Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Comments now open for everyone!
Sorry folks. I wasn't aware that blogger defaulted to only allowing those with a google/blogger ID to post comments. SO HAVE AT IT! :D
Thursday, April 24, 2008
The ring-around-the-collar manifesto...(in progress)
So I've been inspired lately to charge the gates of corporate hell with a water pistol. I've become disgusted with platitudes, corporate snake-speak, and crap spewed by people who should know better, all in the name of doing 'business'. So this list will grow as I craft my own witty sayings, or just frankly steal them from somewhere else...
1) I'm not in the entertainment industry. My job never has been nor ever will be to keep a customer 'happy'. Keeping the customer 'happy' usually means not telling them the whole truth, or trying to mitigate risk until it spirals out of control and you have no choice but to tell them they're in deep doo-doo. Though the output of my work and that of my team, and by doing the job we were hired to do, we will achieve success and the customer will be happy because of it. This one was my own. :-)
2) Your people come first, never the customer. This one contradicts the missives handed down by my current employer. I've sold my soul to the company before. Became a raging workaholic, cut off family time, all for the sake of the customer or company. I've found that by investing time in people I love and actually WANT to be around (my family, people on my team and so on) and through building these relationships, you will have a much stronger ally when more than 'good enough' is expected for an undetermined amount of time. For example, I have direct reports in Cananda, the US and India. It's by far the best team I've ever worked with. One of these guys lives in Kansas City. I regularly play poker with him and take off the 'boss hat' when doing so. It's allowed me to build a friendly relationship with him, outside of work, that shows him I'm human and that I care about him as a person. This one is not new, but is not widely adopted...but should be. Just remember...that project can't keep you warm at night!
3) The chain of command is for the military, not business. At no point in time should any employee of any company feel intimidated or that it is inappropriate to go above his boss's head or even straight up to the CEO, in the spirit of getting things done. If you've been leap-frogged by a subordinate and were uncomfortable with it, then you've either something to hide or you've not gotten done what you said you would get done. If you're an executive and you don't let 'the little people' just drop in your office when they've something on their mind or when they really need to get something taken care of, then you're failing as a leader. If you don't have time for a 5 minute conversation then I don't have time to work late so you can make 10x more than I do! Leader and Executive are NOT synonyms. -- This one is mine...but could've come from my subconcious....who read it somewhere.
4) If you don't know, SAY SO!!! I am far more disappointed by being told a half truth or someone speaking out of turn, or out of their arse than by someone who was honest and simply said "I don't know, but I'll try to find out." -- That's just common sense. I can't claim credit for it.
5) Feel free to screw up! How many times have you been told "This has to be purrrrrfect!" or "We can't afford any problems" or "There is no room for error!!" Conversely, most of the time in fact, the same people who tell you "it's ok to make mistakes, just learn from them" are the same people who scream the loudest when the first thing goes wrong. There's freedom in knowing that the world is not going to melt to its core, gravity will fail, and all life as we know it will cease to exist simply because you made a mistake. Working from a place where you are EMPOWERED and ENCOURAGED to make mistakes to find the right way of doing something is incredible. My boss allows me to screw up and I'm trying hard to get there for my team. -- This one comes from the Cow book. You really, really need to read this book!!
6) Never follow your passion, but by all means, bring it with you. -- Mike Rowe (Yes, the host of Dirty Jobs). Mike had a FANTASTIC article in Fast Company magazine in Feb 2008. If you have it, read it! If not, come by my house and you can read mine! (Thanks boss, for the magazine!). Let's face it. No one likes a zealot. They make you uncomfortable, even if they're on the same side of the issue as you are. They tend to be embarrassing, make far reaching statements and generalizations, and become the defacto mouthpiece for your position on a topic...pretty soon they're martyred by their own people just to get them to shut up! :D I've been that guy, and am trying to NOT be that guy when it comes to my job. I love my job and I love what I do, but I realize not everyone is as passionate about Software Quality Assurance as I am. (Those people who aren't must not have ever used a computer or they WOULD BE!!) Ahem.....Sorry.
7) It's not about YOU! -- See Number 6. When you violate number 6 above, you begin to wear your title on your sleeve. Who cares if you have 20 years experience, who cares if you're an 'expert', who cares if you're the smartest person on the planet, who cares if no one else can do what you do...YOU can't do it ALL or there wouldn't be a team! Everyone can be replaced. Work like you and the person to your left and right are about to be...you'll find a new understanding of team work when you can start seeing past the end of your nose.
8) Tackle the problem, not your co-worker. (a.k.a. --> We all shoot in the same direction.) -- This one is mine. When you work with really talented people, and people who are passionate about what they do (see number 6 again!!) it's VERY difficult sometimes to give each other grace for their position on a hot-button issue. The flip side of this, is that it is VERY easy to allow your positioning on the other side of the table manifest into bitterness and resentment toward your colleague. Be gracious. Give your co-worker enough rope to hang themselves, but remember to cut that same rope if the floor of the gallows is about to open! Remember...the problem at hand will go away, but odd's are, you'll still be rubbing elbows with that same co-worker after it has.
9) Bring up the problem, even if you don't have a solution. (Mine.) The title on this one will be reworked in the future to be catchy, but mostly shorter. All too often I've heard people, specifically in high-pressure management positions say "don't come to me with a problem, unless you have a solution." There are MANY times in my career when I've encountered a problem, thought about possible solutions, but none of them seemed to fit. And yes, there are ALWAYS times when you bring up a problem that the same high-pressure management type won't have an answer for either! (gasp! I know...shocking!) The act of bringing up the problem, exposes the risk and gets the mental juices flowing, even if your's are dry as the Sahara.
10) NOTHING is ever easy. Period. I came to this realization very early in my career. It sounds obvious and something you would expect everyone to know and understand, however, you'd be surprised. If you think something will be a piece of cake or a walk through the park...PUT DOWN THE FORK AND STAY AT HOME!! I've adopted the attitude that if something 'seems' easy, then I've either missed the mark when it comes to understanding the task. Back up, re-focus, and examine! No doubt you'll uncover something that you missed before.
Stay tuned on this one...it's not done yet!
1) I'm not in the entertainment industry. My job never has been nor ever will be to keep a customer 'happy'. Keeping the customer 'happy' usually means not telling them the whole truth, or trying to mitigate risk until it spirals out of control and you have no choice but to tell them they're in deep doo-doo. Though the output of my work and that of my team, and by doing the job we were hired to do, we will achieve success and the customer will be happy because of it. This one was my own. :-)
2) Your people come first, never the customer. This one contradicts the missives handed down by my current employer. I've sold my soul to the company before. Became a raging workaholic, cut off family time, all for the sake of the customer or company. I've found that by investing time in people I love and actually WANT to be around (my family, people on my team and so on) and through building these relationships, you will have a much stronger ally when more than 'good enough' is expected for an undetermined amount of time. For example, I have direct reports in Cananda, the US and India. It's by far the best team I've ever worked with. One of these guys lives in Kansas City. I regularly play poker with him and take off the 'boss hat' when doing so. It's allowed me to build a friendly relationship with him, outside of work, that shows him I'm human and that I care about him as a person. This one is not new, but is not widely adopted...but should be. Just remember...that project can't keep you warm at night!
3) The chain of command is for the military, not business. At no point in time should any employee of any company feel intimidated or that it is inappropriate to go above his boss's head or even straight up to the CEO, in the spirit of getting things done. If you've been leap-frogged by a subordinate and were uncomfortable with it, then you've either something to hide or you've not gotten done what you said you would get done. If you're an executive and you don't let 'the little people' just drop in your office when they've something on their mind or when they really need to get something taken care of, then you're failing as a leader. If you don't have time for a 5 minute conversation then I don't have time to work late so you can make 10x more than I do! Leader and Executive are NOT synonyms. -- This one is mine...but could've come from my subconcious....who read it somewhere.
4) If you don't know, SAY SO!!! I am far more disappointed by being told a half truth or someone speaking out of turn, or out of their arse than by someone who was honest and simply said "I don't know, but I'll try to find out." -- That's just common sense. I can't claim credit for it.
5) Feel free to screw up! How many times have you been told "This has to be purrrrrfect!" or "We can't afford any problems" or "There is no room for error!!" Conversely, most of the time in fact, the same people who tell you "it's ok to make mistakes, just learn from them" are the same people who scream the loudest when the first thing goes wrong. There's freedom in knowing that the world is not going to melt to its core, gravity will fail, and all life as we know it will cease to exist simply because you made a mistake. Working from a place where you are EMPOWERED and ENCOURAGED to make mistakes to find the right way of doing something is incredible. My boss allows me to screw up and I'm trying hard to get there for my team. -- This one comes from the Cow book. You really, really need to read this book!!
6) Never follow your passion, but by all means, bring it with you. -- Mike Rowe (Yes, the host of Dirty Jobs). Mike had a FANTASTIC article in Fast Company magazine in Feb 2008. If you have it, read it! If not, come by my house and you can read mine! (Thanks boss, for the magazine!). Let's face it. No one likes a zealot. They make you uncomfortable, even if they're on the same side of the issue as you are. They tend to be embarrassing, make far reaching statements and generalizations, and become the defacto mouthpiece for your position on a topic...pretty soon they're martyred by their own people just to get them to shut up! :D I've been that guy, and am trying to NOT be that guy when it comes to my job. I love my job and I love what I do, but I realize not everyone is as passionate about Software Quality Assurance as I am. (Those people who aren't must not have ever used a computer or they WOULD BE!!) Ahem.....Sorry.
7) It's not about YOU! -- See Number 6. When you violate number 6 above, you begin to wear your title on your sleeve. Who cares if you have 20 years experience, who cares if you're an 'expert', who cares if you're the smartest person on the planet, who cares if no one else can do what you do...YOU can't do it ALL or there wouldn't be a team! Everyone can be replaced. Work like you and the person to your left and right are about to be...you'll find a new understanding of team work when you can start seeing past the end of your nose.
8) Tackle the problem, not your co-worker. (a.k.a. --> We all shoot in the same direction.) -- This one is mine. When you work with really talented people, and people who are passionate about what they do (see number 6 again!!) it's VERY difficult sometimes to give each other grace for their position on a hot-button issue. The flip side of this, is that it is VERY easy to allow your positioning on the other side of the table manifest into bitterness and resentment toward your colleague. Be gracious. Give your co-worker enough rope to hang themselves, but remember to cut that same rope if the floor of the gallows is about to open! Remember...the problem at hand will go away, but odd's are, you'll still be rubbing elbows with that same co-worker after it has.
9) Bring up the problem, even if you don't have a solution. (Mine.) The title on this one will be reworked in the future to be catchy, but mostly shorter. All too often I've heard people, specifically in high-pressure management positions say "don't come to me with a problem, unless you have a solution." There are MANY times in my career when I've encountered a problem, thought about possible solutions, but none of them seemed to fit. And yes, there are ALWAYS times when you bring up a problem that the same high-pressure management type won't have an answer for either! (gasp! I know...shocking!) The act of bringing up the problem, exposes the risk and gets the mental juices flowing, even if your's are dry as the Sahara.
10) NOTHING is ever easy. Period. I came to this realization very early in my career. It sounds obvious and something you would expect everyone to know and understand, however, you'd be surprised. If you think something will be a piece of cake or a walk through the park...PUT DOWN THE FORK AND STAY AT HOME!! I've adopted the attitude that if something 'seems' easy, then I've either missed the mark when it comes to understanding the task. Back up, re-focus, and examine! No doubt you'll uncover something that you missed before.
Stay tuned on this one...it's not done yet!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
4th place is pretty cool :-D
So I usually go play (free) poker (No Limit Texas Hold 'em) on Monday nights. I've joined two poker leagues and have finally found my 'away from home' niche. The places I play at usually have two tournaments each night. I usually finish in the top 15, but on Monday this week, I got all the way to 4th, which is the best I've ever done in a live tournament. I can play online or cellphone poker and kill 'em like Doyle Brunson, but playing in person is a different story!
SO by placing in the top 4, I get to go to a qualifier tournament on Tuesday night. The top 24 out of that tournament get to play in the 'tournament of champions', and if you win that...you are given a seat at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. WOOHOO!! (By the way, it is a $10,000 buy in if you just want to pay for the seat yourself.)
Will I place in the top 24? uh...yeah! Will I win the tourney of champs and go to Vegas? Probably not, but it will be fun to try!
-- update on 4/30--
I was out in 15 minutes at the tournament; however, I did play tonight at Sidepockets in Lenexa, KS and placed 4th in the 7pm session and 14th in the 10pm session. :)
SO by placing in the top 4, I get to go to a qualifier tournament on Tuesday night. The top 24 out of that tournament get to play in the 'tournament of champions', and if you win that...you are given a seat at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. WOOHOO!! (By the way, it is a $10,000 buy in if you just want to pay for the seat yourself.)
Will I place in the top 24? uh...yeah! Will I win the tourney of champs and go to Vegas? Probably not, but it will be fun to try!
-- update on 4/30--
I was out in 15 minutes at the tournament; however, I did play tonight at Sidepockets in Lenexa, KS and placed 4th in the 7pm session and 14th in the 10pm session. :)
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Death to all Sacred Cows...
If you're like me (I'm sorry) and find typical business books a quick trip to snoozeville, but also have a quick wit and tell jokes that are sometimes funny only to you, check out this quick read.Sidebar: I have more than a few team members who are Hindu. If you are one of them and reading this...well, I guess I'm fired. :-)
My favorite sections were: 1) Only hire people who have done the job before. and 2) Everyone deserves a second chance.
My company, like most, have herd upon herd upon herd of sacred cows. One of my favorites is, you can't fly above economy class unless you're a director. I recently sent one of my team members to India for a month. Because he didn't have uber-director status, he couldn't get a direct flight on a slightly better (not business class by any means) class of a ticket.
If you're mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore this book will help you recognize and assassinate those sacred cows that get in the way of those of us who want to get the job done, regardless of the rules.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
a sinking ship...
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080411/eu_euro_global_economy.html?.v=3
Once we move from being the #1 currency in the world to #2...show's over for our sovreignty as a nation. Scary times, folks.
Once we move from being the #1 currency in the world to #2...show's over for our sovreignty as a nation. Scary times, folks.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Leave no man behind...
Today, I'm borrowing from the "E" in The Ranger Creed...
"Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy..."
There's a watershed effect that happens with your friends when you change churches. Sure, both sides try to stay in touch for a while, but inevitability takes over and years go by without spending time with those who you just couldn't live without before. :-(
I have a friend who this happened with. My wife and I had left the church that this friend and his wife still go to. Time ebbed and we hadn't spoken for a looooooooong time...until... I got a call telling me that my friend was going through some SERIOUS stuff. I immediately called to express my concern and to tell him I'd be praying for him, but didn't get a call back.
Hmmmm... "This are rough for them right now, should I keep trying?" I knew they were being pounded with people who were expressing genuine care and love, but also who just wanted 'the dirt'. I didn't want my prolonged absence to seem like I wanted to be the town gossip. I kept calling. I called and emailed. I emailed and called.
Nothing.
I was mad. I wasn't mad at my friend for not taking time to return my calls or emails, but mad at how many people would've given up at this point for someone who they considered a 'friend'. I resolved to keep pressing until I was told to go away. Being the cyber sleuth/nerd I am, I found my friend's work number and left him a rather blunt..."just let me know you're ok" message.
He called and is doing as good as can be. We're working on rebuilding our friendship. He knows I'm not interested in 'the dirt' but only want to be there for him in his time of need.
If you ever have a friend with whom you've disconnected with, remember...
"Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy."
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
"That'll be ten Dirham's, please."
It's going to happen.
We're too ignorant to see it as a country.
Our economy has been and continues to degrade, daily.
Stimulus won't fix it.
The republicans can't fix it.
The dems can't fix it (no, not even obama-lama-ding-dong, savior for the new age of america).
The country is broke and it's all smoke and mirrors, folks.
Watch this cartooney version of why our money is pretty much worthless and will continue to be until we have to face the truth and own up to being bankrupt.
The FED in Federal Reserve has as much to do with the Federal government as Federal Express. "Can I have a money printing machine?"
We're too ignorant to see it as a country.
Our economy has been and continues to degrade, daily.
Stimulus won't fix it.
The republicans can't fix it.
The dems can't fix it (no, not even obama-lama-ding-dong, savior for the new age of america).
The country is broke and it's all smoke and mirrors, folks.
Watch this cartooney version of why our money is pretty much worthless and will continue to be until we have to face the truth and own up to being bankrupt.
The FED in Federal Reserve has as much to do with the Federal government as Federal Express. "Can I have a money printing machine?"
Roughing it.
“I have had a good life and thank the Lord. Goodbye and may God bless all!” -- Christopher McCandless.
I used to hate reading.
I was terrible in English class in Highschool, and still am today. About 7 months ago, I caught the reading bug. I've read more books in the last year than I have in my entire 33 years of existence. My tastes focus on advendure, fiction or non-fiction.
Sidebar: Why can't 'they' just call non-fiction 'stuff that really happened'? Is it a quesiton of efficiency? Sheesh.
Anyway...I saw the movie trailer for Into the Wild, the story of Christopher McCandless who jumped off the grid and followed his dream of roughing it in the Alaskan Wild. I don't normally watch the movie before a book, because you are always disappointed...right? Well, the movie was AWESOME. I know that it is an adaptation of the book and that the book is much, much more granular; however, watching it in HD took my breath away.
Sidebar #2: I read I am Legend by Richard Matheson, you know, the Will Smith blockbuster that come out late last year? I read the book first, months ahead of the movie release. Watched the movie and was (#&*%)# mad. The only thing the two have in common are the protaginist's name and the title of the movie/book. The plot was different, the dog was different, the creatures were different, the end was different. It was awesome, though, in its own right.
Ahem... read Into the Wild, then watch the movie. If you're a man and this book/movie doesn't stir your soul...you need a toe tag and a dirt nap.
Update on 5/27/2008 >> I finished this book last week and it was probably the second best non-fiction work I've ever read (the first being Endurance, the story of Earnest Shackleton's attempt at Antartica.)
The moral of the story (to me) is that passion and arrogance make for a deadly couple. I don't fault him at all for following his heart and pursuing happiness. Afterall, that is one of the three hallmarks of the United States. I see a lot of myself in Chris McCandless. Not that I'm about to go to Alaska and live in Faribanks 142, but that the idea of doing what he did is simply amazing. I believe that everyman longs to be tested to see what he is truly worth. I don't believe I've had my test yet. I hope I pass.
It was probably fitting that I finished this book just before I went camping for the weekend with my family, SIL, her husband and 4 kids. Let me tell you, it was QUITE the juxtaposition; us with our FOUR vechiles full of all things 'necessary' to live in the 'wild' for 3 nights and 4 days. While I had a GREAT time camping, someday, I'd like to rough it...if just for a weekend....to see what I'm made of.
Columbus was WRONG!
I've only thumbed through this book in the airport, and if it weren't for the 20 some odd books I already have on my desk waiting to be read, I would've bought it. Take advantage of the "look inside" widget on BN.com. It looks like a great read.
I'm currently wrapping up a project for a rapidly growing, Texas based, grocery chain. This project has taken me to Texas for about 5 weeks out of the last 7. On my team alone, for this one project, I have two people located in Vancouver, 2 onsite in Texas, and the rest in India, with myself in Missouri. If you think we're not already a part of a global society, think again. And this is only to replace ONE application at ONE company in ONE state in ONE country. If you're an IT geek reading this, you're thinking..."tell me something new." If that's you, read a different post - this one is aimed at my techno-phobe friends.
"Why can't those call center people speak english!?!?!" Ugh. I do hope people realize that they are exuding the 'ugly uh-mare-e-cun' when they say crap like this. I'm almost to the point to where I tell people that I'm Canadian (except for my friends at immigration!!)when I travel internationally because I'm frankly embarrassed by the image we've created for ourselves over the last 50 years. Regarding the call center quip...it's because we as uh-mare-e-cun's want things as cheap and fast as possible, but we also want to make six-figures, live in a million dollar house, drive a beamer, and wipe our greasy chin's with Ben Franklin's. You can't have your McDonald's and eat it too. Getting that stuff takes hardwork, sacrifice (most of the time too much sacrifice), and a GREAT education. But we're lazy. So if we as citizens are not willing to do the work, and control the cost for services that we pay for by continuously demanding they be the cheapest, we F O R C E (yes, I said force) suppliers, vendors, companies, etc to fill that D E M A N D with the cheapest and fastest possible labor. In short...that's why most jobs are outsourced.
My favorite lines from those that haven't a clue as to the state of globalisim are "They're sending our jobs overseas!!" or "THOSE PEOPLE are taking our jobs!!!" The fact is...we GAVE / SENT them away.
America...the only country whose poor people are fat. Think about it.
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