Spooky Action

Which of These Three Places Holds Osama bin Laden?

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:02:57 PST

An essay in the MIT International Review uses biogeographic theories and satellite imagery to posit most likely hiding place of Osama bin Laden. And they make a pretty compelling case that he's probably hanging out in one of three places in the Pakistani city of Parrachinar. The methodology is ingenious, and the paper is an easy, short read (and it has satellite photos of the region and buildings in question). Check it out!

Personally, I think Osama is mouldering in a cave in Tora Bora, but if I had to bet on one of these I'd go with the one in the middle.

h/t to Seerov and Dan the Man.

Conclusive Proof That God Has a Sense of Humor

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 12:12:03 PST

On Friday the 13th, Congress passes a bill letting Americans keep thirteen dollars a week of their own money (while taking many times that out of future generations' wallets), and some black cat is going to sign it into law next week.

Will you be needing any further evidence that Washington is not the answer to your problems?

Stay tuned...

The Recovery Begins

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:42:40 PST

2008 was a very humbling experience for me - and I'm guessing I wasn't alone in that experience. I lost pretty much everything, except what's most important (see About page picture). But I also gained some very valuable things, too. I didn't get any government bailouts. But I did get unexpected, unselfish help during my darkest hours. And through that I foresaw the way out of our global troubles. I've been organizing my thoughts and will publish them soon. I believe that the worst is past, and opportunity is nigh.

Thanks for sticking around...

I've Got The Obama Thing Figured Out

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:59:23 PST

I'm starting to think that Obama is a cybernetic organism sent from the future by President George PDQ Bach to destroy The One - Hillary Clinton!

Barack Obama EvilWatch

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:43:22 PST

Looks like the $600 Million mannequin will be the next President of the United States. To me that's a travesty, because he is about to do some truly evil things. Don't believe me? Then watch the following:

1) Freedom of Choice Act: This legislation will nullify any limit on abortion. It will also force federal funding of abortion and force Catholic healthcare providers to perform abortions. It it estimated that this act will result in 125,000 murders per year. And even if you are repulsed by these acts, you will be forced to pay for them.

2) Card Check: Secret ballots in union elections will be a thing of the past. Under President Obama's plan, burly union thugs can show up at your door and 'persuade' you to sign a card supporting unionization. Hey, it'll mean less legitimate jobs (look at the employment statistics for the upper midwest since 1950) and more illegal immigration as employers dodge the thugs, but I'm sure that's what Obama voters were after in the first place.

3) Illinois Corruption Probe: Imagine that Elliot Ness is mid-way through his clean-up of Mafia corruption in the Windy City when President Roosevelt wins and goes on TV to let him know his services are no longer needed.

This is the real litmus test of whether Barack Obama is a truly historic figure in American History, or a sad little Chicago Machine sock puppet. And I mean every word of that last sentence. Patrick Fitzgerald, the federal prosecutor in Chicago, has been meticulously dismantling the corrupt bipartisan political machine in Illinois. He has taken down both crooked Republicans and Democrats. He has followed the trail of corruption right into Daley Plaza, and is about to clean house. But Barack owes much to the crooked Chicago Machine, and to the local mafiosi. He's said he supports keeping Fitzgerald in place, but if he removes Fitzgerald he will prove he is nothing more than a useful idiot of his Chicago 'handlers'.

Any one of these things is a truly evil act. Two are a clear demonstration of contempt for the electorate. Three are evidence of Chavez-esque megalomania.

And that's a line you only get to cross once, and don't get to step back over.

Barack Obama has made a living receiving favors from political and media machines, and now Rumpelstiltsdaley & company are coming to collect. How will President Obama respond?

I pray I'm wrong.

My Economic Stimulus Package - How to Increase Top Line Revenue

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 18:23:49 PDT

Over at MikeDewitt.net, I reveal my economic stimulus package:

"My fellow Americans, Recently many people have expressed a desire for an effective economic stimulus package to help us through these uncertain economic times. Having seen the ineffectual response of the minions of the Great Teat of the Potomac, I feel compelled to offer my own economic stimulus package. The beauty of my program is that it will help organizations large and small, whether they sell products or services, to increase their revenues over the short and long haul. And the best part is that you can begin participating in the plan right now by watching this short introductory video:"

Check it out!

Parable of the Day Laborers

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 13:43:28 PST

A short time ago, the Gospel at Mass was the Parable of the Day Laborers:

“For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work.

“At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing.

“At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’

“They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’

“The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’

“That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. 11 When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’

“He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’

“So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”

As I listened to the Gospel, two thoughts struck me:

If our reward for living a Christian life is the infinite reward of eternity in heaven, how do you give latecomers a fraction of what the original laborers received? INFINITE IS INFINITE. What is half of an infinite amount? Yes, an infinite amount!. What is one quarter of an infinite amount? An infinite amount! How much is one one-hundredth of an infinite amount? One one-billionth of an infinite amount? Yes, our reward no matter how divided is still infinite!
The first laborers spent the entire day certain of their reward. They agreed to a fair wage and knew what they would get at sundown. But the same cannot be said of those who were hired later. How much of the day did they spend worrying about how they would feed their family that night? Having collected my first unemployment check this year, I can tell you that time spent not working and wondering how you will feed your family is no vacation. (And there is no more depressing thing than being told "we won't hire you because you're overqualified", Thankfully, God does not follow HR "best practices".).

The parable was designed to demonstrate God's infinite love and power to an agrarian audience, but it rings just as true today. Perhaps we shouldn't worry so much about the election or our struggles in daily life, because we know that at the end of the day all who toil in this vineyard will receive our infinite reward.

An America Michelle Obama Can Be Proud Of: Secret Service Dispatched on Obamakind's Unsubstantiated Allegation

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:03:08 PDT

Remember how people said if George Bush were elected all sorts of civil liberties would be usurped?

Exactly how many Bush dissenters died or were imprisoned (or even hassled) during the past eight years?

It can be very disappointing when someone you so thoroughly demonized doesn't act the part.

Well if Bush isn't going to keep the spirit of fascism alive in America, who will?

Who will lead those poor oppressed souls yearning for retribution against "THEM" for denying everyone's rightful daily bliss? Who will encourage the true believers to act out their rage against "THEM", because "WE" are for hope and change and therefore the ends justify the means?

I know that seems over the top, but today's news contains the story of a Texas woman who got a visit from the Secret Service based on a verbal accusation from an Obama campaign worker WITH NO EVIDENCE TO BACK UP THE ALLEGATION. Apparently the woman, who received an unsolicited call from the campaign worker, didn't show the proper deferrence to her betters in the campaign:

"She asked if I was an Obama supporter, to which I replied, 'No, I don't support him. Your guy is a socialist who voted four times in the state Senate to let little babies die in hospital closets; I think you should find something better to do with your time.' (And then) I hung up."

Hughes said she was surprised to see two Secret Service agents at her door, and upset to learn that the conversation she had with the volunteer apparently had not been recorded.

"I find it hard to believe that (campaign volunteers) don't tape these calls. They call people unsolicited and they aren't monitoring the calls or recording them? I think that is absolutely ridiculous," she said.

I shudder to think that in a few months we might be wishing for the 'kindler, gentler days' of Janet Reno...

If this were one isolated incident I would let it slide. But between the massive ACORN-led voter fraud (suppported with $800K of Obama Campaign money - hey, inner city minors were HOPING that someone would offer them some cigarettes or spare CHANGE if they would sign the voter roles), and the campaign-organized sabotage of unsympathetic media outlets, I think this demonstrates a larger pattern of disregard for the laws and principles that make America special.

A disregard for basic decency.

Obama hasn't decried any of this behavior. He actively incited some of it. He financially back other parts of it. The messages are not lost on the would-be brown shirts. It's okay to treat "THEM" as if they are not your equals. And that means laws don't protect "THEM". So if you need to bend or break laws to defeat "THEM", it's okay.

Michelle and Barack are proud of this version of America.

But I'm not. Nor are most people. So we'll do our actual patriotic duty and vote on November 4th. And I won't feel racist in the slightest when I mark my ballot for John McCain.

And unlike all those Hollywood hypocrites who say they'll move out of the country if their candidate loses, I'm staying either way. Unless Texas exercises its right to secede. Then I'm moving there, if for no other reason than to lobby the new secretary of the treasury to put George W. Bush on the 100 TD (Texas Dollars) bill. In no time his likeness will be all over the world as people trade their old inflation-battered USD for rock solid Texas Money!

Or not. We'll see...

Presidential debate over in three minutes

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:29:54 PDT

0:00:00 Obama lies with a straight face to the American people about the economy.

0:02:00 McCain changes the subject; praises 'message of hope' of My Little Ponies.

See you in '12 when the electoral asteroid destroys these dinosaurs!

No More Matchsticks

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:32:32 PDT

I can't recall a Republican senator ever winning the Presidency. I CAN recall them losing it; most recently Bob Dole in '96. And if things stay on course, John McCain will lose in 2008.

Why?

Because there are no consequences of losing. On Inauguration Day 2009 he'll have the same seats at the same banquets that he had in 2004 - and 1996. He'll have the same chambers as the day before the election (unless the Republicans miraculously win a majority).

It's all kabuki theater to the Washington insiders. With reelection percentages in the 90's, who gives a hoot about the constituents once you've punched your golden ticket?

And informed voters shake their heads, because the cynical pols are right.

Which brings me back to John McCain.

Senator McCain has a mixed legacy. No one can question his patriotism and his courage in Communist prison camps. But his legislative legacy is spotty. The McCain-Feingold bill is unconstitutional at its most charitable. He himself chose not to live within its limits this year. The unintended consequences of the 527s has been outrageous. Yet he has offered no apology for this abortion of civil liberty.

And now he purports to bear the standard for the Republican Party. But he's playing poker for matchsticks. There is no downside for losing. As we said before, he gets to attend the same balls, clink snifters with the same lobbyists, and fleece the same voters he does today.

And that's wrong. And that's wimpy. The sort of thing you expect from Sen. Present and Sen. Gaffapalooza.

So here's what John McCain should do today. Call a press conference and say the following:

"I'm John McCain. I have spent my whole life defending this country. Today I stand before you as a candidate for President of the United States. I take my candidacy very seriously. There are those who say senators have nothing to lose in presidential races, and that's why they don't get elected (unless their dad conspires with the mob to deliver Chicago).

It is true that Senators Biden, Obama, and I will all legally retain our seats should we lose in November. But that is not the American way. We have 'no skin in the game'. And that is wrong for the country I love.

To demonstrate my commitment to my ideals and my platform, I pledge today to resign my seat in the Senate if I am defeated in the election. I challenge my opponents to do the same. A contest of ideas this important should have real consequences, and the financial and political future of a few people seems a good starting point."

What do you think?

Change This!

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 12:15:05 PDT

ChangeThis has been the home for people with great ideas who wanted to spring them on an unsuspecting world.

Two recent essays deserve particular mention. The first is The Connection Culture: A New Source of Competitive Advantage, Michael Lee Stallard's prescription to improve your organization and the world. Reading it is the best use of your time right this minute, unless you have to give someone the Heimlich Maneuver or perform CPR. In all seriousness, if everyone read Michael's message and took it to heart, the world would become a better place.

If your focus is only on creating dramatic, lasting, positive changes in large companies or organizations (something which usually ends in either outright failure or declaration of victory and acceptance of poor results), then you need to read Mike Kanazawa's People Don’t Hate Change, They Hate How You’re Trying to Change Them. This manifesto reveals many of the key tenets found in his book Big Ideas to Big Results. If you can only read one book on the subject, this should be that one book. You still have to decide what you want to change, but Kanazawa’s book, co-authored with Bob Miles, provide a detailed roadmap for HOW to accomplish the change. I’ve seen a lot of change initiatives, and their Accelerated Corporate Transformation (ACT) process incorporates every key lesson I’ve ever learned. I’ll be posting a review of the book soon, but you can read the manifesto right now.

I wish I’d been able to read both of these pieces earlier in my career. They’re clear and compelling and fun reads. I’ll leave you with a pull quote from People Don’t Hate Change, They Hate How You’re Trying to Change Them:

”Think about it…is your goal to get the most out of your people or the best out of your people? You typically can’t get both.”

When Things Become Uncertain, The Certain Becomes More Valuable

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:27:37 PDT

Think about the title of this article. I wrote it in a note to a loved one, and I'm trying to decide if it's profound or trite. Something tells me it's the former. I know that the something is the cognitive bias toward emotionally weighing DOWNSIDE risk much greater than UPSIDE risk. We perceive the potential pain much more acutely than the potential gain. Why?

The video What's Going On In There gives the answer I believe. Downside risk poses a threat to our identity. WE made a bad decision. Aligning that fact with our entire set of existing opinions would be a painful process. Do we really want to do that?

As economic news starts to create a perception of increased downside risk, what will the natural human reaction be? Seek sanctuary in certainty; mitigate those risks! Only this can put our minds at ease. And mental tranquility is the most precious commodity on the planet.

And you know this to be true.

The general mindset, as characterized by the phrase "keeping up with the Joneses", is one of being afraid of being perceived as not as good as someone else, regardless of how good one has it. All downside focus, no appreciation. There is a virtual mountain of literature on how the cosmetic and fashion industries have used such tools against women, but the total spending by those industries pales in comparison to the outlays directed to "male performance anxiety". Entire networks and indeed entire professional sports (e.g., Fox and the NFL), would cease to function without the massive cash infusions from makers of pills that only work in unplumbed bathtubs! (Note: I'd like to shake the hand of the advertising man that made up "priapism"; talk about your billion dollar ideas! "one potential side effect is that you could win the woody lottery" That should have spawned a congressional inquiry. No, wait. I'm sure it did. Just not an official one.)

And that's the perfect proof of my theorem! Sure, there were aging boomers who couldn't fly the flag at full mast anymore, but the volumes of pill and cream sales cover them and everyone who's had a real problem for the last 165,00 years. And that's only THIS YEAR'S sales! All of last year's sales and all of next year's sales will be to guys who are physically able, BUT HAVE BECOME SPOOKED BY THE ADS. So why risk a tepid response when you have a shot at being the poster boy for priapism? When things become uncertain (or just perceived as uncertain), the certain (or even the perceived certain) becomes more valuable.

Well, this post certainly didn't go where I planned, but I think I've made my point. I'd like to say just one more thing. It's a sad day when I think to myself "I wish they'd bring back hard liquor and cigarette ads to television so I can watch football with my kids again".

What's Going On In There?

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:58:57 PDT

Have you ever looked another human being in the eye and wondered "What's going on in there?" Me, too! So I spent years looking for workable models of how the brain works and how to use those models to help facilitate change. Here's what I found:

Enjoy, and let me know what you think in the tip jar or comment box, or just pass it along to two people you think might enjoy it!

The Science of Being Well Audiobook

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:41:12 PDT

Recently my audio recording of The Science of Getting Rich passed the 10,000 download mark. I am grateful for all of you who have enjoyed and benefited from it.

A few months ago Frank in New Zealand asked me to create an audiobook of Wattles' "The Science of Being Well". It seemed a simple enough thing to do. But the Great Trash Compactor of Life had other plans for me.

Painful ones.

I guess I wasn't thinking and acting in the Certain Way.

But today I am pleased to announce that I have completed the audio recording of The Science of Being Well! I took the liberty of recording an introduction:

This book, The Science of Being Well, is the second in a series by Wallace D. Wattles. The first was about how to get wealthy; this one is about how to get healthy. As in the Science of Getting Rich, Wattles advises you to think and act in a Certain Way.

What I found most interesting about this book is that almost one hundred years after its publication, cancer research is bearing out his assertions regarding the Certain Way of thinking. As for the Certain Way of acting, the author discusses the four voluntary functions of eating, drinking, breathing, and sleeping. You'll find his advice straightforward, refreshing, and (in these days) controversial - for the good!

As with the first book, the concepts are simple. The challenge is in having the discipline to apply the concepts with faith and persistence. The good news is that you should see results faster with the Science of Being Well than with the Science of Getting Rich.

Enjoy this book, and when you do, please express your gratitude by hitting the tip jar at spookyaction.blogspot.com. It will reinforce your faith in the Principle of Life, and you'll feel better for it - literally, according to the author.

Wattles does actually say that in the book, though not necessarily about Spooky Action. But I really could use your help right now.

Enjoy the book in perfect health!

Mike

The Science of Being Well

Introduction
Preface
I. The Principle of Health
II. The Foundation of Life
III. Life and Its Organisms
IV. What to Think
V. Faith
VI. Use of the Will
VII. Health From God"
VIII. Summary of the Mental Actions
IX. When to Eat
X. What to Eat
XI. How to Eat
XII. Hunger and Appetites
XIII. In a Nutshell
XIV. Breathing
XV. Sleep
XVI. Supplementary Instructions
XVII. A Summary of the Science of Being Well

The Wrath of the HR Gods Has Me Bouncing and Flapping

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:24:21 PDT

Somewhere in the back of my mind I suspected it could end disastrously, but I went ahead anyway.

I published the The Ten Worst Job Interview Questions Ever and invoked the wrath of the HR gods. A few weeks later, I was asked to participate in a Reduction in Force with many of my co-workers. The timing was bad for this to happen, but I guess it shows that opportunity does knock when you least expect it.

One thing that helped me prepare for the aftermath was Barry Moltz's book Bounce. In a Q&A I had with Barry about the book he said this:

"I get sick and tired of people saying that failure is there is always something to learn from failure. We are continually reminded by those around us that failure is an important ingredient in the next success, possibly even a prerequisite. We tell ourselves that failure “happened to us” so that we could learn some important lesson that would later propel us to even more success.

Sometimes failure just sucks. There is absolutely nothing to learn."

Was there anything to learn from this? Working for an acquiree in the financial services industry wasn't the best place be in early 2008? Analysis over. Time to turn the page and bounce.

One thing I did was create mikedewitt.net. It's a place where I can showcase things I've written and done in more depth than a resume or blog. It'll also be the place where I publish my future experience design work. I've collected some things from Spooky Action and BusinessPundit to start, but there'll be more coming in the future. I'm even finishing up the Business Process Transformation video. Why don't you pop over and give me some feedback (we bouncers have thick skin)? Besides, haven't you always wondered "What does that guy do when he's not bloviating here?"

So now that I've bounced, it's time to start flapping. No, not literally. I'm referring instead to the "Butterfly Effect". Lisa Haneberg, one of my favorite management authors, recently explained the concept in her essay The Butterfly Effect:

"Simply put, the butterfly effect is the notion that something as small as a flap of a butterfly’s wings can make a big impact – like causing a tornado on the other side of the world. The flapping wings move the air and the effect reverberates. If the butterfly hadn’t flapped its wings or had flapped in a different direction or with more or less force, the tornado may not have occurred in the same place or time, or at all.

Actions lead to reactions - sometimes. We flap our butterfly wings and things happen that we cannot predict or control. If we look back on our lives over the past five years we might be able to piece together the small changes that impacted the larger ones, but often we have no idea. People we don’t know and who don’t know us are flapping today in directions that will change our circumstances next week.

Complex systems – they’re fuzzy, enigmatic and wonderful. And we can put the imperfect unpredictable nature of humanity to work to improve our lives and the planet. The key to harnessing the power of the butterfly effect is that small, daily, directionally correct actions can change the world. Our goals define the futures we want to create. When our flaps are focused and frequent, our energies reverberate in a direction aligned with our goals.

Conversations are like invisible relay races. We love to talk about the conversations we have had. We tell our friends about what our others friends are up to and we spread interesting news like butterflies on speed. We talk and things change. If we communicate well and repeatedly, things change quickly – the relay is on and we have hundreds of flapping butterflies on our team. Conversations are the most potent types of butterfly flaps especially when you share your goals and seek diverse input from others."

You really owe it to yourself to read Lisa's essay in it's entirety.

So here is my flap in your direction. My resume and background are over at mikedewitt.net. I'm a technology and change management expert. I love to help organizations leverage technology for big business benefit. Do you need some of that or know someone who does? I'll give 1% of my first year's gross pay to the person who reads this post and whose flap starts the chain that leads to that work (I'm also happy to donate the money to your favorite charity). You can reach me through the comments or e-mail me at mdewitt@alum.mit.edu. Let's brew the perfect storm, shall we?

Special note to Bob Hruzek: I think this qualifies for the mash-up project. What say ye?

The 10 Worst Job Interview Questions Ever

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 10:51:21 PDT

What was the worst job interview question you were ever asked?

Over at BusinessPundit, I created a list of the top ten worst job interview questions of all time (okay, modern day english-speaking all time). Here's the intro:

Good interview questions can help employers judge the technical qualifications, people skills, problem solving approach, and team fit of prospective employees. Bad interview questions do none of those. Instead, they confuse, irk, or offend the applicant (often in combination). Our ten worst job interview questions exhibit one or more of the following characteristics:

Illegal - Ask about certain topics and it’s “Do not pass Go; do not collect your next paycheck.” Your employer has been advised to reduce its liabilities, and that means you.

Useless - questions test trivial knowledge that has no bearing on aptitude or generate pseudopsychological responses that Dr. Phil could bloviate on for an entire episode.

Hackneyed - There’s an old saying: “If you’re one in a million, you have 1,000 clones in the People’s Republic of China.” These questions were once original, but they’ve been asked so many times that everyone has memorized ‘pat’ answers to them.

Here are BusinessPundit’s ten worst job interview questions, along with the characteristics that got them on the list, and some possible rejoinders. Please note that being asked any of these questions should make you seriously consider whether you want to entrust your livelihood and sanity to this organization.

Find out which questions belong to the following answers:

“No, but I’m always open to new experiences”
“In mirrors and on YouTube. Unless I’m undead; then only on YouTube.”
“I’ve been tested to 12 ft-lbs per square inch”
“Jack”

I'm sure you have a bad interview experience to relate, or try your hand at coming up with snarkier answers to the questions. Come join in the fun!

[UPDATE] After 112,885 hits, 1859 Diggs, and 208 comments (okay, half are mine), I think I can state that the post has some entertainment value. Go on and check it out if you haven't already.

Rules of the Game of Life

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:07:10 PDT

Rules of the Game of Life:

You get to make up the rules
You have to live by those rules
Return to step one IF YOU DARE

Anything you'd like to add?

Bounce! - Q&A With Author Barry Moltz

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 07:15:15 PST

Barry Moltz's book "Bounce" may do more to help you understand the reality of career paths and success and failure than anything else you'll ever read. I'd just wish I'd read it backwards, because then everything would have been clear to me on the second page.

That second-to-last page used the analogy of the old text-based computer games like Adventure, where you explored an online world by looking around, picking things up, and trying to use them to interact in that world. It was never a simple linear process. No one expected to solve all the puzzles and win the game on the first try. Customers would probably be angry if they did! Most advancement came from trial and error learning, but sometimes bad things happened randomly. Sometimes you had to backtrack a level or two because of a miscalculation. But that was part of the game experience and no one felt shamed for having made a mistake.

In Bounce! Moltz posits that life works the same way and that we should have the same attitudes about "failures" and "setbacks". I had the opportunity to ask Barry a few questions about the book to give you a flavor for it.

Question: What was the inspiration for the book?

Answer: I get sick and tired of people saying that failure is there is always something to learn from failure. We are continually reminded by those around us that failure is an important ingredient in the next success, possibly even a prerequisite. We tell ourselves that failure “happened to us” so that we could learn some important lesson that would later propel us to even more success.

Sometimes failure just sucks. There is absolutely nothing to learn.

When I lost my largest client because they were indicted by the SEC, what did I learn? That I wasn’t supposed to do business with criminals? I knew this… When my best employee left my company because her husband got a job in another state, what was I to learn? Not to hire people who are married?

If failure was such a necessary ingredient for success, then when we fail we would be sending emails to all the people in our business network that read something like this:

To: Everyone I Know
From: Barry Moltz
Subject: Yippee! Another Failure

“I can’t help but brag that I have failed yet again. I am writing because I knew you would want to share this wonderful moment with me. I am so proud of myself because as a result of my latest failure and all the unbelievable things I was able to learn, I am now so much closer to that big financial success I deserve. I am certain that my time is coming soon since I have failed at an increasing rate lately, and I have learned so much. Please stay in touch so I can share with you when I even have an even greater failure and get that much closer to the success you all want for me.”---Your Close Business Friend, Barry

Failure is valuable only when we realize it is a normal part of the business process even when there always isn’t something to learn.

Question: You identify ten building bands for bouncing. Is there any special order to them? Are some natural precedents of others? Is that implied in the order of the chapters?

Answer: Yes, there are an order to the bands like the chapters are ordered. The first thing you need to appreciate is your environment. Just like your parents told you, it matters where you are from. Culture shapes your individual tolerance for success and failure. These archetypes of success teach you how others define it and the pressure they put on you with their definition. They drive you crazy and hold your back.

Next you need to develop Humility. Our business careers are not linear. Life changes very quickly and bad times will happen to you. We all screw up sometimes. Randomness and luck play a large role in financial success. With humility, we Face the Fear of Failure and Give Up the Shame. Failure is an option, a good one in fact. It is okay to be afraid. Grieve your failures and wallow in it if you need to. Hold a “Pity Party”, but let go whatever shame you have absorbed and deflect what others are placing on you. Remember that Failure Gives a Choice: We don’t always learn from failure. It provides an escape hatch to find a different choice. We need to learn that Process matters more than Outcome. We are too focused on the binary outcome: success or failure. We need to realize business is all about cycles and focus on the process more than the outcome for better decision making that will improve our chance of success.

Finally, we need to set Patient Goals– Reality eventually collides with the dream that has been thrust upon you. Create your own dreams. Set goals before you start so you know what success and failure look like when you get there. We need to define Own Measurement System. This requires that we Value Action. Stop reading my book and see what comes next. Experience builds confidence.

Question: Which of the bands do you think are the hardest to internalize intellectually? Which are the hardest to put into practice?

Answer: The hardest ones are to set patient goals and define your own measurement system. There is a lot of pressure in our society on success. We are all addicted to achievement. We need to pause and be thankful for what we have today. We need to lower the bar a bit because there is always someone that is going to be richer, smarter or better looking than you. We need to downsize our dreams. In this, we can begin to define our own brand of success – not someone else's.

First, we need to set patient, interim goals. I remember when I asked my Zen master when I first began mediating, how long I should mediate for- 15 minutes, half hour or an hour each day? He said that I should try it for a minute for each day for the next few months. If I was successful, I should go to two minutes. This is where I learned when striving for new goals, what we important in the climb was not even to get a foothold. Get a toehold…if you can get some progress toward your goal, you have a better chance of achieving it in the long run.

We also need to strive for minimal achievement. We need to focus on being good at a few things and focus on doing one thing well at a time. This is so difficult in a society of multi- tasking which is really ineffective. There is tremendous power through focus.

Question: You talk in the second chapter of the book about you fascination with One Hit Wonders? I thought being a one hit wonder was a bad thing and how does it relate?

Answer: What happens if you go out there and only hit that big success one time like those one hit wonders? Remember, it doesn't matter how many times you fail. It doesn't matter how many times you almost get it right. No one is going to know or care about your failures, and neither should you. All that matters in business is that you get it right once. Wayne Gretzky said that “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” We can’t get caught up in the failures. It only matters that we met our success requirements that one time. When things go bad, we can think back to perhaps that one time where the planets aligned, and we got to the goal line.

With true business confidence, we can look back a single success and enjoy it for what it was. Maybe there is only one success on a particular path. We may need to bounce to an entirely different path to get another success. The complete answer to this puzzle can’t be known until the end of our lives. The order of successes and failures does not diminish the high point. Hitting it once can help root a sense of business confidence that will carry through whether the rest of the path is filled with failure, success, or a mix of both. It will give us the resiliency spring to bounce through the rest of our business lives.

Question: Who are the most interesting people you interviewed for this book?

Answer: They are all interesting. But one that stands out for me is Brett Farmiloe. Here is a guy that graduates college and decides that he will travel around the country in a Pursue the Passion Tour to discover what really makes people tick. There is also Scott Jordan, who left being a lawyer and started Scottevest to carry all those gadgets in pockets we didn’t have! He actually now has a clothing line that really is second to none if you travel so much like I do.

Question: There's a lot in this book. In the span of a page and a half you cover IBM's F.U.D., Escape from Cubicle Nation (a fave of mine), and the 'prevent defense'. If I only have an hour to spend with the material, what would you suggest (aside from learning to speed read beforehand)?

Answer: Skip around. Skip entire parts of the book if you want. The short sections have bold headings so this is easy to do. Only read the parts that interest you and will make a difference for your life. Then throw the book away and take action on how it fits into your life.

Thanks, Barry; both for writing this great book and for taking the time to answer these questions. I think people in any point of their career will benefit from reading Bounce!

xyzzy

The End of the Rob May Era at Businesspundit

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:05:24 PST

For the past five years, one of my favorite blogs - for the subject matter and the quality of the content, has been Rob May's Businesspundit.com. I was disappointed to learn a few months ago that Rob was growing weary of the daily grind and was selling the blog. Today he published his last Businesspundit post. As BP readers would expect, it's excellent:

"I am sitting in a coffee shop this morning breathing a sigh of relief. After almost 5 years of blogging, I am done. This past year, my heart just hasn't been into it, and I think that is reflected in the lackluster posting compared to previous years. I had a contract to fulfill with Creative Weblogging, and it ends today.
...
Five years ago, my views on business were very very different than they are today. So I thought for an appropriate last post, I would examine the top 10 things about business that I view differently than I did 5 years ago. I am not saying these are gospel, or even that they are correct. I think absolutism is a sign of closed mindedness and that any intelligent person should always be adjusting their views slightly in light of new evidence and changing times. Five years from now, I will probably read this post and think that I was wrong about some of these. Nonetheless, this is where my mind stands today."

You can read the top ten here. I'm not so sure he'll change his mind on any of these, but we'll see. He'll still write an occasional post over at BusinessPundit, and he's got a great new blog, Coconut Headsets, where his posts are more in-depth if less frequent.

Thank you so very much for all you've done, Rob; and best of luck on all your new ventures!

P.S. You can watch a video interview of Rob by Jason Falls where he talks about his Businesspundit adventure in part one and gives advice to new bloggers in part two. Great stuff; nice kitchen! ;-)

The Three Timeless Secrets to Firing Up Your Employees

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:02:22 PST

What if I told you that there were three sure-fire keys to firing up your employees? Would you believe me?

What if I told you that I had collected extensive scientific research supporting those conclusions. Would that convince you? No?

Okay, what if I recounted dozens of stories from throughout history and across industries and disciplines showing how people applied these three secrets again and again to succeed beyond all reason. Would you want to read them?

Imagine if you had the secrets, the research, and the stories. What could you do with all that?

Find out be reading Michael Stallard's Fired Up or Burned Out. You'll be glad you did.

You're still here? What more do you want? For all you left-brained logical thinkers the research is all laid out. For you right-brained thinkers there are enough stories for everyone in your organization. For knuckle draggers like me there are the stories of Ulysses S. Grant and the Marquis du LaFayette. For the more enlightened you have Anita Roddick of The Body Shop and Dr. Fred Epstein (don't know Dr. Fred? His story alone is worth the price of the book!).

Why is the diversity of stories important? Because unless you're raising a clone army your team consists of people with a variety of experiences, learning styles, and values. The beauty of this book is that it gives you specific tools to address all of them in their own terms.

And THAT is what makes this book such a powerful transformational tool. Ready to click on THE LINK NOW?

Of course, if you don't want to attempt this type of transformational work yourself, E Pluribus Partners will gladly offer their assistance.

But you don't NEED them. The book has a section with specific, concrete steps on becoming a leader with can make this happen.

I have been burned out and I have been fired up. I've managed fired up and burned out employees. So have you. Life is too short to be lived 'burned out'.

Remember what it feels like to be part of a fired up team? How alive did it make you feel? How energized were you each day when you woke up?

Think about what a totally fired up life would be like.

It's there for the creating. Here is the map. You need only to be bold enough to follow it.

DO IT NOW!

P.S. On a personal note, I have mixed feelings as I write this. One of my own writing projects focused on much the same principles; so I'm a day late and a dollar short. Rats! On the other hand, my own research galvanizes my endorsement of the ideas in this book. Get it. Use them. Live long and prosper (or something to that effect).

P.P.S. Michael has started a blog which is as well written and engaging as the book. You should check it out.

P.P.P.S. Full disclosure: the links above are Amazon Associate links, which means that when you click through, buy the book, and transform your work life, I'll get a dollar.
Wait. You get career fulfillment and I get a Whopper Jr?
I'd be disappointed, except that I know that someone who benefits from the book will need the services of someone like me, and all will work out in the end!

Science of Getting Rich Free Audiobook - 5,000 downloads!

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:57:50 PDT

This weekend the free audio version of The Science of Getting Rich reached the 5,000 download milestone! That's about 4900 more downloads than I expected when I recorded it.

I would like to thank Rick Cockrum and Lyman Reed for linking to the program; I'm sure that's where most of the hits came from.

If you are interested, you can learn more about the program at the original post. And thanks to everyone who took a listen!

UPDATE: You can now listen to The Science of Being Well, courtesy of me! And please hit the tip jar. Or else it's all cat pictures all the time...and I'm not kidding. Okay. I am.

Wrath of the Football Gods - The Cold, Dark End of the Harlan Era

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 07:39:34 PST

Back in November of 2005, Spooky Action broke the news about a curse on the Green Bay Packers

"Green Bay Packer Fans: Do you get the feeling the Pack is cursed this year?

I have good news and bad news for you.

The bad news is that the team IS cursed.

The good news is that the curse could end as soon as 2007."

The specifics of the curse:

"I don't like what I'm seeing here. At least they didn't include a team beauty salon. But they're turning this place from a stadium teams used to fear into the Green and Gold Resort and Day Spa. Those guys are about this far away from invoking my wrath!"

Time passes...

"That's the last straw!!"

"What?"

"See that little plaque in the middle there?
It marks the fact that we are standing in Harlan Plaza!"

"But isn't he still alive?"

"Very much so, but he and Sherman are going to get the Moses treatment for all this. They'll never get to the Promised Land of football. In fact, they'll never win another playoff game!"

And aside from two wins over Mike Holmgren (who committed the larger sin of making Super Bowl XXXII all about him), Green Bay has played in four playoff games (3 at Lambeau where the team had never lost), and each has ended in bitter disappointment.

Harlan, who extended his term as President of the club after unspecified 'issues' forced him to fire his hand-picked successor, is now officially retired after the Packers' season ended in a 23-20 overtime home loss to the New York Giants.

But is this the end of the curse? Let's check in with Vince and Curly...

"Well Vince, no mercy for Harlan?"

"What part about 'The Moses Treatment' wasn't clear, Curly?"

"But now he's retired. Is this the end of the curse?"

"Technically, yes, but there's another problem."

"What's that?"

"The new Lambeau Field has been an economic boon to the community as a year-round attraction - a sort of football theme park, but as a venue for professional football it's about as intimidating for opposing players as a trip to Disneyland. The new Lambeau turned out to be a Faustian bargain for the team and the community.

Take the preparation for last night's game. Both teams knew it was going to be very cold. So what did the Packers do to prepare?"

"Practice outside to prepare for gametime conditions?"

"Not exactly. That would have been the obvious choice, but instead Mike McCarthy had them practice indoors with footballs that had been stored in a freezer!"

"That's just wrong..."

"Too clever by half, if you ask me. But McCarthy and Ted Thompson have made a lot of good moves this year, and progressing this far with the youngest team in the league was great work! Hopefully they'll learn from this experience. If you're going to play home games in January in Green Bay, you'd better be able to handle those conditions..."

"...but I hear the weather in Tampa is nice in February. That sounds like a nice place to plan a team trip next year!"

A Moron I Want to Learn From

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 14:13:10 PST

Mark Joyner, who I figured was a guru at anything internet, has confessed to being a blogging moron. That hasn't stopped him from creating a new online course about blogging, which he is making available free to get feedback and blog plugs. If you insert the following text into a blog post, you can play, too!

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.
It covers:
The best blogging techniques.
How to get traffic to your blog.
How to turn your blog into money.
I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

I'm guessing the blogging moron has turned out something pretty compelling, but as the boilerplate says: I'll let you know...

"it recreates the experience of being a unicorn with a rocket-launching horn"

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 14:15:47 PST

Popular Mechanics has its list of the Ten Worst Gadgets of 2007. The writing is priceless, such as the title quote. Check it out and comment on any products you think should have made the list!

What I Learned from Youth Hockey

mdewitt@alum.mit.edu (Michael A. DeWitt) — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 11:18:45 PST

Growing up in Green Bay WI, I spent plenty of time on ice skates. I probably was smaller than the kid in this photo when my dad first "laced 'em up" for me. But it wasn't until I was ten that I got involved in a formal hockey program. At the time, I was one of the smallest kids on the team, but I did have two things going for me:

I was lightning fast
I was fearless

Hockey has been called a 'collision sport' as opposed to a 'contact sport' because of the technique of 'checking' opponents. If you've ever seen a hockey game, you will no doubt recall players slamming into others and knocking them into the boards. That's checking.

Anyway, during one of our early practices our star oversized player had the puck in one corner and I flew almost the length of the rink and decked him with a perfect check. Unfortunately, his buddies were watching and laughed uncontrollably because a pint-sized teammate had just leveled him. I was pretty proud of myself, but he knocked the smerk right off my face by hitting me from behind a minute later, sending me crashing into the boards head first.

And he got sent to the penalty box for it.

As we were warming up for our first game, the coach pulled me aside and pointed at a large player on the other team. "Mike," he said, "the first chance you get, give that player the hardest check you've ever thrown."

The game started and it wasn't a minute into the first period when I had my first chance. The guy took the puck in one corner and was looking to make a pass when I streaked across the ice, jumped, and sent him sprawling to the ice. The opposing bench broke into peals of laughter and jeers. I turned and started to skate toward the action. My checkee got up and tore after me and executed a perfect, but illegal cross-check in the back (sending me flying).

Of course, he got sent straight to the penalty box, we went on a power play, and with five skaters to their four we easily scored!

You can guess where this is headed, can't you? Yep, I used the same tactic all season long and in nearly every game the exact same thing happened. Sometimes my 'taking one for the team' helped, and sometimes it didn't. The tactic was good for one goal only.

So what did I learn from this experience? A few things, actually.

First, you can gain an advantage on an opponent by getting inside their head. My coach knew that the best kid on each team had a super-sized ego and would not stand for being embarrassed by a much smaller opponent. They were also not mature enough to wait for a legal opportunity to retaliate.

Second, there is always a way to make your mark in any endeavor. I was 'just a guy' (as the scouts say) aside from my 'special talent', but I was able to make a meaningful contribution in an unorthodox way.

Third, your helmet, pads, and mouthguard are you best friends on the ice! I got tossed around like a rag doll on some of those cheap shots, but I never broke anything (for which my mother was very grateful).

This post is a late entry into Robert Hruzek's What I Learned from the World of Sports group writing project. Check out the other entries; [Tony the Tiger voice] they're great!

Photo courtesy of fatal Cleopatra at Flickr.