The Tides Group Blog

Leadership in Database Management

2009-01-23T12:05:00.006-05:00

It has been my experience that many organizations struggle to ensure that the industry knowledge, research, data, and gained experience resident in their staff are fully accessible and documented. No matter the format – database, document, spreadsheet, presentation, email, or sticky note – this issue is pervasive in many of our organizations.

While the number of records in a database is a variable, the foundation for good data quality is the same no matter the size. Data is collected for one main reason – action. What those actions are will determine database design but again, the core of how to successfully collect, review, and act upon the data is relatively standard across purposes.

Most definitely, there are a wide assortment of tools that can be applied to maximize the opportunity to:

1) INPUT – Accurately collect and process required information from a range of sources
2) ANALYZE - Systematically and objectively compare this data
3) REPORT/USE - Use in such a way that activities can be quickly and effectively implemented, and can be revisited and re-evaluated as the business environment changes

However, one cannot remove the human aspect - the people who input, analyze, review, use, support, and decide upon the data. Thus, the processes, procedures, and training cannot be forgotten in any database design, database management, and data assurance projects and programs. Tools are extremely helpful but for quality and continued success, your people need as much focus as what tools are selected. Thus, process, procedure, training, and compliance reporting is vital to any database management and data assurance program.

Simple and practical data management methods and tools can be applied to any organization in any department to have quality control over the above events. I have provided you some ideas on how I typically assist clients with data management and assurance strategies.

**Data Back-Up**

Before any analysis, review, decision, or action activities begin, the Back-Up and Restore policies, procedures, and activities are reviewed for thoroughness, accuracy, compliance, and success. A successful back-up is completed, a restore is successful, and the entire process is reviewed for quality.

**Systems Analysis**

Review your system for collecting, organizing, reviewing/reporting/use, and decision making. If a data management system does not do or is not used for all four purposes, “Houston, there is a problem”. Report all findings, create a simple architectural diagram of the current data management system, and provide suggestions for improvement or changes.

**Data Integrity Review and Analysis**

Ensure that the data is collected correctly and there are processes in place to ensure that data is being captured in a logical sequence of events. Review the “input process” to ensure that there is compliance with mandatory field input and there are duplication preventions and checks. Review the "outputs" to ensure the information is being captured correctly.

**Data Clean-Up**

If data clean-up is required, have an expert fully manage this project. An experienced data integrity person knows what they are looking for, how to pull information, and how to clean data efficiently and securely. This is tedious work that requires a lot of attention and dedication. The person needs to be detailed oriented, meticulous and extremely careful. You want to ensure that there is a successful back-up and the ability to restore because in many cases, if you clean the wrong thing, the data is lost without a back-up. This is not for the faint of heart but it vital to the success of the overall data project.

**System Utilization Process Development**

Once the review, analysis and data integrity work is completed, the organization should ensure that the data stays clean and data entry is done correctly in a timely, quality, and effective manner. You must develop a workable and easy to follow process flow and documentation for these purposes. Train your employees. Ensure that outside data sources comply to your data assurance processes and procedures. Whatever quality checking process you decide - tool or manual - you must make sure that data is in compliance before entering it into the database. Train your employees. Train your... oh, I guess I said that enough!

**Data Analysis and Reporting**

The accurate output from a database is critical. Data is not valuable unless it is accurately stored, reviewed, and used for appropriate activities and decision making purposes. For your database to be useful, you must fully trust the validity of the data. Reporting and providing the right information and outputs and successfully cutting the data into usable chunks of information is vital for any system Return on Investment. Ensure that you have data integrity reports created for continual review and response. Make sure you have someone have the role and responsibility for reviewing for and managing the resolution of data integrity issues.

Personal Branding within your Organization

2008-10-21T11:27:00.007-04:00

I was recently asked two really great questions about "personal branding within the organization" and I thought I would share them and my responses. Please respond to this post with your thoughts and answers to these questions. Looking forward to hearing from you!

1. What are the top three strategies/tactics you've used to make yourself stand out from everyone else in the organization?

a. Skill and Capability – I mold and craft my skills daily by ferociously reading, actively problem solving, talking with my network, and writing articles. I keep up to date by joining professional associations, reading trade newsletters, blogs, and magazines, trying new things, experiencing new philosophies, and working with people who have different points of view in order to keep my skills/capabilities fresh and relevant.

b. Job Training - Whenever I accept a new job, I study, research, and talk with my network in order to quickly become an expert in the roles and responsibilities I have. I actually read the employee handbook and company intranet (if they have one) and will take that project on sometime in my tenure if they don’t. I become knowledgeable about each department, their roles/responsibilities, and if they are an input/output of my team. I learn the philosophy of the organization and work to meld my talents and personality to support it. Basically, I get to know where I work, how I need to work, and why am here to work.

c. Know thy Self - My career philosophy has been to Take the Road Less Taken derived from my favorite poem - Robert Frost's The Road Less Taken**. My career has been formed by taking on the difficult task and successfully completing it. There is always something that a company has been dreading doing because no one internally wants to take it on for one reason or another - typically because it is a very political issue and most likely a career ender at that company. People who know me know I will take it on, understand the situation quickly, form the team, do the work, solve the problem, and move on to the next big challenge.

The point is that people need to know where their sweet spot is in order to best serve their company.

If you are a change agent, be that.
If you are a 9 to 5 worker, do that.
If you are a turn-around manager, live that.

If you aren't doing what you are meant to do via talent, skill, experience, andpassion, you are not being the best you can be for your company or self.

2) What have you seen someone do in an organization that caught your attention... and which elevated the doer in your esteem?

a. Help - A person going out of their way to help you accomplish your task. It is the greatest thing when you are in the midst of a tough issue and someone comes in and says, “how can I help?” WOW.

b. Morale Builder - A person who works hard on building up morale - keeping people charged up with their spirits high especially when times are tough.

c. Loyalty – a person or a team who will work with you side-by-side to solve the problem, not get mired in the past, and looks forward with you.

**The Road Less Taken – Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I

—I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

"Failure" is a Real Word and Exists

2008-09-27T11:06:00.014-04:00

It is time that people understand that there is a thing called “Failure”. When a company fails, the CEO, senior leadership, and the Boards need to be held responsible by shareholders and the market for their failed leadership. The penalty needs to be quick and severe.

We have taught each other that “failure” doesn’t exist anymore. From kindergarten to the Board Room, we coddle and give group hugs to people who have been “success challenged”. This is ridiculous and has marginalized the talent pool. It is a fact that there is a consequence to failure and we need to bring this lesson back. We are experiencing the outcome of this “no such thing as a failure” philosophy today and will be for the next several years.

But there is some work to do especially in the business sector. Executive employment contracts need to stop looking like the NFL quarterback contracts (5-10 year terms, massive buy-outs if they become free agents before end of term no matter the reason for leaving) and start looking like a normal employment contract (if you do your job, you stay – if you don’t, you are fired). If the CEO fails at his job by causing one of the largest company in the world to seek bankruptcy or government bailout, shareholders should be allowed to show him the door NOW without worrying about doling out additional compensation, contract buy-outs, and assorted bonuses - null and void.

We need to fix this failed philosophy – starting with the consumer. We, as a whole, are at fault for not being aware, learned, and conscious of what is going on in the financial markets. We are all affected financially by no-talents, failed leadership, unethical products, and awful employment contracts. This current financial debacle is everyone’s failure – from top to bottom – and we need to remember this so we don’t allow it to happen again. Let's get comfortable with "failure" because we are going to see a lot more of it unless we change the way we do things.

Our Leadership during Economic Crisis

2008-09-27T10:37:00.016-04:00

With regards to our current economic crisis, I do not believe this is a government issue – this is a market intelligence issue.

We, the market, weren’t the watchdogs as we need to be. Our consumer leadership has been absent for years and I hope we learn something from this debacle. We need to look deeply into our own actions and make serious changes in how we participate in the marketplace. We cannot remove ourselves from our responsibilities and expect other people or entities to take care of our best interests.

Shareholders need to take their responsibilities as voters for Board Members more seriously. The board room is where the true decision-making of the Fortune 1000 happens and we know very little about their credentials as a whole. I believe we have allowed ourselves to advocate our responsibilities because mutual funds and 401Ks remove us from the responsibility of knowing the details of our investment portfolio. Does this sound wise?

Remember, we are a capitalist society. These companies which are failing and going under are public – and it is a risk to invest in anything. Shareholders are the ultimate decision-makers whether a public company succeeds or fails. Thus WE need to own up to our responsibilities in the process.

What is not needed is government intervention – it requires market intervention and accepting that we all have to take our lumps on this.

Leadership - Legacy, Courage, Honor, Inspiration, and Truth

2008-09-18T07:59:00.006-04:00

In 2003, while working for Thomson Prometric in Baltimore, MD, I was afforded an opportunity to go to a lecture given by Coretta Scott King. I thought I would share with you my journal notes from that lecture. I have also included the intro I wrote to the King Center when I forwarded the journal entry to them.

Many important life lessons were taught in that lecture. As I wrote in my notes, “Our Mission is stated clearly - We are here to honor Women of Inspiration and Courage. Powerful words are repeated: Legacy, Courage, Honor, Inspiration, and Truth. ” I think you will find out that I was deeply moved and inspired by what was said in two hours and I have carried those two hours with me ever since.

After completing the journal entry from the King lecture, I sent them to all of my peers and friends. While they weren’t there to experience the thrill first hand, they were really grateful to share what they could with me.

THE CHALLENGE: I encourage everyone to make an effort to attend a special lecture this year. Go with the purpose to write a letter to that person after the lecture telling them what you learned, felt, sensed, and how you will apply the learned lessons to your life. When you do, I also encourage you to share your notes with everyone. We can all learn from each other.

____________________________________________________
March 2003

Dear King Center Personnel –

My name is Kate Pynn and I work for Prometric, Inc. in Baltimore, Maryland. The women in our company were afforded an excellent experience via our CEO, Michael Brannick to attend the SmartTalk Women’s Lecture Series at the Joseph Myerhoff Symphony Hall. SmartTalk Women's Lecture Series is a five-part lecture series designed to inspire, challenge and enlighten anyone with a strong desire to learn from the personal experiences of accomplished and distinguished women.

Five groups of four accomplished women in Prometric were selected to attend and journal our thoughts at the five lectures given by Lily Tomlin, Coretta Scott King, Ann Richards, Marlee Matlin, and Janet Reno. I was selected to attend Coretta Scott King’s lecture and I believe it was providence that she was the person I was to hear that evening.

I, as is Mrs. King, am a graduate of Antioch University in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Through my coursework and surroundings, I have been well versed in the history of Mrs. King. She is a leader in the style I appreciate and I have tried to match her commitment and passion in many ways throughout my career. However, it was obvious to me during her lecture that I had much more to learn about this wonderful woman and her place in history.

My journal notes are documented below and, as you might be able to tell, I was completely inspired to write my hearts feelings and passions. I also felt compelled to send this to you and your staff so you would know how much the public appreciates your leader, your work, and your individual efforts. While I don’t agree with all of the policies, I truly believe in the central message of the King family’s work.

Thank you so much for your contributions, your love, and your passion. As I am sure you marvel at every day, it is a pleasure to have such an incredible example for inspiration in your midst.

*****************************************************************************************************

Four women from Prometric enter Orchestra Right. The walk to the front of the hall allows us to take in the beauty of the Myerhoff. How grand.

Rounded Corners. Soft lighting. Chatter, laughter, sounds of friends welcoming friends. Old friends meeting again and introductions to new friends are all around our seats. Sharing travels, parking lot woes, and city snow experiences. There are agreements and disagreements but respectful discussions.

Soft velvet purple light shining on a pale wood stage. Grand piano- well worn, well loved. Majestic choir enters Stage Left - shiny gold and royal purple robed members float in and make their way to Stage Center. Crowd stills to quiet anticipation of gospel sounds. Not aware yet of what we will see, what we will hear, what we will experience on this stage tonight. Choir awaits their cue from their Choir Master.

An announcer quiets the audience. Soft clapping. Polite, not enthusiastic.

A speaker enters Stage Right. A welcome. Our Mission is stated clearly - We are here to honor Women of Inspiration and Courage. Powerful words are repeated: Legacy, Courage, Honor, Inspiration, and Truth. Meaningful descriptions are provided: Passion for work, strong religious beliefs, and love for music.

Music - Not what you immediately think about when you hear the name King. However, Coretta Scott King studied to be a professional singer and musician. It is one of her passions. We will hear words from her about finding and maintaining your own passion in moments to come.

Honored to be part of Mrs. King's lecture and fulfilling one of her joys, the Choir Master stands and glides to Stage Center. Raising his hands, he directs the pianist to start the introduction to The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Audience starts to nod their heads in recognition. Classic. Powerful. Moving. Passionate.

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored,
He has loosed the fateful lightening of His terrible swift sword
His truth is marching on.

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.

Fifty or so Choir People in absolute perfect Harmony. Completely Synced. Total TEAM WORK. Chills run down spines as two soloists perform tight harmonies. The Choir Master directs them to slow down so their beautiful song lasts. One thousand sets of eyes ask them to "Make the song last - I am feeling inspired - Make that feeling last". Ah - PERFECTION.

As the Hymn ends, the audience claps with intense appreciation. Some rise to their feet. The Choir Master is happy - pleased with the performance. He acknowledges the Choir and the Pianist, for it would be nothing without them. And they acknowledge the Choir Master, for it would be nothing without him. Ultimate Team Performance.

A whisper arises - we want more. And we are given our wish. It is a deeply religious song. It was written when life was sometimes unbearable and always hard but somehow people found joy - in themselves, their family, their history, and their faith. God will be there with you through it all and will stand with you at your day of reckoning. Last word of the prayer-like song is repeated three times - deep symbolism. Joy.... JOy... JOY!

Choir exits Stage Left with enthusiastic clapping and calls of encouragement. And then Mrs. King enters Stage Right.

The Audience, as one, rises. We stand for her accomplishments, her legacy, and the immensity of the History she represents. She changed the world. She was part of meaning and depth of feeling. She was part of creating a Philosophy. She was King.

She is unassuming. Neither a powerful nor a dynamic speaker. She is Everyman- standing up for her beliefs. A true steward of humanity. She thanks everyone connected with the success of the lecture series. It is a great lesson she teaches in a subtle way - always remember to thank everyone for his or her involvement - no matter how big or small.

She speaks about how societal "Definition" can never encompass all that she has to offer human kind or herself. She is Complex. She is all the definitions and more. And she has Dreams of her own as well as the ones she shares with her husband. She is still on a Journey and she has ups and downs like everyone else. But she also believes in Hard Work. It is a life-long work ethic that is earth-bound and is surrounded by family teachings - forgiveness, sharing, and unconditional LOVE.

Central to growing up in segregation and a racist environment, the question that all children eventually ask is "WHY". And the answer she got from her Mother when she asked that loaded question was not accusatory, not complaining. It was a life-long lesson - You are equal. You are a good person. Make sure you become educated. Make sure you can take care of yourself. Make sure you can stand on your own feet. Do not depend on anyone to make yourself feel good about you.

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.

It takes long hours and many sacrifices to make life better - for yourself, for your children, for your community, for your country, for the world. But the desire for this betterment is common to most families, to most communities. Stories abound of the past highlighting the dreams for the future - Thousands of hours of hard work were spent during the one-year Bus Boycott in Alabama. While it was hard and difficult and frightening at times, it was enjoyable because of the community, the shared sacrifice, and the knowledge that life would be better at the end.

"We must beat HATE with LOVE" - MLK, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. set the tone for the civil rights movement with his speech on his front porch after his house had been bombed. His wife and children were at risk, being threatened with death. But he looked at the future. He looked toward the long journey ahead and knew that a no retaliation and no violence message was the path he had to follow and his calling to lead people down that path with him was strong. While violence was all around them, the Kings took a non-violent stance believing it was a powerful tool for humanity.

Through a single success in Montgomery Alabama, there became a tidal wave of successes. However, even with those successes, there were extreme tragedies and failures. The setbacks were emotional, heartbreaking, and horrifying but through it all, the faith never swayed from the cause and the human and spirit sacrifices were vindicated with the end of segregation and the start of equality in America.

Mrs. King taught another lesson - Always strive to find a balance between your work, your own life and your family. For women especially, there are so many responsibilities and so little time but all of it has to be done so you do it. Depend on your friends and family for support and help. She relied heavily on her community after the assassination of her husband. And the community relies heavily on her in their times of need. You must give of yourself for others to give of themselves.

"Unconditional Love is the most healing force on earth. Love is not just how to make a better world, it is the only way."
- Coretta Scott King

Mrs. King is deeply passionate about many political causes - universal health care, gun control, ending the death penalty, encouraging women to find empowerment through entering public service in policy making positions, and affirmative action. No matter what the personal affiliations, politics, and beliefs are, the audience listened to the message - accept all people from all walks of life. Unconditional Love. Love.

The lecture ends with people rising from the seats again with enlightened hearts and inspired souls. But the series is not over. An interviewer offers Mrs. King a chair on stage to answer a couple questions from the audience. Most questions were focused around her thoughts on the impending war with Iraq. As expected, through the philosophy of non-violence, she is against the war. Again, the message is sent and received even if there is a difference of thought regarding the topic - love is the way. It is the answer. Persistence is everything - never give up on your principles, your beliefs, and your true passion.

There was another question - Is MLK's Birthday too commercialized? Resounding NO. Thousands of hours have been logged on that day - it is a day of service. But there is so much to be done. While some corporations do acknowledge the date with a day of service, the majority is still slow to respond. The MLK Foundation assists companies to solute GREATNESS in employees by their activities and volunteer work in their communities. They encourage improving the quality of life for all.

Last question – Does Mrs. King reflect on the past? Smiles. Obvious scenes of her life pass in a flick of the moment. There are always moments of reflection for Mrs. King. There is so far to go but you still have to feel good about how far you have come. Another fantastic lesson - always look for the points of success to encourage you to continue towards more success. Take a moment of pride in the work that has been done, even if the journey has not yet been completed.

Another lesson soon comes - Always remember from where you came. Look at your lifetime's milestones. Remember history - yours, your community's, your country's, and the world's - because the lessons learned by others can help you save time and effort in reaching your goals.

Then another - Never be bitter. Always give of yourself. Always love your fellow man. Be happy as much as you can because there are always days that will cause you grief and you need to sustain yourself with as many happy days as possible.

Then came the big lesson - Have a healthy sense of you. Have encouraging people around you and don't worry about people who are not encouraging.

Eventually, there were final thoughts because time passes quickly. She said - don't be remembered by awards. Be remembered by being loving, giving back, changing the world through love. Be grateful. Be a motivation to others.

Be a King.

Election Time Leadership - Part 1

2008-09-06T16:15:00.006-04:00

All voters need to be well informed about the candidates and not be swayed by history-making events. While I am personally excited that with either party, this country is making powerful and positive moves forward in cultural history, I feel very strongly that people need to study, read, and listen closely to policies, tactics, and strategies of the candidates. Their differences are enormous and each party’s policies will greatly impact you and this country’s future.

Unfortunately, I hear many people, during this election cycle particularly, making a voting decision on non-policy reasons. I’ve heard it in the past regarding youth, looks, and charisma but nothing like the fever pitch of this election. I don’t mind if candidates use all of their strengths to effectively market themselves (in fact it is foolish if they don’t) but voters ought to have more depth in their choosing process than superficial “look and feel” qualities. It’s okay when you are buying a sweater but not when choosing the President/Vice President of the USA.

Another disturbing item I am hearing is folks deciding on a candidate due to one issue which has a morale or social change focus. Most morale and social issues we take to the government to solve were not intended to be taken there for management and control. Our Government was not designed to resolve issues for the individual but for the masses so it is difficult to compromise and negotiate in a satisfactory manner for either side of the argument. We see this in companies all the time – if you bring your personal issue to your manager, you will get personal attention verses addressing the executive staff or HR who will create a policy for the company which may or may not address your particular situation.

Foundational to both parties, and to Presidents specifically, is economics and foreign affairs and there are clear differences in how each party's Executive Branch will manage these issues. In this election, if we are not truly focused on those two issues (not exclusively but they ought to be priority) we are missing the vital aspect of Presidential elections.

As a whole, we don’t seem to really understand which branch of the government is responsible for what. When Senators are candidates, this misunderstanding becomes even more muddied. Many, if not most, of the “changes” Obama and McCain talked about in their convention speeches were not Presidential responsibilities – most of the issues they talked about will be debated, legislated, and decided in the congress and senate or ruled upon by the Supreme Court. Presidents can apply pressure, submit to the congress, and veto but as we have recently seen in the GHW Bush, B Clinton, and G Bush terms, that pressure doesn’t seem to have the same influence as with the WWII to pre-Vietnam Presidents.

Even when Presidents nominate the Justices, once they are in the Supreme Court, we have seen traditionally defined conservatives become liberals and visa versa. Why? Because they are Constitutionalist in nature and assess their judgments based upon past rulings, precedent, and the constitution which may or may not agree with national party politics.

We seem to be in a time of minimizing the complexity of Government because it doesn’t fit into a sound bite. Our cynicism searches for the “conspiracy” in every and all situations. This is being brought into the corporate world, too. Especially since the 70’s, corrupt leaders have been paraded to court (justifiably so) but the millions of ethical and professional leaders haven’t received the same kind of emphasis. The few taint all. I personally would like this changed.

Take the lessons you learned by being a good business leader to the voting booth - listen, learn, study, assess, and review all policies, tactics, and strategies objectively. Talk with others - on all sides - and listen to the details. Focus on what the candidates have direct responsibility for and learn who their closest advisors are.

All aspects of this election needs to be analyzed by each voter because the outcome is one of the most important in our life time.

Team building is not a onetime activity

2008-08-20T10:08:00.011-04:00

Several times a year, people ask me for a list of the best team activities for them to use at their next meeting. This request typically causes me to sigh. Here is my philosophy about team building.

Team building is not a onetime activity. It is a learning lifecycle which includes strategy, planning, design, development, training, and continuous care and feed.

Unfortunately, there is not a quick fix to building team environments. Having an one hour activity as a stand-alone exercise is not building community or a team culture in your organization. In fact, it may be doing the exact opposite. If people do not see outcomes or practical usage of training, they shut down and overall morale lowers. They become skeptical and disinterested in participating. They also start to sabotage the activity in order for people to stop giving them. Excuses start popping up such as “I’m too busy to play games”, etc.

You need a plan and coordinated activities as well as follow-through from top down. There need to be tie-ins to personal performance, balanced scorecards, and organizational goals and objectives. It is a tightly woven plan which weaves through everything you do and every interaction with your staff, vendors, members, and constituents.

For example, you create a team building plan for the year. Each activity or exercise works together in harmony and has a flow that builds the team, builds trust, gains personal perspective, increases productivity and quality, and creates a powerful organizational culture.

After each activity/exercise, there is a reinforcement time period which happen in small group discussions. This is where the real team building occurs because the team decides upon the practical usage of the lessons learned within their environment. This needs to be built into the design of the activity/exercise.

The measurement starts immediately – taking a baseline measurement of personnel performance, organizational morale, service quality and satisfaction metrics, and other key performance indicators – and then again about 6 months after the plan began. You then measure every year unless there is a major culture changes such as a new executive director or a significant change in direction.

This ought to be well designed in order for it not to be time-consuming to manage. This is not someone’s fulltime job. It is a job shared by all – executives and staff.

Thus, one exercise is, in my opinion, useless unless part of an overall team building plan.

Should I hire a PMP?

2008-07-11T01:00:00.009-04:00

People ask the question - is a PMP necessary for all project situations?

NOTE: I have been a fan of PMI, their training, and everything project management for my whole career. However, there are times and places for everything. In my humble opinion, just because you “can” do something doesn’t mean you “have” to or “ought” to do it.

There are a couple of questions I would like to ask first before I would go through the expensive process of hiring a PMP: What are the pains your organization are experiencing? Are timelines being missed? Are requirements being effectively gathered? Are expectations being set appropriately? What is driving people to suggest a PMP?

Without knowing the answers to those and other question, there are a couple of alternatives off the top of my head you ought to consider.

1. Create a Project Management Culture within the organization. Hire a hands-on PM training company (such as Koala-T Project Management -http://www.koala-t.net/) to train your entire staff the basics of PM and how to meld the processes/procedures/templates into your workflow, processes, and timetables. Every organization ought to do this but yours especially.

Establishing a PM Culture can be very simple to start. Provide your staff simple Steps for Project Success such as the below:

• Trust the people above and below you
• Establish challenging yet workable Project Goals
• Communicate the project needs and common goals
• Focus on the project goals
• Commit to achieving those project goals in the most efficient and productive way possible
• Be willing to change or even abandon set project goals
• Take responsibility for the end results

I believe that if you take any of these steps out, or if anyone does not subscribe to the steps, the organization will not be as productive or effective as it could.

2. Provide customized PM training to your mid-managers and have them support project efforts by using PM oversight tactics. Why not send them to PMI? Because I believe that particular training/process is much too cumbersome for your needs and purposes. It will either go to waste or you will create a bureaucratic nightmare for your staff.

3. Establish a Project Go/No Go process. Train your project input groups (Board, constituents, vendors, staff, etc) how to appropriately request Projects and provide requirements and expectations before the project is approved and put into a timetable.

A Milestone at The Tides Group

2008-04-28T14:39:00.016-04:00

A Milestone! We have 50 members gathered in our little community! I welcome you all and very much hope this group and conversation brings you new spirit in your endeavors.

Please join The Tides Group in LinkedIn by clicking on this link and following the instructions:

http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/90492/58A260155CC6

Several members have asked how the name “The Tides” came about. The simple answer is that I am a true water person. I love the bounty of the seas and I see millions of connections between business and the sea.

My business partner and I believe in a simple mantra: As the Ocean’s many cherished secrets brings bountiful life and cyclical rejuvenation, The Tides explores, excavates and expounds upon essential principles in terms of Business.

My approach and methodology is simple – meet the ever-changing learning needs of our leaders throughout their evolution. Why ride The Tide? It is thrilling and satisfying. It is also constant and predictable in a changing and very unpredictable world.

I hope that this networking group will discuss topics which will deeply renew Corporate Culture. Let’s start the discussion!

Please feel free to add me to your LinkedIn network - http://www.linkedin.com/in/katepynn

What is the future of "Company" and "Success"?

2008-04-21T16:02:00.005-04:00

The meaning of "success" is itself undergoing radical reassessment and redefinition. Those charged with moving their businesses forward are confronting unprecedented challenges in shaping strategic plans for their corporate and competitive future.

Leaders, both in executive development and in business operations, suggest that a healthy inner life-- for oneself as well as one's employees-- is as critical to a company's survival as a profitable marketplace.

Some think that Technology will be the force to change organizations... that since one person can do the work of many and do it better due to applications, web, and databases, businesses only need true human resources to be successful.

Is it possible that in future organizations, effective and progressive change in corporate culture will encourage the tasks of creating, sharing, disseminating and improving corporate knowledge? Could corporate blogs, knowledge management’s systems based in collaborative technologies, and 3rd generation social networks be the ultimate change agents?

Some see where we work - whether it be in offices, web communities, at home, or in a virutal network - will change the face of organizations and the term "success" will be determined by each of those venues.

And some also think we are doomed to re-invent the wheel time and time again... nothing really changes.

Taking this and your own ideas - what is the next phase of business? And what will we do to meet it head-on?

Defining the Requirements for Training Meaningful Leadership

2008-04-17T17:11:00.010-04:00

As much as businesses needed education on e-commerce and the Internet economy in the 1990s, businesses today now need to focus on their core businesses and set strategies that will lead them back to sustained performance. Training vendors and their clients will increasingly demand leadership training to impact the performance of the nearly 14 million workers in the United States in leadership roles.

Research reveals the following key findings:

Companies tend to neglect the development of leadership competencies in all but the smallest percentage of potential leaders.
Training Consultants must demonstrate the impact of leadership training on behavior, and skeptics will even demand the demonstration of improved business performance.
Training Consultants must build analytic tools into the management methods or training they provide to assess impact of the learned knowledge gained in sessions on both leader behavior and organizational performance.

In a world where individuals too often feel uninspired on the job, leadership that fails to invigorate their work environment and not empower their employees is nothing short of incomplete.

Corporate training solutions and programs are needed that give the guidance and tools to management and employees that they need to invest individuals, fellow workers, and the entire organization with the essential sense of purpose, commitment, and fulfillment.

When you seek a leadership training program, seek a team who sees beyond the bottom-line effects.

What are your thoughts?

A Great Tool - Useful to get Team Communications Started

2008-02-26T17:35:00.005-05:00

I would like to highly recommend that you and your teams get the book Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham. The book is all about helping people recognize their strengths. By focusing on your strengths, you will always yield better results than trying to improve your weaknesses.

We did this as a team building event at my company because one of our many goals this year is to create a strengths-focused team that creates greater value and personal satisfaction for all. It was really great to hear each others strengths and talk about how we can work together better. It is a true conversation starter.

I believe when you look at great teams you have been associated with, you will find that a core element is that they focused on leveraging their shared and individual strengths. This doesn’t mean they didn’t work on their collective weaknesses as needed. It basically means they spent the majority of their time finding ways to use and further develop their strengths.

At the heart of Now, Discover Your Strengths is the Internet-based StrengthsFinder® Profile, which identifies the most prevalent human strengths. The program introduces 34 dominant "themes" with numerous possible combinations, and reveals how they can best be translated into personal and career success. Once you know which themes you lead with, you can leverage them for powerful results for personal development, for management success, and for the success of the firm.

I personally found value in the book and am excited to share it with you. I look forward to sharing this together as well as you and your teams sharing this exercise.

So, I would like to ask three things of you:

Buy the book at Amazon (or store of your choice)

Read the jacket of the book and skim the table of contents to see if it appeals to you and if so read on.

Take the assessment and share it with me and your teammates.

In the spirit of sharing, I have attached my Signature Themes – my 5 most dominant themes. The book and the assessment report detail these themes more and provide explanations for each of the 34 themes. This is just a summary.

The Signature Themes report below displays my five most dominant themes of talent.

MY SIGNATURE THEMES:

Relator: People who are strong in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.

Command: People strong in the Command theme have presence. They can take control of a situation and make decisions.

Connectedness: People strong in the Connectedness theme have faith in the links between all things. They believe there are few coincidences and that almost every event has a reason.

Individualization: People strong in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively.

Learner: People strong in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.

Do you need data sharing in a "Discovery" Phase?

2007-10-26T14:49:00.001-04:00

Many consultants suggest that before they can help you, they need to "discover" the underpinning causes by interviewing, collecting, and analyzing. This is typically a great starting point in any consultative relationship - it introduces all the players to each other and the consultant may also see issues that are higher priority or have greater impact than those who live in the situation.

Data from systems, reports, and meeting notes is optimal but not necessary for a Discovery Project. Recommendations can be based upon staff and executive interviews and personal insight. As long as you have an experienced consultant, their best practices and expertise will guide the action plans as is.

In no way is lacking data a show-stopper to most discovery projects. It is in fact an incredible finding and one that targets a consultant on where you are and what is next to do. The path is clear with this finding – the team is in the initial stage of Maturity. Usually upon hearing the team’s history, there are good reasons for being in this stage. Again, a good consultant will recommend that instead of looking to the past, you drive a stake in the ground and move forward with good decisions and action plans to accomplish the goals quickly.

Typically when the staff cannot produce data, it means that people are managing and working from intuition and “gut feel”. This can be tactically effective for a short time as long as no one leaves the organization. As soon as someone leaves, the continuity is lost and there is a long term of ad-hoc in order to catch-up.

There are three main components of an organization’s Operational Capacity – Process, People, and Tools. With documentation and data not collected, part of the Discovery Finding is that there are no resources to compile and/or collect data for decision-making projects/strategies.

Top Ten Lessons Learned - #9: Chillax about your Career

2007-08-15T16:57:00.000-04:00

Chillax - 1. To chill and relax simultaneously.2. To loosen or reduce the level of stress by employing a more relaxed and groovy outlook.

Career - 1. A chosen pursuit; a profession or occupation, 2. The general course or progression of one's working life or one's professional achievements

Nowadays there's too much pressure to make the "perfect" career choice. From your first job cutting your neighbor's lawn to picking your high school courses to choosing the "right" college to stressing over your first job, it seems we are overwhelmed with our decisions around our careers thoughtout our lives.

Here's a thought: even if you are 65 years old, you're still young in terms of career choices. With the wealth of experience and training you gained over your past 40-45 years, don't you think that is valuable in various areas? And what about your hobbies? Now you might have some concentrated time to become a celebrated Elvis string artist and sell your wares.

While you ought to show interest in your career before you are 65, give yourself plenty of time to chart your own course. After all, current studies show that adults will change careers (not jobs) 5 to 7 times in a lifetime. We all have multiple gifts and talents that need to be honored and expressed and most of the time we cannot express them all at once.

The choices you make today will grow and evolve over time, so don't worry. Think of your career as a long-term portfolio of jobs that will express the fullness of who you are. There are no perfect choices.

Top Ten Lessons Learned - #10: Stay Connected

2007-08-06T08:14:00.000-04:00

Today's world is a rush of activity. Does anything stay the same? While I use my connection to technology, email and instant messaging to the fullest to keep on top of changes and tasks during the day, these will never replace my personal connections with those I work with and care for.

Technology is a blessing and a curse. Too often I've seen technology draw a wedge between teams and expanded teams. Sometimes I fall into an email rut and make the excuse that I don't have time to call or visit. A week or so later, I realize that I feel extremely disconnected from my team. Did Mark buy that car he was talking about two weeks ago? Did Tina solve the pricing model issue she had last week? Make sure you are using technology to connect you to job efficiency but not at the expense of your connections with people around you.

Advice: Every now and then pick up the phone and call a colleague or your mentor. Visit a vendor or a client rather than send an email or an instant message. Stand up from your desk and walk around the office. Make eye contact. Talk with people you see. I have seen people emailing their teammates who sat right next to them (truth be told, I've actually done this. Shame, shame...). While I am a firm believer in email trails, unless you are emailing news to several people who are both near and far or you need a time/date stamp on the information you are sending and receiving, stand up and talk with your teammates if they are sitting close to you. It will also make your email adminstrator happy by not cluttering data storage with non-essential emails.

If you are working from home or a field office, you need to make more of an effort to create a personal connection with your clients, co-workers and/or management. Emailing will not tie you to your colleagues if you don't follow-up with a phone call or a walk-in visit.

Does anyone write personal notes anymore using pen and paper? I had to fill out an application the other day and found that holding a pen felt odd. My once beautiful penmenship was hard to invoke. I made a vow to write a note once a week to a friend or a colleague to maintain my handwriting skills and to connect a little more personally with the people I care about.

Always remember that it's the people closest to us who will watch our backs and help us during tough times. That matters more than the time savings of IMing on the fly to keep in touch.

Thinking outside the Box - but what does the inside look like?

2007-08-05T11:09:00.000-04:00

My business partner read my last blog entry and when he got to the last paragraph, he called me. He surprised me with something I had not thought about - "Before you think "outside the box", do you have to know what your "box" looks like?"

What a fantastic question! And knowing what our "boxes" are is something we all ought to understand before we spend too much time trying to think outside of it.

I like to think of "inside the box" as another term for "comfort zone". We all have our standard way of doing things - something tried and true, comfortable, fits our personality, and usually doesn't require too much brain-power. When unmotivated, stressed, or exhausted we quickly move into that zone because we don't have to use precious energy. It is easy because that zone is who we are - part of our being.

Sometimes our zone isn't what a project or a company needs in order to move forward or create momentum. We are asked to "pump it up", get creative, and step outside of our typical ideas or ways of doing things. It isn't easy. This process usually creates stress and exhaustion which makes us want to quickly revert back to our "box".

The good news is that if you are aware of who you are, what makes you tick, and what causes you anxiety, there are techniques that help relieve stress and encourages you to spend more time thinking outside of your comfort zone. We'll talk about these in the months to come.

The more you step out of your "box", the better and more comfortable you get and that new feeling eventually becomes you new "box"! Then the whole process starts over again. What? You didn't think you would ever be finished growing and developing, did you? Come on!

Resume hints for "Consultative Employees"

2007-08-03T09:13:00.001-04:00

My resume has always been a problem with recruiters and hiring managers. I have purposefully created a career that will situate me as an expert in all areas of a company - from strategy to product management to development engineering to marketing to sales to project management to operations to customer service. My intention has been and is to learn all aspects of a company in order to be an effective and efficient corporate leader. I truly believe that hands-on experience hones your skills to manage teams in a variety of situations and with assorted personalities.

This type of career development has lead me to be a "generalist" or what I call a "consultative employee".

It is very hard for a company to know how to hire a consultative employee (CE) and facilitate that career path. First, when a company wants a specific role filled, they typically want a professional who has picked that role as their career and dedicated themselves to pursuing that expertise. Second, once hired, as the CE proves success for the area they hired, the company doesn't want to move the CE to another department to share and expand talents and knowledge. Companies like stability - rightfully so. They want you to continue managing a department you have been successful in so they don't have to worry about it and can concentrate on other problem areas.

There are the rare companies who have understood that advantage of taking a successful CE change agent and moving them around to other areas to continue to solve the company problems like they have proven with the first department. These are typically start-ups and small boutique firms.

Unfortunately, the CE career strategy does create a neat resume problem. :) There cannot be a singular job purpose because of the consultative nature of the career path. As we know, consultants do anything and everything in the needs spectrum. Statistics show that employers will only spend about 15 seconds initially reviewing your resume. If the information they want to see doesn’t fly off the page in that short amount of time or meet the criteria of their optical scanning software, you’re out of the race. It is very difficult to show a widely diverse background effectively in 15 seconds.

I vastly prefer one verses multiple resumes. As a consultative employee, my resume needs to clearly define my career the way I planned it. My story is one that conveys my expertise in multiple areas, my flexibility to any and all needs a company has, and my willingness to jump into any role and perform it with gusto.

Most CEs enjoy fixing problems - setting up new departments and successfully maturing them, creating new processes for competitive advantage, managing an existing troubled team and turning it around to the most effective and efficient team in the organization, and/or defining and managing a multi-faceted project. How this is different from other kinds of employees is that consultative employees do that all at the same time. What CEs need to convey is how a company can hire them for one thing and also get the advantage of a total package leader who can assist in various areas of a company.

Resumes have a typical format - professional summary, professional background, education, certifications/awards, and training. For CEs, how this is written will be different than how others write theirs. For instance, the summary may be more like an executive summary - a little longer than normal to describe work philosophies and advantages of hiring a consultative employee. The professional background may make the resume longer than the traditional one-two page resume.

Stepping out the of box is what we do every day so don't be afraid of doing that when writing your resume.

The Karpman Triangle - how to NOT play the office games

2007-07-16T18:16:00.000-04:00

People often ask me what was the best business advice ever given to me. I never even have to think about it. The best advice was given to me almost 5 years ago. It changed my outlook on office politics forever and has made my career much more enjoyable and less stressful.

When I was having extreme difficulties with a vice president at a company, one of my trusted mentors mentioned that there was an argument triangle (victim, rescuer, and persecutor) called the Karpman Drama Triangle. In this theory, when you play office politics, you play at least one of the roles at all times - maybe all three in one discussion. Really talented players will pick their role and force others to play the other two roles through defensive or passive aggressive means.

I was getting pulled into drama situations constantly with this one boss so much that I wanted to pull my hair out. I would be brought into the VPs office and be told I was a hero or a villain or a poor soul that needed protection several times a day. None of this was accurate and I felt like I was defending my life everyday. Essentially, I felt like a yo-yo.

After a couple of months of this, my mentor asked me what was wrong. I was nervous, worried, stressed, and concerned about every element of a project that was going great. I broke the silence and told her my issues with my boss. My mentor sat back and nodded her head - this was a perfect example of Karpman.

Then she said something awe-inspiring and powerful: the only way to win is to not play the game. Not play the game? Was that an option?

I never thought to not play the games in the office until that day. I believe that was one of the most brilliant and usable pieces of advice I have heard – and I use the advice a lot when working around difficult office politics.

Here are some details and additional sites to research.

Start with this link: www.coachingsupervisionacademy.com/our_approach/karpman_drama_triangle.phtml

Another view of it is: www.ta-tutor.com/!dratri/xdrallp.html

A Glass of Wine: POW! The Tides Springs Forth!

2007-07-11T14:40:00.000-04:00

My business partner and I have been friends for almost 20 years – since meeting each other through mutual friends at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland. After college, while going in different directions and to different states, mentally we always came back to the roots of our friendship. Keeping in touch over the years, we finally were located in the same space and time six years ago for a College Friends Retreat in Luray, Virginia. Conversation ensued, personal dreams and professional goals were expressed, fishing at a local pond brought peace, and relaxing over a glass of wine became the basis of our future business discussions.

You are probably asking, “How does wine become a basis for business discussion?”

We decided, at the retreat, that we are dedicated to making every aspect of life vital and full. Out motto is: Live, Do, Be. Friends, who are in the grind, wandering through life with little to excite them, and wishing for more inspiration, surround us. Harley and I looked around us at the retreat and decided to do something about it. We started to talk about how to create a business that would excite our friends, our families, the business world, and us.

With a bottle of our new favorite wine in hand (Torrontes from Crios de Susana Balbo) we designed the outline of our business – The Tides. The Tides explores, excavates and expounds upon the essential principles of Business Leadership and Corporate Change through an analogous look at the depths and bountiful life of the Ocean, which it provides through cyclical events and its many cherished secrets. We conduct research, produce publications, and provide a variety of educational programs and products to leaders and organizations in the public, corporate, educational, and nonprofit sectors. Through our programs, we will reach out to leaders and organizations worldwide. The Tides will serve as a clearinghouse for ideas on leadership, management, employee development, and global corporate service and will regularly convene conferences to share this information with all who are interested.

We ultimately provide guidance, structure, and tools to deeply energize and renew the Corporate Culture to increase Corporate Energy.

All of that from a bottle of wine? Well, yes and no. It also had to do with great music, delicious cooking, true friendship, and obviously, our ultimate desire to mingle all of our past business experiences into helping leaders look deeper into their decisions and corporate changes. But wine was an essential ingredient.

Wine helped bring us together and our thoughts alive. As we have built our consultancy, it has been an important aspect of The Tides to have a kindred community, share great food and wine, and fully share our thoughts and experiences.

Action for today: buy a nice bottle of wine, call a dear friend, and sit for hours with each other talking and laughing over a glass of cheer. You will be amazed with what you will come up with that will turn your life around.

A Round Table Org Chart?

2007-07-10T08:50:00.000-04:00

The best organizational chart I have ever read about is, crazy as it seems, the Round Table in King Arthur’s Court. The circle represents unity, equality, continuity, evolution, strength, and eternal life. Most companies strive to find these qualities yet fall short.

As long as employees, management and non-management have an avenue to give feedback, discuss their issues, and remove themselves from the command-and-control methods of the past, I think most problems could be resolved in an orderly manner and within a reasonable time frame. A round table forum would initiate communication through organizational layers, therefore, making layers redundant.

King Arthur (granted a fictional character developed from the persona's and achievements of many real people) created a peaceful nation by seriously listening to people when they voiced their concerns. He trusted his knights to keep England safe. He helped lead them to victory time and time again by setting workable strategies, communicating the orders, listening to the advise of the scouts, changing the strategy if necessary, and finally charging towards the thick of the battle.

Most importantly, he walked in the shoes of his knights daily because he never forgot he was one of them. He was a leader. He was a manager. King Arthur's realm was a well-structured organization.

Okay, the love triangle didn’t help much, but corporate romance is another post!

Steps to Organizational Success - Goal Setting

2007-07-10T08:32:00.000-04:00

After much thought (and a little help from various articles and books), I have finally released my Steps to Organizational Success. Every person in an organization should:

Be able to trust the people above and below them,

Establish challenging yet workable goals,

Communicate the business needs and common goals,

Focus on the goals,

Commit to achieving those goals in the most efficient and productive way possible,

Be willing to change or even abandon set goals, and

Take responsibility for the end results.

I believe that if you take any of these steps out, or if anyone does not subscribe to the steps, the organization will not be as productive or effective as it could.

Success

2007-07-09T09:58:00.000-04:00

To laugh often and much,
to win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children,
To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends,
To appreciate beauty,
To find the best in others,
To leave the world a bit better
whether by a healthy child, a garden patch
or a redeemed social condition,
To know even one life has breathed easier
because you have lived;
This is to have succeeded.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

How To Deal with a Project Behind Schedule

2007-07-08T20:20:00.000-04:00

Because of some over-optimistic scheduling and inadequate tracking, a project that you have just taken over as manager is running some eight weeks behind schedule. Here are some ideas on how to overcome this situation:

Step 1 - collect all of the facts (the history/background, the approvals, the original assumptions, the known risks, the uncovered risks, the people who have been involved with the project, the management who approved the original schedule, etc)

Step 2 - get the internal (non-customer) project owners together in a meeting to explain the situation.

Step 3 - have the project owners decide on a remediation plan and new schedule

Step 4 - get buy-in from all of the project participants; assign a very dependable Project Manager with AUTHORITY to get the project back on track

Step 5 - have the project owners prepare a customer presentation to go over the history, the schedule, the delay, and the remediation plan

Step 6 - have a small, but executive team, present to the customer and take ownership of the failure and of the remediation plan. Executive visibility and ownership will go a long way with the customer. The higher the better.

Step 7 - make sure that an executive takes ownership of communicating to the customer at regular intervals - once a week or once a month (depending on the timeline) or at important milestones.

Do not expect that the project to be completed in the time frame that was originally quoted. It all depends on how "optimistic" the schedule was. You just have to bite the bullet and be honest with the customer. If you lose the customer, it is an important lesson to learn - don't be optimistic, be realistic.

In the future, PLANNING is the most important phase of project management. If the project isn't planned, it will fail.

Time Management Techniques for Business School Students

2007-07-08T19:44:00.000-04:00

I am asked by many business school students about time management. Here is some common advice I give.

I highly recommend learning a proven Time Management methodology such as FranklinCovey. Nothing beats a good day timer - for now and the future.

Prioritization is key. What is required for today? Tomorrow? What can wait until the weekend? Remember, you have many hours during Sat and Sun to do more focused reading and follow-up research. What absolutely needs to be done each day? Is there a test coming up?

Pre-planning is important, too. If you know that a paper is due in three weeks about a specific topic, start collecting information weeks in advance so compiling the paper isn't a rush job that takes your total concentration away from your other classes.

And don't put socialization down on the priority list. One of the major lessons you will carry away with you from college is how you lived with and what you learned from your dorm mates and classmates. Make the most of the dining hall, the quad gathering area, dinner lectures, and other social events. DO NOT waste away in a library or your dorm room. Studying is important but your future depends on communication and human interaction. Study and apply your social skills as you would study and apply yourself to a term paper.

You will learn to pick you class schedule better as you go forward. You will also learn what time of day you are best for studying. Don't pick 4 heavy reading classes together. Don't pick all morning classes if you can't study in the afternoons. Just keep aware of what you are doing well and not well. Journal your best studying habits as compared to best test scores.

Oh, and most important... if your course of study is more of a burden than a learning experience, you might want to consider a different major or direction. Remember, if you don't like learning something, you will not want to do it as a career.

These are the lessons you learn in freshman year along with dozens others. Don't be afraid to talk with upper classmates. Ask them how they do it. They have tactical experience with your current and upcoming professors. Use their knowledge as much as possible.

All of these tactics will also be great experience for your first job in an office. Learning your college campus, dealing with professors and classmates, and completing a term paper aren’t much different than working towards a project deadline in an office.

Kina'Ole - "flawlessness"

2007-07-02T14:58:00.000-04:00

In ancient Hawaii, if you were skilled, trained or a professional in any line of work or service, the specific tasks or activities that you engaged in were expected to be performed without defect or flaw. If you were in the skilled trades, or an artist, public official, priest, or merchant -- anything less than flawlessness was not acceptable.

This concept was known as KINA'OLE, or "flawlessness." The traditional definition of kina'ole is:

"Doing the right thing
in the right way,
at the right time,
in the right place,

to the right person,
for the right reason,
with the right feeling,
the first time."

I brought this philosophy back with me from Hawaii. I went there for a conference about 3 years ago and found a little postcard with Kina’Ole on it - nothing else. Flawless. I have read some other accounts of how Kina'Ole is being used by consultants and small businesses. The best is below and something I will work on achieving:

My team and I have been talking about how to incorporate this into our business. We believe it is a powerful philosophy to adopt into life, and into our workplace. It's based on constantly rising standards ... and as you do your best, you make improvements and positive changes to work towards flawless performance. We can challenge ourselves to value and be guided by kina'ole because it will always stimulate our desire to be the very best we are capable of, not only for ourselves but for everyone we work and play with. This attitude ensures superior customer service for those we serve -- our customers and partners and everyone we touch in our community.

Thoughts?

Trying to learn how to breathe

2007-07-02T09:52:00.000-04:00

I belong to a Retreat group which consists of a small group of people who are interested in a time for self-care, nurturing creativity, reflecting in solitude and community, and listening for movements of the spirit. We withdraw for a few days and nights to a different environment—one that is expressly set aside as a place for healing, solitude, reflection, and clarity.

I highly recommend starting or joining a retreat group - whether for personal or business purposes. It flings in you into in-depth self journey that goes beyond the retreat weekend.

Right after our last Retreat, I took some serious time to think about and understand what I am all about – get some perspective and quiet thought time. I quickly realized that I was not really in tune with my dreams, wishes, and desires - I was embedded in opinions, stances, and preconceptions.

I have been in a wicked rut – one of non-discovery, unused skills and very little celebration about myself. It is hard to celebrate in general when you don't fully recognize the joy in yourself. I started to realize and feel that my relationships were hollow because while I was trying desperately to appreciate others, I was not really appreciating me.

Our Retreat conversations, as always, were enlightening and really made me think about who I want to be in life – not only with others but with myself. And the more I thought, ironically, the deeper the rut got. I think it was a defense mechanism to become more rigid. Finally, it was clear that I needed to truly start over. Clear out the clutter and start new. Drastic – maybe. Cathartic, definitely.

Since the retreat, I have been working towards my dreams, not my opinions. I think I am slowly getting there - focusing on thoughtful work and starting to relax about just "doing" things. The focus is much more on purposeful work, not lots of work. This is a huge difference in my life. I have also eased up on myself about finances and possessions.

I’ve let it go – another huge step – and everything seems to be working out fine without stressing out about it.

Still so much more to do, think, and feel. A never-ending journey!

Gateways to a Beautiful Life

2007-07-02T09:18:00.000-04:00

I receive a lot of "advice" emails from people in and out of my network. I like clean, short, and bulleted lists which I can expand for my own purposes. This is one of my most favorite "how to be successful" lists.

How to take action on these blurbs: Personally apply them to your business philosophy and then mold them to your daily tactical activities.

1. The main work of every human being is inner work.
2. See your life as a fantastic growth school.
3. Be true to yourself - the best life is an authentic life.
4. Remember that we collect what we project.
5. We see the world not as it is but as we are.
6. Live in your heart - its wisdom never lies.
7. Stand in curiosity of your life.
8. Care for yourself.
9. Build human connections.
10. Leave a legacy. *

My favorite is "Leave a Legacy". However, you really can't do that unless you do the other 9 things. :)

* From: The Saint, The Surfer and The CEO by Robin Sharma (The Bestselling author of The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari), Hay House Inc.,2003...... Wonderful books by a wonderful author. If you need help on how to apply these concepts to your life, the book expands on each.

Poetry and Business

2007-07-02T08:23:00.000-04:00

"I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
— Robert Frost

One of my favorite poems is “The Road Less Traveled" by Robert Frost.

At the beginning of the poem, the writer laments that he can't take both paths – sad that he isn't on vacation but instead on a serious mission. He also knows that once he makes a decision, the probability of returning to take that other way is slim at best. Basically, he has to put a stake in the sand and make an irreversible decision without knowing all the facts. I think we can all appreciate how tough that is. It ought to be the primary metaphor for starting a new business.

The end of the poem says that the choice of road the writer took made all the difference. What I appreciate about this statement is that it doesn't claim positive or negative. Most people assume, when reading this poem, that it was a positive difference but I always wonder - maybe it wasn't. A choice makes a "difference".... while we hope for a good difference, it has the chance of being a bad one, too. This is the struggle we all have when we are at cross-roads. You can’t go back in time and place – thus you have to go forward and appreciate the freedom of being able to have choices, meanwhile taking your lumps and bruises along the way.

This poem signifies to me the internal struggle and complexity of making decisions and knowing that there are consequences to all choices. People say that "life shouldn't be hard". I, however, disagree since I take life seriously and weigh choices in a serious manner. I take business doubly seriously since it affects more people than me. In business, I am not a sole journeyer and that responsibility I take personally and deeply to heart.

In terms of a client/consultant relationship, I believe that the road both ought to travel together should be exciting and make a “difference”. We have all seen that relationship at work and the important thing is to completely acknowledge it. Most of our clients have taken a road less traveled. We both understand the difficulties of that adventure. That is why we gravitate to each other – it is recognition of a kindred spirit.

New Project - If I Won The Lottery...

2007-07-01T19:23:00.000-04:00

As a grand opening for my new blog, I have decided upon a book project which requires assistance from a vast and diverse group. What better use of a blog community? And you will get acknowledged in a book if you participate!

For years, I have been toying with writing a book - something in the way of a non-fiction business parable. Sounds exciting, right? Well, I think it is about time to start.

My idea is to build upon the limitless ideas that pop into mind when people ask the question, "what would you do if you won the lottery?" Beyond paying off debt, helping family members, and buying a house and a car, I am always interested in the expanded uses the lottery money would bring to start new businesses, uplift communities, and possibly change the world.

Whenever I dream of what I would do with $50-100 million, I typically ask myself why I couldn't do some part of my idea without the lottery money. Maybe it is a business idea. Maybe it is a non-profit foundation concept.

These ideas, the viability of them, and the potential long term costs of the ideas would be what the book project would explore.

Sound interesting?