23/14–6/29/14, pp. 23–24):

“ Not that long ago, golf was considered the activity of choice for corporate bonding and the upwardly mobile aiming to look successful. Today companies are relying less on glad-handing on the links, and many young people are cool to a pursuit viewed as time-intensive and elitist. ” (p. 23)

McRedmond Morelli (founder of major golf network company, Boxgroove) affirms the sport’s inherent difficulties:

“ ‘The game is hard, the game can take a lot of time, and it’s expensive. . . . There is no equivalent to the bunny slope on golf.’ ” (p. 23)

Although the industry is doing some things to repackage the sport to be more inviting, I think the time, the money, the digital age of networking, and the millennial mindset may increasingly shrink the sport’s footprint.

Regardless of the outcome, I will remain on the miniature golf course as I continue to admire the real golfers, even as their numbers dwindle.

CREATIVE CLASS SECRETS PART 2

websitebuilder • Jun 27, 2014

I first posted on this topic over a year ago. That is why I call this, Creative Class Secrets Part 2. (For Part 1, see Blog.reliableinsights.com, 2/22/13.)

Every occupation has its own dark humor. Folks who work in hospitals sometimes have a rough gallows humor to them. It is not that they are intentionally trying to be disrespectful to anyone. Rather, the incredible life-and-death stress they often face cultivates its unique brand of humor. It serves as a kind of safety-relief valve for all the horrible things bottling up inside them that they cannot always discuss with just anyone.

Folks in advertising and marketing are no different. The pressures and pitfalls of the industry—while rarely life-and-death level—still take their toll. If you are among the creative class and you occasionally yearn for an anonymous place to commiserate and confess your workplace sins and struggles, the Web site of choice is The Creative Confessional.

Aside from the site’s therapeutic and semispiritual utility, perusing it reveals the wide range of human emotions and difficulties in the creative-class workplace. Additionally, it captures many of the frustrations common throughout corporate America.

I warn you, some of what you will read there is dark and disheartening. Many entries are poignant and gripping. Some divulge heart-wrenching depths of despair. Some reveal incredible frustration at the persistent “Dilbert spirit” we have all faced. From that, my takeaway is never to forget how important it is to be a true professional with 100% integrity and caring every single moment of your day. You never know what demons your colleagues and clients may be facing, and when you can be of genuine help.

Some entries are on the lighter side and even downright hilarious. Here is a sampling of the confessions, and I have tried to include several of the lighter and more humorous entries too:

I used Arial today.

Just because I wrote an idea in an email that’s sent to your inbox doesn’t make it “our” idea.

Caught the [executive creative director] at a bar cheating on his wife. I’ll either get fired or promoted soon.

I just started a new job and they gave me admin rights to my laptop. I’ve never had a better first day.

I’ve been sat at my desk for 14 hours. I’ll be back here in 6. It takes me 2 hours to commute. This industry is dreadful.

If I hear someone say millennial one more time I might throw my computer at them.

I’m going to start a business selling hashtags to clueless marketing VPs.

The more you bug me about a project, the longer it will take.

I can’t today.

Oh, your chief medical officer has some thoughts on creative? Cool, I have some thoughts on ocular surgery.

Art school has killed my creativity.

Today, for the first time in months, I walked into work feeling good, not having any panic attacks, and nothing to complain about. Something is seriously wrong with me.

I’ve spent all day writing one tweet.

I’m working on making my out-of-office emails to include an audio file to reply to people sending me work to do while I’m away saying “I’m sorry (name) I’m afraid I can’t do that.” in the voice of HAL 9000.

I’m still waiting for the “perfect time” to write my novel. I know it will never come.

I can’t tell if some of the people I work with eat powdered donuts for breakfast or do lines of blow in the morning.

Time Sheets: The most creative I get all week.

I practice 4 hours a day how to fake laugh with colleagues and clients, I have to say, I’m getting better at something.

I put fake meetings on my calendar to seem like I am not available until at least next week.

I wish PowerPoint would just shrivel up and die.

I submitted the same copy to my boss whenever he wanted it revised and every time he would say “well, this is obviously better than the first one you sent me”.

I love sniffing Sharpie markers.

A lot of these confessions could be avoided if people in this industry were able to communicate with each other.

www.thecreativeconfessional.com

METAL, PLASTIC, OR SKIN?

websitebuilder • Jun 26, 2014

Since its introduction in 2011, electronic skin is finding many new applications, all of them equally amazing. The material contains extremely thin circuits, components, and other sensors yet remains as flexible as human skin. These characteristics and capabilities open new doors of significant opportunity as Joseph Bennington-Castro reports (“The Circuit Made for Your Arm” Scientific American , July 2014, p. 26):

“ Within the past few months scientists have demonstrated numerous practical applications for the devices, setting the stage for a revolution in health care monitoring. ”

The range of possibilities is marvelous. Here are just a few:

Pacemakers. The material can encase an entire human heart, serving as a low-energy pacemaker and defibrillator.

EEG Data. Far more comfortable and less motion restrictive than conventional wired EEG machines, a simple patch can be adhered to a patient’s forehead.

Healing Progress Reports.  A patch attached to the skin at or near a wound or a surgical incision can monitor healing progress. The device can sense inflammation, hydration, and other important medical conditions.

The list will only become longer. This is just another example of how innovation drives the technology that drives the benefits to us all. Even more exciting is the fact that innovation will work in any field. When was the last time you tried to innovate?

COFFEE, COLLEGE, AND CAREERS

websitebuilder • Jun 25, 2014

Starbucks has added a new college benefit for its employees called the Starbucks College Achievement Plan. Like many smart employers, it sees the value of tuition-reimbursement programs, regardless of whether a particular employee remains with Starbucks after the degree is earned. Starbucks manifests its global thinking in responding to the question of why it is providing this new perk:

“ Starbucks believes in the promise and pursuit of the American Dream. While more than 70% of our U.S. partners (employees) are students or aspiring students, we know that only half of Americans who begin college today will actually finish, largely due to financial and work/life barriers. We’re in a position to help. Education is one of the very best investments our partners can make, and investing in our partners is the best investment Starbucks can make. ”

Interestingly, Starbucks was extremely selective and strategic in the program structure. The employee must enroll in online courses in a degree program with Arizona State University. On the one hand, this decision could be seen as unnecessarily limiting. On the other hand, Starbucks thought carefully about its national footprint and its corporate culture in arriving at this decision:

“ We spent considerable time looking for the right collaboration for our partners. ASU’s mission, values and brand are a good match to our own. Arizona State is the only University that could stand side-by-side with Starbucks to offer a high-quality education, at scale, to all of our U.S. partners. Plus, ASU is ranked the second most innovative school in the country by U.S. News & World Report, and ranks 5th in the U.S. in producing the best-qualified graduates. Starbucks is proud to join with an academic institution that recognizes the need for innovation to offer more people a shot at a quality higher education, and the freedom to pursue their passions in any field. ”

I think this is a marvelous development from which all participants stand to benefit for many reasons:

1—Higher education is always a great investment both for the employee and for the organization.

2—Starbucks has immediately increased its value as a desirable employer, thereby improving its talent attraction and retention.

3—In the bigger picture, this is a collaborative win-win-win situation: ASU, the Starbucks organization, and the Starbucks employee.

4—Starbucks is holistically embracing higher education. Starbucks recognizes that not every employee will stay with the organization after graduation. Nonetheless, Starbucks is taking the global, holistic view. It knows that when its employees succeed, everyone succeeds.

5—Starbucks is committed to staying on the cutting edge. Regardless of how successful the organization is, Starbucks is constantly self-assessing. This new program is evidence of that fact.

6—This new program gives new hope. Many people who did not see a way to earn their degrees will now have a way.

www.starbucks.com

http://globalassets.starbucks.com/assets/39415f5a386a47259479e9f553246eef.pdf

INTELLIGENT WATER WORKS

websitebuilder • Jun 24, 2014

Government has not necessarily had the best reputation for efficiency, effectiveness, and common sense. However, occasionally something comes out that you cannot help but find impressive. Such is the case for Kansas City Water Services where I live in Kansas City, Missouri.

Kansas City has faced a major infrastructure challenge with its aging water, storm drain, and sewer system. Within the past few years, by leveraging a number of financing initiatives, bond programs, and various partnerships, the city is in the early stages of a major long-term rebuild of its water system. This action has been dearly needed. Last year on average, the city faced 100 water main breaks each month. That means about every eight hours another water main break was occurring. I remember at least two of them that affected my house too.

Particularly impressive to me is the “Water Main Replacement Program.” Here is how the city describes it (Kansas City Water Services, What’s On Tap?  Summer 2014, p. 1):

“ We will annually replace 28 miles of critical water main in areas of the city that are statistically proven to have water mains that are likely to fail. This proactive work means fewer water main breaks in the future, eventually resulting in fewer frustrating service interruptions for customer. And, once replaced, these pipes should last for up to 100 years! ”

Not only is the city taking intelligent, targeted action, but also it is action that will result in an improved customer experience. It is fantastic when any organization makes a decision that improves the customer experience. It is even better when that organization is a municipality.

WHEN SIMPLE TRUMPS SOPHISTICATED

websitebuilder • Jun 23, 2014

I had just reset my router. Everything should be working perfect now. Upon plugging the router back in, I realized it was dead. Dead, as in gave up the ghost. Wow! That was shocking to me.

I began double-checking all the usual suspects such as Windows network diagnostics, system formatting, cables, and the modem. I even made a call to my ISP to be sure it was not something funky with them. They assured me my home was receiving a solid signal. Next I set up an appointment with my IT person. Simultaneously, I researched the best strategy for a new router purchase.

That is when it happened—I suddenly realized I was the butt of the proverbial IT joke. The router power switch is tiny, black, and precariously located next to the black power cable on the black housing. Failing to even remember it was there, I had accidentally toggled it off when I thought I was simply unplugging the power line itself. Silly me. Time to cancel my IT person!

I am reminded of a Dilbert cartoon in which Dogbert is in a phone technical support role. As he answers the phone he immediately states, “try rebooting” and hangs up the line. The final frame has Dogbert stating, “This job is going to be easier than I thought.” Similarly, anyone who has watched the British series, The IT Crowd , well remembers Roy’s and Moss’s practice of consistently answering the phone with, “IT Department, have you tried turning it off and on?”

These situations are matters we can all relate to because we have all been there at one time or another. The valuable lesson of course is that we should never discount the basics. Just because we have been doing something for a long time does not guarantee perfection. The next time something seems to not be working as you expected, remember to review the basics, even if that includes an on/off switch.

ALWAYS ADJUSTING

websitebuilder • Jun 20, 2014

Teen clothing retailers are an interesting bunch. They are constantly working to attract a moving target. Any loss of focus means they will miss an opportunity. This was the case in the past fiscal year, as Lindsey Rupp reports (“Modesty Is the New Abercrombie” Bloomberg Businessweek , 5/26/14–6/1/14, pp. 25–26):

“ Aberbrombie, American Eagle Outfitters, and Aeropostale . . . stuck with the same products, marketing, and store design for too long, and each saw sales decline in the last fiscal year. ” (p. 25)

Meanwhile, other competitors benefitted by being in the right place at the right time with the right design and the right appeal. These included some of the fast-fashion stores such as Forever 21, H&M, and online discount leader JackThreads.

Aberbrombie, American Eagle Outfitters, and Aeropostale are busily working on their turnaround strategies. For example, Abercrombie is redesigning its stores by improving the lighting, removing the heavy window shutters, and reducing the music volumes. Additionally, the online approach is being refreshed:

“ [Abercrombie] is turning to social media to update its image, working with fashion bloggers and teens with huge followings on Instagram to incorporate Abercrombie products into their posts. ” (p. 26)

Regardless of your business model, you can never afford to lose track of your customer base. Advertising, marketing, and product or service design must constantly cater to your customers . . . if you want them to remain your customers.

A GOVERNMENT JOBS PERFECT STORM

websitebuilder • Jun 19, 2014

When it comes to government jobs, it appears we may be facing the perfect storm. Consider these factors:

1—The federal government payroll has been shrinking.

2—The ongoing baby boomer retirement has been decreasing government ranks.

3—Advertising its open positions is not the government’s best skill.

4—The online government jobs application process is very cumbersome, lengthy, and awkward.

5—Millennials are not turned on by the idea of government employment.

6—Millennials’ trust in public institutions is at a five-year low.

When I put all that together, I see many challenges ahead. Uncle Sam is going to have to reinvent his approach to public relations, talent attraction, and social media. Can he do that? Yes, it is possible. Unfortunately, we have to remember it will be like turning a battleship. It happens slowly.

In the meantime, the best candidates will gravitate to private industry opportunities, the government will continue to struggle, and millennials will be reinforced in their belief that working for the government is not very cool. Unless the lazy giants of government bureaucracy get off the couch and make rapid, substantive changes, then this will be a protracted perfect storm.

CRIMINAL SMARTPHONES

websitebuilder • Jun 18, 2014

Some smartphones might soon be downright criminal. That is now possible due to some of the latest work by computer scientist Karl-Johan Karlsson. This past January at the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, he presented his research as Jesse Emspak explains (“Data Mask” Scientific American , June 2014, p. 24):

“ By modifying the operating system of an Android-based smartphone, [Karlsson] put decoy data on it—innocent numbers, for example—so that the real data escape forensics. . . . Karlsson tested his hack on two forensics tools commonly used by police departments. Both can retrieve call logs, location data and even passwords. When he ran his modified system, the tools picked up the false information that he programmed into the phone and missed the real contents. ”

Before you ask why we would create something like this, remember that we must constantly strive to be at least one step ahead of the criminals. Only by creating this kind of a system can we begin to understand how to circumvent it. Once again, we are reminded that cybersecurity is the war that never ends.

YOUR PAY VERSUS YOUR COLLEAGUE’S PAY

websitebuilder • Jun 17, 2014

Most people regard their personal pay information as highly confidential. This means they want that data handled with sensitivity and integrity. I agree 100%.

In some cases, a person’s pay data is freely available to anyone. Typically, this involves government jobs, nonprofits, highly structured union occupations, and some public figures. In those kinds of positions, people expect that transparency. It simply goes with being in the saddle in that kind of an organization.

Where that level of openness is not the norm, workers may find themselves approached by colleagues proposing that within a particular department or organization, they all should mutually reveal their wages to ensure fairness. While I am all for fairness in wages and all other aspects of talent management, these sorts of gambits cannot end well.

First, who is going to determine what is fair? Second, how qualified is that person to determine what is fair? Third, exactly how much private information will a person’s colleagues have access to that directly or indirectly influence wages? Too many serious and complex questions belie these sorts of informal worker explorations, as Knight Kiplinger explains (“Money & Ethics: Should I Tell My Co-workers How Much I’m Paid?” Kiplinger’s Personal Finance , June 2014, p. 14):

“ Differences in pay . . . are usually based on an employee’s education, years of relevant experience and competence. There’s also the matter of what the employee was earning at his or her previous job, requiring your company to match or exceed that amount. Finally, even among people who do similar things, there are differences in performance that make one employee more valuable to the company than another, meriting higher compensation. ”

Wisdom and professionalism are evidenced by knowing what to say and what not to say; what to make public and what to keep private. Let us be wise and professional. Everyone benefits from that.

CREATING A DOUBLE BLESSING

websitebuilder • Jun 16, 2014

Marc Benioff (Salesforce.com CEO) spoke last month at the University of Southern California graduation. He articulates a life truth that most of us probably know, but maybe just need to be reminded of occasionally (Erin Zlomek, ed., Commencement Speeches 2014, Bloomberg Businessweek , 6/2/14–6/8/14, p. 23):

“ The real joy in life comes from giving. It comes from service. It comes from doing things for other people. That is what is so powerful about this. Nothing will make you happier than giving. ”

The neat thing about giving is that you create a double blessing every time. The person to whom you give is of course the recipient of a gift. That is the first blessing. Intrinsically as a giver, you experience tremendous joy. That is the second blessing. It always works this way.

Whether it is serving a relative, donating money to a cause, giving your time to a colleague, providing advice or solace to a friend, serving in your place of worship, mentoring a new employee, or helping someone who is down and out, all these are priceless opportunities to create that double blessing. Indeed, Benioff’s words challenge us. The good news is that we have these delightful opportunities every day of our lives. Let us take advantage of them.

SURROUNDED BY KNOWLEDGE

websitebuilder • Jun 13, 2014

Earning an academic degree is certainly a worthy and fulfilling accomplishment. By engaging in that degree program, the student has amassed a wealth of new information and insight about the subject matter. This is empowering to the graduate, and it should be. On the other hand, it can be detrimental if the graduate fails to retain a sense of humility.

Bill Nye (The Science Guy) spoke last month at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell graduation. He offers a simple reminder about the need for humility to saturate the new degree holder (Erin Zlomek, ed., Commencement Speeches 2014, Bloomberg Businessweek , 6/2/14–6/8/14, p. 23):

“ Everyone you will ever meet knows something that you don’t. ”

Nye’s words are simply and purely spoken, yet so very powerful and important. The moment I stop respecting the knowledge within everyone around me, I start hindering my own personal, professional, and intellectual growth.

Academic credentials are rich, marvelous, growthful, and empowering. However, never let them be your license for the loss of your humility.

IGNORING THE NOISE

websitebuilder • Jun 12, 2014

In many scientific fields, we talk about the signal-to-noise ratio. If some kind of data or power transmission is happening, we want to receive the full signal with as little interference or other ambient nonsignal (noise) as possible. Therefore, the higher the signal-to-noise ratio, the better. That means you are getting what you want and your equipment is working well.

Elon Musk (Tesla Motors and SpaceX CEO) spoke last month at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business graduation. He provides some business advice playing off the signal-to-noise ratio concept (Erin Zlomek, ed., Commencement Speeches 2014, Bloomberg Businessweek , 6/2/14–6/8/14, p. 23):

“ Focus on signal over noise. A lot of companies get confused; they spend money on things that don’t actually make the product better. ”

The notion here is to put your resources where they will most effectively produce results. Know what those areas are and keep your focus on them. Otherwise, you risk diluting your time and talent. Spending money is easy. Spending money wisely and strategically is something different.

I agree with Musk. Focus on the signal while ignoring the noise.

ONE BAD IDEA CAN RUIN YOUR WHOLE BUSINESS

websitebuilder • Jun 11, 2014

Steve Ballmer (former Microsoft CEO) spoke last month at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business graduation. He offered a strong reminder about the basic need for businesses to focus around good ideas (Erin Zlomek, ed., Commencement Speeches 2014, Bloomberg Businessweek , 6/2/14–6/8/14, p. 23):

“ A great team, great energy, and great hard work will never make up for a bad idea. ”

Ballmer has a point. If your business plan is to install screen windows in submarines, then you just might have a bad idea there. I have never yet seen a submarine with screen windows (unless it was at the bottom of the ocean!).

People are marvelous. Energy is vital. Hard work is essential. Nevertheless, you must do the idea homework first. If the idea is good, then your people, energy, and hard work will be able to run with it.

COMPLAINTS WE NEVER HEAR

websitebuilder • Jun 10, 2014

Did you ever notice that certain things happen about which you never complain? These are some examples:

This computer is way too fast.

That customer service representative was too helpful.

My job is too much fun.

Our business is growing too fast.

Why did I ever put so much RAM in this PC?

I hate it when my paycheck is this big.

People at that company answer the phone too fast.

I am feeling too healthy and well today.

Our customers keep rating our products and services as excellent.

The IT person arrived too fast.

Humorous or not, I think we can all relate to at least a few of those. They remind us that some challenges we will always have with us. They also remind us that we each have the opportunity to get in front of the difficulties so that we might do a better job managing them.

Reflect on the things that irk you. Maybe you have some opportunities to make those situations better or maybe you will just get a good laugh out of it.

WE HAVE IGNITION

websitebuilder • Jun 09, 2014

Once again, we have ignition, but not the desired kind. General Motors has been in the process of responding to and recovering from a serious ignition-switch defect that has put its customers at risk of injury or death. As this blog post publishes, GM has agreed to create a compensation fund to provide financial recourse to victims and families. So far, over 50 accidents have been attributed to the faulty ignition switches.

The saddest part of this entire situation is of course the human toll. Injury and death are tragic events that no amount of money genuinely repairs. However, the runner-up in sadness is the quagmire of human and corporate-culture conditions that contributed to GM being in this horrible predicament. We have seen this script played out too many times in too many settings. Certain ill-fated dynamics demand our attention:

Organizational Isolationism.  As organizations become larger, a tendency develops for each department to become its own silo. It becomes “us” and “them” instead of one corporate “we.” Communication channels slowly break down or completely disappear. When this happens, you have the classic condition of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing.

Faulty Leadership. Faultier than the ignition switches was the leadership. Quality leadership creates an environment in which problems are not just “issues” and people are empowered to speak what they know. At multiple points, among many people, a serious failure of leadership was occurring.

Profit Overpowers People.  Every business is rightfully concerned about achieving financial goals. Without profit, you will not remain in business. However, when profit overpowers people, your business has a systemic disease because people—your employees, customers, and business partners—are the ultimate source of profit.

Groupthink Overwhelms Individual Ethics.  Every organization must move forward united by a common vision, plan, and purpose. However, an unwanted side effect of that dynamic is groupthink. This is a bad thing because it suppresses individual initiative. The individual does not want to announce anything that might run counter to what the group seems to embrace. This happens when a technician is afraid to voice a technical defect to a manager who is afraid to share it with a higher-up because no one wants to be the bearer of bad news. Therefore, individuals compromise personal and professional ethics because they do not want to rock the boat.

Regardless of your position, title, or role, if you do not want an “ignition” debacle in your business, then it is up to you to combat these ill-fated dynamics. Unless you do that, then you become part of the problem. Let us focus on being part of the solution.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF CAMPING

websitebuilder • Jun 06, 2014

People go on camping trips for many different reasons. Sometimes it is to enjoy the great outdoors. Sometimes it is to spend quality time with family or friends. Sometimes it is to get away from stress.

I recently came across a humorous new word that illustrates a different kind of camping. That word is “technocamping.” The Urban Dictionary defines it as (www.urbandictionary.com):

“ A vacation from digital technology. No e-mail, computers, cell phone. ”

Working diligently is a noble activity. While so doing, we are usually surrounded by our technology. Nonetheless, we all need those times when we just disengage from our technology. Not only does technocamping provide a break from the routine, but we usually come back to work refreshed. Ultimately, that is good for you, your colleagues, and your customers.

So, when will you schedule your first or your next technocamping trip?

WHAT COLOR WAS THE SOUND?

websitebuilder • Jun 05, 2014

Synesthesia is a nonharmful inherited condition in which you automatically experience taste, touch, hearing, smell, and sight in a cross-sensory manner. For example, you might smell a particular perfume and instantly envision green, you might read the word electronics and instantly taste vanilla, or you might always see the number 7 with the color orange. The theory is that some people’s brains (about 4%) simply have a stronger and more extensive network of connection among their senses or regions of the brain that are usually separated during development.

From a business perspective, synesthesia is being explored to enhance the customer experience. I like this idea. We never know exactly what affects the customer experience. Therefore, the more we can inform how we do business with synesthesia-based knowledge, the more skillfully we can design all that contributes to the customer experience.

On the other hand, one could ask why give so much time and attention to synesthetes when they comprise such a small percentage of the population? I think the proper response to that question is that synesthesia is not purely an on-off condition that affects only 4%. Rather, it is a matter of degree. All of us to some extent likely have synesthetic responses. Therein lies the value of gleaning that synesthetic insight as Caroline Winter reports (“The Mind’s Eye” Bloomberg Businessweek , 1/13/14–1/19/14, pp. 63–65):

“ [a study] suggests synesthetic design inherently resonates with the general public: When 85 nonsynners listened to a piece of music and evaluated colorful computer animations depicting the song, a majority preferred those created by auditory-to-color synners over those by nonsynners. ” (p. 65)

The strong implication is that all people are enriched by giving attention to synesthetic responses because the results are more positive and enjoyable. Synesthetes also tend to be more creative, which again benefits everyone.

This developing field of knowledge and its untold applications will be absolutely fascinating to watch. Perhaps it will be a fresh reminder about how holistic our bodies and our minds truly are.

THE PRICE OF PERSISTENCE

websitebuilder • Jun 04, 2014

The price of persistence can be high, but it promises powerful payback. Sometimes when you are in the middle of a major life-stage, personal, or career transition, that truth is easy to forget. Nonetheless, the persistence needs to be there for the ultimate success.

Troy Carter found this to be true when he was fired after seven years as Lady Gaga’s music manager. Carter had fully invested himself in that position. As Danielle Sacks explains (“Step Up” Fast Company , February 2014, pp. 76–80, 104):

“ Being an artist’s manager is like being is like being their CEO, but it’s more personal than that. The job is about believing when no one else does. ” (p. 79)

Even though Carter knew creative differences with Lady Gaga were eventually taking them in this direction, when the decision was finally made, the news was devastating. It took Carter time to process it. He experienced everything you or I would think he would experience:

“ ‘I’m human. I went through every emotion. . . . You go from fear to sadness.’ ” (p. 104)

However, Carter was smart. As invested as he was in that role, he simultaneously had allowed himself to pursue other passions and interests. These became the concrete for a new runway. Seeds he had planted in the past began to produce fruit. He realized he had new options now. A former colleague emailed him an insightful and encouraging Steve Jobs quote. It is one from which we can all learn:

“ ‘The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.’ ”

As painful as it might be at times, creativity is often produced in the crucible. We might not always see it initially. It is a life lesson we all must learn. I like Carter’s closing thoughts on the matter:

“ Resilience, he says, isn’t something he can teach [you]. Everyone has to experience . . . their own Gaga. Only then do you know how to get back up. ”

EVERY AVAILABLE MOMENT

websitebuilder • Jun 03, 2014

At the Geneva Motor Show, the XchangE concept car was unveiled. The driverless vehicle allows up to four passengers to spin their seats and equipment around for meetings and work while on the go. Knowing that Google has been pioneering driverless technology, the XchangE comes as no surprise. The more progressive car manufacturers will want to get out in front of this one.

From an efficiency standpoint, this bodes well for many office and technology workers. Whether just a daily commute or numerous trips among sales calls and meetings, the potential exists to convert “wasted” time into productive time. I think this is a marvelous idea.

That said, yes, I certainly understand those times when we all just need to put our brains into neutral, even if the car is not. I am not saying we should work nonstop. That is never healthy for anyone. Nevertheless, at least driverless technology combined with a mobile office or device will significantly enhance everyone’s productivity.

YOUR FUTURE DATA-INTEGRATED SELF

websitebuilder • Jun 02, 2014

Nino Lancette recently shared a fascinating essay that had been submitted to Gartner’s crowdsourcing project, Datatopia 2028. The topic was future scenarios on the role of information and technology in our business and personal worlds. I found the content to be extremely interesting, challenging us about our desires, expectations, and assumptions about the use of our business and personal data and how it all should affect our daily lives. This excerpt is a hypothetical reflection back to 2013, from the year 2028:

“ Back in 2013, people still led two lives. There was a ‘real’ life and a not-so-real online life. Back then people kept separate personalities for their virtual life. The Great Convergence was already under way but, in 2013, most people were still reluctant to give up the perks afforded by online anonymity. Eventually, the desire for a better quality of life prevailed and today, no one talks of online profiles. There is only one life and one identity merged into a single persona that exists in rich, complex and ubiquitous digital environments. ”

Amazing! Do you envision a day when we would come to that place? While I remain deeply concerned about every person’s intrinsic right to privacy, I also am very excited about the benefits and efficiencies that occur when personal data is integrated into our business algorithms and processes.

I think when we simply observe where big data and its trending are today, this kind of a future is inevitable. Let’s face it—we each have more personal information sitting in servers all around the world than we could ever imagine. Big data and its trending are already being used throughout the business community. The hypothetical world of 2028 is very likely closer to reality than we imagine:

“ The unified persona flourished on the back of an explosion in data technologies that started early this century. Back then, companies, governments and people grappled to understand the power of ‘Big Data’ analytics. But large-scale data harvesting had already started capturing every aspect of people’s lives, from how they spent money to what movies they watched and where they worked. Now, data harvesting is pervasive: persona data is collected from dozens of touch points every day, 24 hours a day. Today, the recorded history of one’s habits, movements and decisions is what makes up their unique persona. ”

Ultimately, I see this being successful, primarily because most people want convenience, reliability, and quality. Shopping for products and services, supporting a lifestyle, entering into business relationships with various organizations, all prompt consumers to vote for big data. This means that their lives improve:

“ The Great Convergence towards the single persona gave rise to massive Persona Companies (PCs) whose primary role was to collect, safeguard and process persona data. Today, these companies are the guardians of this data: they collect and store everything from banking transactions to medical records. People encourage these companies to collect intimate data about how they live. The more data that is harvested the better the quality of life people can enjoy. Persona data determines one’s access to a range of personalised products and services from personal computing to banking to healthcare services. ”

Some people denounce all this personal data sharing. I do agree that proper safeguards must be constantly managed. The classic need-to-know basis must prevail in every situation.

On the other hand, as I have previously posted (“Who Are You?” Blog.reliableinsights.com, February 9, 2012), maybe our movement into this data-rich world will produce a side effect of enhanced integrity among all, both businesses and individuals. There was a day and a time in which you did business with someone because you knew that person. What you knew about the person contributed to your judgment of the person’s business.

Big data and social media have redrawn the map. Perhaps in redrawing the map, big data and social media are taking us back to a time when you will know more about every person. That knowing will enhance all your business relationships. Should our online persona really be different than whom we are in person? Should they not be the same?

Some folks do not like the new cartography. I cannot argue that. But I do suggest the new cartography just might introduce a new era of integrity and wholeness in us and in our relationships.

https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140528105310-34372146-welcome-to-2028-when-facebook-google-are-more-powerful-than-banks

THE FORECAST IS CLOUDY

websitebuilder • May 30, 2014

I can still remember the day when I first heard about software, databases, and other applications being based in the Internet instead of on my PC hard drive or my own in-house network. My immediate thought was, “How awkward, slow, and difficult that would be.”

My how things have changed!

Salesforce.com was one of the early pioneers in cloud computing. In recent years, numerous additional companies have stepped into this market niche, including Workday, Dropbox, Google, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, and SAP. These companies offer customers lots of seamless cloud computing services with numerous customization and cost options. Cloud computing has now become an $8-billion market that I think only stands to grow significantly.

As with any technology business, no guarantees exist. Cloud computing will not necessarily be a panacea for every business situation. You will always have some companies for which cloud computing is not the best option, as Peter Burrows comments (“Companies and the Clouds They Keep” Bloomberg Businessweek , 5/26/14–6/1/14, pp. 52–54):

“ Most companies still have some key applications they deem too important to run from someone else’s data center. ” (p. 54)

Nevertheless, I still agree with our technology meteorologists that the forecast is cloudy.

A WELCOME FLOW CHANGE

websitebuilder • May 29, 2014

Energy independence has always been a concern for our nation. Oil’s sourcing, production, and pricing are matters of constant attention. Turbulent conditions in various international hotspots have negatively affected the oil industry.

In the midst of all these tumultuous challenges, some very positive developments have occurred. For example, Canadian production has increased significantly. Additionally, the recent shale boom in our nation has tipped the balance in a positive way. Daily US production has grown more than 3 million barrels to over 8 million barrels. Matthew Philips summarizes the positive effect all this has had on our nation’s import situation (“Why Oil Prices Haven’t Gone Crazy” Bloomberg Businessweek , 5/12/14–5/18/14, pp. 16–18):

“ It’s hard to overstate the impact that rising U.S. oil output has had on global energy trade. Imports now make up only 28 percent of all the petroleum the U.S. consumes, down from 60 percent in 2005. ” (p. 17)

These significant numbers bode well for future energy independence. Of course, anything can change, and that is what makes energy policy so challenging and exciting. At least the oil is flowing in our favor . . . for now.

A NEW WEAPON IN CYBERSECURITY

websitebuilder • May 28, 2014

As usual, because the cybersecurity war never eases, cybersecurity strategies are continuously revised to keep up with the threats. A company that is on cybersecurity’s leading edge is FireEye. Its approach is quite cunning (Michael Riley with Peter Burrows, “Fighting Fire with FireEye” Bloomberg Businessweek , 5/12/14–5/18/14, pp. 35–36):

“ The company sells software that tricks hacking programs into targeting phony machines, then alerts clients to the attempted intrusions. ” (p. 35)

This is an ingenious concept. You essentially create an online virtual decoy that the malware attacks. As that attack unfolds, FireEye is able to assess exactly what is happening and how it is happening. This provides extremely valuable information for FireEye that is leveraged into how FireEye protects its customers. Here is how FireEye describes itself and the success of its products:

“ FireEye has invented a purpose-built, virtual machine-based security platform that provides real-time threat protection to enterprises and governments worldwide against the next generation of cyber attacks. These highly sophisticated cyber attacks easily circumvent traditional signature-based defenses, such as next-generation firewalls, IPS, anti-virus, and gateways. The FireEye Threat Prevention Platform provides real-time, dynamic threat protection without the use of signatures to protect an organization across the primary threat vectors, including Web, email, and files and across the different stages of an attack life cycle. The core of the FireEye platform is a virtual execution engine, complemented by dynamic threat intelligence, to identify and block cyber attacks in real time. FireEye has over 1,100 customers across more than 40 countries, including over 100 of the Fortune 500. ”

It sounds like the idea is being embraced, which is certainly a good thing if companies want to maintain and excel in the cybersecurity war. Interestingly, to strengthen its position in the industry further, FireEye has recently acquired NPulse Technologies and Mandiant. These IP-rich acquisitions will enable FireEye to continue moving full speed in the cybersecurity industry—a very smart move.

The sophistication of FireEye’s software is astounding. The software collects malware data on attacks that normally deploy over lengthy time periods. Based on that data collection, the software extrapolates the ultimate results of the malware attack and thereby designs a counterstrategy:

“ The most sophisticated hackers download malware in stages, often leaving it dormant on PCs for weeks or months to throw detection systems off the scent. [FireEye] devised a system that replicates a client’s network on a series of virtual machines, down to the software versions loaded on each one. When malware attacks, the virtual machines speed up computer time to show in microseconds the effects the attack could have over many months. That allows FireEye to quickly determine how to beat even malware it hasn’t encountered. ” (p. 36)

FireEye is definitely a company to observe. The superiority of its technology coupled with its recent smart acquisitions should render it an industry leader even as the sands of the cybersecurity battlefield continue to change.

A NEW KIND OF QUIKTRIP

websitebuilder • May 27, 2014

Asteroids might be more involved with our future space exploration than anyone ever imagined. Some leading technologists postulate that being able to tap the resources available in asteroids will be a key supply chain segment to support space travel. Eric Anderson, founder and head of multiple space-exploration companies, provides the technical rational and some of the possibilities given the trends in economies of scale and efficiency (James Fallows, “Life on Mars” The Atlantic , April 2013, pp. 30–32):

“ The near-Earth asteroids, which are very, very close to the Earth, are filled with resources that would be useful for people wanting to go to Mars, or anywhere else in the solar system. They contain precious resources like water, rocket fuel, strategic metals. So first there needs to be a reduction in the cost of getting off the Earth’s surface, and then there needs to be the ability to ‘live off the land’ by using the resources in space. ” (p. 30)

Anderson believes this is very feasible when we fully tap into the power of robotics and artificial intelligence. The resultant automation of resource procurement would feed human-populated spacecrafts traveling to Mars and elsewhere. However, Anderson does not believe it will work unless we push on asteroid mining:

“ Remember, asteroid mining doesn’t involve people. We want to transition space exploration from a linear-growth technology to one with exponential growth, and create an industry that can flourish off of exponential technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. ” (p. 32)

I like this concept. To explore space, you simply cannot launch everything you will ever need into space. Somewhere along the line, you must work smarter rather than harder. As long as asteroids or other resource-rich celestial bodies are available, we would be foolish not to integrate them into the supply chain.

OUR OBLIGATION TO THE SCIENCE

websitebuilder • May 23, 2014

At the heart of scientific and technological advancement is empiricism. The scientific method is used to establish correct and repeatable results. Peer review within the science community confirms the validity of the methodology and the reported results.

This process is of course dependent on the integrity and professionalism of every participant. On rare occasions, we have discovered scientists who chose to falsify their experimental data in the interest of some nefarious personal gain. The good news is that those instances have been rare and usually exposed relatively quickly.

As reliable as the scientific process has been, it seems in some areas, the very nature of science and its ensuing complexity is predisposing some observers to a measure of skepticism. When other scientists find that they cannot reproduce published experimental results, the integrity of the original researcher is called into question. However, that skepticism may be misplaced when we fully understand just how complex science is becoming. This seems to be particularly the case with biology.

It seems to me the answer is to keep moving forward in all our scientific and technological research to see where it takes us. Simultaneously, let us be certain that every participant is manifesting the highest level of professionalism, integrity, and technical skill. Finally, let us understand the growing science well enough that we do not jump to conclusions about the science or the researcher that may not otherwise be warranted. I like the way that Veronique Kiermer explains the situation (“Forum: Eureka Once, Eureka Twice” Scientific American , May 2014, p. 13):

“ Laboratory biologists deal with complexity on a daily basis. Mice bred with identical DNA behave differently. Two cells growing side by side in a petri dish cannot be considered identical. In the variable environment of the cell, it is difficult to distinguish a change that is meaningful to a process from one that is unrelated. Working in a modern lab also entails using sensitive apparatuses, rare technical skills and biological reagents . . . which are themselves variable. . . . The need for replicating results is as important as ever. But it is inevitable that results obtained in one cell line might not exactly match those in another. They in turn might not be completely predictive of the observations in animal models, let alone human beings. The literature of published results is still strong. To keep it that way, the scientific community cannot afford to be complacent. It must pay attention to the professionalism of researchers and take into account the complexity of biology. ”

Science and technology will continue to be a dynamic well of rich new resources. Business decisions will continue to be predicated on that well. To make smart business decisions, we all depend on each other for mutual integrity, professionalism, and technical skill. If we maintain those fundamental commitments, then we will all enjoy the maximum benefit from this amazing well of science and technology.

MILLENNIAL MONEY KNOWLEDGE

websitebuilder • May 22, 2014

Millennials have been on the cutting edge of many things, but the latest research indicates money is not one of them. Gary Mottola’s study, “The Financial Capability of Young Adults”, demonstrates that just under a quarter of millennials are able to answer four out of five basic-finance questions correctly. For example, many millennials do not fully comprehend mortgages, investment risk, and inflation.

Millennials’ financial knowledge gaps makes some sense when one considers their direct experiences. For example, in the case of mortgages, most millennials simply have not yet had the opportunity to buy their first house. In the case of inflation, they grew up in an economy with relatively tame inflation.

On the positive side, millennials have exposure to more financial education avenues than any previous generation. Schools and employers are making this a priority. Sadly, many of the millennials fail to take advantage of these opportunities as Mottola observes (Anjelica Tan, “Millennials Face Financial Hurdles” Kiplinger’s Personal Finance , June 2014, p. 12):

“ their participation rate is the lowest among all age groups. ”

When it comes to millennials and money, we have many disconnects. However, we also have many opportunities, and Mottola jumps on one of the most fitting:

“ One avenue that might be fruitful is tying education to gaming. Millennials are the most digitally advanced generation. It makes sense to offer them financial education through video games and digital content. ”

I think that is an idea whose time has come. Hopefully, millennials will then enrich themselves financially as much as they have digitally.

THE STUFF OF SUCCESS

websitebuilder • May 21, 2014

If you would like a great chuckle, you need to visit the “Do You Have What It Takes” flowchart by Drake Bennett. The flowchart assesses your probability for success. Various types of questions are asked such as “Do you sleep only four hours a night?” and “Do you think the customer is always right?”

Each question requires a yes or no response before giving you some analysis and then moving you onto the next step. For example, a yes response to “Are you at ‘Inbox Zero’?” prompts this analysis:

“ The fact that you have taken the time to adopt or develop a system to manage the torrent of incoming e-mails and have the discipline to stick to it is proof that you are a ninja of productivity. ”

On the other hand, a no response offers this analysis:

“ You have more important things to do than categorize notes from your friends and delete promotional e-mails from online retailers. ”

The real punchline occurs when you realize that no matter how you answer each question, you ultimately arrive at the flowchart’s final destination of:

“ Congratulations! You definitely have what it takes. ”

On a more serious note, no surefire formulas for success exist. That is because every formula is dependent on the individual’s willingness to execute. Additionally, not every formula necessarily works for every person. Because each person is unique, his or her approach to success is unique.

Finally, success can be defined differently. The way you define success may or may not be the way I define success. Nevertheless, we can probably all learn from each other by sharing our success definitions. For example, just this morning I came across this one by Arianna Huffington as she was reflecting upon the challenges facing young people today (“If I Were 22: Chart Your Own Path to Success”):

“ Don’t just climb the ladder of success—a ladder that leads, after all, to higher and higher levels of stress and burnout—but chart a new path to success, remaking it in a way that includes not just the conventional metrics of money and power, but a third metric that includes well-being, wisdom, wonder and giving, so that the goal is not just to succeed but to thrive. ”

To me, success means I am becoming who I am called to be, I am doing what I am called to do, and I am accomplishing what I am called to accomplish. Although it can be measured on many different levels, that remains my fundamental definition.

What is your definition of success?

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-04-24/success-flowchart-do-you-have-what-it-takes

DESIGNING A HOLE IN THE WALL

websitebuilder • May 20, 2014

Brooklyn-based nARCHITECTS won a competition to design and build a new apartment building of microunits. Microunits are apartments that are extra small. By extra small we mean 250 to 370 square feet. The goal is to squeeze more people into habitable, humane living spaces. This is accomplished via a combination of efficient design, multiuse space, and hideaway furniture.

As significant of an accomplishment as this may sound, some aspects of the human factor may have been overlooked. No matter who you are, most people do not respond well to long-term claustrophobic situations. The initially superefficient apartment begins to close in upon its occupant, as Jacoba Urist reports:

“ Because micro-apartments are too small to hold basic furniture like a bed, table, and couch at the same time, residents must reconfigure their quarters throughout the day: folding down a Murphy bed, or hanging up a dining table on the wall. What might seem novel at the beginning ends up including a lot of little inconveniences, just to go to sleep or make breakfast before work. In this case, residents might eventually stop folding up their furniture every day and the space will start feeling even more constrained. ”

While I can understand giving the designers an A for making such efficient use of space, I would add that equal attention should be given to screening potential residents. These kinds of housing situations will not be healthy for everyone. Throw more than one occupant or children into the mix and things become even more complicated.

Yes, there are times to economize, consolidate, and downsize. These microunits certainly provide that option. However, living in a hole in the wall is never good for anyone. As with any housing decision, I would say, approach with care.

http://www.citylab.com/housing/2013/12/health-risks-small-apartments/7929/

CREATIVE JOB CREATION

websitebuilder • May 19, 2014

Some people think of creativity as being important only for certain job classes such as artists, musicians, or designers. They also often think of creativity as adding to economic growth solely in very limited creative-class sectors. In reality, creativity adds value regardless of the labor sector. Although certain jobs may be intrinsically more creative than others, all jobs can benefit from a creativity injection.

The latest research indicates that when creative people are able to migrate to new jobs, even in less creative fields, the creative crosspollination adds significant value to the receiving organization. Many positive dynamics ensue that further tap those creative juices. This all magnifies the possibilities for economic growth and job creation as Richard Florida explains:

“ Creative workers in cities with a high firm density move between jobs, sharing best practices and introducing knowledge about innovative processes to their new workplaces. . . . [studies] suggest the need to shift from firm-based policies to more talent-based approaches—something I have long argued for. It’s time to stop the old ‘industrial policy’ approach of subsidizing private firms and industries and focus instead on developing the broader creativity of workers. As their findings make clear, the better, more effective path to generating the kinds of innovations that underpin job creation and economic growth comes from creative workers in cities. ”

Florida’s points are well taken. To the degree that individual workers’ creative abilities are enhanced, everyone benefits. These findings underscore how important it is for workers and organizations to be open-minded to new strategies, environments, approaches, people, and policies. No one can perfectly predict the conditions that create the next brilliant new idea. However, being close-minded will definitely prevent them.

http://www.citylab.com/work/2013/09/real-reason-creative-workers-are-good-economy/6804/

PEOPLE ABOVE PAPER

websitebuilder • May 16, 2014

The HR task is complex, challenging, crucial, and constant. At its best, it supports a first-class culture that synergistically nourishes the entire organization as it continuously refines itself in excellence. At its worst, it guarantees the degradation of the culture followed by many days in court. No question about it—those who work in HR always have their hands full.

Some organizations handle HR well and some not so well. The best companies are the ones that have fundamentally embraced a superior philosophy of talent management. This means that people are elevated above paper; culture above costs. Organizations that understand this have a bright future. Not so, with organizations that reject this philosophy as Liz Ryan (CEO and Founder of Human Workplace) charges:

“ CEOs who still labor under the delusion that HR is a job about filling out forms and keeping the company out of court need to wake up and smell the Talent War coffee. Only a great culture will keep the industry’s best people on board. You can’t pay them enough to overcome a foul working atmosphere (and why would you want to try, when solving the cultural problem is cheaper and more sustainable than trying to pay your way past it)? ”

What I love about Ryan’s charge is that it goes to the heart of the matter—the corporate culture. If you do not fix the culture, then all elements of the organization will be continuously polluted. If you fix the culture, then all elements of the organization will be continuously enhanced.

Fixing the culture is not usually an easy task. But you only need to do it if your concern is long-term success.

BOARD MEMBERS—EXPERIENCE VERSUS FRESH BLOOD

websitebuilder • May 15, 2014

Much has been written about corporate and organizational boards in terms of who is on them versus who should be on them. Some argue that keeping board members in place for many years adds value because those members understand from experience how things run. Others argue that replacing long-term board members with newbies adds value because the new members create fresh approaches that enliven the organization.

I do not think one size fits all, nor do I believe any single board-member profile is necessarily the ideal. Rather, I think the best value arises when we have a diversity of perspectives on the board. The long-term board member adds just as much value as the newbie board member. They add that value in different ways. The smart board member and its leaders have learned to tap the value in each member.

Whether you sit on a board or are in charge of a board, it is vital that you hear from each board member on every business matter. Only then can you maximize the value of that board to its organization.

BIG-PICTURE VIEW

websitebuilder • May 14, 2014

The Center for Global Enterprise is headed up by former IBM chairperson, Sam Palmisano. The organization works with CEOs and professors to make various teaching tools for MBAs and managers.

After delivering a lecture with questions and answers at one of our nation’s top business schools, Palmisano was debriefing in the dean’s office. He could not help but question the very nature of how the students asked their questions. It spoke to him of silo-thinking (Ira Sager “Career Services: Sam Palmisano” Bloomberg Businessweek , 5/5/14–5/11/14, p. 56):

“ ‘They’re all in silos. Finance can talk finance. Marketing can talk marketing. But this is an end-to-end problem, and none of them can discuss it holistically for an enterprise. They’re smart as can be. But they don’t have the view.’ ”

Specialized knowledge is valuable. Understanding the individualized systems in an organization is excellent. Nonetheless, without the big-picture view of how all those components work together, decision makers are seriously hampered. The holistic view can discern important insights missed by the silo view. The smart leader is the one who understands he or she must see all the pieces of the puzzle to understand the big picture.

We have all heard the saying, “can’t see the forest for the trees.” It seems this age-old challenge has afflicted higher education too. Perhaps higher education has some opportunities to reinforce the holistic approach to business management.

MILLENNIAL MENTORING MAXIMS

websitebuilder • May 13, 2014

The generational mix in the labor force is fascinating to observe. For the first time ever, we are getting used to having five separate generations working together. This trend is producing some marvelous innovation confluences while simultaneously creating challenges for some.

In the past, professionals often cultivated one or two mentors. With the advent of the millennials, that model has diminished. Millennials view the powerful context of social media, constantly changing technology, and sometimes generational resistance to change as all necessitating a new approach to mentoring. Millennials do not automatically adopt your father’s mentoring model. Instead, they take a broader, pragmatic, and more fluid strategy.

Given our current world, I cannot blame them one bit. Besides, since when does just one mentor hold all the wisdom a mentee will ever need for his or her future? Leading the way with this approach, millennials are cultivating multiple mentors in different contexts and for different purposes. This approach makes sense to me for several reasons:

Time Demands.  By cultivating multiple mentors, the time demands upon any individual mentor diminish. The mentee is free to pursue mentor relationships as his or her time allows. In our very busy world today, no one would see that as a detriment.

Investment Diversification.  Just as in monetary investments, by spreading your assets around, you reduce the risk of moving in the wrong direction. Sometimes one mentor will perfectly complement another mentor. There is safety in a multitude of counselors.

Maximum Exposure.  Mentors are valuable not only for the insights they provide, but also for the opportunities they can catalyze. By having more than one mentor, you maximize the exposure for new opportunities. Moreover, these days, you never know from where a new opportunity may develop.

Social Media.  Who more than the millennials can tell us about social media’s value? Some mentor relationships are conducted entirely in an online network. Most of those relationships would never have existed prior to the Internet.

Mentoring has always been a major part of leadership. For the watchful professional, today’s world offers a wealth of mentor/mentee opportunities.

BITCOINS AND CHESSBOARDS

websitebuilder • May 12, 2014

Last month, Kaspersky released its Financial Cyber Threats in 2013 report. It contains much detailed information on cybersecurity as it relates to personal and corporate finances. I highly recommend the report.

Having established that Bitcoin is one of many targets of financial malware, understanding Bitcoin’s nature is rather interesting. Most people do not even realize Bitcoin exists, its origins, and some of the nefarious ways in which it is used as Kaspersky Labs reports:

“ Bitcoin is an electronic crypto-currency that is not regulated by any government, but is in circulation thanks to its general use. A dedicated network supporting Bitcoin was launched in 2009. It was initially used by people with close ties to the IT industry, but gradually became more widely known. It began to gain popularity as a currency when it became a payment option on several major websites specializing in black market or otherwise illicit trade. These sites chose Bitcoin as it allows users to maintain anonymity. ” (Bitcoin: Money for Nothing?)

To obtain Bitcoin, the user must run complicated algorithmic software that “discovers” Bitcoin. Once done, that user owns that Bitcoin. However, as increasing amounts of Bitcoin are revealed, the mining process becomes more complex. Diminishing returns are programmed into the system.

Therefore, the subsequent challenge of Bitcoin procurement is reminiscent of the legend of the simple man owed a favor by the king, but the king was not certain what to pay the man. The simple man proposed that the king pay him in wheat based on a chessboard accounting system. The first chessboard square would represent a single grain of wheat. The second square would represent two grains (a doubling of the single grain from the first square). The third square would represent four grains (a doubling of the two grains from the second square) and so on until all 64 squares are exhausted.

The king was insulted at the simple man asking for such an obviously small mechanism of payment. The supposedly simple man was actually quite shrewd. A simple doubling times 64 would require more grains of wheat than the entire kingdom could provide.

And so goes Bitcoin. Mining the Bitcoin requires increasingly greater computer power, so much so that just operating the computers becomes counterproductive:

“ As the currency became more common, it became more difficult to earn Bitcoins through computer performance—this is one of the peculiarities of the system, in addition to the ultimate volume of Bitcoins that will be released into circulation. At this time, the complexity of the requisite computations has increased so much that Bitcoin mining on typical computers has become unprofitable—even potentially loss-making and challenging to just break even when you factor in electricity costs. ”

In case you are interested, as this blog post publishes, one Bitcoin is equal to $435.80. Happy hunting.

http://www.securelist.com/en/analysis/204792330/Financial_cyber_threats_in_2013_Part_1_phishing

FINANCIAL MALWARE’S NEW SOPHISTICATION

websitebuilder • May 09, 2014

Last month, Kaspersky released its Financial Cyber Threats in 2013 report. It contains much detailed information on cybersecurity as it relates to personal and corporate finances. I highly recommend the report.

Having established that banks are a major target of financial malware, understanding how persistent and sophisticated the cybercriminals are is fascinating and disturbing. For example, Kaspersky Labs has identified Zbot (aka ZeuS) as being:

“ the most active malicious banking program—both in terms of the number of attacks and in terms of the number of targeted users. . . . . The number of attacks that were traced back to this Trojan’s modifications more than doubled over the course of the year, and the number of users attacked by the Trojan in the past year was greater than all the victims of the other Top 10 malicious banking programs put together. ” (Banking Malware Strikes)

Now that is a pretty persistent piece of malware I would say. Persistence is a constant trait of financial malware, but now we are finding increasing levels of sophistication in how the software behind these attacks is managed. This includes every conceivable realm such as systematic malware updates, process streamlining, sales, distribution, strategic alliances, and technical support:

“ In 2011, Zbot’s source code went public and was used to create (and is still being used to create) new variants of malicious programs, which is impacting attack statistics. Zbot is also known for having served as the foundation for the development of the Citadel platform—one of several attempts to migrate the principles of commercial software into the sphere of malicious program development. Citadel users could not only purchase a Trojan, they could also get tech support and prompt updates to prevent their programs from being detected by antivirus products. Citadel web resources also provided an organized social venue for hackers who could place orders for new functions. ”

This certainly demonstrates that organized crime is big business regardless of whether it is offline or online. Zbot is just one example of a persistent and sophisticated threat that would like to rob the bank without ever pulling a gun.

http://www.securelist.com/en/analysis/204792330/Financial_cyber_threats_in_2013_Part_1_phishing

FINANCIAL MALWARE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING

websitebuilder • May 08, 2014

Last month, Kaspersky released its Financial Cyber Threats in 2013 report. It contains much detailed information on cybersecurity as it relates to personal and corporate finances. I highly recommend the report.

Having established that financial malware is a constant threat, understanding its different types is interesting. They are many. Comprising 66.7%, the largest and most diverse type of financial malware in 2013 is banking. These are the programs that aim to steal cash or obtain the right kind of data to steal cash from any kind of a bank account.

Coming in at 20.2% are the Bitcoin wallet stealers. These are the programs that aim to steal other people’s Bitcoin. It seems the “no honor among thieves” rule applies here. Bitcoin is a (“Know Your Enemy: Financial Malware Species”):

“ crypto-currency . . . which has become a sought-after prize for financial fraudsters over the past couple of years. ”

Third place at 8.9% are the downloaders of Bitcoin mining software. To obtain Bitcoin to begin with, the user must run complicated algorithmic software that “discovers” Bitcoin. Once done, that user now owns that Bitcoin. To maximize their odds of Bitcoin discovery, some of those users would like to infect other computers with the downloaders of Bitcoin mining software.

Finally, fourth place at 4.2% are the keyloggers. These are malicious programs that will log every user keystroke. This enables the capturing of log-in IDs, passwords, and other confidential information that can later be criminally exploited.

Financial malware, indeed, is a many splendored thing.

http://www.securelist.com/en/analysis/204792330/Financial_cyber_threats_in_2013_Part_1_phishing

RUSSIA TAKES THE LEAD IN MALWARE ATTACKS

websitebuilder • May 07, 2014

Last month, Kaspersky released its Financial Cyber Threats in 2013 report. It contains much detailed information on cybersecurity as it relates to personal and corporate finances. I highly recommend the report.

Kaspersky analyzed financial malware attacks by geography. The most targeted country from 2012 to 2013 was Russia. Sitting in first place at a whopping 37.2%, its closest competitor was the US at a distant 6.9%.

Third placers and below dropped in significance pretty quickly:

India (5.1%)

Vietnam (4.7%)

Germany (3.0%)

Italy (2.9%)

Turkey (2.5%)

Kazakhstan (2.5%)

United Kingdom (2.4%)

Brazil (2.2%)

Algeria (1.8%)

Ukraine (1.7%)

[All others (27.1%)]

Joking and politics aside, this is one area in which the US is probably very happy to come in behind Russia.

http://www.securelist.com/en/analysis/204792330/Financial_cyber_threats_in_2013_Part_1_phishing

WATCH YOUR WALLET—AND YOUR ANDROID

websitebuilder • May 06, 2014

Last month, Kaspersky released its Financial Cyber Threats in 2013 report. It contains much detailed information on cybersecurity as it relates to personal and corporate finances. I highly recommend the report.

One of the concerns that especially caught my attention are the cybersecurity financial risks involving mobile devices, with Android systems in particular being targeted. For example, in June 2013, Kaspersky Lab’s identified 265 cases of malicious Android applications. By December, that number had risen to 1,321. Last year was also the first year in which Kaspersky identified Android Trojans that will steal money from users’ bank accounts (Main Findings, Mobile Malware).

Private users and corporate users can easily become complacent. Complacency is the handmaiden of the cybercriminal. Now, more than ever, we must be watchful concerning our financial data security. This is especially true for Android-based systems (Part 3, Mobile Banking Threats):

“ In absolute terms, the number of attacks that were detected by Kaspersky Lab products, involved financial malware and targeted mobile users has been relatively low up to now, but their number has been rising—a clear trend which has now been observed for more than six months. It means that users of mobile devices, particularly those running the Android platform, should be extremely careful when it comes to the security of their financial data. ”

Although iOS-based users have traditionally been less of a target, the report cautions that they too must remain vigilant:

“ Users of iOS-based devices should not be complacent, either. Although there has not so far been a spate of malware designed to steal sensitive data from iPhone and iPad owners, operating system errors making such malware possible keep appearing. ”

Therefore, it is only a matter of time before these users will be as much of a target as the Android users. It sounds to me that Kaspersky has definitely given us all a word to the wise—Watch your wallet and your Android, and any other mobile device used for financial data.

http://www.securelist.com/en/analysis/204792330/Financial_cyber_threats_in_2013_Part_1_phishing

CHARACTER NOT GUARANTEED

websitebuilder • May 05, 2014

I read about a 2006 study of graduate students by Professor Donald McCabe (Rutgers University). The study involved 5,000 students in 32 schools. At that time, 47% of nonbusiness students and 56% of business students admitted to cheating during the past academic year. Recent implications are that the trend is growing, but many students do not consider it cheating. Patricia Clark, reporting for Bloomberg Businessweek , proposes two reasons for the apparent increase in cheating in graduate school (“Think Cheating Is Down at B-Schools? Researcher Says ‘Don’t Believe It’” April 24, 2014):

“ Some reasons that cheating may be on the rise include online resources that make it easier as well as millennials’ attitudes toward institutions. ”

I agree with Clark. The Internet has definitely made life easier for everyone, honest or dishonest.

Millennials’ attitudes contribute to this trend. They do not necessarily trust large institutions and therefore perhaps view cheating as simply “getting what I should be given.”

Both these reasons are very sad because underlying them is a lack of simple integrity. Integrity means you adhere to honesty and morality regardless of how easy the cheating option is or what the contemporary culture might sanction.

Business and character do not automatically travel together. Sometimes they are pursuing separate goals. Regardless of how much violation happens, we who embrace an ethical approach have an obligation to maintain our own honesty while encouraging and modeling that behavior for others. I have a feeling we will always have our work cut out for us.

www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-04-24/think-cheating-is-down-at-b-schools-researcher-says-dont-believe-it

RECYCLING THE NUCLEAR TRASH

websitebuilder • May 02, 2014

Dilbert is alive and well, even in nuclear energy. We find ourselves in an interesting situation involving a 34-ton load of weapons grade plutonium.

As part of an agreement with Russia in 2000, the US is responsible for converting 34 tons of weapons grade plutonium into mixed-oxide fuel (MOX), which in combination with uranium would be used in nuclear power plants. This conversion process was to be done at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The aging plutonium factory looked promising, and after an anticipated $1 billion upgrade, everyone believed it could handle the job.

That is when things became messy.

Some of the technical and capacity requirements are significant and may have been underestimated. The project is now way over budget. The Department of Energy estimates project completion and plutonium processing will cost at least $33 billion. Between the local politicians and the DC politicians, workers and management, the Department of Energy and private industry, and Russia and the US, not too many people are happy. Arguments, lawsuits, and diverse options are all on the table, and in the meantime, daily work converting the plant continues. Unfortunately, it is a sorry situation, as Matthew Philips summarizes (“A Botched Plan to Turn Warheads Into Fuel” Bloomberg Businessweek , 4/28/14–5/4/14, pp. 33–34):

“ While the political battle plays out, 1,800 workers remain on the job, building a factory the administration doesn’t want to finish, to make fuel the energy industry doesn’t want to buy. ” (p. 34)

I have always contended that nuclear energy is one of the smartest approaches we have available today. It is sad when we see what should have been tremendous opportunities like this one completely derailed.

WHEN PR GOES DOWN THE TOILET

websitebuilder • May 01, 2014

Awkward situations create the greatest opportunities for good public relations work. The town of Wichita Falls (Texas) is learning that lesson. I am not so sure it is a lesson they relish.

Given the worst drought in 140 years, Wichita Falls is planning to become the first city in the nation to recycle household sewage right back into its residents’ tap water. Yuck!

Well, once you consider the science involved, it is not quite as bad as it sounds. The yuck factor stems more from human perceptions rather than scientific realities. Darrell Preston describes the recycling process (“Cooling Off With a Nice, Tall Glass of Toilet Water” Bloomberg Businessweek , 4/28/14–5/4/14, p. 37):

“ Household wastewater will first go to a plant that filters out solids, . . . Next, microfiltration will remove additional waste, followed by reverse osmosis to destroy any remaining contaminants, including pharmaceuticals flushed down toilets. In the final step, the water will go to the same plant that cleans lake water, where it’s chemically treated to kill pathogens. Add standard amounts of chlorine and fluoride, and it’s ready for the faucet. ”

Calvin Finch, who is the director of the Water Conservation and Technology Center in San Antonio, affirms that sewage will increasingly be seen as a resource. He certainly recognizes the PR challenge. In his words:

“ You have to educate people to the idea. ”

It seems to me that there is lots of education coming to Wichita Falls. What an interesting PR assignment that will be.

MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

websitebuilder • Apr 30, 2014

The economic recovery may not be booming, but at least it seems to be moving in the right direction. Some promising statistics are surfacing:

The 5% Crossover. Of the nation’s 372 metro areas, 49 of them (13%) now have jobless rates below 5%. This is the best it has been since the beginning of the recession in 2008. At that time, only two cities had a jobless rate below 5%. Remember, given normal circumstances of job changes, 5.2 to 5.6% is regarded as full employment.

The Fed Beige Book Review. The Federal Reserve Bank Beige Book’s review of economic conditions cites 6 out of 12 districts in which companies are struggling to find skilled workers. These are Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Kansas City (Missouri), New York, and Richmond (Virginia).

Open Positions. Nationally, the number of open positions grew by 299,000 to 4.17 million early this year. This was the largest gain since 2008.

In addition to these facts, Steve Matthews reports a typical experience among business owners (“Help Wanted Signs Are Popping Up in U.S. Cities” Bloomberg Businessweek , 4/28/14–5/4/14, pp. 20–21):

“ To hire 10 to 15 project coordinators this year, Texas builder Sabre Commercial has boosted pay 10 percent and added a 401(k) retirement plan. ‘It is an employee’s market,’ says John Cyrier, co-founder and president of the 48-employee Austin-based company. ‘We are definitely seeing a labor shortage in Austin and central Texas. I see it only getting worse.’ ” (p. 20)

Hey, with all the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth about how bad our economy is, I will take any good news at all. The recovery may not be a flood, but at least the water is moving in the right direction.

WHEN SILENCE IS TOO SILENT

websitebuilder • Apr 29, 2014

I have always thought that one of the neatest things about electric cars is their silent motors. Many people see that as one of their main selling points. Engineers already work hard to insulate the cabinet from as much noise as possible. Therefore, when it comes to electric cars, why would we not all embrace the sound of silence?

Public safety, it turns out, is the main reason. A vehicle with no motor noise increases the danger to other vehicles and especially to pedestrians and bicyclists. Keep in mind that this danger is largely confined to speeds less than 20 miles per hour. Beyond that speed, wind and tire noises tend to sound sufficient warning.

It appears carmakers have mixed feelings about the best approach on this matter. Why create an “engine” noise when the electric motor has none? I can understand that frustration. As the debate unfolds, various approaches are manifesting, as Dorothee Tschampa reports (“Cue the Engine Rumble” Bloomberg Businessweek , 1/13/14–1/19/14, pp. 20–21):

“ BMW, maker of the i3 hatchback, and Volkswagen, maker of the tiny e-Up!, want to keep the din of electric vehicles at a minimum and will add sound only if regulations are imposed requiring them. Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Motors, said in June that electric cars should direct ‘a pleasant-sounding noise’ as a gentle warning to nearby people rather than emitting sound all the time. ” (p. 20)

Why do I have a feeling we are about to enter a new age of automotive technology that has echoes of the new age of ringtones?

LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM BRYAN CRANSTON

websitebuilder • Apr 28, 2014

As leaders, we should be continuously learning from other leaders. We should also be continuously learning from our mentors, colleagues, friends, direct reports, circumstances, businesses, families, and any other opportunity that brings valuable lessons. This is why, regardless of our specialty, we should regularly scan what is happening in unrelated areas. So often, we can gain helpful insights, lessons, and affirmations.

Our leadership styles will vary depending on our personalities, attitudes, backgrounds, contexts, and circumstances. Nevertheless, some common denominators seem intrinsic to quality leadership. For example, maintaining a sense of humility and gratitude are often associated with great leaders.

Bryan Cranston, best known for his lead role in Breaking Bad , ties these concepts together recently in an interview with Parade . Cranston was asked how he stays so grounded in that he is known as one of the nicest people in Hollywood. His response is very instructive (Mark K. Updegrove “The Parade Interview: Bryan Cranston” April 27, 2014, pp. 10–15):

“ I don’t know why I’ve been so fortunate in this life, but I’m not going to take it for granted. Never feel you’re entitled to anything. . . . I saw the way [Tom Hanks] behaved on the set, his ability to convey respect and appreciation for others, and I made mental notes. That’s the way I am leading this cast [in All the Way]. Let’s keep the drama in the show, not around it, and let’s all be thankful. ” (p. 15)

By his statements, Cranston makes it clear that he is always willing to observe other people and learn from them. He also emphasizes that attitude is fundamental to great leadership. These are powerful leadership principles. Tragically, we do not always see them in action. Fortunately, you and I have opportunity to demonstrate them today and every day.

SANCTITY SHOULD BE A SERIOUS WORD

websitebuilder • Apr 25, 2014

Yesterday the American Postal Workers Union held protests in 27 states. The union’s gripe is the opening of postal counters in Staples locations that are staffed with Staples employees instead of uniformed official postal employees. The union is concerned about Staples’ decision because (Staff and News Services, The Kansas City Star , “Postal Workers to Protest Today” April 24, 2014, p. A11):

“ the union says that could lead to layoffs and the closing of post offices. In a statement, the union said postal workers ‘have taken an oath to protect the sanctity of the mail,” unlike poorly trained retail workers. ”

I find the nature and the timing of this statement rather humorous. In recent years, post office troubles have escalated severely. The system’s sustainability is questionable. Personally, I have experienced more customer service and mail-delivery problems in the past four years than in the prior four decades. Therefore, when I learn of this oath to protect the sanctity of the mail, I can only shake my head.

While I am the first to agree that no organization is perfect, I also affirm with many that for the post office, the customer experience has seriously degraded. I remain uncertain whether it will be a winnable war, yet I am hoping for some measure of recovery so that I will receive my mail. Then perhaps we will at least preserve the sanctity of the customer experience.

SECRET INGREDIENT FOR BETTER BOARDS

websitebuilder • Apr 24, 2014

About a year ago, quite an interesting study indicated the tremendous value women bring to corporate boards. The study was based on a survey of 600 board directors and was published in the International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics . Here are a few key findings:

1—Women have a higher propensity than men to consider competing interests.

2—Women have a higher propensity than men to adopt a cooperative approach as they make important decisions.

3—Women have a higher propensity than men to see more than one solution to a problem.

4—Women have a higher propensity than men to shake things up rather than to be bound by tradition or regulations.

Although certainly we are each individuals with our unique strengths and weaknesses, on average, women and men tend to see matters differently. Before you too quickly conclude that the female perspective is somehow inferior in any way, consider Stuart Pfeifer’s summary on how the female perspective affected the financials (“Women Are Better Board Members Study Says” The Kansas City Star , March 28, 2013, p. A8):

“ Companies with at least one female director were 20 percent less likely to file bankruptcy. And those with higher representations of females on their boards had better financial performance. ”

I believe all of the above is good news. Now, here is the bad news. Worldwide, women comprise just 9% of corporate boards. I would say we have some definite growth opportunities. Let’s start capitalizing on them.

WHEN SOFTWARE BECOMES THE VILLAIN

websitebuilder • Apr 23, 2014

At the end of 2013, Kaspersky released its annual report. It contains many interesting cybersecurity highlights from which we can benefit. I highly recommend the report as an excellent review of what has happened with cybersecurity last year, and where things are moving in the future.

Not surprisingly, the report emphasizes the continuously growing threat to corporate data. The villains benefit just as much as the heroes do from our ever-improving technology. Given this trend, Kaspersky anticipates the day when corporate data’s only threat is technologically delivered as opposed to humanly delivered:

“ The extensive use of computers and other digital devices in all areas of business has created ideal conditions for cyber espionage programs and malware capable of stealing corporate data. The potential is so great that malicious programs may soon completely replace company insiders as a way of gathering information. ” (Corporate Threats, p. 22)

Just think—“reach out and touch someone” is no longer required. Industrial spies need not apply. The software does all the villain’s work.

Somehow I have a feeling that cybersecurity is going to be a very hot field for a very long time.

http://media.kaspersky.com/pdf/KSB_2013_EN.pdf

ETHICALLY SUPPORTING ETHICS

websitebuilder • Apr 22, 2014

Daniel Goleman summarizes three kinds of support for ethical thinking: vertical support, horizontal support, and wakeup calls. Vertical support is derived from your mentors and teachers. Whom do you respect? What kinds of things did you absorb about ethics from these influential persons?

Horizontal support is derived from your peers. How are the people around you behaving? What kind of ethical standards do they embrace?

Finally, wakeup calls are those situations in which someone you know does something very bad or very good. These situations cause you to ponder, “oh, how terrible. How could she have succumbed to that behavior?” or “I never imagined he possessed that level of intelligence and moral fortitude. That truly took wisdom and courage.” Additionally, depending on your relationship to that person, in a bad situation you may need to ask, “did I do anything to contribute to this?”

Although one could contend it comes partially under vertical support, I think a person’s spiritual or religious convictions are ethics-support tools. Most people hold a philosophy of life that is driven by spiritual or religious convictions. Consequently, this life dimension is very important to a person’s ethics support.

I see great value in regularly reviewing all four of these ethics-support tools within your life. Working together, they provide a measure of checks and balances. Anytime they are in conflict, that can create serious ethical dilemmas. For example, if your vertical support says one thing but your horizontal support says something different, then you will be in conflict. Likewise, if your spiritual or religious convictions say one thing, but your wakeup call does not seem to fit that paradigm, then you will be in conflict.

The ultimate goal—hopefully arrived at sooner rather than later—is to take a holistic approach that integrates these four areas. Only when this happens can you truly say that you have achieved wholeness. Moreover, when it comes to ethics, wholeness is compulsory.

When was the last time you reviewed your ethics-support tools? Maybe it is time for an update.

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130604033408-117825785-the-development-of-an-ethical-mind

WHY I LOVE SOCIAL MEDIA

websitebuilder • Apr 21, 2014

You do not have to look far to find folks who like to share all the things they hate about social media. I agree that social media has disadvantages. That is true of every human involvement arena. I think it has something to do with none of us being perfect. Therefore, we must actively work to overcome the disadvantages and the misuses involved in every human arena. Nevertheless, as I reflect on where social media is today and what it has done for us, I prefer to focus on the significant positives.

When it comes to social media, I like to think of “Life Before Social Media” and “Life After Social Media.” As a baby boomer, believe me, that gives me lots of material with which to work! Even a cursory review of life before and life after, tells us much has changed. Again, preferring to focus on the positive, here are the reasons I love social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, Twitter, and numerous additional sites):

1—Professional Networking.  Professional networking has always been important, and some folks are better at it than others. Regardless of your prowess with professional networking, social media is a commanding way to expand and enhance your network. In addition to all the traditional mechanisms of professional networking, social media opens up an entirely new dimension unbounded by time and space. I have people in my professional network today that I never would have without social media. I love social media because of what it does for my professional networking. You should too.

2—Old And New Friends.  We often strike up acquaintanceships and friendships with wonderful people . . . with whom we then lose connection due to time, circumstances, and geography. What I love about social media is that you have the ability in real time to make social media connections with those same wonderful people. Going forward, even if time, circumstances, and geography change, you still have that personal connection via social media. This facilitates the discovery of new friends. Additionally, it significantly improves the odds of reconnecting with old friends. For example, due to the power of Facebook, I now have a very dear friend back in my circle. He and I had simply lost touch over many decades due to, again time, circumstances, and geography. I love social media because of what it does for my old and new friends. You should too.

3—Knowing And Responding To Current Information.  Whether it is professional relationships or personal friendships, social media constantly enables me to access current information and respond as I wish. This ability adds immeasurably to my information awareness. I pick up so many insights, alerts, news bulletins, and technical information directly from my social media connections. Likewise, for those bits of information to which I must respond, I can usually do so much faster, even instantly, compared to “life before social media.” I love social media because of what it does for my knowing and responding to current information. You should too.

As someone who knows life before social media and life after social media, I genuinely hope you love social media as much as I do.

---------------------------

---------------------------

CYBERSECURITY PREDICTIONS FOR 2014

websitebuilder • Jan 15, 2014

Kaspersky released its 2013 annual report last month. It contains many interesting cybersecurity highlights from which we can benefit. I highly recommend the report as an excellent review of what has happened with cybersecurity last year.

In addition to its 2013 cybersecurity review, the report wraps up with its cybersecurity forecast for 2014 (pp. 50–54). These are the areas Kaspersky believes will be the biggest threats to governments, companies, and individuals. Here, I provide the forecasted threats with my very brief paraphrase of each one:

Mobile Threats.  Android-based devices will be targeted aggressively because there is money to be made. Be especially alert to new viruses, malware, and botnets that attempt to commandeer bank account access.

Attacks On Bitcoin. Predicted to be one of the most high-profile topics, bitcoin theft will be anonymous and highly lucrative.

The Problems Of Protecting Privacy.  Email, cloud services, social media, government intrusion, and globalization all create the perfect storm for privacy violations.

Attacks On Cloud Storage Facilities.  Hackers see cloud-storage employees as the most vulnerable link in the security chain. Breaches here will give hackers access to enormous quantities of all kinds of data.

Attacks On Software Developers.  These attacks can capture proprietary ID source code that hackers can then leverage for attacks on virtually any major company.

Cyber-Mercenaries.  Increasing numbers of companies are abandoning ethical standards by contracting with organized teams of highly sophisticated hackers. These groups will do anything for a price.

Fragmentation Of The Internet.  As cybersecurity threats grow, nations are considering restricting their online access to their own networks. Carried to its logical conclusion, the dark shadowy underworld of the Internet will be the only worldwide network, while all others will be restricted based on national or political boundaries.

The Pyramid Of Cyber-Threats.  The pyramid’s bottom level will consist of ordinary individual criminals seeking easy money from regular Internet users. The middle level will consist of cyber-threats among corporations. The top level will be nations and governments warring among each other.

It will be interesting to see how each of these predictions play out this year. Unfortunately, I think Kaspersky’s batting average will be quite high. In the meantime, it behooves all of us as individuals, companies, and organizations to pay close attention to our cybersecurity every single day of 2014.

PREPARING FOR SUCCESS IN 2014

websitebuilder • Jan 06, 2014

The brand new year of 2014 is upon us. How successful you or I will be in it is largely up to us. Much of that is further determined by how open we are to moving in new directions. Moving in new directions means a lot of different things depending on our life circumstances. Here are just a few suggestions to prepare for success:

Be Positive Regardless Of Your Challenges.  Yes, I know you do not have to look far to find difficulties, roadblocks, and bad news. Nevertheless, carrying a negative attitude into those challenges never did any good, did it? On the other hand, by attacking every challenge with a positive attitude, you consciously and subconsciously unleash more resources. Those additional resources often make a significant difference in the outcome.

If You Are A Business Owner. You might come to realize 2014 demands some new strategies and policies. Will you implement them, and if so, how will you implement them? Thinking those steps through ahead of time can make all the difference in the world. Change is not always easy, but by planning for it and embracing it with a positive attitude you can make it more enjoyable and exciting.

If You Are An Employee.  Think about how you can add more value to your organization. Might you have some new approaches that will benefit your colleagues and customers? Do you have ideas or insights whose time has come? Look for new ways to enhance collaboration and success for your team.

If You Are Unemployed.  How might this be an opportunity to reinvent you? Could this be the time you search in some totally different directions for that dream job? Although searching for a new job is a fulltime job, remember to give yourself some downtime. Perhaps now is the perfect time to dive into some of those pie-in-the-sky projects you just never had time for in the past. How might you reorganize your life for better balance going forward?

Never Discount Your Experience.  You are usually your worst critic. Take a fresh look at all your experience with an eye to capitalizing upon the hidden gold. Surely there are some lessons you have learned from which you can benefit. By taking stock of those lessons now, you can build toward more solid successes in 2014. You can bring a vibrant freshness to your future.

Face Your Failures.  Sometimes it is easier to hide from them. Nevertheless, denial does not delete. Worse yet, denial does you a disservice. Only by fully facing the things you messed up can you learn from them. You should be smarter entering 2014 than you were entering 2013.

Be Humble.  I never met a person who thought he or she knew it all that learned something new. I enjoy learning new things . . . every single day. However, I cannot do that if I already know it all.

Remember Your Resources.  You have friends, mentors, and loved ones around you who genuinely care about you. You have a philosophy of life, and religious and spiritual convictions that sustain you. You have hidden opportunities just waiting to be discovered. You have time-tested strengths and abilities. Reach out to all those terrific resources because they are there to help you.

This year could become the most successful year of your life. Make it so.