Wednesday, May 27, 2009

TimeShifting: Sleep Less, Rock More, Fire Everything and Be Everywhere

What if I showed you how I got 10 more hours a week than you? Or what if I could show you how to get 10 more hours out of your week? And how about if I then told you that these 10 hours were going to be ultra-productive and uninterrupted? What would an extra 10 hours a week, focused on your prime target, be worth? $1,000? Or $100 per week. Just $10 per hour for each hour I'm going to put back into your hands. That sounds fair. Or...

Heck, why don't I just tell you about it.

[Here's the part where I was working on charts, graphs and time lines to "show" my plan. But it really isn't a plan and it's too flexible and simple to require a visual. Maybe later, cause I love visuals.]

The concept I have come to call TimeShifting. And it's as simple as staying up late and waking up early. With the added bonus of a "nap" if it becomes available.

So in comparing my pattern to that of a sleepy person here is how it stacks up.

Traditional family rises at 7:00 for showing, dressing food, school prep and exit. By getting up as soon as the early alarm goes off, say 5:45. I pick up a great "getting ready for the day" hour before anyone else has risen. And that's after I've put the coffee on and a few of the dishes in the dishwasher.

Kids gone at 8:15 then typical work sessions revolve around lunch and the return of kids in the afternoon. Say 8:15 to 3:15 minus an hour for lunch. [It's easy to skip or squeeze lunch, but it's better for the shift if you go ahead and take the hour to relax and eat slowly. And without notes or reading. Simply eat and let your mind wander. Do capture those idea and notes in your GTD system, but no real "working" if you can help it. Sometimes deadlines and meetings will push you off the lunch plan, but it's best if you DO take a break.]

Then kids and family obligations run from 3:15 - 9:15 depending of if you have childcare help or not. If you do have support, the work session can extend on to 5:30 - 6:00. Then it's dinner, homework, play, wrestling, music, bath, school work prep for tomorrow, play, brush teeth, reading and bed. And with a cooperative house like ours, that really does take our combined efforts to run smoothly.

The half hour of quiet time. We have added a 30 minute break in the evening routine, before bed, that gets everyone in their rooms for time alone. This serves to settle the wrestling energies down and allow the kids to spend some time doing whatever they love doing for a bit before bed. It also gives my wife and I some time to check in on our schedules, on tasks we still need to complete for the family or for work. And this is the time where we negotiate the final "hand off" to bed.

And here is where the gold of my program begins. From 9:30 - 1:30 I can literally snag a 4-hour uninterrupted work session. I'm not saying I use the entire time every night. But I have this confidence at getting my work and "creative work" done during this time. And this opening in time gives me a lot more mental flexibility going into the chores and interruptions of the day's natural rhythm. If I know that I can grab back this time I usually don't sweat the small stuff.

And since I like to work in quiet or loud volume music, my noise-canceling headphones become a sanctuary.

That's it.

Grab an extra hour in the early morning to kick off the day, organize and perhaps put the days' blog post up. And if you have the additional assurance/option of that uber-long work session in the evening, many of the "gitterdun" stresses of the work process get much less stressful.

A close friend said to me once in reference to all the business ideas I was trying to interest him in joining me on, "There's no hurry. There is plenty of time."

I am coming to understand how to make this true in my life.

OH, YEAH, SLEEEEEEP. So if you are up until 1:30am. And restart at 5:45am you are getting 4:15 of sleep and that's not really enough for a sustained period of time. So I shoot for 5 - 6 hours of sleep. And sometimes I will use the 3:30 - 5:30 time to nap or refuel, depending on the status of our childcare or the location of the children (my Mom's or friend's houses).

Anyway, I imagine myself getting 1 - 3 more hours a day of focused time. Over the course of a week. Or even more so on the weekend, when I try and keep the same awakening time and I can easily pick up another 4 hours of quiet time. I add these times up in my mind and extend my life by the accumulation of days I am creating. But I know that's fantasy. Now I gotta go get the kids up and start breakfast. It's 7:15 and I'm already 15 minutes behind.

@jmacofearth
permalink to uber.la: http://bit.ly/TimeShifting

A few famous TimeShifters: Buckminster Fuller, Isaac Asimov, Thomas Edison.

Posted via web from jmacofearth's posterous

TimeShifting: Sleep Less, Rock More, Fire Everything and Be Everywhere

What if I showed you how I got 10 more hours a week than you? Or what if I could show you how to get 10 more hours out of your week? And how about if I then told you that these 10 hours were going to be ultra-productive and uninterrupted? What would an extra 10 hours a week, focused on your prime target, be worth? $1,000? Or $100 per week. Just $10 per hour for each hour I'm going to put back into your hands. That sounds fair. Or...

Heck, why don't I just tell you about it.

[Here's the part where I was working on charts, graphs and time lines to "show" my plan. But it really isn't a plan and it's too flexible and simple to require a visual. Maybe later, cause I love visuals.]

The concept I have come to call TimeShifting. And it's as simple as staying up late and waking up early. With the added bonus of a "nap" if it becomes available.

So in comparing my pattern to that of a sleepy person here is how it stacks up.

Traditional family rises at 7:00 for showing, dressing food, school prep and exit. By getting up as soon as the early alarm goes off, say 5:45. I pick up a great "getting ready for the day" hour before anyone else has risen. And that's after I've put the coffee on and a few of the dishes in the dishwasher.

Kids gone at 8:15 then typical work sessions revolve around lunch and the return of kids in the afternoon. Say 8:15 to 3:15 minus an hour for lunch. [It's easy to skip or squeeze lunch, but it's better for the shift if you go ahead and take the hour to relax and eat slowly. And without notes or reading. Simply eat and let your mind wander. Do capture those idea and notes in your GTD system, but no real "working" if you can help it. Sometimes deadlines and meetings will push you off the lunch plan, but it's best if you DO take a break.]

Then kids and family obligations run from 3:15 - 9:15 depending of if you have childcare help or not. If you do have support, the work session can extend on to 5:30 - 6:00. Then it's dinner, homework, play, wrestling, music, bath, school work prep for tomorrow, play, brush teeth, reading and bed. And with a cooperative house like ours, that really does take our combined efforts to run smoothly.

The half hour of quiet time. We have added a 30 minute break in the evening routine, before bed, that gets everyone in their rooms for time alone. This serves to settle the wrestling energies down and allow the kids to spend some time doing whatever they love doing for a bit before bed. It also gives my wife and I some time to check in on our schedules, on tasks we still need to complete for the family or for work. And this is the time where we negotiate the final "hand off" to bed.

And here is where the gold of my program begins. From 9:30 - 1:30 I can literally snag a 4-hour uninterrupted work session. I'm not saying I use the entire time every night. But I have this confidence at getting my work and "creative work" done during this time. And this opening in time gives me a lot more mental flexibility going into the chores and interruptions of the day's natural rhythm. If I know that I can grab back this time I usually don't sweat the small stuff.

And since I like to work in quiet or loud volume music, my noise-canceling headphones become a sanctuary.

That's it.

Grab an extra hour in the early morning to kick off the day, organize and perhaps put the days' blog post up. And if you have the additional assurance/option of that uber-long work session in the evening, many of the "gitterdun" stresses of the work process get much less stressful.

A close friend said to me once in reference to all the business ideas I was trying to interest him in joining me on, "There's no hurry. There is plenty of time."

I am coming to understand how to make this true in my life.

OH, YEAH, SLEEEEEEP. So if you are up until 1:30am. And restart at 5:45am you are getting 4:15 of sleep and that's not really enough for a sustained period of time. So I shoot for 5 - 6 hours of sleep. And sometimes I will use the 3:30 - 5:30 time to nap or refuel, depending on the status of our childcare or the location of the children (my Mom's or friend's houses).

Anyway, I imagine myself getting 1 - 3 more hours a day of focused time. Over the course of a week. Or even more so on the weekend, when I try and keep the same awakening time and I can easily pick up another 4 hours of quiet time. I add these times up in my mind and extend my life by the accumulation of days I am creating. But I know that's fantasy. Now I gotta go get the kids up and start breakfast. It's 7:15 and I'm already 15 minutes behind.

@jmacofearth
permalink to uber.la: http://bit.ly/TimeShifting

A few famous TimeShifters: Buckminster Fuller, Isaac Asimov, Thomas Edison.

Posted via web from jmacofearth's posterous

Sunday, May 24, 2009

The F-Bomb and F-Book: The F-Book Manifesto! [Facebook = F-Book]

f-book manifesto logo One of the most polarizing and incendiary things one can say or write is fu**! The F-Bomb got me my only ethics reprimand. I was in my cube talking on the phone, and I must have emoted a bit too loudly. A couple of days later, a co-cuber sent me an email warning me and asking me to watch my language. She wrote, "some of your coworkers find your use of that word offensive." Of course, the coworker, who I had been talking to on the phone said, "Fu*k That!"

Compare that to F-Book. One of the most confused and misguided things one can say or write about social media is F-Book is the future of Social Media. That's how it's gonna be referred to in the future. Not Facebook but F-Book. Because similar to the F-Bomb it strikes fear in the hearts of many.

Here are some of the fears I am aware of. My own F-Book Manifesto!

  1. F-Book is for business
  2. F-Book is Social Media
  3. F-Book apps
  4. F-Book gaming
  5. F-Book has a clue
  6. F-Book sucks
  7. F-Book keeps making really stupid changes
  8. F-Book is better or worse than Twitter
  9. F-Book is great
  10. F-Book status updates are how I keep current with my "friends"
  11. Does F-Book matter?
  12. F-Book has a financial model in mind
  13. F-Book ADS are pathetic
  14. F-Book ADS are funny
  15. F-Book says "We are happy with our current financial plans."
  16. F-Book is delusional
  17. F-Book has a Senior Platform Designer and his name is Dave Morin
  18. F-Book's Dave Morin is #16 in Fast Company's Most Creative People List
  19. F-Book's Dave Morin, according to FC list, "crisscrosses the globe to conferences and OpenID meetups - as an ambassador for the notion that F-Book can play well with others."
  20. F-Book doesn't need to play well with anyone
  21. F-Book's Dave Morin is not focused on "the redesign of F-Book's home page," again according to the FC listing
  22. F-Book management better get somebody other than Dave Morin, then, to look into how F-Book is getting WORSE not better in User Interface
  23. F-Book unfortunately is probably the most powerful force in the universe after Google
  24. F-Book makes Twitter's hype look puny
  25. F-Book adds 200 servers a week to keep up with the new members and new traffic (I made that number up, but it does add a phenomenal number of servers each week)

I think that's enough for now. And now as my gift to Dave Morin and the F-Book design team, below are several unsolicited critiques of F-Book. No strings guys, but DO SOMETHING better than you are now. Cause you keep F**king it up.

@jmacofearth
permalink on uber.la: http://bit.ly/F-BookManifesto

Related Posts:

Posted via web from jmacofearth's posterous

The F-Bomb and F-Book: The F-Book Manifesto! [Facebook = F-Book]

f-book manifesto logo One of the most polarizing and incendiary things one can say or write is fu**! The F-Bomb got me my only ethics reprimand. I was in my cube talking on the phone, and I must have emoted a bit too loudly. A couple of days later, a co-cuber sent me an email warning me and asking me to watch my language. She wrote, "some of your coworkers find your use of that word offensive." Of course, the coworker, who I had been talking to on the phone said, "Fu*k That!"

Compare that to F-Book. One of the most confused and misguided things one can say or write about social media is F-Book is the future of Social Media. That's how it's gonna be referred to in the future. Not Facebook but F-Book. Because similar to the F-Bomb it strikes fear in the hearts of many.

Here are some of the fears I am aware of. My own F-Book Manifesto!

  1. F-Book is for business
  2. F-Book is Social Media
  3. F-Book apps
  4. F-Book gaming
  5. F-Book has a clue
  6. F-Book sucks
  7. F-Book keeps making really stupid changes
  8. F-Book is better or worse than Twitter
  9. F-Book is great
  10. F-Book status updates are how I keep current with my "friends"
  11. Does F-Book matter?
  12. F-Book has a financial model in mind
  13. F-Book ADS are pathetic
  14. F-Book ADS are funny
  15. F-Book says "We are happy with our current financial plans."
  16. F-Book is delusional
  17. F-Book has a Senior Platform Designer and his name is Dave Morin
  18. F-Book's Dave Morin is #16 in Fast Company's Most Creative People List
  19. F-Book's Dave Morin, according to FC list, "crisscrosses the globe to conferences and OpenID meetups - as an ambassador for the notion that F-Book can play well with others."
  20. F-Book doesn't need to play well with anyone
  21. F-Book's Dave Morin is not focused on "the redesign of F-Book's home page," again according to the FC listing
  22. F-Book management better get somebody other than Dave Morin, then, to look into how F-Book is getting WORSE not better in User Interface
  23. F-Book unfortunately is probably the most powerful force in the universe after Google
  24. F-Book makes Twitter's hype look puny
  25. F-Book adds 200 servers a week to keep up with the new members and new traffic (I made that number up, but it does add a phenomenal number of servers each week)

I think that's enough for now. And now as my gift to Dave Morin and the F-Book design team, below are several unsolicited critiques of F-Book. No strings guys, but DO SOMETHING better than you are now. Cause you keep F**king it up.

@jmacofearth
permalink on uber.la: http://bit.ly/F-BookManifesto

Related Posts:

Posted via web from jmacofearth's posterous

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Facebook "Friends" Fail - Somewhere Someone Is Working On Facebook's UX by John McElhenney

But where that person's efforts are going is probably the ADs. (I'm not saying the ADs are good, I'm just saying they are not working on the UX and UI of Facebook.) Because they keep making changes to things that WERE previously working and they mess it up. [And of course the ultimate irony, is I am going to post and promote this on Facebook itself. Betcha $100 I don't hear a word from any of Zuckerburgs folks. I didn't last time... Heh heh. Perhaps they're working on it and don't want to tip their hand. Perhaps!]

The biggest MISS for me lately has been the "friends" status views. How do you get back to seeing the updates and not the "what they updated?" Okay, so Facebook has added Lists. Great, but they suck. Here is my view of my "close"list. Why oh why aren't they showing me the latest status update from my "close" friends?

facebook groups

A friend recently opined, "It's clear that the people work ON Facebook don't actually USE Facebook or they would not make such stupid changes." Well put.

Okay and here's All Friends. Same problem. I am clicking on "FRIENDS" to see their status, not to see if or how many lists they are part of. This is just BAD BAD BAD. UX FAIL.

facebook friends

But still the #1 UX FAIL on Facebook today is,

... drum roll from wipeout please ...

facebook-friends-recent

The "Recently Updated" Friends Status page and guess what. Not a single STATUS is available.

You can see what parts of FB they updated but not the updates. It's this kind of shoddy UI and UX that makes me less and less likely to open Facebook at all. With recent API loving twittertools like Seesmic Desktop, Twirl and Tweetdeck, you may never have to open your Facebook page again. Unless of course you like the games or you want to browse someone's photos.

Does this kind of BAD DESIGN make anyone else MAD? It's like following a HUMMER in rush hour traffic. WHAT'S THE POINT! #@!&*?

@jmacofearth

permalink to uber.la: http://bit.ly/facebook-UI-2

Related Links:

Posted via web from jmacofearth's posterous

Facebook "Friends" Fail - Somewhere Someone Is Working On Facebook's UX by John McElhenney

But where that person's efforts are going is probably the ADs. (I'm not saying the ADs are good, I'm just saying they are not working on the UX and UI of Facebook.) Because they keep making changes to things that WERE previously working and they mess it up. [And of course the ultimate irony, is I am going to post and promote this on Facebook itself. Betcha $100 I don't hear a word from any of Zuckerburgs folks. I didn't last time... Heh heh. Perhaps they're working on it and don't want to tip their hand. Perhaps!]

The biggest MISS for me lately has been the "friends" status views. How do you get back to seeing the updates and not the "what they updated?" Okay, so Facebook has added Lists. Great, but they suck. Here is my view of my "close"list. Why oh why aren't they showing me the latest status update from my "close" friends?

facebook groups

A friend recently opined, "It's clear that the people work ON Facebook don't actually USE Facebook or they would not make such stupid changes." Well put.

Okay and here's All Friends. Same problem. I am clicking on "FRIENDS" to see their status, not to see if or how many lists they are part of. This is just BAD BAD BAD. UX FAIL.

facebook friends

But still the #1 UX FAIL on Facebook today is,

... drum roll from wipeout please ...

facebook-friends-recent

The "Recently Updated" Friends Status page and guess what. Not a single STATUS is available.

You can see what parts of FB they updated but not the updates. It's this kind of shoddy UI and UX that makes me less and less likely to open Facebook at all. With recent API loving twittertools like Seesmic Desktop, Twirl and Tweetdeck, you may never have to open your Facebook page again. Unless of course you like the games or you want to browse someone's photos.

Does this kind of BAD DESIGN make anyone else MAD? It's like following a HUMMER in rush hour traffic. WHAT'S THE POINT! #@!&*?

@jmacofearth

permalink to uber.la: http://bit.ly/facebook-UI-2

Related Links:

Posted via web from jmacofearth's posterous

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Agile Leadership: Steve Ballmer on Old Meetings vs New Meetings

Microsoft's Steve Ballmer[In a quick interview with Steve Ballmer, the NYTimes shed some light on corporate culture and problems with innovation and meetings. Here are a couple of things he said that triggered further ideas for me.]

SB: "I race too much. My brain races too much, so even if I’ve listened to everything somebody said, unless you show that you’ve digested it, people don’t think they are being well heard. Sometimes you really don’t hear because you’re racing. It’s just the way my brain works. My brain is just chop, chop, chop, chop, chop. And so, if you really want to get the best out of people, you have to really hear them and they have to feel like they’ve been really heard."

Comment: I suffer from this malady some times myself. Type A mode is 'gitturdun gitturdun gitturdun' I want to cut to the chase and understand what is being asked of me. And sometimes the "listening" is as important as the action item. I can say with confidence that in family discussions with kids and spouse, that the "listening" is the MOST IMPORTANT part.

SB on the old way of doing meetings: "You come with something we haven’t seen in a slide deck or presentation. You deliver the presentation. You probably take what I will call “the long and winding road.” You take the listener through your path of discovery and exploration, and you arrive at a conclusion"

Comment: Yep, I think this is what people expect from a "meeting." And corporate culture expects two types of presentations.

Presentation Type 1: FYI - we are telling you this and getting you up to speed - we are NOT asking for feedback or input.

Presentation Type 2: Working Session - the presentation is to outline the situation and solicit input. Action items may or may not be assigned during these meetings.

SB on the new style of meeting at MS: "I decided that’s not what I want to do anymore. I don’t think it’s productive. I don’t think it’s efficient. I get impatient. So most meetings nowadays, you send me the materials and I read them in advance. And I can come in and say: “I’ve got the following four questions. Please don’t present the deck.” That lets us go, whether they’ve organized it that way or not, to the recommendation. And if I have questions about the long and winding road and the data and the supporting evidence, I can ask them. But it gives us greater focus."

Comment: Agility sets in when the meeting is a follow up on the presentation. Two things have to happen in this scenario:

1. The presentation has to be good enough for the executive to read it without the presenter standing by. The case must be stated clearly and supported with facts and data.

2. The agenda for the meeting must be expressed before the meeting is accepted. Without an agenda the "focus" of the meeting can be lost. If I get an agenda well ahead of time, I have time to read the materials and bring any supportive documents I would like to add to the discussion.

Now you can see how presentation TYPE 1, is less supported by this model. Because the winding presentation and "discovery" process will happen BEFORE the meeting takes place. The great part about this is 100% of the "meeting" then is about interaction and collaboration. Again, those may not be the objective of the FYI presentation. But if you just want to present to me, just send me the deck. I'll let you know if I have any questions. Otherwise, I'll stay out of the way and you can proceed.

It often seems like that is the goal of the Type 1: FYI meeting. Here's what we're doing, we just wanted to let you know, please don't interject or slow us down. Now I believe there is a huge difference between nay-sayers or as Bob Pearson used to call them "anti-bodies" and healthy discussion. But in the corporate world, perhaps your role is not ON the immediate team, and you are being given a courtesy "update" on the progress and direction of the project.

There is a slight catch-22 that causes Type-1 presentations to be less effective. Inside the corporate team, especially if you are being given a presentation by a different group, the tendency is to go with the flow and not be an anti-body. So you listen and you say nothing. The problem is, in some cases, your silence is taken as approval and acceptance.

I remember a team call with one of my managers who said, "You were on the call, why didn't you speak up?" So you speak up and risk being an anti-body or worse a loose cannon. Or you comply and send an email to the presenter or team after the presentation. Or, the most common path, because it does not directly affect your work you hold your tongue.

In the "hold your tongue" scenario, the only problem is, you have to hold your tongue outside the meeting as well. So many corporate silo wars come from the "unsaid objections" that are voiced outside proper channels. The buzz or back channel can and will hurt you if you speak dissension. So you are stuck. And often the best course of action is to observe. If you are not asked for participation, if you are not invited to the Type-2 presentations, then your role has been defined by the presenting team as one of FYI. It might not make you happy, but if you're not involved, trying to get involved can be a dangerous move.

Here are a few more nuggets distilled from Steve Ballmer's interview.

SB on job candidates: "I try to figure out sort of a combination of I.Q. and passion. I just ask somebody to tell me what they’ve done that they are really proud of and tell me about it. And if it’s something you are proud of, you should be able to answer any question I can come up with, at least at a level that would satisfy my interest. I ought to be able to see your passion. It might be quiet passion; it might be bubbly passion. But I should be able to sense that you are one of those people who just sort of throws themselves into things."

Comment: In speaking to a friend this morning about a "side project that is taking up part of his valuable Sunday morning" I asked him, "Is this a passion project or a payola project?" He said, "Well, it started as the latter and has sort of moved into the passion thing." My response sort of shed light on my perspective. "Passion is one of those things you can't fake or manufacture. You either have it or you don't."

SB on skills and qualifications he's interested in: "But compared to 10 years ago, technology is more complex, products and services span people’s lives in new ways, and our business is much more global. So it’s more important that people can think outside the confines of their individual expertise and their product group and connect the dots between technologies, customer needs and markets in new ways."

SB on challenging aspects of his job: "Finding the right balance between optimism and realism. I’m an optimist by nature, and I start from the belief that you can always succeed if you have the right amount of focus combined with the right amount of hard work. So I can get frustrated when progress runs up against issues that should have been anticipated or that simply couldn’t have been foreseen. A realist knows that a certain amount of that is inevitable, but the optimist in me always struggles when progress doesn’t match my expectations."

SB on global business challenges: "At the same time, the need to be more efficient drives us all toward sharper focus on what is important and what can truly move the needle in terms of meeting customer needs and taking market share. Of course, we need to be innovative, but we also need to be efficient."

SB gives his choice advice: "My dad worked for Ford for 30 years. When I was a kid, he’d say: “If you’re going to do a job, do a job. If you’re not going to do a job, don’t do a job.” What he meant was, if you really want to accomplish anything, you have to be committed, motivated, tenacious and smart about what you do."

SB on leadership: "I’ve come to believe that to be a great leader, you have to combine thought leadership, business leadership and great people management. I think most people tend to focus more on one of those three. I used to think it was all about thought leadership. Some people think it’s all about your ability to manage people. But the truth is, great leaders have to have a mix of those things."

Comment: So combining thought leadership AND action is the key. But back to the top of the discussion, sometimes you also need to LISTEN. Get out of the rush rush part and listen. Then you can understand the type of presentation you have been invited to and from there you get to define and refine your response.

@jmacofearth
permalink to uber.la post: http://bit.ly/agile-leadership

Corner Office column from the New York Times on Steve Ballmer.

Posted via web from jmacofearth's posterous

Agile Leadership: Steve Ballmer on Old Meetings vs New Meetings

Microsoft's Steve Ballmer[In a quick interview with Steve Ballmer, the NYTimes shed some light on corporate culture and problems with innovation and meetings. Here are a couple of things he said that triggered further ideas for me.]

SB: "I race too much. My brain races too much, so even if I’ve listened to everything somebody said, unless you show that you’ve digested it, people don’t think they are being well heard. Sometimes you really don’t hear because you’re racing. It’s just the way my brain works. My brain is just chop, chop, chop, chop, chop. And so, if you really want to get the best out of people, you have to really hear them and they have to feel like they’ve been really heard."

Comment: I suffer from this malady some times myself. Type A mode is 'gitturdun gitturdun gitturdun' I want to cut to the chase and understand what is being asked of me. And sometimes the "listening" is as important as the action item. I can say with confidence that in family discussions with kids and spouse, that the "listening" is the MOST IMPORTANT part.

SB on the old way of doing meetings: "You come with something we haven’t seen in a slide deck or presentation. You deliver the presentation. You probably take what I will call “the long and winding road.” You take the listener through your path of discovery and exploration, and you arrive at a conclusion"

Comment: Yep, I think this is what people expect from a "meeting." And corporate culture expects two types of presentations.

Presentation Type 1: FYI - we are telling you this and getting you up to speed - we are NOT asking for feedback or input.

Presentation Type 2: Working Session - the presentation is to outline the situation and solicit input. Action items may or may not be assigned during these meetings.

SB on the new style of meeting at MS: "I decided that’s not what I want to do anymore. I don’t think it’s productive. I don’t think it’s efficient. I get impatient. So most meetings nowadays, you send me the materials and I read them in advance. And I can come in and say: “I’ve got the following four questions. Please don’t present the deck.” That lets us go, whether they’ve organized it that way or not, to the recommendation. And if I have questions about the long and winding road and the data and the supporting evidence, I can ask them. But it gives us greater focus."

Comment: Agility sets in when the meeting is a follow up on the presentation. Two things have to happen in this scenario:

1. The presentation has to be good enough for the executive to read it without the presenter standing by. The case must be stated clearly and supported with facts and data.

2. The agenda for the meeting must be expressed before the meeting is accepted. Without an agenda the "focus" of the meeting can be lost. If I get an agenda well ahead of time, I have time to read the materials and bring any supportive documents I would like to add to the discussion.

Now you can see how presentation TYPE 1, is less supported by this model. Because the winding presentation and "discovery" process will happen BEFORE the meeting takes place. The great part about this is 100% of the "meeting" then is about interaction and collaboration. Again, those may not be the objective of the FYI presentation. But if you just want to present to me, just send me the deck. I'll let you know if I have any questions. Otherwise, I'll stay out of the way and you can proceed.

It often seems like that is the goal of the Type 1: FYI meeting. Here's what we're doing, we just wanted to let you know, please don't interject or slow us down. Now I believe there is a huge difference between nay-sayers or as Bob Pearson used to call them "anti-bodies" and healthy discussion. But in the corporate world, perhaps your role is not ON the immediate team, and you are being given a courtesy "update" on the progress and direction of the project.

There is a slight catch-22 that causes Type-1 presentations to be less effective. Inside the corporate team, especially if you are being given a presentation by a different group, the tendency is to go with the flow and not be an anti-body. So you listen and you say nothing. The problem is, in some cases, your silence is taken as approval and acceptance.

I remember a team call with one of my managers who said, "You were on the call, why didn't you speak up?" So you speak up and risk being an anti-body or worse a loose cannon. Or you comply and send an email to the presenter or team after the presentation. Or, the most common path, because it does not directly affect your work you hold your tongue.

In the "hold your tongue" scenario, the only problem is, you have to hold your tongue outside the meeting as well. So many corporate silo wars come from the "unsaid objections" that are voiced outside proper channels. The buzz or back channel can and will hurt you if you speak dissension. So you are stuck. And often the best course of action is to observe. If you are not asked for participation, if you are not invited to the Type-2 presentations, then your role has been defined by the presenting team as one of FYI. It might not make you happy, but if you're not involved, trying to get involved can be a dangerous move.

Here are a few more nuggets distilled from Steve Ballmer's interview.

SB on job candidates: "I try to figure out sort of a combination of I.Q. and passion. I just ask somebody to tell me what they’ve done that they are really proud of and tell me about it. And if it’s something you are proud of, you should be able to answer any question I can come up with, at least at a level that would satisfy my interest. I ought to be able to see your passion. It might be quiet passion; it might be bubbly passion. But I should be able to sense that you are one of those people who just sort of throws themselves into things."

Comment: In speaking to a friend this morning about a "side project that is taking up part of his valuable Sunday morning" I asked him, "Is this a passion project or a payola project?" He said, "Well, it started as the latter and has sort of moved into the passion thing." My response sort of shed light on my perspective. "Passion is one of those things you can't fake or manufacture. You either have it or you don't."

SB on skills and qualifications he's interested in: "But compared to 10 years ago, technology is more complex, products and services span people’s lives in new ways, and our business is much more global. So it’s more important that people can think outside the confines of their individual expertise and their product group and connect the dots between technologies, customer needs and markets in new ways."

SB on challenging aspects of his job: "Finding the right balance between optimism and realism. I’m an optimist by nature, and I start from the belief that you can always succeed if you have the right amount of focus combined with the right amount of hard work. So I can get frustrated when progress runs up against issues that should have been anticipated or that simply couldn’t have been foreseen. A realist knows that a certain amount of that is inevitable, but the optimist in me always struggles when progress doesn’t match my expectations."

SB on global business challenges: "At the same time, the need to be more efficient drives us all toward sharper focus on what is important and what can truly move the needle in terms of meeting customer needs and taking market share. Of course, we need to be innovative, but we also need to be efficient."

SB gives his choice advice: "My dad worked for Ford for 30 years. When I was a kid, he’d say: “If you’re going to do a job, do a job. If you’re not going to do a job, don’t do a job.” What he meant was, if you really want to accomplish anything, you have to be committed, motivated, tenacious and smart about what you do."

SB on leadership: "I’ve come to believe that to be a great leader, you have to combine thought leadership, business leadership and great people management. I think most people tend to focus more on one of those three. I used to think it was all about thought leadership. Some people think it’s all about your ability to manage people. But the truth is, great leaders have to have a mix of those things."

Comment: So combining thought leadership AND action is the key. But back to the top of the discussion, sometimes you also need to LISTEN. Get out of the rush rush part and listen. Then you can understand the type of presentation you have been invited to and from there you get to define and refine your response.

@jmacofearth
permalink to uber.la post: http://bit.ly/agile-leadership

Corner Office column from the New York Times on Steve Ballmer.

Posted via web from jmacofearth's posterous

Friday, May 15, 2009

The Art of the ReTweet! Adding Beauty, Value, or Humor on Twitter

Twitter is a wonderful beast. All changing, scamming, Oprahing millions of us trying to figure out how to use it to... What? What are YOU using Twitter for?

  • To Learn.
  • To Sell.
  • To Discover Something New.
  • To Connect with New People.
  • As a Broadcast IM.
  • As a Sales Channel.
  • As a Business Opportunity.
  • To Have Fun and Joke Around.
  • Just Because It's New.

Does "microblogging" mean anything to you? In the year (s) of tweeting behind me, I have developed some strategies for engaging my tweetstream that I hope might be helpful to you. The illumination/discovery path for today is going to be the dreaded and most valuable tweet technique the RT, or ReTweet. So here's how it works.

Part 1: Discovery - Someone tweets something you find helpful, amuzing or dumb.

Part 2: Use the RT feature in your Twitter app du jour. (if your not using a Twitter app to manage Twitter, well... That's another post: Putting a Dashboard Around Twitter.)

Part 3: Be Additive and Subtractive.

Part 4: ReTweet.

So let's look at Part 3 more closely. Additive: Adding your comment or twist on someones tweet to add value/humor/meaning/dialogue to the twittersphere. I'll pull one off the stream right now and give an example:

Alex Checks In w/ Morning Coffee

So I will hit the RT button in Tweetdeck (my Twitter app of choice, you can see that Alex is using Tweetie -- probably on a trendy iPhone!) and being my additive process.

[Here's the RT without any work from me] RT @BaldMan RT @BaldMan: Long line at Genuine Joe, but I wait as I need my caffeine.

But I am interested in adding to Alex's tweet in some way, usually to join or josh with Alex himself. And also, by ReTweeting Alex at all, to introduce my followers to BaldMan as a cool person to follow. Since I am following him and clearly ReTweeting with some joy his somewhat mundaine "gettin coffee" tweet. (no offense Alex) Some folks are happy to RT without modification, and I will do this occasionally if I am in a hurry and I REALLY DON'T WANT YOU TO MISS SOMETHING. But if I am connecting with BaldMan/Alex in any significant way, then I am will do my part to Twist or Comment on his Tweet via my ReTweet. (Have I lost you yet?)

[Here's my Additive RT of Alex's "gettin coffee" Tweet] RT @BaldMan: Long line at Genuine Joe, but I wait as I need my caffeine. >> Oh, boy Alex, mine's gone cold. Could'ya bring a warm up and pastry for me? Dang, I'm at 151 characters. (Tweetdeck shows -11 in RED, so I know what I have to cut] So I have several choices. I can shorten my response.

Since Alex and I no longer work together, my plea for a warm up is ficticious. And inside joke for us and a "connector."

Or... I can get subtractive of Alex's part, and fit my ADD by shortening his original Tweet.

So now for the Subtractive:

[Here's my Additive and Subtractive RT of Alex's "gettin coffee" Tweet] RT @BaldMan: Long line at Genuine Joe, but I wait as I need my caffeine. >> Oh, boy Alex, mine's gone cold. Could'ya bring a warm up and pastry for me? (Okay -1 still to go.)

RT @BaldMan: Long line at Genuine Joe, but I wait as I need my caffeine. >> Oh, boy Alex, mine's gone cold. Could'ya bring a warm up and pastry for me? (Okay +1 let's do it.)

My Add & Subtract ReTweet

Now I will often use different "offsets" to separate my comment from the original Tweet. Here are a couple examples.

Double Carat: >> RT @BaldMan: Long line at Genuine Joe, but I need my caffeine. >> Oh, boy Alex, mine's gone cold. Could'ya bring warm up and pastry for me?

Brackets: [ ] RT @BaldMan: Long line at Genuine Joe, but I need my caffeine. [Oh, boy Alex, mine's gone cold. Could'ya bring warm up and pastry for me?]

Slash: / RT @BaldMan: Long line at Genuine Joe, but I need my caffeine. / Oh, boy Alex, mine's gone cold. Could'ya bring warm up and pastry for me?

I'd love to hear your retweeting strategies and "offsets."

It's a bit like English grammar and poetry. It's part of the ART of Twitter. And by being creative we can make people smile. It's not about business, it's about spirit!

@jmacofearth
permalink on uber.la: http://bit.ly/ReTweeting

Related Links:

Posted via web from jmacofearth's posterous

The Art of the ReTweet! Adding Beauty, Value, or Humor on Twitter

Twitter is a wonderful beast. All changing, scamming, Oprahing millions of us trying to figure out how to use it to... What? What are YOU using Twitter for?

  • To Learn.
  • To Sell.
  • To Discover Something New.
  • To Connect with New People.
  • As a Broadcast IM.
  • As a Sales Channel.
  • As a Business Opportunity.
  • To Have Fun and Joke Around.
  • Just Because It's New.

Does "microblogging" mean anything to you? In the year (s) of tweeting behind me, I have developed some strategies for engaging my tweetstream that I hope might be helpful to you. The illumination/discovery path for today is going to be the dreaded and most valuable tweet technique the RT, or ReTweet. So here's how it works. Part 1: Discovery - Someone tweets something you find helpful, amuzing or dumb. Part 2: Use the RT feature in your Twitter app du jour. (if your not using a Twitter app to manage Twitter, well... That's another post: Putting a Dashboard Around Twitter.) Part 3: Be Additive and Subtractive. Part 4: ReTweet. So let's look at Part 3 more closely. Additive: Adding your comment or twist on someones tweet to add value/humor/meaning/dialogue to the twittersphere. I'll pull one off the stream right now and give an example: Alex Checks In w/ Morning Coffee So I will hit the RT button in Tweetdeck (my Twitter app of choice, you can see that Alex is using Tweetie -- probably on a trendy iPhone!) and being my additive process. [Here's the RT without any work from me] RT @BaldMan RT @BaldMan: Long line at Genuine Joe, but I wait as I need my caffeine. But I am interested in adding to Alex's tweet in some way, usually to join or josh with Alex himself. And also, by ReTweeting Alex at all, to introduce my followers to BaldMan as a cool person to follow. Since I am following him and clearly ReTweeting with some joy his somewhat mundaine "gettin coffee" tweet. (no offense Alex) Some folks are happy to RT without modification, and I will do this occasionally if I am in a hurry and I REALLY DON'T WANT YOU TO MISS SOMETHING. But if I am connecting with BaldMan/Alex in any significant way, then I am will do my part to Twist or Comment on his Tweet via my ReTweet. (Have I lost you yet?) [Here's my Additive RT of Alex's "gettin coffee" Tweet] RT @BaldMan: Long line at Genuine Joe, but I wait as I need my caffeine. >> Oh, boy Alex, mine's gone cold. Could'ya bring a warm up and pastry for me? Dang, I'm at 151 characters. (Tweetdeck shows -11 in RED, so I know what I have to cut] So I have several choices. I can shorten my response. Since Alex and I no longer work together, my plea for a warm up is ficticious. And inside joke for us and a "connector." Or... I can get subtractive of Alex's part, and fit my ADD by shortening his original Tweet. So now for the Subtractive: [Here's my Additive and Subtractive RT of Alex's "gettin coffee" Tweet] RT @BaldMan: Long line at Genuine Joe, but I wait as I need my caffeine. >> Oh, boy Alex, mine's gone cold. Could'ya bring a warm up and pastry for me? (Okay -1 still to go.) RT @BaldMan: Long line at Genuine Joe, but I wait as I need my caffeine. >> Oh, boy Alex, mine's gone cold. Could'ya bring a warm up and pastry for me? (Okay +1 let's do it.) My Add & Subtract ReTweet Now I will often use different "offsets" to separate my comment from the original Tweet. Here are a couple examples. Double Carat: >> RT @BaldMan: Long line at Genuine Joe, but I need my caffeine. >> Oh, boy Alex, mine's gone cold. Could'ya bring warm up and pastry for me? Brackets: [ ] RT @BaldMan: Long line at Genuine Joe, but I need my caffeine. [Oh, boy Alex, mine's gone cold. Could'ya bring warm up and pastry for me?] Slash: / RT @BaldMan: Long line at Genuine Joe, but I need my caffeine. / Oh, boy Alex, mine's gone cold. Could'ya bring warm up and pastry for me? I'd love to hear your retweeting strategies and "offsets." It's a bit like English grammar and poetry. It's part of the ART of Twitter. And by being creative we can make people smile. It's not about business, it's about spirit! @jmacofearth permalink:http://bit.ly/ReTweeting Related Links:

Posted via web from jmacofearth's posterous

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

TWITTER Calls Them "Small Settings Update" But I Call It MAJOR FAIL

unfollow BIZ

So now comes before the twitterverse the honorable yet questionable Biz Stone on the Twitter Blog!

Small Settings Update (They are kidding Right?) We've updated the Notices section of Settings to better reflect how folks are using Twitter regarding replies. Based on usage patterns and feedback, we've learned most people want to see when someone they follow replies to another person they follow—it's a good way to stay in the loop. However, receiving one-sided fragments via replies sent to folks you don't follow in your timeline is undesirable. Today's update removes this undesirable and confusing option.

So effective immediately is you will no longer see your friends @ replies to folks you don't follow.

Holy FAIL WHALE! This is absolutely the primary way I find new people to follow. Discovery on Twitter is part of the Magic.

Let's review DM biz (nobody but Biz sees) // @ replies @biz (everybody sees) // so what about RT's let's see, perhaps a minor update removing the RT feature all together. Or perhaps RT will only show up if you follow both the Tweeter and the Original Tweeter. UG!

Here is what they have to say about that in the same post:

The Importance of Discovery
"Spotting new folks in tweets is an interesting way to check out new profiles and find new people to follow. Despite this update, you'll still see mentions or references linking to people you don't follow. For example, you'll continue to see, "Ev meeting with @biz about work stuff" even if you don't follow @biz. We'll be introducing better ways to discover and follow interesting accounts as we release more features in this space."

Or maybe delete features that were working fine without really thinking of the impact of something that seems so "SMALL!"

Oh, okay, trust the company that can't keep their servers up to release more features that will fill this void they are creating. Oh, let me guess, the "paid Twitter account" can control all kinds of cool functions. Like seeing all of the @ replies!

So folks, here is a tipping point. Twitter has removed a feature, "Based on usage patterns and feedback" that was far and away the most useful discovery process I had. Follow someone interesting and see who they are tweeting with. It's easy enough to click on the @-ed person's profile to see what the rest of the conversation is about. But now you CAN'T.

The spermy blast of the ?WTF Whale blows hard today.

@jmacofearth

permalink to uber.la post: http://bit.ly/wtf-whale

homer_the_new_fail_whale_by_edwheeler

Posted via web from jmacofearth's posterous

TWITTER Calls Them "Small Settings Update" But I Call It MAJOR FAIL

unfollow BIZ

So now comes before the twitterverse the honorable yet questionable Biz Stone on the Twitter Blog!

Small Settings Update (They are kidding Right?) We've updated the Notices section of Settings to better reflect how folks are using Twitter regarding replies. Based on usage patterns and feedback, we've learned most people want to see when someone they follow replies to another person they follow—it's a good way to stay in the loop. However, receiving one-sided fragments via replies sent to folks you don't follow in your timeline is undesirable. Today's update removes this undesirable and confusing option.

So effective immediately is you will no longer see your friends @ replies to folks you don't follow.

Holy FAIL WHALE! This is absolutely the primary way I find new people to follow. Discovery on Twitter is part of the Magic.

Let's review DM biz (nobody but Biz sees) // @ replies @biz (everybody sees) // so what about RT's let's see, perhaps a minor update removing the RT feature all together. Or perhaps RT will only show up if you follow both the Tweeter and the Original Tweeter. UG!

Here is what they have to say about that in the same post:

The Importance of Discovery
"Spotting new folks in tweets is an interesting way to check out new profiles and find new people to follow. Despite this update, you'll still see mentions or references linking to people you don't follow. For example, you'll continue to see, "Ev meeting with @biz about work stuff" even if you don't follow @biz. We'll be introducing better ways to discover and follow interesting accounts as we release more features in this space."

Or maybe delete features that were working fine without really thinking of the impact of something that seems so "SMALL!"

Oh, okay, trust the company that can't keep their servers up to release more features that will fill this void they are creating. Oh, let me guess, the "paid Twitter account" can control all kinds of cool functions. Like seeing all of the @ replies!

So folks, here is a tipping point. Twitter has removed a feature, "Based on usage patterns and feedback" that was far and away the most useful discovery process I had. Follow someone interesting and see who they are tweeting with. It's easy enough to click on the @-ed person's profile to see what the rest of the conversation is about. But now you CAN'T.

The spermy blast of the ?WTF Whale blows hard today.

@jmacofearth

permalink to uber.la post: http://bit.ly/wtf-whale

homer_the_new_fail_whale_by_edwheeler

Posted via web from jmacofearth's posterous

Monday, May 11, 2009

Economy says, "Nope." VC Expert says, "There Are No Angels." : I SAY YES!

Holy cow, in the midst of some kind of recovery things are still so dark out there if you talk to certian people. And so BRIGHT if you talk to others. One thing the downturn has done is simplify my life in many ways.

1. I no longer have full-time corporate employment. (Oh boy! S-c-a-r-e-y!)

2. I am writing blogs, proposals, presentations and cover letters at an alarming rate.

3. You can tell your close friends by who is inviting you to lunch and who is inviting you to the table at business opportunities.

4. Even as a consummate optimist I have had to pass on the new car we ordered 3 months ago, cut non-essential expenses to the bone, make more coffee at my house rather than inviting folks to Starbucks. (These are all actually good things. Just different.)

5. Refined my focus to the extreme. So one of my tactics at dealing with daily business is sort of like my old employer's "just in time" manufacturing. I put a lot of information out to the universe (I like to refer to it as launching sailboats, or 'sails,' to see which one might catch what little breeze is blowing these days.) And the way this manifests in my work life is this: while I have a lot of opportunities and have put my daily energies into a gaggle of sites, my clear and present focus is on "what will make money TODAY." Because as the money in the bank account thins out, I get less and less effective as an evangelist and leader.

"How can I be bullish on social media if I can't make a living at it?"

So one of the opportunities I have been nurturing since last September is something called The GreenLight Energy Monitoring System. And it seems like a slam dunk to everyone I show. Even the skeptics and VC savvy friends are excited when I finish my 10 minute pitch. greenlight-hero slideBut the VC "mentors" and Angel "gatekeepers" are not so easily impressed.

Perhaps it's like my music career. Friends and family and even a small group of loyal supporters tell me they "love my voice." While the record labels, of the past and present, say, "Nice, but not for us." Turns out that process for me, and my music, may not be a bad thing.

I am not a rock star. I have never toured in a van, except the one time with Blue Cartoon we drove from LA to SF to play a show at a very cool club with our friends 20/20. The crowd was probably 40 people. But it was SF and it was a great club. And one of my buddies got to come see me play who'd have never gotten the chance.

So Clear Green Technologies, my blog/company/corporation behind the GreenLight System is pretty much dead in the water at this point. That is, according to the VCs, lawyers and consultants I've talked to. And yet, the web today is telling stories of the VC's now focusing on the "consumption" side of Green rather than the innovation side. And that seems like a slam dunk for my little idea. (See Green Venture Capital)

But here's where the rubber meets the road in today's economy. I need 10k to complete the Intellectual Property filing to protect the ideas and processes behind the Greenlight. And we probably need another 10k to complete the final "design for manufacturing" work to outsource the build of our product to some "eco-friendly" manufacturer overseas. And I can't get any of the business folks past the 10 minute PPT outline to hear what the bigger idea is. So my friend Tim and I are kind of stuck.

We have a prototype! We have the vision! We know what we need to do! And we need 20 - 30k dollars. And outside of that, there is really nothing more for me to do. I cannot enter the "start-up contest" competitions you see popping up on the web because I cannot reveal any more of my idea without risking the IP value. I don't have the motivation or time to do the rest of the PPT presentation that MIGHT convince the VC folks to give me the money, because everyone is saying there is no money there anyway. And yet, I BELIEVE.

President Obama's energy conscious plans will include companies like Clear Green Technologies. And now the NY Times is saying they (The Money Folks) are going to focus on consumption. And I will keep pushing ideas and trying to make a "consultative" living while seeking the last 50k to take Tim and I to the goal line. But today I am working on a presentation for a client pitch that "might" bring in some actual dollars.

Today I am not able to spend energy or time to tell the GreenLight story. And maybe it's kind of like being a rockstar or not being a rockstar. While I am in this in-between time I am forced to focus on what will feed my family now. And the Green Revolution will take place with or without me. And at the same time I will continue to fly the colors of the revolution on uber.la and on the Clear Green Technologies site.

And I will continue to say YES to opportunities.

The VCs can muck around and wait for the capital to start flowing, I don't have that luxury. And perhaps we will meet in the next few months with a PLAN that satisfies both of our requirements.

@jmacofearth permalink: http://bit.ly/I-SAY-YES

+++ Related Links

Clear Green Technologies - Maker of the GreenLight Energy Awareness System

GreenLight System - Which Way Shall We Go (Zigbee, BlueTooth, WiFi, WiMax)

NYTimes Article on Green Venture Capital - Venture capital is moving away from alternative energy and returning to one of its traditional strengths: improving the efficiency of energy consumption.

Posted via web from jmacofearth's posterous

Economy says, "Nope." VC Expert says, "There Are No Angels." : I SAY YES!

Holy cow, in the midst of some kind of recovery things are still so dark out there if you talk to certian people. And so BRIGHT if you talk to others. One thing the downturn has done is simplify my life in many ways.

1. I no longer have full-time corporate employment. (Oh boy! S-c-a-r-e-y!)

2. I am writing blogs, proposals, presentations and cover letters at an alarming rate.

3. You can tell your close friends by who is inviting you to lunch and who is inviting you to the table at business opportunities.

4. Even as a consummate optimist I have had to pass on the new car we ordered 3 months ago, cut non-essential expenses to the bone, make more coffee at my house rather than inviting folks to Starbucks. (These are all actually good things. Just different.)

5. Refined my focus to the extreme. So one of my tactics at dealing with daily business is sort of like my old employer's "just in time" manufacturing. I put a lot of information out to the universe (I like to refer to it as launching sailboats, or 'sails,' to see which one might catch what little breeze is blowing these days.) And the way this manifests in my work life is this: while I have a lot of opportunities and have put my daily energies into a gaggle of sites, my clear and present focus is on "what will make money TODAY." Because as the money in the bank account thins out, I get less and less effective as an evangelist and leader.

"How can I be bullish on social media if I can't make a living at it?"

So one of the opportunities I have been nurturing since last September is something called The GreenLight Energy Monitoring System. And it seems like a slam dunk to everyone I show. Even the skeptics and VC savvy friends are excited when I finish my 10 minute pitch. greenlight-hero slideBut the VC "mentors" and Angel "gatekeepers" are not so easily impressed.

Perhaps it's like my music career. Friends and family and even a small group of loyal supporters tell me they "love my voice." While the record labels, of the past and present, say, "Nice, but not for us." Turns out that process for me, and my music, may not be a bad thing.

I am not a rock star. I have never toured in a van, except the one time with Blue Cartoon we drove from LA to SF to play a show at a very cool club with our friends 20/20. The crowd was probably 40 people. But it was SF and it was a great club. And one of my buddies got to come see me play who'd have never gotten the chance.

So Clear Green Technologies, my blog/company/corporation behind the GreenLight System is pretty much dead in the water at this point. That is, according to the VCs, lawyers and consultants I've talked to. And yet, the web today is telling stories of the VC's now focusing on the "consumption" side of Green rather than the innovation side. And that seems like a slam dunk for my little idea. (See Green Venture Capital)

But here's where the rubber meets the road in today's economy. I need 10k to complete the Intellectual Property filing to protect the ideas and processes behind the Greenlight. And we probably need another 10k to complete the final "design for manufacturing" work to outsource the build of our product to some "eco-friendly" manufacturer overseas. And I can't get any of the business folks past the 10 minute PPT outline to hear what the bigger idea is. So my friend Tim and I are kind of stuck.

We have a prototype! We have the vision! We know what we need to do! And we need 20 - 30k dollars. And outside of that, there is really nothing more for me to do. I cannot enter the "start-up contest" competitions you see popping up on the web because I cannot reveal any more of my idea without risking the IP value. I don't have the motivation or time to do the rest of the PPT presentation that MIGHT convince the VC folks to give me the money, because everyone is saying there is no money there anyway. And yet, I BELIEVE.

President Obama's energy conscious plans will include companies like Clear Green Technologies. And now the NY Times is saying they (The Money Folks) are going to focus on consumption. And I will keep pushing ideas and trying to make a "consultative" living while seeking the last 50k to take Tim and I to the goal line. But today I am working on a presentation for a client pitch that "might" bring in some actual dollars.

Today I am not able to spend energy or time to tell the GreenLight story. And maybe it's kind of like being a rockstar or not being a rockstar. While I am in this in-between time I am forced to focus on what will feed my family now. And the Green Revolution will take place with or without me. And at the same time I will continue to fly the colors of the revolution on uber.la and on the Clear Green Technologies site.

And I will continue to say YES to opportunities.

The VCs can muck around and wait for the capital to start flowing, I don't have that luxury. And perhaps we will meet in the next few months with a PLAN that satisfies both of our requirements.

@jmacofearth permalink: http://bit.ly/I-SAY-YES

+++ Related Links

Clear Green Technologies - Maker of the GreenLight Energy Awareness System

GreenLight System - Which Way Shall We Go (Zigbee, BlueTooth, WiFi, WiMax)

NYTimes Article on Green Venture Capital - Venture capital is moving away from alternative energy and returning to one of its traditional strengths: improving the efficiency of energy consumption.

Posted via web from jmacofearth's posterous

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Who's Your Mamacita? And what did she teach you about money? by Amanda Steinberg via Get Rich Slowly

[A Mother's Day Post from Amanda Steinberg of DailyWorth care of Get Rich Slowly << one of my favorite blogs of all time!]

Recession talk is everywhere, even on Mother’s Day. At work, at home, at the supermarket, at the library, at soccer games, and on play dates. Everyone hates this recession, and most everyone is being affected by it. Especially mothers. Why? Because we are on the front line of the budget wars. Let’s face it, as far as we have come in our efforts to shore up equality among the genders, moms are still largely in charge of household budgets for food, clothes, birthday presents, discretionary items, track-team uniforms, new tennis rackets, and so on.

So when the economy heads south and prices go north, it’s mom who usually decides what the family can do without. But instead of being the financial heavy on this day of all days, look for the silver lining: An opportunity to teach our children about financial responsibility. Maybe you’ve had to tighten your monthly budget or take a less expensive vacation, stay in and cook rather than eat out, forego new additions to your summer wardrobe or your house. Instead of just saying “no” without explanation or example, use the recession as an educational tool.

Here are some practical things you can do with your children from ages 4 to 18 to teach them about the value of money.

Age 4: Dollars and Sense Most four-year-olds can count, recognize letters and numbers; some have even started to read. What better time to introduce the concepts of an allowance, spending and saving? A couple of books, The Berenstain Bears Dollars and Sense and Alexander Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday, illustrate just how quickly that weekly payout can burn a hole in your pocket if you’re not careful.

Age 7: Amortize Your Cherries The next time you’re in the supermarket with your kids during cherry season, buy a pound without choking on the price. That’s what Fran of Dallas, TX used to do. Then, when her hungry offspring started scarfing down the cherries, she would point out that they could either eat them all at once and have no more for a long while (with a gentle reminder of the price), or they could eat just a few cherries at a time and enjoy them for several days. You can also ask your children to help pay for those things they really want out of their allowance. They seem to have a better understanding of the value of money when they’re spending their own.

Age 12: Future Entrepreneur Encourage your child to start her own business. What better way to understand the ins and outs of cash flow? Some jobs for a 12-year-old include dog-walking, plant & animal care, mother’s helper, gardening and more. You’ll find that kids get more excited about earning money — and saving it for something special — when the enterprise and the earning power is theirs alone.

Age 15: Checks and Balances Take your son or daughter to the bank and have them open their very first checking and savings accounts. Remind them to bring cash or a birthday check to deposit — half in savings and half in checking. And then remind them that when the checking account runs dry, they’ll probably be paying a monthly maintenance fee until they put more money into the account. Just a little incentive to spend more thoughtfully.

Age 18: You Can Never Go Home Again… At 18, let your kids know that after college, they’re not allowed to move back in. Shelly of Philadelphia, PA told her daughters that when they graduated from college, there would be no moving back in with mom. Once they were done with school, they were on their own, because she respected their ability to find their own way. “I told them that my love was deep and constant, but that nudging them out of the nest to deal with life on their own would prepare them for anything that came along,” Shelly says. “Roots and wings are the most precious gift a parent can give.” Maybe you can’t go home again, but you can always stop by, have dinner and do your laundry.

Be an Example Kids can learn the value of money at pretty much any age. It just takes some thought, a little effort and plenty of credibility. That means we, as mothers, need to practice what we teach. If we expect our children to tread the path of good money sense and fiscal responsibility, then we have to set the example. Starting today, the day when we all celebrate our mothers and what they have done for us. How hard can it be? Okay, it may be hard. But the payoff will be a whole generation of kids who know how and when to save and spend — thanks to Mom.

To read more from Amanda, check out DailyWorth for “practical tips, empowering ideas, and the occasional kick in the pants.” [The link appears to be down at the moment, maybe she's getting too much traffic.]

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