I read an interesting article on RSS feeds. Most people don't use them and most people don't know what they are. Sounds a bit like blogs in some senses.
Did you know when you subscribe to my blog, you are using an RSS reader? And it si so easy, you don't even have to know anything. And if you have not done it yet, do it now. Just enter your email address in the box lower down on the right here.
I read a great book on the weekend called the, "Corporate Blogging Book" by Debbie Weil. The subtitle is, "Absolutely everything you need to know to get it right." Debbie is one of the pioneers of corporate blogging. She is not only an advocate but she explains the pros and cons of corporate blogs.
A section from the book:
"Blogs are a key enabler of this new way of talking with customers, employees, the media and other constituencies. Packaged, filtered, controlled conversation are out. Open, two-way, less-than-perfect communications with your customers and employees are in." "Listen, learn, debate, be willing to change, admit mistakes, be equals, with your children, be fair to others with whom you have an adversarial relationship. Acting like a dictator will get you nowhere."
She has top 20 questions about corporate blogging and in one of those she talks about the three most important things to know before starting blogging. One of her points is savvy bloggers read other blogs. My advice is the simplest way to do this is to subscribe to them. See instructions above. (One of my goals is to get over 1,000 people subscribing to my blog in the next three months, so please do it for me.)
One concept that she talks about is citizen journalist and citizen media. Blogs are a new media and it is run by the citizens.
"The word PR will be gone; the word blog will be gone. Your employees will be your ad agency and your customers will be your back-up ad agency"
by blogger Halley Suitt.
The book also has good examples of blogging policies.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Leadership and Management
Management is nothing more than motivating other people.
--Lee Iacocca
Leadership is figuring out what direction to go. People need to be inspired to do something. Leadership is about figuring out what that is. Leadership provides the vision. Management executes.
My biggest challenges always involve figuring out what direction to move in. This applies not only to my business but to my life.
--Lee Iacocca
Leadership is figuring out what direction to go. People need to be inspired to do something. Leadership is about figuring out what that is. Leadership provides the vision. Management executes.
My biggest challenges always involve figuring out what direction to move in. This applies not only to my business but to my life.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Life Balance
I read a great book on the weekend called, "Stop Screaming at the Microwave!" by Mary LoVerde. This book is not one that I would normally pick up and read, but since I heard Mary speak at an YPO event, I was duly inspired. Most of her lectures and most of the book is about life balance (one of the courses that I failed).
The interesting thing about the book is that it has a number of time management tips. I think this is great because one of the things that I often tell people when they question my high drive and push towards time management and efficiency is "good time management allows you to spend time doing what you choose to do". So if they want to be more balanced, they should stufy time management more.
One interesting vignette in her book was a story about something her daughter did and her daughter said, "You're not going to use this story in your talks, are you?" I get the same thing about blogging. You have to be careful now, I own the media.
One concept LoVerde talks about in her book are connections and the need to connect, and connecting deliberately. Again there is interesting analogies to this and business networking which she even speaks about. The gist of it is having a good number of connections can help de-stress your life.
One slide that I am adding to my time management seminar is one that Mary calls micro-actions or inch-by-inch. Instead of trying to tackle the whole project, just tackle a small part of it. Simply start the task and the rest goes from there. One example she uses in her book is, "Microactions can work in any field. My husband uses them with the high school students he counsels. Seventeen-year olds have a thousand ingenious reasons why they have not yet applied for college admission. Instead of harping on them to fill out the application and warning them of the dire consequences if they fail to act in time, he asks them to bring in a postage stamp. He instructs them first to lick the stamp (they roll their eyes) and then place it on an addressed envelope in his presence. He reminds them that everyone who has graduated from college first put a stamp on an envelope and mailed in the applications. The kids think his advice is so stupid they mail in the forms. What else are they going to do with the stamped envelope?"
Mary also talks about rituals as a way of grounding us and helping us to be centered. I often talk about habits that could also be referred to as rituals and we are the product of what we repeatedly do. She talks about creating possible rituals.
Many interesting parallels in this book to some of my tricks and habits. And don't worry, I wont get too laid back.
I would strongly recommend this book.
The interesting thing about the book is that it has a number of time management tips. I think this is great because one of the things that I often tell people when they question my high drive and push towards time management and efficiency is "good time management allows you to spend time doing what you choose to do". So if they want to be more balanced, they should stufy time management more.
One interesting vignette in her book was a story about something her daughter did and her daughter said, "You're not going to use this story in your talks, are you?" I get the same thing about blogging. You have to be careful now, I own the media.
One concept LoVerde talks about in her book are connections and the need to connect, and connecting deliberately. Again there is interesting analogies to this and business networking which she even speaks about. The gist of it is having a good number of connections can help de-stress your life.
One slide that I am adding to my time management seminar is one that Mary calls micro-actions or inch-by-inch. Instead of trying to tackle the whole project, just tackle a small part of it. Simply start the task and the rest goes from there. One example she uses in her book is, "Microactions can work in any field. My husband uses them with the high school students he counsels. Seventeen-year olds have a thousand ingenious reasons why they have not yet applied for college admission. Instead of harping on them to fill out the application and warning them of the dire consequences if they fail to act in time, he asks them to bring in a postage stamp. He instructs them first to lick the stamp (they roll their eyes) and then place it on an addressed envelope in his presence. He reminds them that everyone who has graduated from college first put a stamp on an envelope and mailed in the applications. The kids think his advice is so stupid they mail in the forms. What else are they going to do with the stamped envelope?"
Mary also talks about rituals as a way of grounding us and helping us to be centered. I often talk about habits that could also be referred to as rituals and we are the product of what we repeatedly do. She talks about creating possible rituals.
Many interesting parallels in this book to some of my tricks and habits. And don't worry, I wont get too laid back.
I would strongly recommend this book.
Needs
I had a good work out weekend. Ran 5 miles and lifted weights on Saturday. Cycled 20K yesterday and I head for the gym now. I am sore but in a good way.
Hayfever is bad. I guess with all the other parts of my life being so charmed, it is only fair that I have some challenges. Most of the challenges I have are self imposed and by choice. Hayfever is not.
One of my needs is to have challenge. If I do not have enough, I end up creating it. Since I have such a high achievement need, these mesh nicely. Not sure why I have such a high need to achieve.
My continual quest is to know myself better. From this work on self development, I have come up with a list of needs. They can be met positively or negatively. They are not good or bad, they just are. Once I recognize them, I can spend time making sure they are met in a positive way.
Off for a busy week.
Hayfever is bad. I guess with all the other parts of my life being so charmed, it is only fair that I have some challenges. Most of the challenges I have are self imposed and by choice. Hayfever is not.
One of my needs is to have challenge. If I do not have enough, I end up creating it. Since I have such a high achievement need, these mesh nicely. Not sure why I have such a high need to achieve.
My continual quest is to know myself better. From this work on self development, I have come up with a list of needs. They can be met positively or negatively. They are not good or bad, they just are. Once I recognize them, I can spend time making sure they are met in a positive way.
Off for a busy week.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life
I saw a beautiful sunrise this morning. I was staying with my brother Glen in Lionshead. His home overlooks Georgian Bay. I love the environment here but not all the driving to get to it. It really destresses me after a period of intense negotiation and high volume.
A time quote for the day:
Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day. Rich people can't buy more hours. Scientists can't invent new minutes. And you can't save time to spend it on another day. Even so, time is amazingly fair and forgiving. No matter how much time you've wasted in the past, you still have an entire tomorrow.
~Denis Waitely
I love the message here. Like one of my other favourite saying "Today is the first day of the rest of your life". It erases all the past wrongs or any guilt about what has happened. It remends me that I can be who I want to be each day and from now on.
A time quote for the day:
Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day. Rich people can't buy more hours. Scientists can't invent new minutes. And you can't save time to spend it on another day. Even so, time is amazingly fair and forgiving. No matter how much time you've wasted in the past, you still have an entire tomorrow.
~Denis Waitely
I love the message here. Like one of my other favourite saying "Today is the first day of the rest of your life". It erases all the past wrongs or any guilt about what has happened. It remends me that I can be who I want to be each day and from now on.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
The Inconvenient Truth and Subscribing to Blogs.
I took my second night off in a row. Bridge last night and went to a great movie tonight. "The Inconvenient Truth" is a must see for everyone. It centres around climate change. I could not remain an Estill without seeing it. Surprisingly, I ran into my brother Glen there. Why surprising? He lives 3 hours away. The bottom line on the movie is to do what my parents have always preached - minimize our impact on the planet. Be energy efficient. Buy a Prius etc. Good movie - go see it. This is the first movie I have bothered to see in over a year (other than on planes). Do it.
Finally the number of links to www.jimestill.com has caught up to my blogspot address. It took 123 days or four months for the number of links to catch up. This means that my blog is now ranked at the 36,059th most linked to blog in the blogsphere.
I am surprised at the few number of people that actually subscribe to my blog. Many people read it but they do it by coming back to it. The easiest way to get the blog updates is to subscribe. It is very easy – look at the panel at the right of this screen and type in your email address. Another Do It now.
My goal is to get over 1,000 people subscribing to my blog in the next month.
And for those who want wisdom:
"Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive that everyone wants to get to work and deal with them."
--Paul Hawken Growing a Business
Finally the number of links to www.jimestill.com has caught up to my blogspot address. It took 123 days or four months for the number of links to catch up. This means that my blog is now ranked at the 36,059th most linked to blog in the blogsphere.
I am surprised at the few number of people that actually subscribe to my blog. Many people read it but they do it by coming back to it. The easiest way to get the blog updates is to subscribe. It is very easy – look at the panel at the right of this screen and type in your email address. Another Do It now.
My goal is to get over 1,000 people subscribing to my blog in the next month.
And for those who want wisdom:
"Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive that everyone wants to get to work and deal with them."
--Paul Hawken Growing a Business
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Planning
Management by objectives works if you first think through your objectives. Ninety percent of the time you haven't.
-Peter Drucker
Sometimes I have so much to do that I cannot take the time to plan. The irony is taking the time to plan would allow me to accomplish more in less time and more importantly allow me to accomplish the right things.
I continually refine my systems to handle volume. Right now I am thinking of new ways to get through the unimportant stuff faster. But as I do the exercise, I think, why should I even bother with the unimportant? Sometimes because for others it is important. Sometimes because there is something important within the unimportant.
-Peter Drucker
Sometimes I have so much to do that I cannot take the time to plan. The irony is taking the time to plan would allow me to accomplish more in less time and more importantly allow me to accomplish the right things.
I continually refine my systems to handle volume. Right now I am thinking of new ways to get through the unimportant stuff faster. But as I do the exercise, I think, why should I even bother with the unimportant? Sometimes because for others it is important. Sometimes because there is something important within the unimportant.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Inspiration and Wilderness
I was up north alone this weekend. Nothing is more calming and tranquil than canoeing a lake in the early morning hours. There is great power in having a time of reflection in such a beautiful place. It is one way I get inspired. I am well served to remember what gives me inspiration and energy.
Although I work out quite a bit and like to think I am in shape, carrying a canoe for 1/2 a kilometer over rough terrain was still tough. The moral is that our bodies adapt to what we do all the time and atrophy in the areas we do not use. I need to make sure I am more fully rounded. It think this applies not only to exercise but to life in general.
And on the way back to civilization, I stopped by the cottage of friends. Friends also give me inspiration and energy.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Fail Often, Fail Fast, Fail Cheap
I see we will soon have 12 planets up from the existing 9. I like change and have largely made it where my business opportunities have come from. I capitalize on change. Not sure how this one will help though.
Like my environmental brothers, Glen and Lyle say "Earth first, we can mess up the other planets later".
I have had a great time at the Seagate conference. This one had lots of free space which is highly unusual. Space, I could use to stay on top of things and to plan.
I have been thinking lately about failure. Failure is a good thing. One of my favourite expressions is "Fail Often, Fail Fast, Fail Cheap". We will not move forward if we do not try new things. New things that involve a bit of risk. The key is to minimize the risk while at the same time testing the business opportunity. And if the project or business opportunity is not likely to work out, shut it down quickly. Time can be the enemy to business. Expenses tend to tick on while companies wait to make decisions.
Off to dinner.
Like my environmental brothers, Glen and Lyle say "Earth first, we can mess up the other planets later".
I have had a great time at the Seagate conference. This one had lots of free space which is highly unusual. Space, I could use to stay on top of things and to plan.
I have been thinking lately about failure. Failure is a good thing. One of my favourite expressions is "Fail Often, Fail Fast, Fail Cheap". We will not move forward if we do not try new things. New things that involve a bit of risk. The key is to minimize the risk while at the same time testing the business opportunity. And if the project or business opportunity is not likely to work out, shut it down quickly. Time can be the enemy to business. Expenses tend to tick on while companies wait to make decisions.
Off to dinner.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
TO DO Lists and Getting Things Done.
I am in California at a Seagate conference. The pace of the conference has been slow which has allowed me to keep on top of emails and do a few scheduled phone calls. I even got in not just one run but two today.
I opted not to play golf or do the spa. Golf is on my "don't yet do list" and I never have done spa. This freed up a good block of time.
I spent a few minutes on my TO DO list. 2 tricks I have found very useful in getting things done:
1 - I try to put the first action I plan to do an any TO DO list item. Not just the item. Often this spurs me to action and gets me moving on the task. If it does not, it plants the seed so I am more ready to approach the problem when I do start it.
2 - Much of TO DO lists and problem solving has to do with proper problem definition. I find if I define what I am trying to do well, it gets solved. Spending more time on defining the problem has helped me get things done.
Both of these tricks are explained well in a book by David Allen called "Getting Things Done - The Art of Stress-Free Productivity". I re-read the book on the flight out.
Off to a reception and dinner now.
I opted not to play golf or do the spa. Golf is on my "don't yet do list" and I never have done spa. This freed up a good block of time.
I spent a few minutes on my TO DO list. 2 tricks I have found very useful in getting things done:
1 - I try to put the first action I plan to do an any TO DO list item. Not just the item. Often this spurs me to action and gets me moving on the task. If it does not, it plants the seed so I am more ready to approach the problem when I do start it.
2 - Much of TO DO lists and problem solving has to do with proper problem definition. I find if I define what I am trying to do well, it gets solved. Spending more time on defining the problem has helped me get things done.
Both of these tricks are explained well in a book by David Allen called "Getting Things Done - The Art of Stress-Free Productivity". I re-read the book on the flight out.
Off to a reception and dinner now.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Its the Little Things
"Everyone is trying to accomplish something big, not realizing life is made up of little things." by Frank Clark
I find in my business this is particularly true. Small acts of customer service can lead to continued sales. Small things we do to help our customers be profitable and frequently rewarded with sales.
Computer distribution is particularly harsh. Low margin. The only way to be profitable is to watch every penny. We need to continually seek new efficiencies. It is the little things that make a company profitable. I am often asked how to be a business success and the answer is "there is no one answer, it is the little things".
In personal life, I find the small kindnesses often have the greatest impacts.
In my personal life I know the little things add up to make me the person that I am. Its all about habits. Health is an easy one to see this in. Walking one mile per day burns 10 pounds per year. Eating one chocolate bar per day adds 20 pounds per year.
I always try to work on my success habits. We are a product of what we repeatedly do.
Off to accomplish big things by doing the little things.
I find in my business this is particularly true. Small acts of customer service can lead to continued sales. Small things we do to help our customers be profitable and frequently rewarded with sales.
Computer distribution is particularly harsh. Low margin. The only way to be profitable is to watch every penny. We need to continually seek new efficiencies. It is the little things that make a company profitable. I am often asked how to be a business success and the answer is "there is no one answer, it is the little things".
In personal life, I find the small kindnesses often have the greatest impacts.
In my personal life I know the little things add up to make me the person that I am. Its all about habits. Health is an easy one to see this in. Walking one mile per day burns 10 pounds per year. Eating one chocolate bar per day adds 20 pounds per year.
I always try to work on my success habits. We are a product of what we repeatedly do.
Off to accomplish big things by doing the little things.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Make My Day
I had my second swimming lesson today. Last time I said it saved me probably three or four minutes on my short triathelon (750 meter swim, 19 mile cycle, 5K run). Today I probably only saved another 15 or 20 seconds. Still I feel that I am making great progress and I have been out swimming three times so far (including the lessons). For the past three or four triathelons that I have done, I have not actually swum in between the triathelons. So anything is an improvement.
And I did cycle 11K tonight and walked about 5K so not being a total slouch.
Sometimes I get an email from one of my friends that "makes my day". A positive comment. Really picks me up.
I know also that I can have a great impact on someone if I give him/her positive or negative feedback. I can make or break their day.
Of course the interesting part of this is I know that I can choose my reaction to anything said to me. So I can choose to not allow anyone to ruin my day.
I am trying to watch these simple things.
And I did cycle 11K tonight and walked about 5K so not being a total slouch.
Sometimes I get an email from one of my friends that "makes my day". A positive comment. Really picks me up.
I know also that I can have a great impact on someone if I give him/her positive or negative feedback. I can make or break their day.
Of course the interesting part of this is I know that I can choose my reaction to anything said to me. So I can choose to not allow anyone to ruin my day.
I am trying to watch these simple things.
Wednesday, August 9, 2006
Conspiracy of Fools
I have been immersed in spreadsheets and legal agreements. Not my most favourite parts of being a CEO. Good thing I have good people who like doing these more than I do.
In March, Debbie Weil posted about ROI on Blogging. This is a question I get asked often. I had an article published a while ago on my views called The Fallacy of Return on Investment in Marketing. For long term companies, measuring ROI on marketing is impossible.
I might be taking my time saving blogging tips too seriously. One the the things I practise is having a few posts ready to go in case I am busy. I now have over 15 posts I could use. Need to slow down a bit on them.
Another of my tricks is to do a book review since these are easy and fast. 10 of the posts I have ready to post are book reviews. Of course people might not find value to come to my blog if all I do is book reviews.
I read an awesome book on the weekend called, "Conspiracy of Fools" by Kurt Eichenwald. It is the true story of Enron. Eichenwald must have done a huge amount of research to put together the time lines of everything that happened.
I found the book to be a complete page turner and as exciting as any non-fiction novel that I have read recently. I highly recommend it.
I believe this book is a must read for any officers or directors of any public company.
The Enron story was truly one of greed and deceit. It is unfortunate that the greed and deceit of a few people not only cost thousands of people their savings, but it also put the good people who try hard and work hard in corporate life in bad light. I know a number of corporate leaders who work exceptional hard for their share holders and yet because of people like some at Enron, their intentions are questioned.
In March, Debbie Weil posted about ROI on Blogging. This is a question I get asked often. I had an article published a while ago on my views called The Fallacy of Return on Investment in Marketing. For long term companies, measuring ROI on marketing is impossible.
I might be taking my time saving blogging tips too seriously. One the the things I practise is having a few posts ready to go in case I am busy. I now have over 15 posts I could use. Need to slow down a bit on them.
Another of my tricks is to do a book review since these are easy and fast. 10 of the posts I have ready to post are book reviews. Of course people might not find value to come to my blog if all I do is book reviews.
I read an awesome book on the weekend called, "Conspiracy of Fools" by Kurt Eichenwald. It is the true story of Enron. Eichenwald must have done a huge amount of research to put together the time lines of everything that happened.
I found the book to be a complete page turner and as exciting as any non-fiction novel that I have read recently. I highly recommend it.
I believe this book is a must read for any officers or directors of any public company.
The Enron story was truly one of greed and deceit. It is unfortunate that the greed and deceit of a few people not only cost thousands of people their savings, but it also put the good people who try hard and work hard in corporate life in bad light. I know a number of corporate leaders who work exceptional hard for their share holders and yet because of people like some at Enron, their intentions are questioned.
Saturday, August 5, 2006
They Made America - A Must Read
Well painting is done. The wasps made it interesting. Seems they took exception to the free pressure washing of their home this morning.
5K race went well. 21:51 which is not a bad time for me. I had my first swimming lesson in 30+ years on Tuesday. The coach was Danielle Dickson. That one lesson likely cut 3-4 minutes off my triathlon time. Not only from improved swim time but easier swim which should make me less tired for the other parts. There were many things I did not know I was supposed to do on the swim like reach, fingers together, elbow above the hand and one of my hands was not cutting into the water. Now if I can do a sub 22 on the run, I should place respectably on a tri. Of course all of this would be better if I trained more.
I read a great book called, "They Made America" by Harold Evans. It is a number of short stories about successful business people, everyone from Robert Fulton (Steamboat Services), Isaac Singer (sewing machines), Charles Goodyear (rubber), Levi Strauss through to modern day people like Ted Turner, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Pierre Omidyar (eBay). The book is perfect for my personality type; it is a number of short stories so it didn't take long to read. There is a summary on page 465 of the book that gives 10 lessons that can be learned from history's innovators:
1. Make no assumptions.
2. First isn't always best.
3. It is okay to steal. (They don't really mean steal; they mean that more innovations come from borrowing in combination than simple invention. Henry Ford said, "I invented nothing new, I simple assembled into a car the discoveries of other men behind whom were century of work."
4. Diffidence would do it. An idea may only work when pushed to the limits.
5. Nothing works the first time. In an impatient society we expect instant results and quarterly earnings make things worse. It takes a strong person to persist and think long term.
6. New ideas disturb.
7. Cross pollination works. Taking ideas from other industries and applying them to a different industry is often a great way to cross-pollinate.
8. Success is risky. We all know that entrepreneurs take risks and we all know this is all part of the greatness of our system.
9. When one plus one equals three, this talks about innovations flourishing in partnerships provided the psychology is right.
10. Plaguing into networks. Isolated innovators may be successful but most of them are well connected and network well.
Overall I found this book to be highly inspirational and a must read for any business person.
I also read, "Einstein's Cosmos How Albert Einstein's Vision Transformed Our Understanding of Space and Time" by Michio Kaku. Although I found this book to be interesting, I am not sure that everyone else would. I have increased my understanding of relativity and have gained even more respect for Einstein. From the book, I am impressed that he seems like a real down to earth decent person. He also suffered from many trials and tribulations (like hating school and almost not passing entrance exams, etc.).
5K race went well. 21:51 which is not a bad time for me. I had my first swimming lesson in 30+ years on Tuesday. The coach was Danielle Dickson. That one lesson likely cut 3-4 minutes off my triathlon time. Not only from improved swim time but easier swim which should make me less tired for the other parts. There were many things I did not know I was supposed to do on the swim like reach, fingers together, elbow above the hand and one of my hands was not cutting into the water. Now if I can do a sub 22 on the run, I should place respectably on a tri. Of course all of this would be better if I trained more.
I read a great book called, "They Made America" by Harold Evans. It is a number of short stories about successful business people, everyone from Robert Fulton (Steamboat Services), Isaac Singer (sewing machines), Charles Goodyear (rubber), Levi Strauss through to modern day people like Ted Turner, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Pierre Omidyar (eBay). The book is perfect for my personality type; it is a number of short stories so it didn't take long to read. There is a summary on page 465 of the book that gives 10 lessons that can be learned from history's innovators:
1. Make no assumptions.
2. First isn't always best.
3. It is okay to steal. (They don't really mean steal; they mean that more innovations come from borrowing in combination than simple invention. Henry Ford said, "I invented nothing new, I simple assembled into a car the discoveries of other men behind whom were century of work."
4. Diffidence would do it. An idea may only work when pushed to the limits.
5. Nothing works the first time. In an impatient society we expect instant results and quarterly earnings make things worse. It takes a strong person to persist and think long term.
6. New ideas disturb.
7. Cross pollination works. Taking ideas from other industries and applying them to a different industry is often a great way to cross-pollinate.
8. Success is risky. We all know that entrepreneurs take risks and we all know this is all part of the greatness of our system.
9. When one plus one equals three, this talks about innovations flourishing in partnerships provided the psychology is right.
10. Plaguing into networks. Isolated innovators may be successful but most of them are well connected and network well.
Overall I found this book to be highly inspirational and a must read for any business person.
I also read, "Einstein's Cosmos How Albert Einstein's Vision Transformed Our Understanding of Space and Time" by Michio Kaku. Although I found this book to be interesting, I am not sure that everyone else would. I have increased my understanding of relativity and have gained even more respect for Einstein. From the book, I am impressed that he seems like a real down to earth decent person. He also suffered from many trials and tribulations (like hating school and almost not passing entrance exams, etc.).
Getting Sidetracked - Set Priorities
Apparently it takes 17 muscles to smile and 43 muscles to frown. Unfortunately I am a health guy and want to work my muscles more, so does this mean that I should frown?
Busy day today but I am not sure I have my priorities right. The basis of good time use is prioritizing.
The day started with a short workout. Not really a priority since I have a 5K race tonight which arguably could be considered to be exercise.
Made a big breakfast for the in-laws who are in town for the long weekend. No regrets about that. They are 90 and great examples of how life can still be good in old age.
I wanted to paint the trim on my front porch. It was peeling and I worried it might rot etc if not dealt with. I should preface this by saying I do not particularly like painting since I painted more houses than I care to remember in my high school years when I had my own painting business. So perhaps this is procrastination. I am fairly fast and good at it though.
So I get ready to prepare it and notice it is dirty so get the pressure washer. Then notice the siding needs pressure washing so do that. And the sidewalk going to the door needs pressure washing. And then of course then weeds in the cracks need pulling. And the wasp nest needs taking down.
Took a break to do a bit of email. Cannot get behind there.
And while I am painting, I might as well touch up the front door and look around the rest of the house. Bottom line, a 1 1/2 hour project has taken over 3 hours and is not yet done.
The same thing can happen at work. I know this so I pay high attention to the best return on my time.
Busy day today but I am not sure I have my priorities right. The basis of good time use is prioritizing.
The day started with a short workout. Not really a priority since I have a 5K race tonight which arguably could be considered to be exercise.
Made a big breakfast for the in-laws who are in town for the long weekend. No regrets about that. They are 90 and great examples of how life can still be good in old age.
I wanted to paint the trim on my front porch. It was peeling and I worried it might rot etc if not dealt with. I should preface this by saying I do not particularly like painting since I painted more houses than I care to remember in my high school years when I had my own painting business. So perhaps this is procrastination. I am fairly fast and good at it though.
So I get ready to prepare it and notice it is dirty so get the pressure washer. Then notice the siding needs pressure washing so do that. And the sidewalk going to the door needs pressure washing. And then of course then weeds in the cracks need pulling. And the wasp nest needs taking down.
Took a break to do a bit of email. Cannot get behind there.
And while I am painting, I might as well touch up the front door and look around the rest of the house. Bottom line, a 1 1/2 hour project has taken over 3 hours and is not yet done.
The same thing can happen at work. I know this so I pay high attention to the best return on my time.
Thursday, August 3, 2006
CEO Blogs and CEO Blogging
I am taking a break from legal agreements (one of the CEO jobs I do) to Blog.
I know since I did my presentaion at the YPO event, I have many more CEO's reading my blog.
There has been a lot of press lately about CEO blogs. Much of it started by the recent article in the New York Times. This was of course picked up and commented on in many blogs like Micropersuasion.
I found this good article by Stephen Streight on CEO blogging that I thought I would share in its entirety. I learned from it (but have not acted on all of it yet. EG On point 2, I can update my photo for sure (although there is only so much you can do...or is there)),
CEO Blog Errors:
1. No profile or "about me" page.
Don't assume that everyone knows who you are. CEOs, as a group, are often perceived by the general public and customers to be somewhat arrogant or detached from consumer concerns.
Consider having a nice, warm and fuzzy, "regular guy" (genuine, and not a pose) profile page with appropriate photo (dress or casual, depending on specific situation).
A "Welcome to My Blog" post is not enough. That post will get buried in the blog archives, and as months go by, it will be so buried, few will notice or read it.
2. No photo of CEO, or not a very good one.
Like I said, but want to emphasize again, consider including a really good photo of yourself. Ask employees, colleagues, family, total strangers, what they think of the photo. Use their reactions to judge the appropriateness of the photo in line with your objective.
Consider special photo opportunities, you at a company picnic, inspecting your products, observing the manufacturing process, talking with employees, involved in community service, speaking at a conference...
...instead of a stock, bleak, grim, dull background, corporate annual report photo. Jazz it up a bit.
How casual can you afford to look, without compromising the trust-inspiring professionalism required for your market and audience?
Let others get to know you as a normal person, and not some hard, bottom-line obsessed, insensitive machine.
3. CEO's company is not mentioned.
You'd think this was an obvious item to include on a blog, but guess again.
CEOs cannot assume everyone already knows the company you are heading up.
Most people probably pay little attention to the CEO's name, but plenty of attention to product quality, veracity of advertising, and customer service.
Present upfront mention of company name, and describe what your company does, slogan, tagline, what it's product lines are, what its quality and service standards are, its ethical guidelines, goals for the future, market position, distribution network, global reach, and what makes it unique.
If your company is well known, such as IBM, Microsoft, General Motors, Proctor & Gamble, Boeing, General Electric, Hewlitt-Packard, Sun Microsystems, Sony, or Time-Warner...
...consider saying something original about it, your personal comment on what your company is really all about, fascinating but little-known facts about it, how you came to head it up.
4. No blogroll, i.e., list of external links of blogs and web sites of potential interest.
A blogroll list of external sites of relevance is standard blog practice.
You need a list of external links, maybe marketing blogs, or industry blogs that you read and like.
Show people you're an active member of the blogosphere, not just "doing a blog" because you think you should, or because your competitors have blogs.
Not having list of other blogs/web sites could tend to make you look a bit isolated, self-centered, unfamiliar with relevant blogs, or disconnected with the larger playing field.
Listing other blogs and online resources helps form the perception that you're open to new ideas, that you're part of the blogging culture to some degree, rather than merely attempting to exploit an emerging trend.
Use bold sub-heads for categories within the blogroll, like "marketing", "technology", "PR", "advertising", "web design", and distinct subdivisions of whatever industry you're in. Think about adding a few personal interest or hobby sites that make you seem less stuffy.
5. No comments functionality.
Your blog, since it's reaching out to a target audience (customers, prospects, media, suppliers, distributors, investors, general public) needs user-generated content via comments enabled. Let users post comments. Let them interact with you, form a candid conversation with you.
There exist a variety of ways to minimize or eliminate spammers, abusers, and off topic comments.
Enabling users to post comments prevents your blog from appearing to be another monlithic, alienating, one-way message dissemination. Unilateral communication is now giving way to grass roots level, two-way interactive communication. Don't lag behind with archaic communication approaches and outmoded vehicles.
A CEO should welcome feedback from the audience. It's how you form a community of shared interests, and gain valuable insight into customer desires and perceptions.
(Learn about the benefits of "content attractiveness dynamic loops", "member loyalty dynamic loops", "critical mass of transactions", and "dynamics of increasing returns" in NET GAIN: Expanding Markets Through Virtual Communities, by John Hagel III and Arthur G. Armstrong, Harvard Business School Press, 1997.)
6. No link to the corporate web site.
Let's think like a marketing strategist, or a sales manager, for a moment.
If a customer or prospect likes your blog, maybe they will also feel friendly toward your corporation. They might even be in the mood to buy something. Potential investors may be inspired to purchase stock in your company.
Be sure to provide a prominent link on your blog to your ecommerce site or corporate web site.
Consider including links to distributers and to positive media articles mentioning your products and firm.
7. Not scannable.
The blog text is too dense. Break the text into shorter paragraphs. Use bulleted or numbered or asterisked lists once in a while.
Make your text easy and quick to scan, skim, and skip over irrelevant points, for users in a hurry.
Some users may be looking for a certain word, phrase, product comment, etc. and don't have time to wade through oceans of text to find it.
8. Not personal enough.
A CEO Blog should not be merely a re-hash of a PR release, mission statement, annual report, or corporate brochure.
Be yourself. Be simple. Be candid.
Don't fill your blog with boring fluff about how great your company is, and all the new products in development.
Get real. Provoke responses. Provide value. Respect your readers' limited time.
How do you break away from boring corporate fluff writing?
Read blogs by other thought leaders and CEOs, and when they touch you deep within, make you like the author and believe in his company or vision, ask yourself what is causing this. Read the publications that cover your industry, notice how they speak about it.
Here are some topics you might discuss, in a friendly, yet dignified, conversational tone:
What books are you reading?
What key concepts drive your company?
What kind of employee does your company seek to attract?
What do your employees enjoy most about working for you?
What is your corporate culture, work environment like?
What are your biggest challenges as a company, and how will you meet them?
What other companies or CEOs do you admire? Who were your mentors?
What were some of your mistakes, what did you learn from them, how did you correct them?
What style of corporate leadership do you endeavor to exemplify?
What do you wish your target audience could somehow understand about your corporate aims, history, vision, accomplishments?
What specialized information do you possess that could help others?
What trends do see emerging in your industry--and how are you attempting to lead them?
9. Not focused.
Be very certain and deliberate as to what you want to accomplish with a CEO Blog. Have a set agenda.
Don't "blog just to blog." Don't start a blog just to appear technically savvy or trendy or people-oriented. Set a definite goal or list of objectives you want to accomplish with the blog. Periodically assess your progress in achieving these purposes.
Do internet searches on your name, and your company name, to discover what people are saying about you.
Read other blogs by people you admire, perhaps marketing blogs by respected authors and practitioners.
Study successful blogs, according to link popularity rankings in such trackers as Technorati, Blogstreet, and Daypop. See how these effective blogs reach out to readers and gain their trust and loyalty.
10. No contact information.
Provide an email address or contact form. Write email address as: something[at] something[dot]com--to prevent spambot email harvesting.
Provide all other contact channel info: physical address, corporate phone number, fax, service and order tracking info.
Be approachable, open to suggestions, questions, complaints, praise.
Let people know how they can get in touch with you.
I know since I did my presentaion at the YPO event, I have many more CEO's reading my blog.
There has been a lot of press lately about CEO blogs. Much of it started by the recent article in the New York Times. This was of course picked up and commented on in many blogs like Micropersuasion.
I found this good article by Stephen Streight on CEO blogging that I thought I would share in its entirety. I learned from it (but have not acted on all of it yet. EG On point 2, I can update my photo for sure (although there is only so much you can do...or is there)),
CEO Blog Errors:
1. No profile or "about me" page.
Don't assume that everyone knows who you are. CEOs, as a group, are often perceived by the general public and customers to be somewhat arrogant or detached from consumer concerns.
Consider having a nice, warm and fuzzy, "regular guy" (genuine, and not a pose) profile page with appropriate photo (dress or casual, depending on specific situation).
A "Welcome to My Blog" post is not enough. That post will get buried in the blog archives, and as months go by, it will be so buried, few will notice or read it.
2. No photo of CEO, or not a very good one.
Like I said, but want to emphasize again, consider including a really good photo of yourself. Ask employees, colleagues, family, total strangers, what they think of the photo. Use their reactions to judge the appropriateness of the photo in line with your objective.
Consider special photo opportunities, you at a company picnic, inspecting your products, observing the manufacturing process, talking with employees, involved in community service, speaking at a conference...
...instead of a stock, bleak, grim, dull background, corporate annual report photo. Jazz it up a bit.
How casual can you afford to look, without compromising the trust-inspiring professionalism required for your market and audience?
Let others get to know you as a normal person, and not some hard, bottom-line obsessed, insensitive machine.
3. CEO's company is not mentioned.
You'd think this was an obvious item to include on a blog, but guess again.
CEOs cannot assume everyone already knows the company you are heading up.
Most people probably pay little attention to the CEO's name, but plenty of attention to product quality, veracity of advertising, and customer service.
Present upfront mention of company name, and describe what your company does, slogan, tagline, what it's product lines are, what its quality and service standards are, its ethical guidelines, goals for the future, market position, distribution network, global reach, and what makes it unique.
If your company is well known, such as IBM, Microsoft, General Motors, Proctor & Gamble, Boeing, General Electric, Hewlitt-Packard, Sun Microsystems, Sony, or Time-Warner...
...consider saying something original about it, your personal comment on what your company is really all about, fascinating but little-known facts about it, how you came to head it up.
4. No blogroll, i.e., list of external links of blogs and web sites of potential interest.
A blogroll list of external sites of relevance is standard blog practice.
You need a list of external links, maybe marketing blogs, or industry blogs that you read and like.
Show people you're an active member of the blogosphere, not just "doing a blog" because you think you should, or because your competitors have blogs.
Not having list of other blogs/web sites could tend to make you look a bit isolated, self-centered, unfamiliar with relevant blogs, or disconnected with the larger playing field.
Listing other blogs and online resources helps form the perception that you're open to new ideas, that you're part of the blogging culture to some degree, rather than merely attempting to exploit an emerging trend.
Use bold sub-heads for categories within the blogroll, like "marketing", "technology", "PR", "advertising", "web design", and distinct subdivisions of whatever industry you're in. Think about adding a few personal interest or hobby sites that make you seem less stuffy.
5. No comments functionality.
Your blog, since it's reaching out to a target audience (customers, prospects, media, suppliers, distributors, investors, general public) needs user-generated content via comments enabled. Let users post comments. Let them interact with you, form a candid conversation with you.
There exist a variety of ways to minimize or eliminate spammers, abusers, and off topic comments.
Enabling users to post comments prevents your blog from appearing to be another monlithic, alienating, one-way message dissemination. Unilateral communication is now giving way to grass roots level, two-way interactive communication. Don't lag behind with archaic communication approaches and outmoded vehicles.
A CEO should welcome feedback from the audience. It's how you form a community of shared interests, and gain valuable insight into customer desires and perceptions.
(Learn about the benefits of "content attractiveness dynamic loops", "member loyalty dynamic loops", "critical mass of transactions", and "dynamics of increasing returns" in NET GAIN: Expanding Markets Through Virtual Communities, by John Hagel III and Arthur G. Armstrong, Harvard Business School Press, 1997.)
6. No link to the corporate web site.
Let's think like a marketing strategist, or a sales manager, for a moment.
If a customer or prospect likes your blog, maybe they will also feel friendly toward your corporation. They might even be in the mood to buy something. Potential investors may be inspired to purchase stock in your company.
Be sure to provide a prominent link on your blog to your ecommerce site or corporate web site.
Consider including links to distributers and to positive media articles mentioning your products and firm.
7. Not scannable.
The blog text is too dense. Break the text into shorter paragraphs. Use bulleted or numbered or asterisked lists once in a while.
Make your text easy and quick to scan, skim, and skip over irrelevant points, for users in a hurry.
Some users may be looking for a certain word, phrase, product comment, etc. and don't have time to wade through oceans of text to find it.
8. Not personal enough.
A CEO Blog should not be merely a re-hash of a PR release, mission statement, annual report, or corporate brochure.
Be yourself. Be simple. Be candid.
Don't fill your blog with boring fluff about how great your company is, and all the new products in development.
Get real. Provoke responses. Provide value. Respect your readers' limited time.
How do you break away from boring corporate fluff writing?
Read blogs by other thought leaders and CEOs, and when they touch you deep within, make you like the author and believe in his company or vision, ask yourself what is causing this. Read the publications that cover your industry, notice how they speak about it.
Here are some topics you might discuss, in a friendly, yet dignified, conversational tone:
What books are you reading?
What key concepts drive your company?
What kind of employee does your company seek to attract?
What do your employees enjoy most about working for you?
What is your corporate culture, work environment like?
What are your biggest challenges as a company, and how will you meet them?
What other companies or CEOs do you admire? Who were your mentors?
What were some of your mistakes, what did you learn from them, how did you correct them?
What style of corporate leadership do you endeavor to exemplify?
What do you wish your target audience could somehow understand about your corporate aims, history, vision, accomplishments?
What specialized information do you possess that could help others?
What trends do see emerging in your industry--and how are you attempting to lead them?
9. Not focused.
Be very certain and deliberate as to what you want to accomplish with a CEO Blog. Have a set agenda.
Don't "blog just to blog." Don't start a blog just to appear technically savvy or trendy or people-oriented. Set a definite goal or list of objectives you want to accomplish with the blog. Periodically assess your progress in achieving these purposes.
Do internet searches on your name, and your company name, to discover what people are saying about you.
Read other blogs by people you admire, perhaps marketing blogs by respected authors and practitioners.
Study successful blogs, according to link popularity rankings in such trackers as Technorati, Blogstreet, and Daypop. See how these effective blogs reach out to readers and gain their trust and loyalty.
10. No contact information.
Provide an email address or contact form. Write email address as: something[at] something[dot]com--to prevent spambot email harvesting.
Provide all other contact channel info: physical address, corporate phone number, fax, service and order tracking info.
Be approachable, open to suggestions, questions, complaints, praise.
Let people know how they can get in touch with you.
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Eight Ways I Deal with Stress
I wrote the following article for SYNNEX's internal publication. It also got picked up on many web sites.
Eight Ways I Deal with Stress
Part of success in life is how well we deal with stress. The beauty of this is we can learn to deal better with stress so it is a life skill we can improve. No one can make us do anything. People and events do not cause us stress; it is our reaction to what happens that can or cannot cause us stress. The beauty of this is that we can choose to control our reaction.
The following are eight ways I deal with stress:
1. I figure out what I can control. Stress for me is caused by situations that are out of my control. Even if this is the case, there is always something that I can do that is within my control. For example, I cannot control currency fluctuations but I can take actions that cause them to have less financial impact on me.
2. Stress is related to problem solving skills. I work on my problem solving by writing the problem down. Just the simple act of writing it down tends to help with the solution and also helps reduce the stress.
3. Look at what is really happening. Much stress is created in our imagination. We tend to think the problem is worse than what it is.
4. Exercise. Exercise keeps me centered. The times stress bothers me the most is when I have not balanced myself. Plain and simple – exercise reduces stress and the negative reactions to stress. Even a five minute walk can make me feel calmer.
5. Take a few slow, deep breaths. It is amazing how this reduces my stress reaction.
6. Help someone less fortunate. Nothing puts things into perspective better.
7. Acceptance. If there is truly nothing I can do, then worrying only creates stress. This is easy to say but I work hard at trying to accept what I cannot control; however, not until I have done a lot of brainstorming to make sure I cannot do anything about the problem.
8. Stress tends to be closely tied to time management and most of you know I am a student of this. If I am well organized and using my time effectively, I can handle stress better.
If you do not have a copy of my Time Leadership CD or eBook and would like one, see the buttons on the side to order one or please email my assistant, Pam Hughes at pam@synnex.com (see time management - she does the work) and she will sell you one.
Managing stress is a bit like white water canoeing. The water will win if you try to control it - instead, work with it. Simply help guide a bit, but let the river do the work.
Eight Ways I Deal with Stress
Part of success in life is how well we deal with stress. The beauty of this is we can learn to deal better with stress so it is a life skill we can improve. No one can make us do anything. People and events do not cause us stress; it is our reaction to what happens that can or cannot cause us stress. The beauty of this is that we can choose to control our reaction.
The following are eight ways I deal with stress:
1. I figure out what I can control. Stress for me is caused by situations that are out of my control. Even if this is the case, there is always something that I can do that is within my control. For example, I cannot control currency fluctuations but I can take actions that cause them to have less financial impact on me.
2. Stress is related to problem solving skills. I work on my problem solving by writing the problem down. Just the simple act of writing it down tends to help with the solution and also helps reduce the stress.
3. Look at what is really happening. Much stress is created in our imagination. We tend to think the problem is worse than what it is.
4. Exercise. Exercise keeps me centered. The times stress bothers me the most is when I have not balanced myself. Plain and simple – exercise reduces stress and the negative reactions to stress. Even a five minute walk can make me feel calmer.
5. Take a few slow, deep breaths. It is amazing how this reduces my stress reaction.
6. Help someone less fortunate. Nothing puts things into perspective better.
7. Acceptance. If there is truly nothing I can do, then worrying only creates stress. This is easy to say but I work hard at trying to accept what I cannot control; however, not until I have done a lot of brainstorming to make sure I cannot do anything about the problem.
8. Stress tends to be closely tied to time management and most of you know I am a student of this. If I am well organized and using my time effectively, I can handle stress better.
If you do not have a copy of my Time Leadership CD or eBook and would like one, see the buttons on the side to order one or please email my assistant, Pam Hughes at pam@synnex.com (see time management - she does the work) and she will sell you one.
Managing stress is a bit like white water canoeing. The water will win if you try to control it - instead, work with it. Simply help guide a bit, but let the river do the work.
Tuesday, August 1, 2006
Quotes
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