Quote about auto companies

"If they survive, it is only because their respective governments will not let them to go under." - Peter Drucker from Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

I found this in Drucker's book written in 1985 about failure by auto companies to innovate along fairly obvious developments in the industry.

Seems very prophetic related to what happened with the big three auto companies in USA.

HP Mini has arrived

[Blog Post] HP Mini up and running

Finally I have my new HP Mini fully up and running. It took a few days to configure for running in the work environment and with wireless broadband (internal no less) and VPN but I used it for the commute home last evening and am now returning to work with it. It may cut down my reading time as it does appear easier to whip out and start using than my previous laptop. It also does not take up valuable leg room when other people are seated in front of me.

I guess I should divert for a moment and describe one of my idiosyncrasies for commuting. I always try to get a seat at the front or back of the train car where there are seats that face one another. Most of the times two people sit caddy-corner and only when the train is very full do people sit facing one another. I choose this as I feel a little claustrophobic sitting in the seats that are front to back. Since I have to commute every day I try to do things that make it a little easier to endure.

Anyhow, so far I like the new netbook. The size is great, the weight pretty light at just over 2 pounds and the screen doesn't appear too tiny. It is a high resolution screen so the images and letters are quite crisp so you don't seem to miss a larger screen. Seeing as how I wanted to minimize size and weight and maximize battery life, having the smallest screen possible was a key consideration. This one is just over 10 inches so seems to be the right choice.

Another thing I like about the Mini is the internal wireless broadband card. I have enjoyed wireless broadband service from Verizon as I can get a strong connection all the way up the Northeast Corridor from Trenton to NYC. I can even get strong connection through the tunnel where AT&T on my iPhone always fails. One thing I didn't like about wireless broadband was the card off the side. I had stayed with a PCMCIA card as it was less obtrusive than the newer USB mounted devices. Having delicate electronic devices hanging off the side of a mobile computer seemed to be asking for trouble. The internal broadband on the Mini seems to fit the bill.

I am going to close this journal entry for this morning an turn to more mundane activities like reading the new Wired magazine. I still hope for a Kindle version of that magazine soon as I would like to continue my departure from paper in most of its forms. I have broken away from Book 1.0 for the most part and have stopped reading Newspaper 1.0 favoring iPhone news services. I hope that 2010 can be the year I depart from paper in most of its forms and uses.

Thanks for listening and have a great day.

My e-Life - a Chronicle of Evolution

I have written in the past about a project that I called "My e-Life" which is an effort to get together all the technologies, tools, machines, and information sources representing work and life of a modern executive.

Today, with the acquisition and set-up of a cornerstone component of My e-Life, I will chronicle the journey forward to become more effective and efficient. I suppose also a goal to live a richer, fuller life should also be stared up-front. Enhancement of capabilities and increase in quality of life, two lofty goals I say.

To chronicle this transition I will provide some before and after bench-marking and comparison as well as where alternatives exist and pros and cons. Ultimately I will have a road map for transition from a life s it is now to an evolved e-Life but that won't be free, I'm telling you that now.

The first installment will be about one of the cornerstone devices, a HP Mini, or net-book computer. That chronicle episode will be written and posted within the next several days as I take delivery and start using it. Future episodes will present other necessary devices and software and tools that I am weaving together for My e-Life. Feel free to join in.

Good Book

In my opinion, ''Beach Music' by Pat Conroy is what literature is all about. In fact, my assessment is that is both good fiction and good lterature. Well, maybe simply good writing since I am not that qualified to tell what is good literature.

I find myself living the story in the mind and experiences of the main character, Jack McCall. While it is easy for me through the author's talent to slip into the experience, it also provides a new perspective and new thoughts that enhance my own being.

That's my testimony for now as I am about half-way through my re-read. Time very well spent, even if it is only in Book 1.0 version and not Kindle. I just received notice that Conroy's newest book, "South of Broad" is ready for me to download to Kindle from pre-order. I can't wait but will complete Beach Music first.

My advice, read this book with care.

Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell

I just finished the latest Malcolm Gladwell book, "Outliers" and as with other MG books I very much enjoyed reading it. Gladwell has such a refreshing writing style and he certainly brings forward unusual thoughts and information. His theory about why southeast asian's are better at math than others is a very thought-provoking theory, basically having to do with the structure of numbers in the languages as well as attributing to the work ethic from the agricultural history of rice paddy farming.

That and other topics in the book were uncomfortable reading at times since it seemed bordering on racial/ethnic stereotyping but as usual Gladwell is well resourced and well thought-through. He also provides a detail of his ethnic background including Jamaican heritage and racial blending and this certainly lends credibility and sensitivity to the treatment of this subject.
As with other Gladwell books, Outliers doesn't offer easy and quick take-away's for everyday life. His stuff needs a little soak or percolation time to understand and incorporate into one's world view. As with Tipping Point and Blink, though, his theories and explanations are very capable of changing the way we think about things that are we think are very solid within that world view.

I recommend "Outliers" as required reading if you are seeking to expand your mind. See the side-panel Amazon link if you are wanting to run out (well, not run out but click through) to purchase the book. I get such a trivial amount from any transaction generated that way it is more a public service than a profiteering venture).

Enjoy that it is Friday and enjoy the weekend.

My eLife

(While Training to Work on Thursday Morning)

I am working on a new project called My eLife which is creating a comprehensive MindMap dashboard for the various aspects of my online tools and life. It is a work-in-progress as I have not decided how I would use this, whether it is for reference, personal organization, presentation to others, or could be a launching pad for a complex virtual life.

More and more I see the need to organize, coordinate, and synchronize various aspects of the technologies that are becoming more and more of my everyday life. Part of what I consider my leadership edge or my competitive advantage is the acquisition and learning of new tools to streamline my work, make me more effective, or extend myself into the world wide web of information and interaction.

In future posts I will provide a glimpse into the MindMap for My eLife as others might benefit from this approach. I don't want to give too much away since there may be market opportunities here.

If you are interested or have ideas and want to share or collaborate about this, contact me directly.

Contribute, Collaborate, and Share, but most of all, be creative.

Poetic thought for the day

I ran across this excerpt during my train ride to work this morning:

"In this way diametrically opposed but equally extreme psychic states such as pain and ecstacy, despair and bliss, are comparable experiences because they both usurp and annihilate time. They create their own sense of eternity."

On page 231 in "How to Read a Poem" by Edward Hirsch.

Poetical Thoughts

"Despair is turning away from human commerce, it is silence." Edward Hirsch from "How To Read a Poem."

Poetry in my daily life - through 12/19

12/16 - "in America, you must say it twice, and then once again..."

12/18 - "We make out of the quarrel with others, rhetoric, but of the
quarrel with ourselves, poetry." W. B. Yeats

12/19 - Keats untitled poem "This living hand, now warm and capable Of
earnest grasping, would, if it were cold And in the icy silence of the
tomb, So haunt thy days and chill thy dreaming nights That thou would
wish thine own heart dry of blood So in my veins red life might stream
again, And thou be conscience-calmed--see here it is--I hold it
towards you."

Seven Survival Skills

I read a blog article recently on LeadingBlog that described seven survival skills for the new age. The material is from the book "The Global Achievement Gap" by Tony Wagner.

The article is located here:
http://www.leadershipnow.com/leadingblog/2008/11/hiring_the_right_skill_set_and.html

The seven survival skills listed by the author are:
1.) critical thinking and problem solving
2.) collaboration across networks and leading by influence
3.) agility and adaptability
4.) initiative and entrepreneurship
5.) effective oral and written communication
6,) accessing and analyzing information
7.) curiosity and imagination

By my count that is 14 but I suspect that "good at math," is not among the seven survival skills. The MBA's who led our economy into the crapper seem certainly to be lacking in that 8th skill. Well, maybe lacking in other important skills like ethics, responsibility, and accountability.

To this set, whether 7 or 14 I would immediately add the following:

8.) Zeal for learning and embracing new methods (mindmapping, managing strengths, leading by clarity) and new technology tools (MindManager, Basecamp, Collaboration Technologies). Maybe that is included in curiosity and imagination or facilitates the rest but it is important.

Please respond with your own ideas. A priority ranking perhaps? Other missing skills?

I tested this set out with my AST team and many people seemed to be in agreement so I think this is a good set to start with.

Now, the difficult part, what is ACTIONABLE? And How? This is especially tricky with training and professional development budgets being slashed during these turbulent times.

Reading Recommendations from Manager-Tools

Recommendations for books from Manager-Tools.com

http://www.manager-tools.com/favorite/

I have read several of these and respect the judgment of these guys. I agree especially about "The World is Flat" being an important book for at least every American to read.

Think, Hope, or Believe

I was asked recently if I think a highly desired outcome would happen. The question got me thinking about the subject of thought (reasoning), hope (wish), and belief (confidence) and which is the best predictor or preparation for an outcome.

As an optimist by nature I tend to believe in positive outcomes, particularly in matters involving right and wrong, or good or evil. I'm built that way. I read somewhere recently that people with even an unrealistic positive view tend to be right more often in part because they influence the outcome in that direction. Positivity creates good results because it influences people to those ends.

I also admit that I have never understood negative people or skeptics. Who would want to live expecting the worst in all things and situations?

Next there is rational thought to assess the likely outcome. That is an equally tricky one in that it is based on knowing all the possible variables and having a large amount of experience to determine the results.

To be continued...

2008 New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year 2008! I saw the Waterford crystal ball drop in Times Square albeit on TV and after waking up from a food-induced nap. I must be getting old because I think I then went to bed at about 12:15 AM. No celebrating for me last night. The dinner of King Crab Legs and Steak that Linda and I made pretty much assured I wouldn't be light on my feet for dancing away the night. I have to ask, how good is clarified butter (OMG!)

This is the day for setting forth the resolutions that will guide me through the new year. Of course I want to make this year different, better, and more special than any previous year and supposedly that begins with resolutions to make some changes, to do things differently, and to improve certain things. No blaming problems on others for me.

The problem is, where do I begin? Maybe categories for resolutions is the right place to start. Making sure not to be overly ambitious would help promote success. How about the following resolution categories:

• family
• work
• personal
• community
• society

Of course each of these could break into other sub-categories but I will resist getting overly optimistic. After all, having a few resolutions that I accomplish would be better than having many that don't last through the month of January.

I'll start with this set of categories and create a few specific resolutions within each. More to follow but for now I need to go help with breakfast... (to be continued)

Trial of Sketchcasting

I am trying out a new capability called sketchcasting. Anyone who knows me knows how I love my whiteboard (or chalkboard). Here is my first attempt though with no sound. I need a headset for that.

http://sketchcast.com/view/eU8Bbq2/

Hmmm, there should be a way to embed this directly into a blog-post but I am not seeing it. It seems to truncate the imbedding link.

Any help from anyone out there?

An update, thanks to Philipp Lenssen (see comment) I was able to imbed the sketchcast directly into the blog. The part I was doing wrong was I copy-pasted the imbedding string into the Compose screen of Blogger rather than the Edit Html screen. The later allowed the entire tag.



By the way, no handwriting psycho-analysis allowed. How well can you write with a mouse?

Diving into SharePoint

I've begun a dive into MS SharePoint as a team collaboration tool and with the idea of creating a departmental intranet. I had a little exposure to SharePoint capabilities as a workspace tool for MS Project Server but have since gone more deeply into SharePoint directly by creating a peer collaboration site called "a Community of ____ ____ Leaders," and am now creating a vision for a department intranet.

Exploration into the capabilities of SharePoint have led me to amazement at what they are calling MOSS, Microsoft Office SharePoint Services, which includes most of what I would look for in a modern collaborative tool. There may be drawbacks associated with the strong MicroSoft orientation to this but for my business and for my money, ease in feature integration is what will allow this to get off the ground.

As I said before, I have only begun my dive into SharePoint so if anyone has ideas, suggestions, advice or warnings, please post them to this blog series. As usual I will update you on how things are going. Enjoy!

2 Hours Until First Pitch

There is a little over two hours until the first pitch of the baseball game between the Princeton High School varsity team (Little Tigers) and the Steinart High School varisty team (team mascot unknown) for the first game in the 2007 Mercer County Baseball Tournament. This game pits the #1 ranked team (SHS) against the #16 ranked team (PHS) in a game that has a story within a story within a story.

The match-up would have probably seen PHS Colin Sarafin take the mound against the highly touted SHS team. Unfortunately, due to an archaic and unfair high school eligibility ruling, Colin Sarafin was declared ineligible for the first 10 games of the spring 2007 season due to playing on the Peddie High School JV team when he was in the 8th grade. I know this rule is to prevent older players from playing multiple years of varisty but as is typical with these things, it was used against the PHS team by local teams who had suffered defeat from the Princeton ace, even though he is the same age as his peers.

The story within the story is that Dan Etherton (yes, my son) will be taking the mound to lead the Princeton defense. This will be his 3rd outing as a starter this year after pitching sporadically over the past several years. Dan has been focusing his efforts on being the best centerfielder and hitter that he can be but he has stepped up to the challenge in a remarkable way. Possibly no one would be able to fend off the strong Steinart offense, but Dan gets to take on that challenge in a little less than 2 hours.

I'll report the outcome by tomorrow. Wish the PHS Little Tigers well as they are the underdogs we always want to cheer for. More later.

Do You Do What You Do Best Everyday?

More accurately put, the core question to moving from an 'improve your weaknesses, balance yourself' mentality to a strengths-based philosophy is "Do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?" Whether your employer supports it, you demand it, or possibly the fates have smiled upon you, are you working where your strengths can be used every day?

That is a very unusual and fundamental question. If yes, you must be happy, successful, productive, healthy, and an inspiration to others. Research indicates that less than 20% of people can answer that question with "yes."

A case in point is my own recent career path. Struggling and miserable at my previous job, flourishing and excited about my current job. What is the core difference? The answer came to me as one of those "ah-hah" moments.

I was looking at my Strengthsfinder results written on the white-board in my conference room along with the dominant strengths from another person. I was trying ot explain the concept to my work team to get them excited about participating in this movement.

I suddenly realized why there was a seeming night-and-day difference from previous place to new. My old position did not support a single strength in a consistent way. No matter how I tried to contribute within my strengths, I was beaten back in the areas specific to my core being, namely strategic, futuristic, ideation, maximizer, achiever (and adding input and adaptability with the retake).

My new place allows me the opportunity to do what I do best every day along every line of strength. Can it be that simple?

Another test -- a colleague that indicated as a match with me with Strategic and Maximizer, but added the people-relating strengths including Relator, Individualization, and Woo. It is not a surprise to me that while she was effective in her previous assignment, she is also flourishing with the re-structuring I put in place. Her strengths in the 'people' aspects are a clear advantage and while she does much more than previously, she does it with energy and seems thrilled.

Also in Marcus Buckingham's terminology for the difference between great managing and great leading she exhibits strengths in managing, namely being able to get the most out of each individual related to the needs of the organization. I am more fascile with leadership -- seeing the desired future state and creating the plan and approach to move the team or organization toward that vision.

This is profound stuff but is simply a starting point. I will be moving forward to supercharge this. The future I want to create requires that increase in horsepower and effectiveness. That is the key to the success that I want to create.

I encourage you each to pursue this as well. Take the Strengthsfinders 2.0 survey, become familiar with Marcus Buckingham work through 'The One Thing...' If this resonates with you as clearly as it does with me, join the movement. A note to cynics, keep plodding along questioning everything. There are uses for your strengths as well. I will may want to hire you as my lawyer when my company goes public. Cheers, all!

StrengthsFinder 2.0 New Results

I recently purchased the book StrengthsFinder 2.0, which is an update to Now, Discover Your Strengths. There are a number of new features and the book provides a gateway into a new tool set for determining major personality themes and providing a guide and action plan for moving forward to developing strengths along the lines of these dominate talent areas.

In the first survey through Now, Discover Your Strengths, my results were:

• Ideation
• Strategic
• Futuristic
• Achiever
• Maximizer

This time, for the updated StrengthsFinder 2.0 the results were:

• Ideation
• Strategic
• Futuristic
• Input
• Adaptability

The book explains that there will often be a shift in the top five even though personality themes do not change that much over one's life. The answer for the shift is that it probably gives more insight into the top ten dominate themes as numbers 6 and 7 from the previous survey could have been the ones now moving up with the others moving slightly downward.

The survey does not provide a rank ordering of the themes from one to thirty-four and some people have lamented about that. People who are good with statistical analysis know that low correlating results that cluster around the lower end don't mean all that much as far as rank ordering. Those can typically be disregarded as not meaningful.

The focus should not be on what strengths are not exhibited. The whole point is to identify the major contributors to who I am and work to develop those talents into strengths, i.e. the behaviors that can lead to "the ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance."

So what do I do now that I know and have verified that I walk through life with my head in the clouds and peering over the horizon? Well, one thing I do is be on on the lookout for minefields and to watch where I step. I have yet to digest the action plan and other useful tools that come with the book. I like very much that the results are tailored specifically to my talent or strength themes through the huge amount of data that is the basis for the strengths research.

In my opinion, you can only do so much with the knowledge of your Myers-Briggs scores and the results of the DiSC survey. Knowing how your brain is wired regarding the 34 themes to me seems to provide information I can use.

And yes, I do recognize myself in the descriptions of the seven strengths themes that resulted from my two surveys. More importantly, as I read through the remaining traits for the themes that did not show up in my survey, I see why those did not show up. I am Maximus! I am Captain Future. I am the Puppet-Master (Strategery). Light-bulbs do go off over my head (Ideation). I seek Input. I strive to Achieve. And being a good Darwinian I adapt (Adapt, Evolve, or Perish).

I will write more about this as I review the Discovery Guide and Action Plan provided from my survey. This fits together with the Strengths Movement, even though there has been a split when Marcus Buckingham left Gallup and formed his own company. As he indicates in his book, the personality themes provide a method for discovering and labeling what I am about, how I put it to work as a dominate force in my life is where the rubber meets the road.

All for now. I am off to become more of who I already am.

Marcus Buckingham starts a nation-wide strengths revolution in NYC

In my opinion, if you don't go to one of the events on Marcus Buckingham's strengths tour, you should be excommunicated from the HomeFieldAdvantage blog. Where is that excommunication button in Blogger?

You may never see a more inspirational and motivational speaker, especially for the $40 entry fee which included his latest book, Go Put Your Strengths To Work! His oratory style is amazing and the ease at which he goes from creating a vivid image to sharing detailed data and study results is impressive. Any professional can learn much from his style.

The lead-in to the "Trombone Player Wanted" video by Jennifer Fox of the Purnell School was so inspirational and the video itself was incredible. I am certainly going to purchase it for my work team and will be determining how to start a strengths revolution with my team, in my department, and within my workplace.
Things finally come together for how a single person can make a difference and achieve success. MB's body of work include 'First, Break all the Rules,' dispelling common myths of how to create success. Next comes Now, 'Discover Your Strengths,' providing the theory of 34 personality themes and a tool for determining your top five. Following that was 'the One Thing You Need to Know' for great managing, great leading, and sustained personal success (still love the boldness and clarity in that title). And this book 'Go, Put Your Strengths to Work,' as the practical guide for moving into a strengths-based approach.

Marcus' work is bold and important work. If he markets himself, which he clearly does, he does that for the passion of his calling. He truly is on a mission and I believe that he lives and breaths this philosophy and the passion to bring it into society.

Go take a look yourself. Go see him speak and then read his books, I believe you will be changed. Be sure and come back to HFA and tell us about your experience and thoughts.

The Guru is coming to New York

News alert, news alert -- Marcus Buckingham (photo left, yeah, don't I wish it were me?) the guru of great managing, great leading, and sustained individual success is coming to New York on Monday, March 5, kicking off a nationwide tour associated with the release of his new book.

If you are interested, and in my opinion you should be if you are striving for success in the three areas indicated above, check out the tour schedule and advertisement at http://www.buckinghamlive.com/.

I'll be at the New York City debut on Monday. If you wonder why you should be there, ask the question via comment or email me directly. I've already bought my copy of his new book through my Amazon link on the blog-site. You can acquire it anyway you want, but if you use this link I get a meager cut. Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com need not make all the money, right?

In a similar vein, take a look at the evolution of MB's work with Donald Clifton reprised by the Gallup organization and Tom Rath at the Strengths 2.0 website. My personality strengths for the first survey were Ideation, Strategic, Futuristic, Achiever, and Maximizer (I am Maximus!) I would be interested to hear about others.

I believe MB will be a rock-star in the future for helping people to be great (i.e. successful, happy, make a difference). If you can't see him in person, purchase the audio-book of 'The One Thing You Need to Know.' It may be the one thing to change your life. Either that or you can aspire to be the "man or woman of the match." The answer to that is contained within.