I was asked again today how I find time to do my CEO Blog. Interesting question. I quite honestly don't spend that long on it. I blog about what I am thinking about at the time (sometimes that's not much). I use a lot of tricks which I have blogged about often like How to Write an Article in 20 minutes. Maybe its time for me to write another blog post on it.
I noticed that my blog has slipped since I got my own www.jimestill.com domain to second page on Google when you search for CEO Blog. I have read a bit about Search Engine Optimization but am not sure how to move it up except by saying CEO Blog often. On the other hand, I am on and off first page for searches for SYNNEX and of course for Jim Estill I get first spot. I also notice people find my blog for other searches like book titles or "Leadership vs Management". Interesting to watch it.
Today I am thinking about efficiency. If I could reduce my interactions and conversations by 20% I would be more productive. Of course in some cases this would be rude so before everyone starts flaming me - just consider the number of conversations, meetings etc that could be reduced without negative consequences. Interesting possibility.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Goals
One of the great things about being fairly public about my time management efficiency and goal orientation is that people send me neat things about those topics. One of my staff recently sent me www.joesgoals.com. It is a fairly neat, easy to use website. It allows you to put your goals online, share them with friends, and track them. I have started to track my goals there (but I doubt I will share them all with you).
One of the principles that I have long followed on goal setting is to not only set goals, but to track them. Joe’s Goal Program is a way to log everyday your good and bad habits.
In the end, life is all about habits. The better our habits, the more successful we will be.
We are the results of what we repeatedly do.
One of the principles that I have long followed on goal setting is to not only set goals, but to track them. Joe’s Goal Program is a way to log everyday your good and bad habits.
In the end, life is all about habits. The better our habits, the more successful we will be.
We are the results of what we repeatedly do.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Practise
Slow start today (this is a euphemism for saying I slept in). I think I am still a bit worn from the recent travel schedule.
Mid day, I did a sprint Triathlon at Guelph lake. 3/4 Kilometer swim, 19 K bike and 5 K run. I only achieved one of my goals (to finish). Total time 1:39:08 - not good. 2 minutes slower than last year and 5 minutes slower than 2004. What killed my time this year was a slow 5K (27:06) compared to 23:03 and 23:43 in previous years. What causes me to show poorly in general (apart from a highly competitive field) is slow bike times and slow transitions (the time to change from swim to bike took 4+ minutes).
I do not train to do a tri like this. I figure I should always be in good enough shape to just do it. So this was my first swim of the year. Very little cycling also. And my slow result indicates that I have let my workouts slip. Good motivation to rachet up a notch.
The day was perfect for a Tri. Sunny, perhaps a bit hot but not terrible. Because of my age category, I was the 4th wave of swimmers. Waves are 2 minutes apart. I had my wetsuit on and warmed up a bit in the water before the race. Despite starting in waves, it was crowded. I was kicked twice and had to stop to put my goggles on again. By about half way, I was starting to pass some of the slower swimmers in the previous wave. By 3/4 way, swimmers from the wave behind were passing me.
Getting out of my wetsuit and into my bike shoes was a chore. Some people practise this. I never have.
Running my bike to the place where we are allowed to mount is difficult in bike shoes. And I was not fast in getting clipped in (something else to practise). The cycle course was a bit hilly but not too bad. I am not as comfortable with changing my gears as I should be so could practise that more. I lost my water bottle in the first K. My fault, I dropped it. I braked on the downhills and was passed by many. I passed many on the uphills. I need to get used to cycling at higher speeds. 19K is a long cycle for me. Same problem on running in cycle shoes into the transition area. It is awkward.
By the time I started running, I was feeling weak. Usually I show respectably in the running department. It feels weird to start running after cycling. Again - something to practise.
So the morale it, lots of things to practise if I want to fare better on future triathlons.
Tonight I ran a 5K race in Hamilton. This was really not my idea - it was Elizabeth's. I achieved 2 of my 3 goals on that race. To finish and to finish under 25 minutes. I was 24:55. Elizabeth won her age category in 20:10. She wanted to finish under 20. Still she won.
And now for some reason I am tired and think I will sleep well. Must be all the sun I got.
Mid day, I did a sprint Triathlon at Guelph lake. 3/4 Kilometer swim, 19 K bike and 5 K run. I only achieved one of my goals (to finish). Total time 1:39:08 - not good. 2 minutes slower than last year and 5 minutes slower than 2004. What killed my time this year was a slow 5K (27:06) compared to 23:03 and 23:43 in previous years. What causes me to show poorly in general (apart from a highly competitive field) is slow bike times and slow transitions (the time to change from swim to bike took 4+ minutes).
I do not train to do a tri like this. I figure I should always be in good enough shape to just do it. So this was my first swim of the year. Very little cycling also. And my slow result indicates that I have let my workouts slip. Good motivation to rachet up a notch.
The day was perfect for a Tri. Sunny, perhaps a bit hot but not terrible. Because of my age category, I was the 4th wave of swimmers. Waves are 2 minutes apart. I had my wetsuit on and warmed up a bit in the water before the race. Despite starting in waves, it was crowded. I was kicked twice and had to stop to put my goggles on again. By about half way, I was starting to pass some of the slower swimmers in the previous wave. By 3/4 way, swimmers from the wave behind were passing me.
Getting out of my wetsuit and into my bike shoes was a chore. Some people practise this. I never have.
Running my bike to the place where we are allowed to mount is difficult in bike shoes. And I was not fast in getting clipped in (something else to practise). The cycle course was a bit hilly but not too bad. I am not as comfortable with changing my gears as I should be so could practise that more. I lost my water bottle in the first K. My fault, I dropped it. I braked on the downhills and was passed by many. I passed many on the uphills. I need to get used to cycling at higher speeds. 19K is a long cycle for me. Same problem on running in cycle shoes into the transition area. It is awkward.
By the time I started running, I was feeling weak. Usually I show respectably in the running department. It feels weird to start running after cycling. Again - something to practise.
So the morale it, lots of things to practise if I want to fare better on future triathlons.
Tonight I ran a 5K race in Hamilton. This was really not my idea - it was Elizabeth's. I achieved 2 of my 3 goals on that race. To finish and to finish under 25 minutes. I was 24:55. Elizabeth won her age category in 20:10. She wanted to finish under 20. Still she won.
And now for some reason I am tired and think I will sleep well. Must be all the sun I got.
Listening
We learn more when we listen than when we talk.
I wonder if the same is true of writing? We likely learn more by reading than when we write.
The only defense for writing is it does help solidify thought and pull together our various learnings. Organization helps learning. Writing helps organization.
Or perhaps I am just good at justifying...
I wonder if the same is true of writing? We likely learn more by reading than when we write.
The only defense for writing is it does help solidify thought and pull together our various learnings. Organization helps learning. Writing helps organization.
Or perhaps I am just good at justifying...
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Blogging Policy
I am just in from California off the redeye. I have a fairly full day until 2:30 or so.
I am totally inspired. I have many ideas I need to do. I will need to energize the whole organization to accomplish what needs to be done.
SYNNEX is coming out with a blogging policy. I bought Simon, our in house attourney a copy of Robert Scoble and Shel Isreal's book Naked Conversations. And I will need to make sure I influence policy properly. Not sure my policy that everyone must have a blog though is what we will end up with.
I was in board meetings for the past couple of days. One board member who read my blog thought I must spend hours per week on it. No - I pride myself on 20 minutes of blogging 5 days a week (sounds like what everyone should do for exercise). A large part of "easy" blogging is just to write about what you are already thinking about and working on.
I have a ton of blogging time saving tips. One is to use something someone else has done like a quote.
So I leave you with this quote:
"Spectacular achievement is always preceded by spectacular preparation" by Robert H. Schuller.
Off to prepare for my day.
I am totally inspired. I have many ideas I need to do. I will need to energize the whole organization to accomplish what needs to be done.
SYNNEX is coming out with a blogging policy. I bought Simon, our in house attourney a copy of Robert Scoble and Shel Isreal's book Naked Conversations. And I will need to make sure I influence policy properly. Not sure my policy that everyone must have a blog though is what we will end up with.
I was in board meetings for the past couple of days. One board member who read my blog thought I must spend hours per week on it. No - I pride myself on 20 minutes of blogging 5 days a week (sounds like what everyone should do for exercise). A large part of "easy" blogging is just to write about what you are already thinking about and working on.
I have a ton of blogging time saving tips. One is to use something someone else has done like a quote.
So I leave you with this quote:
"Spectacular achievement is always preceded by spectacular preparation" by Robert H. Schuller.
Off to prepare for my day.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Never Eat Alone
Board meetings most of the day.
I read a great book on the way to Fremont, Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi with Tahl Raz. I highly recommend it. Although I network a lot, it was an inspirational refresher. It is about networking (the people kind, not the computer kind – although I am an advocate of both).
As a time management person, I often choose to eat alone. And I choose fast restaurants (not fast food) when I do eat with others. Ferrazzi understands good time use. He often eats with groups of people.
Never Eat Alone speaks of the value of networking and has a number of ideas on how to network. 3 take aways. Always network first by seeing what value you can add to the person rather than looking at it the other way around. Second, although the book did not state this explicitly, networking is common courtesy and actually enjoyable. It is not a distasteful task. Third, nurture your network. Figure out ways to add value and keep in touch. I suppose in some way, my blog does this.
I also realize how extensive my network is. It is not about the 3000+ contacts I have in Outlook, it is about the people I really know and the people that know me (often more people know me – position, speaking engagements, articles and blogs tend to do that). I am charmed to know a lot of highly influential people.
I have a very good relationships with CEOs and Presidents of many companies as a result of my years in YPO. Other organizations like top 40 under 40 and other awards also helps build a peer group. I, of course, have a very deep rolodex in the computer industry (27 years will do that). I have many deep contacts in Guelph and Kitchener Waterloo since I have been in business in that area for years. I have numerous senior contacts of influential people from my board positions on companies like RIM. My years of running a public company gave me many contacts on Bay Street and Wall Street. Equally important as the people of perceived high influence that I know, I have lots of friends, all of whom are in my network, from just being alive and involved in things.
I loved one quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:
"every man I meet is my superior in some way. In that, I learn of him"
Even though my network is broad, I am inspired to nurture it, build it and organize it more.
Now off to a board dinner. Hopefully they won't make me eat alone.
I read a great book on the way to Fremont, Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi with Tahl Raz. I highly recommend it. Although I network a lot, it was an inspirational refresher. It is about networking (the people kind, not the computer kind – although I am an advocate of both).
As a time management person, I often choose to eat alone. And I choose fast restaurants (not fast food) when I do eat with others. Ferrazzi understands good time use. He often eats with groups of people.
Never Eat Alone speaks of the value of networking and has a number of ideas on how to network. 3 take aways. Always network first by seeing what value you can add to the person rather than looking at it the other way around. Second, although the book did not state this explicitly, networking is common courtesy and actually enjoyable. It is not a distasteful task. Third, nurture your network. Figure out ways to add value and keep in touch. I suppose in some way, my blog does this.
I also realize how extensive my network is. It is not about the 3000+ contacts I have in Outlook, it is about the people I really know and the people that know me (often more people know me – position, speaking engagements, articles and blogs tend to do that). I am charmed to know a lot of highly influential people.
I have a very good relationships with CEOs and Presidents of many companies as a result of my years in YPO. Other organizations like top 40 under 40 and other awards also helps build a peer group. I, of course, have a very deep rolodex in the computer industry (27 years will do that). I have many deep contacts in Guelph and Kitchener Waterloo since I have been in business in that area for years. I have numerous senior contacts of influential people from my board positions on companies like RIM. My years of running a public company gave me many contacts on Bay Street and Wall Street. Equally important as the people of perceived high influence that I know, I have lots of friends, all of whom are in my network, from just being alive and involved in things.
I loved one quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:
"every man I meet is my superior in some way. In that, I learn of him"
Even though my network is broad, I am inspired to nurture it, build it and organize it more.
Now off to a board dinner. Hopefully they won't make me eat alone.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Fathers Day
I am back in the airport going to California again. Did not even get time to blog since coming back on the redeye Thursday morning.
Today I ran the Waterloo 10K. The day was hot and humid even by the time the race started at 9. The first K seemed easy. I heard one of the runners say 4:15. Thats too fast for me. The mile came in at 7:30 which was on track but a bit fast for the heat. By the first water stop, I was fading. I walked 50 steps while drinking. There was a 3K and a 5K race going on at the same time so I could soon see these runners turning around (The race was out and back). I wanted to complete 4 K before seeing the 10K racers coming back but I only got to 3.5K or so. By 5 K, I was walking through all the waterstops. The heat was killing me. I tend to be more affected than some other runners. In the end I finished in 55 and a bit. Slowest 10K ever for me.
Elizabeth came third woman overall (only beat by a couple of teen agers and one of them only beat her by 1 second), first in her age, first masters.
When I run I have 3 goals. I often use this trick in other parts of my life. In my Time Leadership CD and eBook, I call this the Power of 3 goals. In this race, my first goal was 45 min, second 50 min and third was just to finish. I finished so made my third goal.
I have been thinking a lot lately about persistance. I have always said "persistance pays".
There could be a dopwnside to thinking this way. Am I giving myself permission to fail. Fail because I can then use my persistance to try again. For that matter - perhaps rather than try, I should just do it. Try implies I might not be successful at it (whatever it is)
Just something I am thinking about.
After the race, David and Beth took me to lunch for fathers day. All my kids gave me a gift certificate to Bulk Barn which is great because they know I make my own museli and Bulk Barn has most of the ingredients I need. Also good for camping supplies but not sure I am going to get much of that in this year. Very thoughtful.
Today I ran the Waterloo 10K. The day was hot and humid even by the time the race started at 9. The first K seemed easy. I heard one of the runners say 4:15. Thats too fast for me. The mile came in at 7:30 which was on track but a bit fast for the heat. By the first water stop, I was fading. I walked 50 steps while drinking. There was a 3K and a 5K race going on at the same time so I could soon see these runners turning around (The race was out and back). I wanted to complete 4 K before seeing the 10K racers coming back but I only got to 3.5K or so. By 5 K, I was walking through all the waterstops. The heat was killing me. I tend to be more affected than some other runners. In the end I finished in 55 and a bit. Slowest 10K ever for me.
Elizabeth came third woman overall (only beat by a couple of teen agers and one of them only beat her by 1 second), first in her age, first masters.
When I run I have 3 goals. I often use this trick in other parts of my life. In my Time Leadership CD and eBook, I call this the Power of 3 goals. In this race, my first goal was 45 min, second 50 min and third was just to finish. I finished so made my third goal.
I have been thinking a lot lately about persistance. I have always said "persistance pays".
There could be a dopwnside to thinking this way. Am I giving myself permission to fail. Fail because I can then use my persistance to try again. For that matter - perhaps rather than try, I should just do it. Try implies I might not be successful at it (whatever it is)
Just something I am thinking about.
After the race, David and Beth took me to lunch for fathers day. All my kids gave me a gift certificate to Bulk Barn which is great because they know I make my own museli and Bulk Barn has most of the ingredients I need. Also good for camping supplies but not sure I am going to get much of that in this year. Very thoughtful.
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