Joel's Mutterings

Loved my HP 41c in its day, I stopped carrying it when it became...

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:08:35 -0700

Loved my HP 41c in its day, I stopped carrying it when it became impossible to replace. So when this hit the iPhone application store I was sold.

Lean Forward Networking

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:38:00 -0700

Years ago, a new contact of mine wrote the following in an email, “One of my favorite activities is extending a helping hand to new friends and colleagues. Please let me know where I can help you in your business or networking efforts.”

We were not well connected in fact we barely knew each other however the offer above is one of my favorite examples of lean forward networking.

Today the social media crowd calls it participating. Participating is obviously not lurking and never saying anything but it is also not broadcasting. If you speak more then you listen then you are not interacting and hence are not networking.

Try sending an email with the line, “How can I be of aid to you?”

Powerful words and if you think not, try typing an active invitation like that at the bottom of a few emails. You naturally will hesitate and think of the obligation those words place upon you. We all tend to focus on our needs and often forget to listen or better yet seek out how we might be of aid to others.

Networking is a lean forward activity and the fruits of the endeavor will not come to those who stand on the sidelines or stick to doing just what they are paid or commissioned to do. It is not enough to be known. 10,000 followers on Linkedin or the social networking tool of your choice does not make you a good networker. To be good you must actively get involved and seek ways to aid those in your network and not merely wait to be asked.

Why bother you may ask, after all you are moderately to very successful in what you do. Perhaps you are honestly to busy trying to get by day to day to add one more thing to your plate. So why should you put yourself out there unless the return on investment is assured? Simply put no matter what you think you will get out of truly networking with others you will get more then you expect out of the bargain.

As they say you have to spend money to make money and in the same vein there is lean forward networking. Opportunities do not come to those who are unwilling to engage. You must be willing to open dialog with everyone and offer your aid as much is possible.

In truth, you can be of aid to anyone in any matter even if that is only to help them take one small step further on the path to their goal.

Burgers and being Blue not Green!

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 17:02:00 -0700

I must say I have not been a fan of the “Green” initiatives. Most were more about hype then actual performance and “Green” is more often associated with profit mongering things like carbon credits and other efforts that put as high a burden on the environment as the original effort.

Blue is what Green should have been and it is more about being blue sky and clean oceans. It is about living in concert with our environment and not about efforts that pay lip service to the environment while having as big an impact just more profitable for some and in a way that seemed green.

That being said be on the watch cause Blue is the start of something new and I hope better then Green.

Today I had lunch at O! Burger in West Hollywood. My wife has long disallowed my eating red meat out of the house for fear of what was in the meat (mad cow disease was the start of this rule).

As someone who used to have lunch every Sunday at the Apple Pan on Pico and was so well known there that the guys behind the counter put my order in even before I manage to get a seat at their busy counter, I truly missed my burgers.

So I was thrilled when my wife Suzanne found O! Burger and have been waiting for a weekend when we could try it out.

I must say I was thrilled with the quality of the food and the owner even came out to chat with my wife and kids. The classic O!burger was just that, classic in the way things used to be. Everything was organic and grown the way it was before modern times came along and messed up my ability to enjoy my burgers in peace with out my wife’s fear that the things in that burger were going to kill me.

At O!burger as the menu says If it’s edible, it’s organic. Their intent is to be as eco-friendly as possible. They use packaging that is made from renewable resources that are recyclable, compostable and/or biodegradable. Even their cleaning products are green and non-toxic.

I look forward to getting over there more often and doing my part to be a bit more Blue while enjoying my burger habit in peace!

Being a Peer not a Peon

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:54:26 -0700

Tracy Mazur in her blog the Reluctant Genius, recently covered the difference between being a peer and being a peon.

Times are tough and rougher waters are sure to come before things get better. So there is no better time for a self check to see if you are a peer and hence part of the team or a peon and someone who is not contributing or seen for their contribution.

How are you perceived at work?

Are you a valuable member of the team and hence the solution? If your company decided to lay of 20% of their work force which side of the Pareto principal would you end up on.

Perhaps you have slipped into what Tracy coins as a “self-peonization” condition where you allow yourself to be seen as less valuable then others.

We all have something to contribute and we all have stumbled across that person, boss or otherwise, who seeks to step on our efforts in order to make themselves seem better. These oppressors exist to get ahead without respect for the team or even truly the good of the company. They are often the lead sales people or the highly placed executive who seem all that much better by not being among peers but rather by being the best at the expense of others.

As Tracy points out, “There is camaraderie with peers; with peons, there is only power.” One great anything is not as good as many strong members of a team.

But lets be clear life is not fair and hence those who fail to not avoid being minimalized are destined to be the first cast off when the going gets rough.

So what should one do to be sure that they are seen for their true worth and are contributing as a valuable member of the team?

Measure your worth: one of the easiest cures for job dissatisfaction is measure your results. How many of us can quantify our performance right now in some measurable way and can say if we are doing better this month then last month? If you do not know your own worth then it is easy to believe others are worth more (even if they are not) and it is impossible to demonstrate your worth to those who count.

Be solution oriented nor problem oriented: We all do it, we focus on the problem and not the cure. It is easier to say that the network is down so we can not deliver the product then to say the network is down so we will have to do this the old fashioned way if we are going to make the deadline.

Take personal responsibility: We all make mistakes and those who don’t are full of it. Take responsibility for your actions and your performance. Others will respect you for it and respect as Tracy points out is the key to not being a peon.

Own what you do: Much as taking responsibility for your mistakes, owning it means you treat it like it was your own. If you own the tasks that are yours to complete then you will not have to take responsibility for failure because you will not fail. People who own their tasks go the extra mile, anticipate problems and avoid them ahead of time and generally do a lot better then those who are phoning in their efforts.

Be the real you: Faking it might be working for some but it is a dangerous game that must come to a bad end sooner or later. Be the best at who you are and be appreciated for that. You are a brand onto yourself and if that brand is not real then what you produce will be weak at best. If your company is made up of people who are faking it then worse then rough water is ahead and I hope your swimming skills are good.

So what could you be doing to be a peer and not a peon feel free to comment below or share your feelings via twitter

or better yet join me next week at my ExecTec Networking dinner as we take some time to explore how to not only contribute our best effort, but to be sure others around us see us the way we wish to be seen.

Beverly Hills High School Connectivity

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 14:00:00 -0700

So I spent some time this AM on Facebook and stumbled across a few classmates from my days at Beverly High. So I decided to check and see if anyone else from my graduating class was also on the system.

It was interesting to note there were only 83 people who are on Facebook and note themselves as being part of my graduating class.

So this got me thinking about how connected the various class years are.

So as of today and not taking into account those on the system who did not put the school on their profile here are the results.

Clearly we see a trend as the years go on that more and more of graduating class is on Facebook till 2007 and 2008 which maxed out at 500+ (Facebook does not show how many beyond the 500). Current there are about 646 students enrolled at BHHS which gives us a fair idea of the percentage of the whole for any given year.

Also of interest was how many of the more notable graduates of the high school have real Facebook profiles and how many of them are actually using those profiles to stay in touch with old friends.

Why not take a moment and update your profile and see who is around from your past. It is always worth staying connected.

FriendFeed crawls Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube so you don't have to. - By Paul Boutin - Slate Magazine

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:53:57 -0700

FriendFeed crawls Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube so you don't have to. - By Paul Boutin - Slate Magazine: Wondering what Friendfeed is and where it fits in your social networking efforts. Here is a good article.

"In the past, we interacted with the Internet, which is to say a bunch of static information. Now..."

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:06:29 -0700

“In the past, we interacted with the Internet, which is to say a bunch of static information. Now the aim is interact with each other through the Internet. Not to use it as a way to avoid each other but as a way to engage and deepen ones connection.”

- Myself quoted on Jeff Molander’s website Thought Shapers. Go check out his sight lots of good thoughts and inspiration without all the noise.

To Do or Not To Do?

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:46:43 -0700

Everyone struggles with managing one’s time and tasks with the ultimate goal to be more productive and efficient.

Few of people can claim to be in compete control of their time and tasks and these days between all Blackberries, iPhones and Social Networking tools (like Twitter, Friendfeed and Facebook) it is even harder to claim clear focus and control.

So how do you control your time and stay on task?

Do you pay homage to the school of GTD or are you a victim of continuous partial attention (CPA)?

You could create a stop-doing list, along with a to-do list or you could pretend your going on vacation next week.

Of course if all else fails you can always subscribe to Mr. Ferriss Four Hour Work Week.

So is there a way to tame the savage time beast. Can you manage your professional life in a style that will not make you wish your vacation really was next week?

Is technology the solution or the problem and are we in control of the tools or are then controlling us?

Networking 201

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:38:05 -0700

You know the why (cause your going to get thirsty), the how (never eat alone), the where (face to face and in cyber space) and even the when (every chance you get). These are the basics of networking.

If developing a network is Networking 101 then Networking 201 is what to do with the network you have.

So here is a syllabus for Networking 201:

Always deliver more value then you get.
Top networkers are not in it just for what they can get out of it for themselves.

Keep current with the people in your network.
One must stay in contact more often then when they have occasions to need to access their network.

Follow-up, Follow-up, Follow-up
Don’t connect and not follow through. A good initial connection should lead to some follow-up.

Don’t take your connections for granted.
Treating your connections like a means to an end or as just one of many will break down rather then build up your value in their eyes.

Granting access to your network adds to your networking value, it does not devalue it.
Do not make the mistake of keeping score. This not about trading favors but rather about everyone doing the most they can for everyone.

Offer up aid even when it is not looked for or requested.
Members of your network should not need to ask for your aid. If you perceive a need you should offer any aid at you can.

Sometimes the answer is no and that is OK too.
Just because you feel someone could or should be of aid it is ok if they decline with good reason.

Don't Miss Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:49:03 -0700

Ok so I stumbled upon this just by luck when I discovered Felicia Day’s twitter stream and her mention of the third and last installment of Dr. Horribles Sing-Along Blog which she was in.

This project, which seems to have been a “while on strike passion project,” is well worth seeing however you have just about 24 hours to see it all before the creators take it down.

So while the big rush this weekend might be to see Dark Knight (especially I hear at your local IMAX theatre), I think this is well worth 45 minutes of your time.

What is Social Media?

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 22:25:57 -0700

Wikipedia defines Social Media as “an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and “building” of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories, and understandings.”

Social in this context should not as Bronwyn O’Shea (a member of my ExecTec networking group) has pointed out before be confused with the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary definition: “marked by or passed in pleasant companionship with one’s friends or associates”. As clearly there is no or very little companionship (at least of the type that can be discussed in polite “HR approved” conversation) occurring online.

More specifically, I think they are trying to say that this media is “tending to form cooperative and interdependent relationships with others of one’s kind.”

So what the heck does that really mean?

More importantly should we even bother to care or is this destined to be as relevant as my pet rock and mood ring?

It seems things are involving at a rapid pace and media, in this context, now includes many more sources of information then the traditional print, radio, film and television.

Online more and more forms of “cultivation, conveyance, or expression” are coming into being.

More importantly these new types of expression are truly hyper forms of expression which interact with other forms of conveyance and seem to almost cultivate on their own.

Change is happening and while I do not think the dust is anywhere near settled, I think that now is the time to put a toe in the water so that we as executives do not end up as technological sticks in the mud being laughed at as the next generation of technological elites march past us.

Face it by 2010 there will be more Millennials and GEN-Y-ers then Baby Boomers. With 96% of this up and coming generation already participating in “social media” and today wielding $350 billion per year worth of spending power, the fact that they spend an average 16 hours per week online is a sign post we should not ignore.

So where can we start?

I need not say that if you are not on Linkedin.com stop wasting time reading this and go sign up. I will wait till your done and come back.

Good now that is done, I will not be discussing Linkedin.

In order to be involved in social media it must be something you participate in. This is about the conversation and is not a passive experience. Social media is about interaction it takes theinternet, which has been till recently as much about one way broadcasting as network television was and is, to a new level.

In the past, we interacted with the internet, which is to say a bunch of static information. Now the aim is interact with each other through the internet. Not to use it as a way to avoid each other but as a way to engage and deepen ones connection.

There are the obvious sites like Facebook, Myspace and many others. But I think to get a true understanding of what is out there one needs to look to Friendfeed, Twitter and Plurk. Here on the cutting edge one can glimpse where things are going. One need not get sucked in and tank there GTD track record but to ignore the trend is to flirt with obsolescence.

If you wish to interact with me (besides the obvious first choice of coming to one of my ExecTec dinners) you can do so on Twitter or Friendfeed or BrightKite

Fascinating Technology

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:23:59 -0700

Robert Scoble blogged about this new service which is in beta this AM and I thought I would share with the few of you who are not among the 28,933 people who follow him on twitter or on friendfeed.

TinyEye is an image search engine.

Which is to say you upload a photo to it or point to an image URL and it will show you all the matches in its database (still small but growing).

They do this by creating a unique finger print for each image and then comparing those finger prints. If I heard correctly they plan to be able to do the same for video clips as well in the future.

Below are two sample searches off their website:

By the way you can follow me on twitter here or friendfeed here.

Mark Ordesky

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:59:00 -0700

Not that it should surprise anyone, as Ordesky is a rather unique last name given to the family courtesy of a clerk at Ellis Island with a unique view of spelling, Mark Ordesky of Lord of Rings fame is my older brother.

I am pleased to be aiding my brother in a right of passage as he launches his online presence. After nearly 20 years with New Line Cinema and countless movies and projects this week he launches a new phase in his life as an Independent Producer.

We have been busy setting Mark up online with a Linkedin Profile, Blog, Face Book Profile along side the more mundane exchange server and traditional (well less then traditional but the high tech part of it is transparent) phone services.

Mark has always told me in life there are friends and friendlies with the true difference that friends will be there for you when the big job is over.

I am helping Mark realize that staying connected with your true friends is more then a state of being and hence he needs a true online presence.

I look forward to seeing what he will create I have always been a fan of Mark’s creative endeavors even back in the day when he wrote his work on my TRS-80 Model 1 in my bedroom while I slept (waking me periodically for technical support).

Welcome to Marko 2.0!

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:41:11 -0700

courtfive:

After 20 years at New Line Cinema, the company has been downsized and folded into sibling studio Warner Bros. Court Five is the paddle tennis court on which I played happily as a child on Santa Monica Beach. Now I return to it as an independent producer to play again!

Me and my family at the beach!

Right People, Right Jobs

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:27:05 -0700

How do you know the job is right for you?

Are your potential job candidates the right people for the job?

Times are tough and lots of people are on the move which makes the issue of hiring the right people and being hired to the right job more critical then ever. However more then not we become gripped with desperate job seeker and desperate hiring manager syndrome.

How often have you hired the best candidate that you interviewed but really wished for a better candidate? Many have brought friends and family into jobs for the comfort factor but failed to seriously consider if those people were the right person for the job or company.

Management guru and best-selling author Jim Collins is quoted in this weeks Business Week as saying, “getting the right people is crucial to success?more important, even, than your strategy.”

Hiring is often about finding someone that fits the costume and not who will be the best clown. We create job descriptions (often ones that are left over from and custom made for the previous occupant of the job) and then we set about finding a person who will fit that need.

There are many factors to consider about a candidate and a job. Is there a cultural fit? I don’t care how desperate your are for the killer sales dude with the ability to close a deal with a smile and a handshake. If he is a cultural train wreck for your company then a train wreck is all you will have. You can not buy success and ones ability to craft the right team is critical.

In The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, Patrick Lencioni outlines his Four Disciplines of a Healthy Organization. All of the disciplines involve hiring the right people who fit the company and understand their role.

Least we think this is all about hiring right, landing the right company and the right job is as much the workers issue as is hiring for the companies. Desperate job seeker is the rule more then the exception. This affliction is not limited to the unemployed and out-placed either as it is just as easy to be tempted to move companies only to land where the grass is not only not greener but where you clearly are out of your element and worse off for the change.

Can you honestly say you know yourself well enough to judge if you would be a good fit in a specific company or cultural environment. When the last time you asked a perspective employer about more then pay, benefits and job responsibilities, let alone asking what is the management style of the hiring manager and CEO.

Hiring is never easy and finding a good job is beyond tough in the current environment.

If you could give your high school self advice upon graduation, what would it be?

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 21:34:29 -0700

juliaallison:

I’ve been asked to speak at a Manhattan high school’s commencement next week. Given that I remember little except that my own high school’s commencement speaker (a board member) was mind-numbingly boring and woefully off topic (classmates remind me that she spoke about death.

So … I’m asking you - if you could give your high school self advice upon graduation, what would it be?

Many a person says commencements are about beginnings however today you start the next step on a journey to a start. Will you be free to make your own choices, absolutely. Will there be great times ahead, to be sure. But with freedom comes the burdens of responsibility. No more can you slack off and know that someone else will cover you.

So this advice I pass to you as the best of wisdom from someone who has passed this way before.

A) Live life like everyday is precious. The next so many years may be the most care free and fun of your life. Savor the day and walk through these days with your head held high and engaged in life.

B) Form friendships and know that some of these people will form the foundation of your life for years to come. Likewise enemies made from here on out may last a lifetime and they will reappear in the future when you least appreciate it.

C) Do not waste these years or the opportunities that they will present. Your future is out there for you to discover, enjoy life but do not party so hard that you miss the sign post pointing the way towards your bright future.

D) Make the best choices you can since from here on out your choices count and will make a difference in the future.

If nothing else, when all else fails think in terms of what you will say to your future self when you get there.

The Value of a Network

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:55 -0700

Someone to call when in doubt is great in a pinch, the ability to reach out and make something happen is salary enhancing to say the least, but knowing the right person at the right time is as our friends at American Express would say, priceless.

So what is the value of your network?

There are those who would say a network is only worth what it produces and others who are not sure if networking is worth the time involved. Some will pay lip service to the ideals of networking but still never find the time to network until they are dieing of thirst by the side of the unemployment highway.

Recently, Linkedin a well know if not always understood bastion of professional networking was valued as part of a round of funding at 1 billion dollars. With 23 million members one might argue that sets the value of each member at $43.48.

All mathematical fun aside, clearly one can not and should not put a price on ones network because each and every contact is of limitless value and the only real question is how to tap that value.

One of the questions I am asked most often is what one should do with Linkedin and other networking tools. It seems getting started is not hard but what to do once you have establish your network is anything but intuitive.

Here are some tips of what to do once you have established or re-established your network:

Spend some time every (day, week, month) keeping up with what is going on in the lives of the people in your network. In some cases this is done passively by reading their blogs, twitter posts, Facebook statuses or profiles on their social networking tool (Friendfeed is good for this) of choice. This allows you to stay current and interested in these people. I may not talk to my good friend William more then 5 or so times a year but I know what he is up to and when we do connect those connection are more meaningful cause I am not as out of touch with his life as I would otherwise.

Make the effort to stay in touch. If you keeping up with the lives of those in your network then finding excuses to stay in touch is not a big deal. Many day to day events are an excuse to reach out. Post a comment on their blog drop them a note to say you were thinking of them or share an article or link that you know to be meaningful or useful to them.

Connect your friends. Go out of your way to introduce those in your network to each other. I am always meeting people and introducing them to others who I think would appreciate, be able to aid or benefit from the other person. People like to meet people in similar or even allied fields of interest and you never know when fate will produce something great out of a not so chance meeting.

Review your network. Make sure you spend a little time browsing who is in your network. These are not baseball cards to be stored and not looked at for fear of devaluing them. No matter if you use a Rolodex ofbusiness cards or have more contacts in Linkedin then Ron Bates you need to review who you know so that you do not forget who you have met.

Be more willing to give then receive. Simply put if everyone asks and not one gives then it is a worthless network. However if everyone is willing to give what they can then the value of the network is limitless. What to you is a simple favor is priceless to someone and likewise that big need of your may be simply achieved by someone you know or is connected to someone you know. If you are know for what you do for others many more will be willing to help you achieve your goals. So spend sometime reaching out and helping others achieve their goals.

Do not stumble around in the dark. If you are using Linkedin or several other of the social networking tools you have the ability to know who you are dealing with. So take the time to look up those people you meet and if it so happens that you meet the cousin of a valuable member of your network make sure you point out the connection.

Get out and connect. It is not enough to connect over the internet. Having met a person once or twice they are much more likely to remember you and be willing to do something when the time comes. So get out and mingle with your network once in awhile (more then once a year). If you are staying currently with the people in your network you will never lack for opportunities to do this.

Feel free to keep up with me at: Twitter, FriendFeed, FaceBook, BrightKite (want an invite send me a note).

Romans Used 20-Sided Dice Two Millennia Before D&D (via...

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:43:00 -0700

Romans Used 20-Sided Dice Two Millennia Before D&D (via Romans Used 20-Sided Dice Two Millennia Before D&D | Geekdad from Wired.com)

Who would have thought the 20 sided die had such a long history.

Getting Started

Sat, 24 May 2008 12:08:17 -0700

I would not say I know much about start-ups although I suppose I know much about getting started. My experiences is mainly in the nuts and bolts of starting up the operations of a business. Creation of bank accounts, telephone systems, HR issues, payroll, office space and the such. Most of my practical experience come from the creation of multiple production offices and companies.

There is of course a whole world of start-up experiences beyond these daily nuts and bolts issues.

Start-up’s have been much on my mind of late as I have been pondering what will now be next weeks ExecTec networking topic (if you are not already familiar with my networking efforts in LA I welcome you to learn more here).

Here is a part of the topic for this Tuesday’s dinner:

What does it take to start up a new idea? We all have ideas but few actually act on these ideas. There are many obstacles on the way to getting started and more then a few have fallen victim to the bigger issues of funding, intellectual property issues, prototyping, business planning and basic execution of an idea.

What are you in it for and are your partners in it for the same thing? Will your business be a life style business that allows you to gain income with little or no effort in the end or are you trying to create a cash flow business that will generate serious revenue? Do you wish to be rich or do you want to be master of your vision and company?

Is your idea compatible with VC funding or would you be better off with more traditional business funding?

What separates inspiration from conversion? Can you be sure your idea is worth the risk? What should be your first step? Is it even safe to talk about the idea?

Do you focus on the product, the funding or the sales?

Getting outside advice is critical the question is where to get quality advise without loosing your shirt or idea?

My dinner on Tuesday will be the first of a series of opportunities to join others in exploring the world of start-ups.

Amanda another ExecTec member will follow along on Thursday at her LA Agile & Scrum User Group discussing “How do you get a new idea off the ground?”

Andrew Warner is hosting his “Getting Your Startup Funded? Mixergy Forum the week after and if you did not catch his excellent interview with Dan Gould that he did in as a lead up to this event it is well worth a listen as well as some of the other materials he has posted on his blog.

Lots of good thoughts and lots of good opportunities to start getting connected!

Conflict is not bad

Fri, 23 May 2008 14:30:14 -0700

Heather Vescent in her blog brought up the issue of conflict and who found some clarity in Gallups Strengths Finder book which showed that one of her 5 key strength was “Command”. A strength that does not fear conflict but sees it for what it is.

I wanted to add my thoughts on Heather’s reconciling her relationship with conflict:

Many people confuse conflict with a lack of cooperation.

The concept of Fierce Conversations as a concept and as outline in the book by Susan Scott makes clear the value of not just agreeing for the sake of it.

Many people like meetings where they are managed to zero conflict. This is great for a cult but it really makes for a weak business. Diverse thought makes for a strong solution and a good manager evaluates all ideas not just those that are close to his/her world view.

I think when dealing with conflict it is always good to have some ground rules like dealing with problems and issues and not people. Just because someone prefers another path does not make them the problem.

Also being solution oriented and not problem oriented is always a better way to deal with conflict.

If people were more willing to approach conflict and engage in fierce conversations then we would get farther faster and with less pain.