Thursday, January 2, 2020

Communication problems exist everwhere!

Quickest way to see it is at home. Jenifer and I will talk about something and later come to find out she (Or I) meant something completely different. I know it has happened to you.

To me communication is at the root of most business (And personal) problems when dealing with others.

You don't see the other persons perspective
You have different agendas (Or priorities)
So many times people are bringing baggage to the conversation (From last week, year, decade or more!)
It might be communication issues from top down or bottom up
Even the most simple things to communicate can get difficult when you add multiple layers, departments, technologies, systems and more.

Don't forget, it is all about people.

What is the most important thing to help communication? Repeat.Repeat.REPEAT

Maybe verbally, in writing, video, all three at once. In person, over the phone, over video call. Don't over complicate the message. Simple to the point and repeat.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Great business advice I missed from Vanilla Ice?

Sometimes it is as simple as "Stop, Collaborate and listen"

That was his brand new invention?

OK probably wasn't what he was going for however sometimes this helps me when things get tough. I sing the song in my head to remind myself of these simple steps to get us off center and moving (You know versus getting in peoples face and creating tension)

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Wow time goes by fast

This is the last post of the year and the decade. I remember vividly welcoming in the 2000's. Wow was life different in so many ways. No kids, technology (Where to start right?) I was in my 20s and enjoying life. Little did I know it would only get better. A lot of people I know are constantly speaking about age as something negative. You lose your looks, sometimes just yard work can make you sore and all the responsibilities of adulting. To me each phase of life has been better. I would suggest that some of that is working a plan versus being reactive.

The other thing I find interesting is many of the experts I work with or have worked with were the age I am now when I was just getting into my career. Sure I thought they were ancient (And for a 20 something they were ancient) Some might say I have mellowed over the years, I don't believe that is true. If anything I am as passionate or even more passionate for people. What more likely has changed is my perspective for sure. What I thought was important really wasn't as important as what I thought. I would also say that early in my career it was for sure more about me and less about others. Definitely a big shift for me. At times I look back and hope I was not as outwardly aggressive as what I was feeling in my own mind!

One thing I have loved in the chosen career path I have taken is constant change. Mainly here I am speaking about the stuff. If you think about the changes that have been major in technology over 20 years;

Smart Phones (Probably one of the biggest or in general - mobility)
Internet - sure it existed but only for the few versus the many
All the change Internet has brought. From streaming to shopping
Connected all the time - sure still internet however no matter where you are at you can be part of a team

Just a small and centric list of the stuff.

So what things have happened to me in the last decade that were unexpected or big change?

1. Global travel. I never really had the want to leave the US - heck why? Having done so more than a half dozen times this decade it was definitely impactful and gave me better perspective
2. Leadership development - I have always been interested in leadership however in this decade I have been able to spread that word and help other develop
3. Business EQ - This has always been a strong area for me. It comes natural. I have been blessed to work with other that have even more knowledge.
4. Tech integration - I started this early in my career and now when true mobility has come into play I am even stronger at it.
5. Parenting - sure I was a parent in the previous decade however in this decade I have seen my boys turn into men. From Caden and his first job to Carsen finding his friends and being more independent

Obviously there is much more that has happened in a decade, these are just the ones that stick out for me.

So where is all this rambling going? It is simple. It is all about people. Not the stuff.

Sunday, December 29, 2019

Predicting the future

Most of the time I get to spend my time working around technology. When it comes to predicting the future of technology there are definitely some trends that are easy to spot.
Things will get smaller, faster and use less resources.
Where technology provides value at a high cost or for Enterprise it will get lower cost and eventually get to every user (That it applies to)
When people say it isn't possible, they are probably wrong
Key to successful mass distribution is to drive down costs and maximize the experience

Areas outside technology do have patterns (Like building successful teams, businesses and more)

Are you paying attention to not only the successful teams but also the failures. Then do you learn from it?