Collaborage

Collaboration is Key, But is it Collaboration?

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 07:40:26 -0500

Another survey and another set of results that reveal another blinding flash of the obvious. We don't collaborate very well and the question that needs to be asked is did you need a survey to tell you that? What we might not understand is what exactly collaboration is and what it is not. Ask yourself or your manager if you collaborate with others? The problem with this question is that it is like you wife asking your if you like her new dress. There is only one safe and secure answer to the question which isn't up for discussion. In the case of collaboration, this is due to the belief that if you're not collaborating then there is something wrong with you or your leadership. Moreover, it seems that many people believe that you can fix our problems with collaboration with some magical wave of corporate policy. What really happens is that managers mistake cooperation, coordination, and communication with collaboration thus the answer to the question is always yes. We believe that if we are Cooperating with other groups or individuals then by definition we must be collaborating. But cooperation relies on processes and procedures to define how work gets done. The more we constrain or control the environment the more we can cooperate but this lowers the possibility that we will see real collaboration. Take for example when my PC was stolen. I didn't collaborate with the police to locate the PC but I did cooperate with them in giving descriptions, serial numbers, and other critical information. Communication is another thing that we are very good at and often gets confused with collaboration. We have email, newsletters, blogs, web sites and about million other methods to communicate across the organization barriers but again, communication isn't really collaborating. Telling other groups what you are doing, going to do or planning to do is simply a form of messaging that has little to do with truly collaborating. Finally, we look toward this idea of Coordination with others as the ideal collaboration scenario. Coordination is the process by which we take different tasks and align them so that a common objective can occur. Our project management teams thrive in environments where the coordination of activities is required. But is this really collaborating? Clearly individually, these activities don't equal true collaboration but does the sum of the parts add up to collaboration? The answer is simply no. You can take a banana, an apple, and some grapes to make fruit salad but you can't create a watermelon from them. So what then is collaborating if it's not communication, coordinating, and cooperating? Well, it might be easier to provide an example versus giving some formal definition. Boeing is a company that been around for about as long as we have or so it seems. They too had perfected the art of the three C's but collaboration was elusive. That all changed with the new Dreamliner. As an example, before the process for airplane design was done in house, then the engineering drawings were then put out for bid. Clearly, for this process to work you needed communication, coordination, and cooperation between the company and vendors. For the Dreamliner they changed things but picking the best of breed vendor and bringing them in house to collaborate on the design. More than a physical move and process change, the firm's information systems were connected as well as the reporting structure. New design ideas we not only pulled from customers directly but open information markets as well. The Boeing engineers said it best; they didn't know what it really meant to collaborate until they started doing it. I think we find ourselves in this same predicament. That is we are going to continue to claim we are collaborating until we actually do it. Then, looking back, we will see what lousy collaborators we actually were.

How to Create Innovative Ideas

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 07:33:41 -0500

Company are using a form of information market systems to rank, rate, and select ideas. Our own group is implementing something similar and everyone knows about the corporate Patent program. Where do folks come up with these new ideas? Do they just come from out of the blue in a flash of lightning? Are new ideas really one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration? Well, here are a few ideas on how to generate new ideas. First thing is obvious is to look for a problem that needs a solution. What annoys you or drives you crazy? There is something you know you can do but just can't? Wouldn't it be great to be able to charge your iphone while backpacking in the wild? Ok, this wouldn’t have occurred to me but someone thought an isothermal boot that uses body heat to recharge the iphone was a good idea. They saw a problem and solved it. Another idea is to look for related or correlated ideas. In 1900, the inventor of the vacuum cleaner observed a dust collection system which didn't actually collect dust but blew it away. What if I reverse the motor and pull the dust inward? Thus, the first vacuum was patented. This is one of the best idea creation techniques around. Observing other areas or disciplines helps you change your perspective. This is why I recommend folks create a CV or Visual Resume because it changes your perspective over the traditional resume. Hang out with a different crowd or read something that you wouldn't normally read. We all get in ruts or patterns of behavior. Take someone you wouldn't normally hang out with at lunch and just listen to their problems or ideas. Do you normally read action or romance novels? Pick up a business book; read Funky Business or Re-Imagine which are great alternative views on business. What magazines do you read? Have you ever flipped through a landscaping magazine? Why not?. Expose yourself to greatness. Find those people, things, inventions or locations that are simply the best in the world. Why are they the best, what made them different or first to move in a direction not obvious to others. Several years ago, we took a trip to France and all I wanted to see was the Mona Lisa. I don't know why this is a great painting or at least the most famous but I wanted to see it. I wanted to be in the presence of greatness and see what it might inspire. Change your perspective. Do you remember as a child when you were forced to sit in the back seat? What did you observe? Your perspective was all about where you had been; you observed the world from the rear window. As an adult, we focus our attention to where we are going and what's coming up. When was the last time you sat in the back seat and spent hours looking out the rear window? Maybe you should spend time with the customer observing where they are struggling. We did this with Sharepoint and noticed that even the smartest struggled on the potential of a collaboration environment. Hence our old team was created to facilitate the growth and expansion of the product. Get a notebook. Darn, I just had a great idea but I can't remember what it is now. How many times have you had that great idea but lost as soon as your son ran into the room asking you to read Calvin and Hobbes? Many idea folks actually have a notebook by the bed in case they wake up from a dream and need to jot down some ideas. I am sure there are other ideas that might help you generate new ideas but the most important thing is to act on them.

Violins for Everyone

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 06:12:32 -0500

What would happen if your company came into possession of thousands of Violins? Some of these violins were Stradivarius while others were worth $5 and could be bought off eBay. How would or should the company distribute the violins? How would you decide if you were in charge? Should the violins be distributed based on positional power? The chairman and his direct reports get the Stradivarius while you and I get a box with strings attached? This seems fair based on our classic organizational chart mindset in which all knowledge and value begins at the top of the pyramid. Maybe the distribution should be based on a lottery system or on a first come first serve basis. We could create an online form and the first people that sign up get the high dollar violins. Of course, this might give the east coast an unfair advantage depending on when the email goes out. Maybe the violins could be a reward of some kind to recognize those high performers within the enterprise. Considering that most of us live on Lake Wobegon when it comes to high performance, we might not have enough to go around. We all understand that 50% of the employees are by definition below average but 95% of us think it’s the other person that is the "B" player. How about we present the violins to those that can actually play? A violin was designed for the creation of great music thus those folks that have played for 30 years should be the ones that get the Stradivarius. Those that can perform on stage in front of thousands should get the very best equipment we have to offer. On the other hand, if we gave the worst players the best violins then we would all be normalized to a mediocre performance. Here is another great idea. What if we didn't distribute the violins at all? Instead, we put them in a storage room and claimed a million dollars in cost savings by not having the shipping costs, maintenance costs, or doing a lease roll on violins. The employee lost productivity due to listening to wonderful music while at work would be eliminated. We could still claim the asset on the books without actually leveraging it for any value creation. So, which is it? How would you distribute the violins? This is a silly question isn't it? You can't believe you actually read the entire blog post but what if…What if we exchanged our violins for business travel, education credits, equipment, promotions, or growth opportunities within the company? Does this change your answer? If so, why?

Office Theft: One Piece at a Time

Fri, 28 May 2010 08:52:55 -0500

Over the past few months, I have had a couple of things taken from my desk here at AT&T. The first is loose change that I had sitting in a little cup. The funny thing was the trail of coins running down the hallway which I wondered if I followed would I find Hansel and Gretel sitting in some cube counting the stolen loot. As someone that usually over analyzes things, I wondered how much they could have taken if they pulled a Johnny Cash and took "One Piece at a Time":

"I've never considered myself a thief"
"But Todd wouldn't miss just one little piece"
"Especially if I strung it out over several years"
"I'd get one piece at a time and it wouldn't cost me a dime"

Money isn't the only thing that goes missing. One of our industry awards was removed which makes no sense in that it was just a piece of crystal but I guess it will look better on some dining room table versus my 8x8 cube cell. Ironically, I am more interested in what they don't take, like books or magazines. I usually leave my storage panel open and there are 25 business books ready for the five finger discount. I think that if this person did read these books and absorbed just 10%, they would be able to double or triple their current earnings but that would require more effort and commitment. What does this have to do with Enterprise 2.0? I think is has an enormous impact based on the short term thinking, planning, and even execution we see on a daily basis. To reiterate the point, I was listening to the radio several months ago and a question was asked: what is the difference between the poor, the middle class, and the rich. The answer was surprisingly simple: time. The poor think in terms of tomorrow and the majority of their decisions are based on that time horizon (i.e. what will I eat tomorrow). The middle class think in terms of month to month survival such as a house payment or credit card bill that's due. The rich think in terms of years and even decades depending on the level of success they have achieved. In many ways, each level perceives they are locked in without any path to the next level up because they can't change their boxed in view. What time horizon does your organization take when planning the future? Are we so caught up in the fire fights of tomorrow that we miss out on the long term success? Are we so focused on our day by day survival that we fail to invest in our own education and experiences? There is some truth in that I don't see as much strategic planning and extended architecture being developed within the IT world. Our employment reviews have long be reduced to what have you done for me lately. Stock market returns are focused on the next quarter earnings versus any essence of long term value creation. Maybe time is like gravity in that without effort, you will be pulled toward the short term mindset. Over years of neglect, we simply don't know how to look at anything other than tomorrow. That being said, I wonder what's for dinner tonight.

A Lifetime of Learning

Wed, 12 May 2010 13:32:13 -0500

I still remember my mother telling me that if I get a college degree that my employment ticket would be checked. My grandfather reiterated the same thing as I was the first one in the family to attend and graduate college. For that generation, college was indeed a luxury and something special to celebrate. Companies were more than willing to pay extra for that knowledge and experience but something interesting happened along the way to the bank. Time and businesses didn't stand still for the prediction to come true; they simply evolved. So what the heck happened while I my nose was stuck in a book? First, the speed of technology and business model change increased by ten-fold. Change happens so fast now that most of what you learn in the class room is out dated before you graduate. Some even say that the half-life of information is four years which makes 50% of what you learn worthless. Second, much of what you learn gets over emphasized in the class room but falls short in the real world. There is a clear over emphasis in analytics and financial accounting but far too little emphasis in common sense, ethics, and relationship building which is the corner stone of business. Finally, the element of easy and free information comes into play. Many believed that the secrets of success could only be found within the ivy walls of academia. One of my favorite moves is Matt Damon's Good Will Hunting. Here is a quote from the bar scene.

See, the sad thing about a guy like you is that in 50 years you're gonna start doing some thinking on your own and you're gonna come up with the fact that there are two certainties in life. One, don't do that. And Two, you dropped a hundred and fifty grand on an education you could of got for a dollar fifty in late charges at the public library.

So what does this mean? It means that the only person that can educate you is yourself and that requires a lifetime of learning, reading, writing, and education. A degree represents your commitment, dedication, and focus on a long term goal. While it's hard to understate the importance of these characteristics, the idea that a degree equals a ticket to fame and fortune has become a myth. The cold hard reality is that a college degree isn't unique today but the price of entry. Degrees are important, school is an imperative, but the ability to educate yourself outside formal studies is not an option in today's environment. So, I'll be the one that asks the questions: 1. What are you currently reading? Business Related? 2. What are you studying? A deep, dedicated, and committed study. 3. What are you currently writing? 4. What classes are you attending? Company paid or not? 5. What conferences are you attending? Are you speaking? 6. Who are you following on Twitter? What blogs interest you? 7. Who is in your social network? Internally (tSpace) and Externally (LinkedIn) 8. Who are you mentoring? Who is mentoring You? 9. What did you do today that made you uncomfortable? 10. What topic did you ask why and investigate further?

Don't Call Me a Dumpy, Not Just Yet

Tue, 11 May 2010 08:31:57 -0500

I don't often cut and paste other articles but Robert Kiyosaki has written an excellent article that fits in nicely with several of our posts concerning change. Allow me to quote a small piece of the article:

I believe there will be two newsworthy groups to emerge between 2010 and 2020. One big group will be the Dumpies, so named because life leaves them down in the dumps. Many in this group are old hippies who flourished during the ‘60s and forgot to grow up. Not all Dumpies were hippies. Many Dumpies became Dumpies simply because, like dinosaurs, they failed to notice the weather changing. They simply followed in their parents' footsteps, faithfully believing that all they had to do was go to school, get a job, buy a house, save money, retire on a company pension, collect Social Security, and live happily ever after at the country club. The formula worked for their parents - the WWII generation - so why shouldn't it work for them? In the coming decade, I believe we will be hearing more and more stories of Dumpies - well educated, hard-working, successful, prosperous people who will find themselves out of time, out of money, and dependent upon government or family support in their golden years.

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgetingk/article/109407/the-rise-of-the-mega-rich In an overly simplistic view, the rules of the game are changing and the question remains on how you react to this change. While this article is largely focusing on the financial aspects of life in the future, we cannot run from the business implications either. Our organization recently published a monthly newsletter in which over 100 people had 25 years of service with the company. Some were even celebrating 45 years with the same company. In the old days, getting fired was the scarlet letter but I can imagine the day where working for a single company is the new scarlet letter. The reason is simple enough, businesses want diversity. I know, I know, we are already diverse from a cultural definition but you have to wonder about how diverse our thinking is when you work for the same organization for 40 years, in the same town, in the same position, for the same boss, with the same degree, and doing the same function. We are about as diverse as lemmings falling off a cliff. While I can't say if Mr. Kiyosaki is 100% accurate, I can tell you don't want to be the last farmer to leave the farm or the last manufacturing worker to leave the plant. I am also not sure I want to be one of those Mega-Rich that Robert discusses but I am willing to try, just to add to my diversity experience.

IBM to OutSource Everyone?

Wed, 05 May 2010 06:41:10 -0500

Forrest Gump is widely recognized as a management guru; well sort of. One of the quotes attributed to Forrest is his ideas on business. "Don't own nothing rent your shoes if you have to". In other words, keep your costs to a minimum. Convert everything to a variable cost, outsource everything that you can, and focus on your competitive advantage. Outsource everything? Per John McEnroe, "You cannot be serious". The answer is yes and no. You can't actually outsource everything simply because the increase transaction cost would eliminate all profits and competitive advantage that you have. Many companies are outsourcing large areas of the business and succeeding with our current advancements in technology. They are outsourcing to organizations that can simply do it better and cheaper than they can from inside the organization. When Henry Ford started in the automobile industry, he had a rubber plant and a glass plant on site to ensure he got the best quality at the lowest price. That was then and this is now. The cost of transportation, design, and manufacturing has dropped to the point that the major cost is now integration. When you can lower the cost of integration then it makes sense to move work outside the walls of the organization. I know what you're thinking, no one is actually thinking of outsourcing everything, right? IBM is considering cutting three-quarters of its 399,000 permanent staff in the next seven years and re-hiring them for projects as part of an HR strategy due to end in 2017. We get concerned over 3% cuts; they are talking about a 75% cut with no guarantees of employment. What would you do if that was your business and you could cut 30-40% of the cost, increase productivity, and gain access to the most skilled individuals around the world? http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2010/04/26/241033/IBM-HR-shake-up-could-see-299000-permanent-staff-jobs.htm Even if the article is false, the fact that the company is thinking about this as a corporate strategy should have everyone rethinking what it means to have a career within a large organization. Notice I used the word career not the word job. You own your career but not your job. The company will, not might but will, configure competencies to remain competitive with or without you. The stability of your career belongs to you and you have full responsibility for ensuring your employment in the future. The biggest profit killer ever known to mankind has been the internet. Having free access to information and price comparisons has created an environment where only the strong survive. As individual resources, we are not there yet but getting closer day by day. Are you ready to be in an environment where you thrive based on skills, productivity, and results versus one based politics, length of service, and mastery of process?

Do You Really Exist?

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:09:47 -0500

Do you really exist? Will anyone remember you 100 years from now? I am reminded of this question based on my wife’s effort in reviewing our family tree last week. We purchased one of the family tree programs several years ago and she really worked hard to try to understand our roots. Unfortunately, my side of the family ends in South Georgia about 5 generations ago. This makes sense since record keeping wasn't a high priority during those days and especially for the rural south. On the wife's side we can go back to Germany and Sweden to see how and when her family arrived in America. Looking at the information made we wonder, will anyone know that you were here? In fact, does anyone know that you exist now and for what reason? From a business perspective, they are called Trademarks. In the old days, your business trademark could have been a barber pole or a sign that read "Jones Blacksmith Shop". You were known by the trade and the footprints you left behind. Today in a global economy, there isn't much out there that can set you apart. This is where Trademarks come into play. You might not think you have any Trademarks but I’ll bet you have a few running around. There are really two sides of the trademark and the relationship to the existence question; one of which relates to the past while other focuses on the future. The first aspect of a trademark is all of your accomplishments. Think of those things that create the cornerstones of your career and will stand the test of time. For example, a patent is something that is a challenge to secure but once you have it in your name, you join the ranks of Edison and Einstein. The same goes for your place of employment, roles, and high profile projects. You can also create publications which may include conference presentations, articles, books, or newsletter articles. Your trademarks are the footprints you leave behind as your career progresses and hopefully long afterwards. Si I'll ask the obvious question. What trademark are you currently working on? Right Now? Today? Why Not? The second aspect of a Trademark is how people might find you which may be a whole lot more important in a global economy. It's not like you are the local insurance salesman and everyone knows your name in a town of 120 people. Ponder LinkedIn for a moment where there are 52 million business profiles and 10% of those are from companies and recruiters. Are you on LinkedIn? Are you online at all? If I search your name on Google and nothing comes up does that mean you don't exist? The simple answer is Yes! In one survey, 50% of companies indicate they are researching candidates online. Do you really want the decision on your hire to be based on the fact that they can't find anything about you? In that same survey, which questioned 2,667 managers and human resource workers found that 35 percent of employers decided not to offer a job to a candidate based on the content uncovered on a social networking site. Here are a few more numbers on the percentage of companies using social media for background checks: 75% on LinkedIn, 48% on Facebook, and 26% on Twitter. Let's keep them coming; the percentage of companies using social media to recruit top talent: 95% on LinkedIn, 59% on Facebook, and 42% on Twitter. There are so many ways in which you can leave your mark online that not having one puts you behind the eight ball. Read Trademark 2.0 which is also available in a Free eReader Format.

Your Career: Sinking in a Sea of Sameness

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 06:35:29 -0500

Well, it's that time of the year again when we are asked to update our performance documents for the first quarter. It's also the time I try to update my other career management documents. Like most people, this includes the classic two page resume. For the majority of my career, this was the manifesto for reviewing my progress. Then, two events changed my perspective and changed how I look at this difficult subject. The first was simply going to back to school with a bunch of academic folks. Normally, I attended school with more of the business side of the house or technology nerds. The academics opened my eyes to another dimension of career management which was the CV. The Curriculum Vita is a document that isn't constrained by the number of pages and looks at your career more from a service perspective versus one based on employment. The other event was much more dramatic. I would have to say that I have interviewed hundreds of people from entry level positions all the way up to senior director positions. Despite the volume, only one comes to mind as memorable. Why? Because like most resumes we see today, the candidates were drowning in a sea of sameness. But this one was different. I could tell from the resume that this person was reaching far above his skills in order to apply for the position but I was excited to interview a Georgia Tech graduate. When we got into the meeting room, he did something I had never seen before. He pulled out an actual portfolio of his work. Just like an artist, he had sample bits of code, sample web pages he had developed, letters of recommendation, images of his leadership positions in school, and much much more. I think I almost peed in my pants with excitement when everything hit me. While this may not seem remarkable, within the IT field and back then this would have been like discovering how to fly. This gentleman was so far ahead of his time and 15 years later I still remember the event like it was yesterday. I really do wonder where he is today and how much he has accomplished; probably some internet millionaire. For most of us that have been employed by the same company for 20 years, this message will seem foolish and a complete waste of time. We are living in a much different world today than we did when you started. Remember, there is a diminishing demand for the technology professional (Labor) and an inverse relation to the increasing demand for IT Talent. Despite the push to generalize you and your skills by the organizational machine, you must resist and stay focused on developing talent. Use these career management tools to their fullest and fight the tide.

If there is nothing very special about your work, no matter how hard you apply yourself you won't get noticed, and that increasingly means you won't get paid much either. - Michael Goldhaber, Wired

My Visual Resume and InfoGraphic

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 07:42:48 -0500

Well, I have been working on this Visual Resume for about a month now. Each time I think I am done, I get a new idea and a new version is created. Here is the latest version which I really like how it look from an information perspective as well as a visual perspective.

One question that might be asked is why create a visual resume when you are not a graphic artist? For me the answer is that it forces you to look at your career from yet another perspective. Same reason I encourage folks to create a CV as well as update their resume. It forces you to look at your career from a different angle and hopefully reveal something you hadn't thought about.

Four Keys to Success

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 08:20:41 -0500

This past weekend, many of us got a chance to watch the Masters (Ok, my last Golf related post for the week). Personally, I enjoy the Masters more for the course than I do for the golfers, per se. The 13th and 15th holes at Augusta National are a couple of the greatest risk reward holes in golf. Four things must happen in order to take advantage of the opportunity. First, you have to be prepared or talented enough to get into the Masters. This is no small feat and most golfers would trade their first born just to play a single round. They wouldn't want the likes of me there or they would issue hard hats to all of the patrons. Second, you have to recognize that an opportunity exists where you can position to go for the green. Neither hole requires you to bomb the tee shot but rather you have to place the shot into the proper position. Once you're in position then you have to step up to the plate and hit it with all the confidence you can muster. In other words, you must take action. While you may dump it in Ray's Creek, at least you went for it; there are no guarantees in business or in golf. Many times our careers or business decisions are like this in that we must prepare, recognize, position, and take action. Take for example, Jeff Grady who was one of those washed up and penniless casualties of the dot-com implosion. Although, he couldn't find work he made sure he stayed in shape which gave him something to do while filling yet another job application. While at the gym, he noticed that everyone seemed to have a new toy called an iPod and he wanted one. Like many people down and out, you go spend money that you don't have and Jeff was no different. Since he worked out so aggressively, he wanted to protect the device and the fragile screen. Using his skills (Preperation) he learned as a sportswear designer he created a case made of plastic. Just about everyone at the gym commented on his case and wanted one so he made a few more and then the idea hit him (Recognition and Position). He formed his own company, Digital Lifestyle Outfitters (Action) and sold it for $84 million a few years later. Personally, I think I am pretty good at the first three but a miserable failure at the last one. Like a deer in the headlights, I fail to act on my ideas and dreams. Living instead to take the common path that many others before me. It's safe, secure, and predictable which by definition has little risk and little reward. I am more like the 12th hole at Augusta National, hit and hope you can survive with a par. How about you? Are you more of an action, fly by the seat of your pants type of person but fail to the preparation required to truly succeed? Then, if you fail just make an excuse that you didn’t practice very hard in the first place. Don't worry many folks do the same. It takes all four to really succeed or a whole lot of luck.

The Erosion of Business Ethics

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 07:44:23 -0500

When you think of business ethics, what comes to mind? For me, I think of whistle blowing at Enron, insider trading, and corporate espionage; cloak and dagger type stuff. However, business ethics can also come with the little things that we do or don't do. At any given point in time, organizations may have hundreds of job openings in the growing areas of the business. Several members of our senior leadership have spoken about moving folks to the growth areas while reducing staff in the legacy areas. I'll have to admit that I have applied for several positions since joining the company a few years ago. Applying for positions and getting rejected is nothing unusual for me. I still remember my first rejection when I applied for a night time position at the local funeral home. Upon reflection, that was one rejection notice that I am glad I received. The point is that up until a few years ago, rejection notices were written notification from the HR department. In the old days, this was a mailed letter which eventually became an email as technology progressed. In some cases, I even got a call from the hiring manager thanking me for my interest in the company and my desire to work in their department. It's a small thing in the world of business ethics but I have never received a single letter or email from any of the positions that I have applied for within the company. Nor have I received a single phone call from a hiring manager acknowledging my interest in the position. Now, I know what you're thinking. The HR department has been cut to the bone and they don’t have time to even send out a form letter. With every position, the hiring manager may get a hundred applicants so you can't expect them to actually call you. Heck, they don't even call their own staff on a regular basis. Is this a sign of the times or a breech in business ethics? Did you get a chance to watch the Master's this weekend? How about Sunday's back nine? I always enjoy watching the Masters but something caught my eye on Sunday; did you catch the breech in Golf Etiquette on the 18th hole? For one of the few times, Phil Mickelson used a 3 Wood for his drive and Lee Westwood out drove him by 30 yards. Lee walks to his ball (in front of Phil) and gets into the field of vision for Phil's approach shot. You can see this because the camera guy is shooting right behind Phil and Bones (Phil's Caddie). At the precise point Phil is taking his back swing, Lee bends down to pick up a blade of grass thus creating movement (Breech #2). Now, Phil hits it 8 feet and makes birdie so maybe the point is mute. I can tell you that if I did that playing with my Dad, he would have pulled out a 2 iron and put one right over my head. We are a stickler for the rules of Golf but the etiquette of Golf is becoming more and more elusive. Are the ethics of business eroding as well? Maybe it's not the ethics but Business Etiquette that's going to the dogs. I don't need to point out the poor behavior of bringing your blackberry or iPhone to meetings as yet another example.

New and Improved Visual Resume

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:08:03 -0500

New Version is Available

I wanted to enhance the Visual Resume with a couple new items. The first is an expansion for the Industry knowledge which is located in the middle and on the left. Here you can see my expands both in depth and breath depending on the number of years. The other is a calculation for Return on Resource Investment. Here I take into account my role, staff, job responsibilities, and salary in order to calculate my value to the organization.

R. Todd's Visual Resume

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 20:49:58 -0500

New Version is Available

I decided to update my Visual Resume and many others have in order to provide a more artistic view of my professional history. On the top is a tag cloud that list my experience, technical skills, research interests, and knowledge areas. The bottom section provides a historical view of my employment, education, publication, and other trademark components.

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 07:42:11 -0500

In today's economic environment, you would think that getting fired or laid off is the absolute worse thing that could happen. While this may seem true in the short run, getting fired is, by definition, definitive. Getting fired leaves you with few options and it forces you to act. By acting, you may very well improve your situation and get into a better work environment; one that is more focused on your career goals. No, the worse thing that can happen to you as an employee is getting a demotion. Keep in mind a demotion may not be just a title thing, you could get demoted by having your responsibly assigned to someone else, your clients reassigned, receiving a lower title, a reduction in staff, lower responsibilities, or having your pay frozen. None of these actions leave you with a positive feeling about your employer or yourself. What both employers and employees fail to see is that this is like the Titanic leaking water. If may not seem like a very big event but eventually, your ship will sink. No one really recovers from a demotion by ignoring it or doing very little about it. This applies to both sides of the equation; managers should also pay attention when this happens to one of their employees. Talk to them and try to get an understanding of how they are feeling. These are your resources; you can’t allow them to continue this downward spiral. Not only do you have the responsibility for allowing this happen to one of your employees, you also have the responsibility to ensure they recover. (All Managers need to re-read that last sentence). So what should you do? First, talk to your boss or your boss’s boss and get a clear picture of why it happened. You may be surprised that it had very little to do with you or your performance. If it is your fault, take inventory of your weaknesses that lead up to this event. Maybe something was happening in your personal life or some miscommunication occurred. Whatever it is you need to put a plan in place to address theses issues and move forward. Look for a lateral move or something in a growing part of the business. Maybe even, hold to your company process manual, contact someone in HR to get some guidance. Do they still offer career counseling or do I need to call the outsourced help desk? "Yes, I would like to speak to someone about career planning" "Is the PC plugged in?".