The Service Geek!

Lather Rinse Repeat

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 21:48:00 +0000

LATHER RINSE AND REPEAT

Lather, Rinse and Repeat(LRR). Pretty straight forward instructions. Hard to mess up. Or is it? If you follow these instructions, when do you stop?

The phrase has come to be indicative of two things; a) a way of pointing out instructions, if taken literally, would never end (or would continue at least until you run out of shampoo), or b) "a sarcastic metaphor for following instructions without critical thought". The author Benjamin Cheever wrote about these words in his book "The Plagiarist" (SPOILER ALERT - in the book, a marketing executive becomes an overnight legend by simply adding the word REPEAT to the instructions. Of course, sales of shampoo skyrocket)

The point is this, this is a process and the process has not changed or been updated in a long while.

Are you sure it's a process?

Yep. Here is how I know.

The base statement of "Wash Hair" does not cover the steps needed to complete the activity. LRR fulfills the steps. LRR is not a procedure as the activities do not provide instruction on how to complete the steps.

So what's the problem?

The biggest issue with the process is "Do I really need to repeat"? What happens if I don't? Maybe my hair doesn't have the body promised? Maybe my hair is not sleek and shinny? Oh, perish the thought! My reality is I lather and rinse once. The only time that changes is if I have been doing an activities (painting, exercise) that cause me to feel my hair to need another cycle.

So the point is?

a) It's a simple process. Not complicated. Do we work to make ITSM process as simple as possible? My experience shows that we, as IT people, tend to grab Visio, graph every possibility without question, and produce a monster swim lane diagram. Do we add complexity because the customer requires it or because we have these cools systems which do cool things?

b) Do we spend time looking at how to make a process better? Lauren Goldstine takes on the need for LRR in a 1999 article entitled "Lather, Rinse, Repeat: Hygiene Tip or Marketing Ploy" In her article, Ms. Goldstine indicates that Repeat is probably no longer necessary due to the advances in shampoo tech, yet most shampoo bottles you look at will have the process.

Now to be fair to the shampoo companies, having Repeat on the bottle may help drive sales, thus the reason for no change. I am highly suspect of this reason simply because I don't buy shampoo based on the process. I buy shampoo based on a) does it help make my hair look good? b) can I afford it? and c) do I have a coupon?

I'm also willing to bet the shampoo companies have done research to know what the preference of the consumer is. There is also the possibility the companies have looked into the change and decided it is cost prohibitive. I don't know how much it cost to print Repeat on a bottle or how much it costs to stop printing Repeat. Regardless, do we have plans to review our ITSM processes and to adjust based on our customers' needs?

c) Are our processes designed to help our customers or help IT? LRR is clearly aimed at the end user. One buys shampoo for many reasons, but the process is almost universal. You know what to do when you are ready to use shampoo. You can execute the process with little training and/or thought. Can customers say the same about IT processes? It is always interesting to ask why we (IT) do something. It's shocking how many times the reason focuses on making things better for IT not for customers.

At the end of the day, does this really matter?

You bet it does. The tide is turning quickly for IT. The business wants to know why IT has spent all that money and what value did the business get. What better way to show the value than to show how IT improved business outcomes. The business is treating IT line a partner and IT needs to reciprocate.

The PC is Dead! Long Live the PC!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 20:12:00 +0000

I am growing weary of the debate around BYOD and the "death" of the personal computer. So let's get a couple myths out of the way.

Myth 1 - My company will not support BYOD
1) If you have carried any computing device (including your smartphone) not provided by your company into your workplace and used it for any purpose, including personal tasks, you have participated in the BYOD conspiracy. You used your own device to accomplish something. Did your company complain?

Myth 2 - Personal Computers are going away
2) Personal computers are not dead. They are changing to much smaller form factors.

We are in the age of decline of the "tower style" PC. You just don't see them in the quantity you did five years ago. Why? A good chunk of the workforce became in someway mobile with a need to do things anytime, anywhere. Either a worker indicated they needed to "be more productive" by taking their PC with them or did they con their boss because they wanted a laptop because it was the hot new thing?

The "hot new thing" rule applies to BYOD. Most of the "technical" folks I interact with simply indicate BYOD is a fad and will pass. I don't get the same vibe out of the CIO/decision makers I interact with. All the CIOs I have discussed this with say virtually the same thing: a) we don't have the funding we use to have b) I need my teams to be productive regardless where they are c) I don't know that I care what my teams use to get the job done as long as they get done things done on time, under budget, and meet the customer's needs and d) we cannot stay in the same operational mode we are in today. Based on the divergence of these two conversations it makes me wonder if the technical folks ever talk with the CIO and vice versa.

I don't feel that BYOD is a hot new thing. It is here and we are in that innovator/early adopter stage. The innovators and early adopters will always find things that make them stand out, methods that seem to come from the future, ways to challenge the status quo. But as long as we have the late majority and laggards, we will debate things like BYOD and the death of the PC.

The problem is that we spend too much time talking/debating and it seems to come from those in the early/late majority and laggard stage. Why are we fascinated with defending our "position"? Or are we fascinated with keeping the job we currently have? If the later, why?

It's time to move forward folks. The reality is that some of our workers are going to do things that are "outside the box". Don't think so? Check out this article. We will start doing the things that we are great at and "outsource" the things we don't do well or don't see value in doing. (Trust me on this, my son is trying to figure out how he can get someone else to collect the trash from the bins in our house and still get the allowance for "getting the job done".)

Do I care if you do your work on a desktop computer or a tablet? Do I care if you use your tablet or the one I provide you with if you get the job done? Only if I'm trying to maintain the status quo.

The day is coming where computer will be on us, in us and apart of us. The time is now to stop the debates and start figuring out how to adapt.

It's the end of the world as we know it?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 23:03:00 +0000

You probably have read that some people think the the Mayans predict the world will end on December 21. If you are reading this on December 22, congrats! we're still here!

Now, I have no idea if the world will end but thought it would be good to be prepared with songs to listen to. You can't have an event like this without a soundtrack. So here they are, the songs to listen to as the world ends.

'Till the World Ends - Britney Spears

Buy

You need to dance, so dance until the world ends...

Santa Monica(Watch the World Die) - Everclear

Buy

Love this song...We can live beside the ocean, leave the fire behind, swim out past the breakers, watch the world die

If Tomorrow Never Comes - Garth Brooks

Is the love I gave her in the past going to be enough to last if tomorrow never comes

End of the World - The Cure

Buy

Robert Smith - enough said

1999 - Prince

Buy

Party like it's 1999, then do it again

It's the End Of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) - REM

Buy

Great song by a great band

Christmas at Ground Zero - "Weird Al" Yankovic

Buy

Just too much fun!

What song(s) would you listen to? Drop a note in the comments.

I didn't travel over a 100 miles to be here

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 19:57:00 +0000

So here are some old jokes.

Q: How does a consultant answer the question "What time is it?"
A: "Can I have your watch?" (looks at watch) "It's 2:30"

Q: What is the difference between a consultant and an expert?
A: An expert traveled more than a 100 miles to tell you an answer you already knew.

Okay, before any of my consultant friends get upset, I love each and everyone of you.

I was asked the other day what I do for a living. My answer "I'm a practitioner of service management". Of course, the follow up question was "You're what?" So I went into explaining what I do. After a few minutes of discussion, my friend said "Oh, so you are like a consultant". I immediately said "No".

As I'm sure you have noticed, doctors are much like consultants. We tell a doctor our needs(ailments) and they suggest a course of action. The difference is a doctor calls what they do a "practice". If you Goolge this phrase (http://bit.ly/YSQLkD) you will find a myriad of mostly comical and a few honest attempts to answer the question. Quora has the best answer IMHO (http://b.qr.ae/Tw4My5). The word 'practice' refers to "exercise or pursue as a profession, art or occupation". The doctor is a "practitioner" (noun) who is trained in the medical practice. While the doctor does consult, his/her main job is to use knowledge to try to help improve the situation for the patient.

I am a practitioner. I practice service management. As a practitioner I must study, read, research, investigate, discuss service management. This does not mean I perfectly understand all parts of service management or that I will help build service architecture correctly on the first attempt. It certainly does not mean that I'm an "expert" either. Nor does it mean that I have to accept the "status quo" because it is written in a book. The essence of being a practitioner is continuing to work your craft until you have a suitable solution for your situation. You may fail many times and that is okay. Get up, dust yourself off, learn from the failure, try again. Or more simply put, keep on practicing.

Driving and...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 22:08:00 +0000

There has been a really big push recently to promote no texting while driving. This is critical, and in my opinion, everyone should sign the pledge. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. Here are some other photos of things we should rethink doing while driving.

Just remember that every time you get behind the wheel, everyone else on the road is your customer. All they expect is for you to drive your car with precision, 100% of the time. Let's meet this expectation of our customers!

Pole Valuting

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 23:26:00 +0000

So let's imagine that it's Monday morning. You come into work and your boss catches up with you to tell you about a new project. Your goal, jump over a bar that is 18' in the air. The process? Grab a long stick, run a fast is you can down toward the bar, jab the stick in the ground, and use your momentum to propel yourself up and over the bar.

No big deal, right? And how many of us would willingly do this?

I don't know what possesses someone to compete in the pole vault. I mean, who in their right mind would do this?

Okay, I'm guilty. I tried it once. Snapped the pole (no, I don't have pictures). Seems there is also a required component dealing with body mass (and I had way too much of it at the time). Of course, that experience taught me that maybe I should stick to shot put and discus. But some people look at the pole vault and say "no problem".

The interesting thing is that we ask people to pole vault all the time. "Can you cut a day off delivery?" "Raise customer satisfaction." "Our goal is to be a world class organization." So, do you run faster, plant the pole better, learn how to drive off your knee to get move bend in the pole, or push off the pole at a better apex? Or do you go "...we can't do that..."?

The cool thing about pole vaulters are they are never afraid to fail. If they are afraid, you can almost guarantee they will miss. When they are not afraid, the may miss, but they know what it takes to succeed.

The simple questions for us:

Are we picking the right people to be 'pole vaulters'?
Are we willing to allow our pole vaulters to fail in order to learn how to succeed?
Are we setting up our pole vaulters to succeed?
Are our pole vaulters 'afraid' to vault?

Good luck in your jumping and here's to clearing the bar!

One simple thing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 18:18:00 +0000

Usain Bolt

The fastest man in the world. The only person to ever win back to back 100m and 200m Olympic gold medals. World record holder. Mr. Bolt has every reason to be proud of his accomplishments, every reason to talk about how great he is, every reason to feel superior. He could easily have "an attitude".

But take a look at this - http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/watch-usain-bolt-make-an-olympic-volunteers-l

It was only a fist bump. It became an incredible memory. A joyous moment.

Usain Bolt made a volunteer's day with just a fist bump.

What a great management lesson he gave us. There are many people who work for us and help us achieve our goals. Let's remember it's sometime the simple things that bring joy.

Well done Mr Bolt. Well done.

Service Management at Home

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 13 May 2012 23:13:00 +0000

My wife and I have never had a fight. No, I'm serious. We have not yelled, threaten, or anything like that. In fairness we do get mad at each other and disagree of various topics but we always tend to work things out. A friend of mine made a casual statement about how he had forgotten to do something and it led to a "shouting match" at home. Another friend (@helpdesk_info) posted that "another day of rushing to do all the things she forgot to get for Sam's party...I need a ticketing system for home with SLA features". That got me to thinking about how I could use a ticketing system for home and how that could lead to a more pleasant home environment.

For everyone who just rolled your eyes or went, "yeah, right", you already have a incident/request system. It's called a "honey do" list. So my question is how effective is it? Do things get done? Do you forget things? Does not doing something or forgetting something lead to stress or fights? How do you know what is the most important thing on the list to do? When do things need to be done?

This bit me last night. My son went out our front door. The storm door handle has been loose for sometime and has always been one of those "I'll get around to it" items (full disclosure, I'm a bit of procrastinator). As my son went out the door, the handle popped off followed immediately by "Why haven't you fixed this?" My answer is simple, it is not a priority for me, I rarely go out the front door. But then I was reminded that I had not changed the burned out light bulb in the bathroom and forgot to take the trash to the curb. I sighed and promised to do better (do I sound like any of your employees?)

The problem - I keep the list in my head. It is impossible to do the "right thing at the right time"

Solution? I'm going to implement an home incident/request management system. I feel this will help me track the things that need to get done, the priorities, and time frames. Going to put it to the test so check back here in a few weeks and I'll update on the progress and challenges.

It's a trap!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 01:50:00 +0000

It is one of the most popular lines from any of the "Star Wars" movies and has become an internet meme. "IT'S A TRAP!" is shouted by Admiral Ackbar as the rebel fleet is caught in an ill timed offensive assault. The phrase has been rattling around in my head over the weekend. Here's why.

I spent last week at one of my all time favorite events, the HDI Annual Conference & Expo. The event is filled with great session, the most wonderful people you will ever meet, and keynote addresses that simply inspire and motivate. I always come away from the conference with many ideas (both professional and personal) and somewhat anxious to implement the ideas. This is where my trap happens.

I walk right into it every time. I believe I can make a change and get excited. I think and form a plan, determine resources, go over how to execute. Then it starts....

You can't do this
Nobody will support you
Don't rock the boat
This idea is only important to you, nobody else will care

Defeated before I ever start, simply because, I walk into my own trap.

One thing I learned this week at HDI is that I am my own worst enemy. That's a hard thing for me to admit. I'm not always positive, convince myself of things that may (or may not) be true, and generally "beat" myself up. I don't know why I do this.

I do know this. I have a lot of great friends. Friends that care enough to tell me the truth. Friends that keep me honest. Friends that want to see me succeed.

It is my responsibility to change. I'm going to determine how to be positive. Because I know that I will struggle with this, I ask you, my friends, to help keep me accountable. I am going to be positive! I'm not walking willingly into any more traps.

Disruptive technologies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 01:00:00 +0000

The computer. The telephone. The television. The car. The wheel.

Each upset the status quo. Each changed the how humans view the world.
Each can be used for good or evil.

It always interesting to see the reaction of people when something new is introduced. Many do not want something new or something different. Many will spend their time railing against the change in hopes of keeping the change from ever happening.

"Don't rock the boat" "Leave well enough alone" "It is a good as it will ever get" "You'll never make that happen" Common phrases of those who do not want change.

Do not be afraid of change. Take a chance. Be smart and take a risk.

Rock the boat, my friends. Rock the boat.

Culture

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 23:27:00 +0000

If you asked you're team what customers think about their service delivery, do you get answers like:
"I think we're doing okay", "We don't get many complaints", "That's the way it's been for years"

Not ringing endorsements for your team or your service delivery.

Do you have a culture of metrics? storytelling? excellence?
Does your team believe you have a great culture?

You say it's your birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 21:56:00 +0000

<p>So today is my birthday. For those with inqusivitive minds, I'm old enough to know better and too young to care.</p>
<p>It has been a very good day. Spent this morning doing something I had not done before, kayaking. I really enjoyed it!  There is something about being on the water. Plus I was with my son, best friend Gary, and his daughter Elisabeth.

Now having a lowcountry boil for dinner with my wife and son.

It's taken a lot of years to realize, it's not about the stuff, it's about family and friends.

It's the end of the end of the world, as we know it

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 21 May 2011 00:35:00 +0000

You probably have read that some ~~nut~~ people think the the Mayans predicted the world will end on December 21. If you are reading this on December 22, congrats! we're still here!

Now, I have no idea if the world will end but thought it would be good to be prepared with songs to listen to. You can't have an event like this without a soundtrack. So here they are, the songs to listen to as the world ends.

'Till the World Ends - Britney Spears

Buy Watch

You need to dance, so dance until the world ends...

Santa Monica(Watch the World Die) - Everclear

Buy Watch

Love this song...We can live beside the ocean, leave the fire behind, swim out past the breakers, watch the world die

If Tomorrow Never Comes - Garth Brooks

Is the love I gave her in the past going to be enough to last if tomorrow never comes

End of the World - The Cure

Buy Watch

Robert Smith - enough said

1999 - Prince

Buy

Party like it's 1999, then do it again

It's the End Of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) - REM

Buy Watch

Great song by a great band

What song(s) would you listen to? Drop a note in the comments.

A week in Las Vegas - HDI, Blue Man, the Toolman and me

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 01:50:00 +0000

I've was in Las Vegas last week attending the HDI 2011 annual conference. If you are a member of the technical support community, you really should be attending this conference. (Find out more @ thinkhdi.com).

The conference was great! The keynotes were fabulous and very motivational. We heard from Garrison Wynn, Scott Klososky, Steve Farber, Jackie Pflug, Ruben Gonzalez and Les Brown. If you are not inspired after listening to Les Brown, you are not alive. Jackie Pflug, a survivor of a gunshot would to the head during a plane hijacking, was a true testament to the will to continue. Olympic competitor Ruben Gonzales shared his struggles and successes in becoming world class in the Luge. Scott Klososky gave an impressive view of the technology integration of man and the importance of managing your on-line reputation. Steve Farber spoke on giving of yourself and about OS!M. Garrison Wynn taught us how to win an unfair fight.

I attended a pre-conference work shop on knowledge centered support. If you work on a service desk, work as a 2nd or 3rd tier support level, or manage any of the above, you need this training! KCS will structure the thoughts you have on how to use the knowledge you already have in and effective and efficient manner. Face it, there is knowledge everywhere and most of us are trying desperately to get people to share the knowledge they have tucked away in their brains not to mention then trying to get our staff members to use the knowledge as written.

I attended several conference sessions on ITIL and realized how much more work we (UKIT) have in front of us. OS!M. I also attended two board meetings and was on the interview panel for the Analyst of the Year award.

I was great to see many old friends. Kirk Weisler always makes you feel special and great. Sophie Klossner, Cinda Daly, Craig Baxter, Jennie Raines, Kerri Hanna, Rick Joslin, and all the other members of the HDI staff just simply make you feel like family. Sophie, Cinda, Rick, and Craig make serving on the Strategic and Desktop Support advisory boards fun, compelling, and valuable. Darien, Marie, Phil, Matt, Mark, Sidney, Heather, Robert, and Ron, it was great to see you! I was able to meet several industry leaders including Malcon Fry (funny as ever), Pete McGarahan, Katherine Lord, and Rea Ann Bruno. Jim Bolton and I had a very good chat about ITIL implementation.

One of the things that I am truly amazed by is the friendliness of the HDI attendees. I made many new contacts and friends. To all my HDI family, let's stay in touch and I can't wait to see you again!

I also served as a faculty member for the conference. I put together and facilitated a Desktop Support town hall meeting to discuss current trends and topics impacting Desktop Support. The panel of Mark Fitzgerald, Rosanne Delaney, and Kristy Trice were wonderful with their answers and I feel that we help generated much needed discussions around where Desktop Support is headed.

As for how I did at the tables, let's not discuss it...it will just make me sad.

One of thing I love about Vegas is the wealth of entertainment available. I was fortunate that the Blue Man Group was on of the house acts at the Venetian. I was able get a ticket in the 3rd row in an area known as the "splash" zone. The ticket comes with a cheap poncho to wear. I didn't get any paint, Twinkies, or bodily fluids on me (making you wonder?). The show was excellent! The group are marvels at communicating emotions with out uttering a single word. The music is outstanding and the "instruments" they use are ingenious. The show is well worth the price of admission. If you find yourself in Vegas and want to have a fun and energetic time, check out the Blue Man Group.

Thursday night was the HDI conference party at the TAO nightclub. Okay, I will never be "cool" enough to get in a joint like that without something like the conference hosting. The club was amazing. One outside roof level known as the TAO beach with pools and cabanas. It was a nice night out, be the area was very crowded and the MaCarren airport had established the flight path directly over the hotel, so it was a little disconcerting. The 1st level of the club is a bar/restaurant style seating but the conference party was not held on that level. The 2nd level is a combination of a lounge with lots of Asian figures/statues, a balcony with an amazing view of the Vegas strip, and the dance club. I spent most of the night in this section. Got out on the dance floor with several friends and just a good fun time. Next time you are in Vegas, take your party clothes, make a reservation, as spend some time at TAO. I think you will be amazed.

I ended the week by seeing Tim "Toolman" Allen performing his stand up comic routine. Just like most stand up comedians, the persona you see on TV and movies is almost a complete 180 from the stand up comic. The show was funny and fun and I had a good time. If you want to see Mr. Allen's stand up, be prepared for a lot of adult language.

All in all, it was a great week, but it sure is good to be back home and I can't wait for HDI2012!

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New Year's Eve Playlist

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 23:27:00 +0000

I'm not a big party guy. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy getting together with good folks and enjoy their company just as much as the next guy, but I'm just more comfortable at home without all the hoopla.

New year's eve is no exception. I much rather stay at home and watch the festivities. It has to do more with reflecting on where I've been and where I need to go.

Traditionaly, most of the family will go to bed by 10 PM, allowing me to be alone with my thoughts. I fire up my iPod for a mix of music that helps me reflect and think about what I want to acomplish in the new year. Here are the songs I listen to to bring in and celebrate the New Year.

10:30 PM to 11:55 PM

"City of Blinding Lights" - U2
Great for watching the activites around Times Square. The song inspires hope in me.

"Dancing in the Dark" - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
Just a fun song to remeber all the good times from the past year.

"Tubthumping" - Chumbawamba
Reminds me that I may get knocked down but I get up again.

"Time (Clock of the Heart) - Culture Club
This song reminds me I need focus on my family, especialy my wife and son, because time with them is precious.

"Let it Whip" - Dazz Band
Just have big fun!

"What was I Thinkin' " - Dierks Bentley
I use this song to reflect on all the stuipd, "I know better than that" decision I made in the previous year and forgive myself.

"Break on Through (To the Other Side) - The Doors
Let go of the past and break on through to the other side (the new year)

"Wonderful Tonight) - Eric Clapton
A simple reminder to remember how beautiful, lovely, and wonderful my wife is.

"Don't Stop" - Fleetwood Mac
Yesterday is gone. Prepare for tommorow and live for today.

"If Tomorow Never Comes" - Garth Brooks
I use this time to reflect on those who left us this past year.

"All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" - Hank Williams Jr.
I've got great friends and I look forward to the upcoming year with them and how I can build stronger relationships with them.

"Midnight Rider" - Gregg Allman
A reminder to me that I cannot be succesful without my friends and family.

"All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Richie
A reminder to quit taking my self so seriously and have some fun.

"Turn Off the Light" - Nelly Furtado
Everything is not as seems, morning will come, see all your dreams.

"A Change Would Do You Good" - Sherly Crow
Don't be afraid to change!

"The Future So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" - Timbuk 3
Be optimistic! Make your future bright!

11:54 PM
"The Final Countdown" - Europe
Just a great song to wrap up the year before the ball drop on TV.

12:02 AM
"New Year's Day" - U2
I just love this song! U2 at their best. It pumps me up for the year ahead.

"After Midnight" - Eric Clapton
Toast to the New Year with you favorite beverage!

"Hallelujah" - k.d. pang
One last bit of thanks for the previous year.

"Turn the Page" - Bob Sever & The Silver Bullet Band
"Say here I am" time to dedicate myself to my goals for the New Year.

"Beautiful Day" - U2
Everyday is a beautiful day! Make the most of all the opportunites the New Year will give you.

However you celebrate the New Year, be safe and have fun. Here's wishing you a great, productive, safe, and prosperous 2011!

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My name is Earl

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:28:00 +0000

So, my cousin sent me a list of headlines based on hurricane Earl. I've had a good laugh from them and hope you do too!

Pastors and Social Security take Earl's threat seriously
http://www.fox11az.com/news/national/102015973.html

Island evacuations start as Earl nears East Coast
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gVWjsPEiqe1tEu2mhBIRaxxGi8owD9HVC65O0

Outer Banks Residents Prepare for Earl
http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/09/01/outer-banks-residents-prepare-for-earl/

State warned to be on watch when Earl makes turn north
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/09/01/state_warned_to_be_on_watch_when_earl_makes_turn_north/

Earl's uncertain path could make, break Ocean City's holiday weekend
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-08-31/business/bs-bz-ocean-city-hurricane-20100831_1_donna-abbott-holiday-weekend-ocean-city-s-department

Raging Earl heads for US
http://www.timeslive.co.za/world/article633535.ece/Raging-Earl-heads-for-US

Region braces for Earl
http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Region-braces-for-Earl-641138.php

NC warnings aim to move vulnerable away from Earl
http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2010/sep/01/bc-nc-tropical-weather-nc11th-ld-writethru/?features&travel

Peterson, wife survive Earl's fury
http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=13070251

Earl sparks port cancellations
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38973803/ns/travel-cruise_travel/

Earl threatens East Coast with weekend pounding
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g_LMm73yTOd4w17j7qVbHV0jk3mAD9HVSBSO3

Residents along Earl's projected path stocking up ahead of stormhttp://www.cnn.com/2010/US/09/02/hurricane.earl.people/

OC wind forecast increases; Earl stays offshore
http://weblogs.marylandweather.com/2010/09/higher_winds_due_in_oc_earl_st.html

Its Name is Earl
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/02/its-name-is-earl/

Obama declares emergency ahead of Earl
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/21-evacuations-start-as-us-braces-for-hurricane-earl-sk-08

As many flee Earl, one group is very excited
http://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/09/02/5032150-as-many-flee-earl-one-group-is-very-excited

For those who know who I work with and what I do for a living, this one is priceless

As Earl looms, tips to batten down IT
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9183260/As_Earl_looms_tips_to_batten_down_IT?taxonomyId=17

A Venn moment

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 01:47:00 +0000

I got just a little aggravated last week. I saw a posting on Twitter last week that brought on this aggravation. The post was about Facebook and a company that was using the Facebook pages to capture input from their customers. The person's post was negative and uninformed. I really had to fight the urge to post a reply. I finally concluded that posting a reply would be a waste of bits simply because the party that posted it always thinks their opinion is "the correct opinion".

I truly believe that everyone has the right to express whatever they feel, however, I don't believe that anyone has the right to try to squash the creativity or innovation of another, especially in a unproductive negative manner. I feel the post on Twitter was done for just that purpose.

I have become a fan of a blog by Jessica Hagy (@jessicahagy) titled Indexed. Ms. Hagy uses various graphs and diagrams to allow her to "...make fun of some things and sense of others. I use it to think a little more relationally without resorting to doing actual math..." The items Ms. Hagy posted are thought provoking and often hilarious. Ms. Hagy has provided the inspiration for the diagram below. So, this is my response to the person who posted the message on Twitter. Thanks for allowing me to vent.

Leadership Lessons from "Pawn Stars"

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 07 May 2010 13:06:00 +0000

If you have not had the chance, take a few moment to watch "Pawn Stars" on the History Channel. Now, I have to admit when I first saw the ads for the show, my reaction was "...oh great, American Chopper in a pawn shop...I'll pass, thank you...." My Dad turned me onto the show. He likes the show for two reasons: a) he is fascinated with the stuff people bring in the shop and; b) the Pawn Stars Rick, the Old Man, Big Hoss & Chumlee are interesting characters (his favorite is Chumlee). While I have to agree that I'm also fascinated with the stuff people bring in to sell and pawn, I really like some of the leadership characteristic they display.

Lesson 1: Make sure everyone understands the business "mission" - Don't buy anything you cannot make a profit on.
Big Hoss was reminded of the mission on two different occasions. The first occurrence he bought a hot air balloon for $38,000 although he was only authorized to make a purchase of no more than $10,000. His Dad, Rick, was very clear on this mistake and had Big Hoss ask for the money back on the sale, then deal with how to make the purchase profitable until it could be sold. The second time, Big Hoss purchased a set of tattoo guns then trades them for a tattoo. Upon finding out, the Old Man required Big Hoss to pay for the equipment (plus a profit for the store) and to make up the time (after-hours) for taking off in the middle of his shift to get the tattoo.

Lesson 2: You don't have to be an "expert", but know where you can find one.
The Pawn Star team often have customer who bring in significant historical artifacts. They always ask the customer what they know about the item in question and the customers will tell what they know. The Pawn Star team also know they do not agree to a deal until they know what they are looking at (is it real vs a reproduction) and its value. Sometimes they have the knowledge and can quickly appraise the item. Many other times, they quickly know when they do not have the knowledge necessary and call in an "expert" to verify the authenticity of the item. The customer often find they have a very valuable item and the Pawn Stars know how to build a negotiation strategy.

Lesson 3: Have a principled negotiation
The Pawn Star team make sure that two things happen; the make an offer based on their desired profit margin (see Lesson 1) and the negotiate within their core principals. I have a bit of perception that pawn shops are seedy places where seedy characters make seedy things happen. Pawn Stars has somewhat changed this perception. They work to make a fair offer to the customer, but they also stay to true to their mission of making a profit. They rarely leave their principals of buying an item they cannot make a profit on. This commitment leads to a "win-win" for the customer and the shop.

Lesson 4: Maintain Accountability
The Pawn Stars run a 24/7 shop thus staffing is always a critical issue. One employee, Peaches, was beginning to embrace a habit of being late to work. The Old Man and Rick both coached Peaches on the behavior they expected and arranged for a time for improvement with daily feedback. They also made it very clear the consequences of not changing the behavior, go back to working the graveyard shift. While Peaches did make an effort to change, she did not do enough to change and was moved back to the graveyard shift. The Pawn Stars did a good job in identifying a bad behavior, coaching to help correct and holding the team member accountable for their actions.

Lesson 5: Have passion for what you do
It is clear the owner of the shop, Rick, loves what he does. You can see that he is genuinely excited by the odds and ends that come in everyday. This passion is probably why he and his team are now on TV. It shows through in everything they do! Rick also demonstrated that he doesn't allow his passion to get in the way of his mission. On several occasions he has turned down an offer because of not having a market for the item or the purchase would not meet the profit margin for the store. It is important to love and enjoy what you do, just don't allow your zeal to interfere with your goals.

I close this ramble out with one other thought, you gain insight when you look for insight. I didn't sit down to watch Pawn Stars with the intent of finding leadership lessons. I simply was looking for entertainment. It proves again (at least it does to me) that if you have your mind open, you look for insight, and you make a few notes along the way, things that will help make you a better leader will appear.

Use your Growth Mind-Embrace Failure

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 15:59:00 +0000

Took a few minutes today to listen to The Cranky Middle Manager podcast featuring Erik Van Slyke on Embracing Failure. I think you ought to take a few minutes an listen to the podcast as it points to IT and how we think we have to be "perfect". Mr. Van Slyke points to research done by Carol Dweck on the two mindsets that people get into, the Fixed mindset and the Growth mindset.

Fixed mindset people often point fingers and feel that what ever happened is "beyond" the control they have. When we point fingers, we give up the opportunity to learn, to respond and react. We allow others to control our fate.

We all know that it is an adaptive world. Unexpected things are going to happen. The Growth mindset does not believe that talent is genetic and that effort and learning make everything possible. This allows you to set aside your ego and gives you the chance to work hard and learn as you go.

Failure will happen. The world is an imperfect place. Finger pointing is a political process. Being perfect rarely counts. What counts is the process of perfecting. The process of perfecting show that we are able to respond quickly. It shows we use collaboration and leverage what we got to make stuff work.

Be collaborative. Learn to love the process of perfecting. Embrace Failure!

A Walk in the Woods

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:18:00 +0000

If you have not had the chance, I highly recommend reading "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson. It is a delightful tale of one man's journey in rediscovering America by hiking the Appalachian Trail. Bryson describes in sometime hilarious, sometimes painful detail the issues he faced while attempting to hike the approximately 2200 mile trail. Of course this books speaks to me in ways that it may not to most. You see, I have hiked/backpacked in the neighborhood of 3500 miles. I relate to Bryson's trials on the trail, the single focus of get to the next place, and the unsurpassed joy of simple pleasures like a campground to yourself, the thought that only a few hundred people may have seen a view you are looking at in person, the endless creativity needed to make Ramen Noodles a main entree almost every night, and the mental fortitude just to put your foot again in front of the other.

The only problem is that I haven't been hiking much lately (what I mean by lately is in the last 5 years). I got a chance today to take a little walk in the woods today. Nothing big, maybe 2 miles in total. It had a lot of ups and downs in vertical movement (if you have hiked in eastern Kentucky, you know what I mean). What was neat is that I found something that I didn't know existed. A natural arch, a waterfall appearing out of the rock, contrasting greens of algae and rock in stream beds, 30 foot icicle hanging of a cliff, and just the beauty of the day (check out my 365 days of photos blog this week for some photos).

Some things I learned today:
1) I am desperately out of shape. The uphill pulls just about did me in.
2) I can fall as fast as I ever did. There was a little bit of frost out this morning and a foot placement on a rock on a downhill slope meant the quick introduction of the ground and my backside.
3) It still is just a totally cool feeling to discover something new.
4) Mother Nature is the best show going!
5) Sometimes, you just need to be alone for a few moments.
6) Pictures are cool, memories are better!
7) Being out in the woods feeds my soul.

To point 7) - this is what works for me. It's a passion. I can't put into words what simply walking in the woods does to/for me. The point is, I have been denying it for way too long. I had not nurtured part of me and it had a impact in being neglected. Don't loose sight of your passion. Get out there and enjoy it !

A Change Would Do You Good

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 17:45:00 +0000

So, it's been almost a full year since I posted anything on this blog. As I said in my last post, I needed a little time to learn and re-evaluate why I was doing this blog. Okay, so I took more than a little time...

During my hiatus, I took some time to reach out to other bloggers, thought about this blog, and really tried to learn more about all the cool social media tools that are available. It's been a really fun and cool journey!

What I figured out:

1) I gotta be me. I have to express my thoughts, ideas, and opinions.

2) There are no time lines. I'm going to post when I feel I have something to say. That may mean 1 post a month or 40 posts in a day.

3) A change did me good as Sheryl Crow said in her 1997 hit "A Change Would Do You Good". Change is not always an easy thing. That's because we become creatures of habit. We get comfortable with how our world works and we don't want to have anything upset that balance.

Change is hard. My Dad often cites an easy example. If you think change is easy, start wearing your wristwatch on the the opposite wrist. If you don't wear a watch, start wearing one. Let's face it, that is not an earth shattering change, but it would drive most of us nuts for a day or two. At the same time, we deal with change daily. I mean, you woke up this morning (or you probably would not being reading this right now) and dealt quickly with the fact that its a new day (which has never happened before) and were willing to carry on without knowing what is going to happen. It amuses me when people tell me that don't deal well with change when you consider this circumstance.

The best way to deal with change is to accept that everything will change. We must learn to look at every situation and find the good in it. Fill your life with positive influences and you'll find that when you are asked to change or have to change, the experience, while it may be tough, isn't all that bad. Life is full of opportunities for change. Will you allow a change to do you good?

ARRRRGGGGHHHHHHH!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 31 May 2009 23:28:00 +0000

So, there has not been a post on this blog for several weeks now, and you may be (but probably not) asking "What's going on?" If you are asking, here you go....

1) Life got in the way.
It has been a weird few months for me and my family. Between school, jobs, scouts, hospitalization, and general illnesses, the blog has been the last thing on my mind.

2) The help quit
I have not received the help with this blog that I was hoping for and that's okay. I need to make this about my thoughts and ideas.

3) Writer's block
I've been a little stuck on where I want to take this blog...Is it about tech or about management or about me or about all of those things? Not sure that I know yet.

What I learned:

1) Life is going to get in the way...can't change that fact...stuff is going to happen. How you deal with the changes in your life is critical to your health and happiness. Learn how to be happy regardless of what occurs. I'm not saying that you have to find happiness in events like funerals or serious medical issues or that you have to be happy all the time. Simply find ways to grab a hold of silver linings. You only get lemonade when you squeeze the lemons.

2) Blogs are interesting animals. If you listen to and believe some of the pundits, personal blogging is over. Of course, I remember about 20 or so years ago, with the advent of the internet, many of the same pundits said that it as the end of libraries, books, and newspapers. While those items are much different than they were 20 years ago, they are still around and most likely will continue to be in existence. The problem I had with the help is that I did not set the expectations and did not get the commitment. I am not upset by this because the help had life get in the way as well. I had an expectation of what should happen, but I didn't share it, discuss it, or confer with the help in any way. To that person, I'm sorry.

3) It is not a good idea to start a blog if you don't know what you are going to talk about. I got caught up in the "technology" and "coolness" of doing a blog. I didn't plan out what I was going to talk/blog about, I didn't capture any ideas for the blog, and I got fluster/frustrated on what to do, so I took the obvious option, I did nothing. Kinda a lousy way to run a blog.

Here's what is going to happen. I'm going to retool the blog a bit. A) I'm seeking help from other blogger on how to do this better; B) I'm trying to make sure that I have some method of capturing ideas (paper and pen work best so far); C) I'm making goal for what I want to achieve with this blog.

Hang in there with me. Comments always welcome!

Stand or Fall

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:31:00 +0000

If you grew up in the '80s, you probably remember the band 'The Fixx'. I'm not a huge fan but I did enjoy several of their songs. Probably my favorite is the song "Stand or Fall". My interpretation of the song, a war is occurring, morale is low,nothing is being done (by management) to improve the situation, and we are being encouraged to make our stand to declare our need for peace.

So what does this have to do with support? Simple, are your support teams at "war"?

I've witnessed some very interesting finger-pointing in the last few weeks. What is crazy is I get the distinct feeling that the front line staff feels that if they don't "protect their turf" they will lose their "advantage". Some staff gave me the impression they always have to prove they are "right". The kicker was today when we had a meeting scheduled for 1 hour to review an issue. That turned into a 4 hour fact finding mission which brought out that our customer's issue was still not fixed after we told the customer 2 days earlier that we had a "resolution in place".

What concerns me the most is the impression of service we gave. Yes, we did service recovery. Yes, we know that we can do better. We say this way too often. Just like we say "We're sorry for the (fill in the blank)" way too often.

Why didn't we do it right the first time? How did we miss all the warnings signs? Why didn't someone(anyone?) call NO GO before we made the change? Are we afraid to make a "mistake"? If so, why? We cannot learn if we don't make mistakes. The key is that WE HAVE TO LEARN!!!!!

Service is a Stand or Fall issue. It's hard to train people to be service oriented (especially when they already think they have achieved the highest level of service they can). It always amazes me that true service thinking people always are looking for and working to achieve a new level of personal service. Service oriented people always provide exceptional service and rise to meet every service challenge. All I know is that my service isn't always what is needs to be and that I have the choice to improve. It doesn't matter how, it doesn't matter when, just commit to being the best service person you can be.

Service. Stand or Fall.

Bring me to life

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 03:36:00 +0000

I got a really good laugh a few days ago when I read a post regarding some "enterprising" individuals who hacked an interstate message board. The hackers determined how to break into the road signs, used the default passwords, and changed the messages to some attention getting messages like the one to the left.

Aside from the obvious security issues this hack raises(come on DOT - the default password?!), it also raised concerns about motorist safety and how messages like this could easily distract a driver from safely navigating their vehicle. Trust me, looking for zombies on the highway is not worth it if you are going to end up in the local Level 1 trauma center.

We all have hacked road signs and zombies in our work life (admit it, you're already naming the zombies in your head). Both distract us from being the best leaders and team mates that we can be and can stop us from meeting our mission goals. As leaders, we have the responsibility to make sure our road signs are sending the right messages. Spend a little time thinking and developing your communications plan. Find ways to standardize your communications so your team knows what the road signs should say and to minimize the distractions.

We also have to find ways to wake up our zombies, including those who have titles which are higher in the org chart. Not an easy task. Not for the weak or faint of heart. Yes, you will be out of your comfort zone.

Leadership is no place for distractions, hacked road signs, or zombies. As you drive down your leadership road, keep focused on your mission and vision, make sure your road signs have the right messages, and bring your zombies to life!

Knowledge is power. Are you sharing so that others can add value?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 01:52:00 +0000

As a security analyst I find that the mantra of only providing access to information on a need to know basis has a negative effect on my ability to add value to business processes. I have encountered project managers, directors and others with the best of intentions pursuing tasks without communicating their mission thoroughly.

Our teams tend to operate independently. Act first and communicate later is not a mature approach. Communications between management, project teams or support teams is sometimes restricted to a need to know basis. It seems like the only way we get a chance to add value is if a direct request for services is made.

Next comes the game of 20 questions until I get the information I need to gain the insight and details behind the request. The 'ahh' moments from those requesting services never ceases to amaze me. Once the sharing of information starts, I can add value in the form of perspective, actions, expertise or simply directing them to the correct resources.

Would you find the opportunity to add value rewarding? How do your teams communicate activities? Are you using social networking, wiki's or an internal blog?