Joel's Mutterings

Ok so it is not as big as the buzz that Peter W. Knox got when he was quoted by Jakob Ludwig as saying:

This is my website. If you don’t want to hire me for this transparency, maybe I don’t want to work for you. If you don’t want to date me for this exposure, maybe I don’t want to date you. And if you can’t handle this, there are millions of other sites you should probably be reading. Because anonymous just isn’t for me - I want you to know me and accept me and to support me. If not, find something else to read.

But according to BlogRush, a tool I use to syndicate this blog (see that widget to the right promoting several other blogs), I got some buzz off their tool:

Not big numbers to say the least but a start none the less.

If you have not checked out BlogRush, I must say it is a nice tool for getting some cross promotion. After all we can ‘t all pull off a mention on a prominent bloggers blog and pick up 27 Tumblr followers and over 1,585 page-views in 36 hours (on a holiday weekend none the less!).

The tool has some interesting reports and statistical views to keep you uptodate:

Footnote:I have no interest in BlogRush or for that matter any other tool or site I mention here other then ExecTec which I run but is not a profit generating business. I will however gain another referral network if you use the links in this posting to sign up for BlogRush.

Leadership has always been a topic near and dear to my heart. A skill I fear that is often mis-understood and rarely appreciated when brought to bear. Also to be clear to manage is not necessarily to lead. Leading is hopefully a skill every manager should have but I fear that is not the case. Likewise some leaders are short on management skills.

So are you a leader or a follower? No judgment here and no trick question, some people naturally tend to leading while others tend towards following. Sometime the best way to lead is really to set the example and follow another leader.

Leadership no matter how glamorous or well rewarded it may seem is not without its risks. To lead one must choose a direction or even just set the pace and this leaves one open to challenge and criticism. Are you willing to lead but resist taking up the role because you are afraid of putting yourself out there in a position that will leave you open to criticism and worse yet justified criticism?

Many a person has been thrust by circumstance into the leadership role however wearing the stripes does not prepare or equip one for the obligations and duties of a leader. Interestingly most new leaders often are to quick to take control. To lead is not to control and hence is not to manage specifically.

A leader must inspire, set the example, challenge the process, enable those who will follow and most importantly encourage others to maximize there abilities. Are these things you do?

Today we find ourselves in a world where opportunities abound. Yet to lead is one of those elusive skills that can be misunderstood and if applied incorrectly ineffective.

So I am curious would you prefer to lead or follow?

 With luck she will help me: 

• Kick off my morning knowing what’s on for the day.
• Keep my day moving forward with reminders right when you need them.
• Stay organized with everyone in my life — effortlessly.

Now since Sandy is a bit more Virtual then the average virtual assistant, I might need to train Jott to  help me send Sandy items when I am away from the keyboard. 

Well the holidays are upon us and I am sure in the hustle and bustle the last thing anyone really wants is a blog challenge, but none the less here it is”

You have till the end of 2007 to complete the challenge. So you have one week for each person with one week off just to be nice.

Contact an out of touch contact (someone you have not been in contact with for over a year) from your network/life each week. This does not mean poke them on face book or even send them a note that says lets do lunch in the new year.  Sending a holiday e-card certainly will not count. 

Get them on the phone or better yet get them out for coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner or drinks.

Then blog about them, what they are doing in life. Don’t forget to link to their blog and or Linkedin profile.

Are you up to the Challenge?

Watch for my posts here and send me note to my gmail account (user name is jordesky) so I can read your post as well.

I spent the morning at Right Management with Nancy Adamson talking about web presence.

You can never do enough with your web presence

Ok I am always saying that you never know the potential of any action or chance encounter. Just imagine that the person in the car next to you at that long light might be just the right person to help you take that next big step.

 Case in point this from Ricky the editor of CollegeHumor.com blog:

John Bruns, Nice Dude
My college roommate John is starting a business, which is being funded by a prominent Baltimore bank executive. The interesting part about the story is how the two met — John saw a stranded motorist on the side of the road, stopped to help him, and the guy turned out to be both wealthy and appreciative.

I’ve seen John going out of his way to help strangers since I’ve known him, so I wasn’t too surprised to hear something like this. Neat!

I guess it pays to be the Nice Dude!  

Do you have an online presence? Does a google search of you give someone a good first impression?

Is a lack of an online persona a problem in this day and age?

In networking, it is dig your well before you’re thirsty but in presence being intentional about what is out there on the net is critical.

Many executives seem to take presence for granted or ignore it all together. In a world where we are often concerned with being judged on the basis of clothing, cars and gadgets this much broader and hard to control form of virtual appearance often goes un-groomed.

So what can the savvy technology executive do to create and control ones presence?

How can we make sure that those things we wish to be noticed for like favorable press releases and articles get higher billing on search engines and that things like that awkward photo of you with that silly grin holding a beer at what looks like a fraternity party never see the light of day.

With tools like Ziggs, Zoominfo, ClaimID, Ziki and other id management tools out there is there any excuse for not managing ones online identity as closely as one manages ones career?

The University of California, Berkeley is the preeminent public research and teaching institution in the nation. From classic literature to emerging technologies, the curricula of our 130 academic departments span the wide world of thought and knowledge. Supported by the people of California, the university has embraced public service as an essential part of its mission since 1868.

You can now sit in on one of several Berkeley classes and make up for any deficiencies in your higher education or make up for those course you slept through.

Personally I think Physics for Future Presidents in a course I would be interested in if for nothing else to see what the presidential spin professor Richard A. Muller has in mind.

Of course as a graduate of the University of Southern California I would be crossing a distinct line to associate my self with ‘Cal’.