Reply to All

A year off every seven years?

Sounds like a good plan to me. 

Listen to what Stefan Sagmeister has to say about the power of time off and think about how you'd pull this off.  This is about taking a few less years of retirement and living a little more during your working years.

Thanks to the folks from the TED conference for sharing this and for Stefan for making us think about it.  This event is definitely on my list to work my way into at some point.

Everything is amazing, but nobody is happy

Came across this on Facebook (thanks Marel) and it is hysterical.  Quite a commentary on "us" by Louis C.K.

Click thru the image below then you'll have to play the video.

My favorite:  'how quickly the world owes him something he knew existed only 10 seconds ago..."

Meeting new people

I suppose you either like to do this or not.  I believe we all can carry and support 10-20 really close personal relationships with the balance being casual/professional acquaintances.  Beyond these casual/professional acquaintances are those with whom we would like to build a relationship.  Someone we admire, someone we are trying to sell to, or generally seeking some benefit from having a relationship.

I have always been interested in meeting new people and the older I get the more this interests me.  I have overcome whatever shyness I had a long time ago as I realized that being proactive and tenacious will create more opportunities plus you will always learn something from these encounters. 

Asking for someone's time is a bit intrusive.  After all, I am asking for something that you have a finite amount of and unless you too are interested in meeting new people for the sake of it, then you see these opportunities as a waste of time.

"Networking" is a overused word and you don't just start contacting people when you need something.  My goal is to always ask what I can do for the person with whom I am meeting and try to make these meetings part of my regular schedule.  One great benefit of blogging is meeting new people be it through a comment, an email, or a face to face.  Believe it or not, the more you do for others, the more will be done for you.

I am sharing all of this as I was recently rebuffed after asking for someone's time.  I did so at the recommendation of a friend and without a clear agenda or "ask" in mind because I really didn't have either.  Yes, you can fault me for that as it is different than my approach to formal meetings but this was not a formal meeting request. 

Twenty minutes to shake hands, put a face with a name, and add someone new to my professional acquaintance list was my goal and I believed this person was open to these types of connections.

Clearly, he was not.  As I thought more about it and reflected on the lengthy response to my inquiry (which actually probably took more than 20 minutes to write) which laid out his frustration and, quite frankly, resentment of being approached without a specific reason relevant to him, it became clear that either he didn't like to meet new people or his interest in such meetings had been tapped out long ago. 

From my perspective, 20 minutes is not a great deal of time in the big picture and you never know where a new relationship will lead but keep in mind this perspective must be shared by the person from whom you are requesting time

You are only as smart as your questions

I've got hiring and interviewing on the mind as this business week comes to an end and found a great post via Boulder, CO blogger Bill Flagg.  I don't know Bill and came across his blog via my on going affection from afar for the Boulder tech scene.  Marel and I often talk about making it our home at some point and maybe one of these days the stars will align.

Anyway, the post is about "the smartest interview question" and I thought this was a great point:

"You are only as smart as your questions and as dumb as your answers. The more I shut up and ask questions, the smarter I get. The more I spout off, the less time there is to learn from what other people have to say."

Hiring the right people can make or break a start up or early stage company.  Make sure you find those that want to help you build and know what that means.

Look out the window once in a while

I picked this up from a Tom Davenport post quoting a pilot friend:

“Instruments and measures and analytics are great for flying airplanes, but occasionally I find it useful to look out the window.”

He is talking about the current subprime brouhaha and how quant models fell down but I think this can apply to just about anything...

This is your brain on email

Funny post by Roger Matus of Inboxer on an article in the UK's Times Online about how sending email and text messages causes the loss of IQ points (temporarily).  Brought to us by our friends at HP (whose market research budget is obviously larger than mine).

"The noticeable drop in IQ is attributed to the constant distraction of “always on” technology..."

I have no idea what.......uh...sorry...just got a message...am back now..they are talking about.

Everybody speeds

But that doesn't make it right or so the saying goes.  I had a recent conversation with the head of Info Security for a big energy company.  We were discussing messaging and how he spends a great deal of his time reacting to things that have happened - a mis-directed email, release of sensitive information, etc. rather than being able to get out ahead of the incidents.

He summed up his frustration with this statement - how are you going to get all users to follow the rules and adhere to the "speed limit" when in many cases it may not even be posted.  This is a reference to the challenges with not only describing unauthorized usage, but authorized. 

It also speaks directly to the nature of enterprise email and how all users push the limits to get their jobs done - including, as he admitted, himself.

So, what do you do to build awareness without bringing traffic to a halt?  My belief is that you can't force everyone to "go the speed limit" but you can create increased awareness and reduce "speeding" with the right balance of enforcement and accountability.  Why else would municipalities invest in those unmanned radar speed signs?

It provides personal feedback (your speed) that you can then act on (slow down) or ignore (continue or speed up) without immediate 3rd party enforcement (a police officer). 

Awareness goes up and speeds go down. 

This is the main thinking behind SenderConfirm and our belief that regaining control over email is not about catching people doing things wrong, but putting the right amount of technology in place to remind folks when they may need to re-think that email they just sent.

Weak Point, Speak Louder

I have always been intrigued by Winston Churchill both as a strong leader during the Second World War and as a not so successful politician. His life is a study in leadership and how special people rise to the challenges put in front of them.

Some time ago I came across a story about his oratory skills and his notes on the manuscript of one of his speeches. As the story goes, there was a section underlined in red and in the margin was written “Weak point. Speak louder.” In trying to actually source this (unsuccessfully), I found this page of great Churchill quotes.

Regardless of what you do, there are always weak points in your story as you package it and communicate it to others. Be prepared to be called on them and find them in advance so that you know where they are and how they will be viewed by your audience. Many times we are in such a hurry to get our points across to get our audience to come to our way of thinking that we overlook this subtle but important perspective. So the next time you pitch an investor, meet with a prospect, or engage in active debate on any topic, know your weak points in advance and be prepared to “speak louder.”

Running Uphill

As I was running yesterday in Kirkland and started up the long gradual hill that rises on Market Street from Marina Park, I found myself thinking about my approach to running hills as I began to seriously question it.

For whatever reason, I have always viewed a hill as an opportunity to not just sustain my pace, but to increase it and pass others as they reduce their speed.

I have no idea if this is wise or that it necessarily helps my placement in race (against myself or others), but it is something I have made a habit of over the years. I do, however, certainly think it defines some part of me and my approach to challenges.

I think it’s a good question to ask of people and suggest steering clear of those that choose to walk the hills.

Changing behaviors

Ultimately behind all technology use are users and users make decisions about how to use technology to communicate, complete work tasks, and live their lives.

So, as companies struggle with how to increase awareness of the possible risks (security, legal, regulatory) from errant actions, how do you find the middle ground between mitigating risk and respecting the privacy of employees?

An extreme example of instant feedback to change behaviors was recently covered by the BBC- 'Talking' CCTV scolds offenders

Surveillance cameras that speak to you if you litter or commit "anti-social" behavior.  My favorite part of the story is using children's voices to correct offending behavior

Competitions would also be held at schools in many of the areas for children to become the voice of the cameras, Mr Reid said.