Archive for April, 2006

I was looking through my calendar this week and I noticed that Secretaries Day was coming up on Wednesday, April 26th. I am always at a loss trying to find the right gift for our office personnel. The usual candy and flowers are all great but this year I wanted to get something different. Something that would be cool and help with office productivity at the same time. I found an obscure link on the 43 Folders blog about a mug-boss that fits around a standard coffee cup. The reviews were great and the unit is on sale. With multiple people to buy for this looks like winner. The shipping is a little prohibitive to buy just one but I found a lot of other items from Bucket Boss that are really cool. Check these out and make everyone happy during the upcoming holidays!

Looking for a great gift for all of the secretaries in your department? Something that is really cool and useful but doesn’t cost a lot of money. The answer is the Mug Boss. This useful little unit will be the hit of your office. Built just like its larger cousin the Bucket Boss, this unit fits around any popular coffee cup and holds all sorts of stuff.

The side pockets come in a variety of sizes. Markers, pens and pencils can all fit in this fun little unit. Secretaries and office personnel will love the utility and want one for home and office. The great thing is… they are on sale for only $2.99 apiece. Be sure to pick up five or ten of them for your office workers and friends… and be sure to get one for your own desk.

With Fathers Day coming up the full size Bucket Boss is just what dad needs for repairs around the house. This unit is heavy duty and holds tools and supplies for a variety of jobs. Dad will love this gift and it is only $19.95. Order one of these along with your Mug Boss(s) and you’ll be all set for the upcoming holidays. Dad will really appreciate the time savings on his next job around the house since his tools and his fasteners will all be available from one convenient place.

For Mothers Day the Pro Parachute Bag is just what the doctor ordered for organizing craft and sewing materials. This bag is strong and versatile and will hold all of your mom’s crafting tools and materials. She’ll really appreciate the thought and think kindly of you when she has all of her materials in one place. The great part… the bag is on sale for only $13.95.

Since secretaries day is coming up on April 26th, order these today and watch for all the smiles that they bring.

Have you ever wanted to synchronize your work and home e-mails in one place? How about being able to facilitate complicated group work projects from home? These scenarios and many more are the cracks in our modern technology infrastructure. There always seems to be glitch or incompatibility that prevents the collaboration of data.

I use Outlook E-mail at work and at home and I am constantly frustrated by the lack of a simple synchronization agent. The only thing I’ve found that works at all is installing a Palm pilot on both machines and using the palm software to tie everything together. It works… somewhat. If you don’t mind duplicate calendar items and strange re-occurring appointments it is a solution. But a frustrating one.

A new company is on the horizon that aims to make technology synchronization and project collaboration a reality. Foldera is their name and their motto is “your work organized instantly.” Currently in beta, Foldera has brought some big names from the collaboration field into their fold. The goal of their proprietary software is to sort and file all of your different data into activity folders. This is done while you work, not afterwards as is the common practice now.

Everything related to your individual projects is organized into an activity folder which will be available online from any browser. This will allow you to seamlessly work from home as well as the office. You can even take your laptop to the local cafe and enjoy a latte while working on that complex group project.

Features include..

• Activity Folders
• Email
• Document Manager
• Task manager
• Calendar
• Contact manager
• Comments
• Instant Messenger
• Sharing Manager

Goal based collaboration will now be a reality. Managers and Administrators will be able to set rights and responsibilities in a project and allow required access in a secure online environment. Administrators will be able to view progress online and have instant communications available through built in e-mail and instant messaging. Project collaboration will become much easier and much faster.

The cost of the software is very attractive since it will be available for free.

As a person who manages multiple projects with many different participants this looks like the Web2 application we have all been waiting for. With big names like collaboration guru Michael Sampson coming onboard, the program is destined to be a success.

You can sign up to be a beta tester here. The Foldera Blog will keep you updated on the latest announcements. ZDnet blogger and technologist, Marc Orchant has a great article about Foldera on his blog today.

This could be the next big thing in office software.

Stay tuned…

Thomas Friedman’s sobering new book, “The World is Flat,” is a must read for students and career minded individuals. Friedman explains that the effects of globalization and the advent of cheap communications are having a “flattening effect” on the world.  Work that involves the transfer of data or phone communications can now be done as easily by a worker in Bangalore India as someone in DallasTexas.

What is more sobering is Friedman’s treatment of Bill Gates’ statement about the American education system…

“When I compare our high schools to what I see when I’m traveling abroad, I am terrified for our work force of tomorrow. In math and science, our fourth graders are among the top students in the world. By eighth grade, they’re in the middle of the pack. By 12th grade, U.S. students are scoring near the bottom of all industrialized nations. . . . The percentage of a population with a college degree is important, but so are sheer numbers. In 2001, India graduated almost a million more students from college than the United States did. China graduates twice as many students with bachelor’s degrees as the U.S., and they have six times as many graduates majoring in engineering. In the international competition to have the biggest and best supply of knowledge workers, America is falling behind.

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As someone who works in the education field I find this is an extremely important book to read. While much of the historical content is common knowledge, the overall effect is much more profound than the individual pieces. I listened to the audio book version while shopping at the local mall. All you have to do to realize the impact is to listen while you pick up items in a store. Just turn them over and see where they are made. We don’t manufacture many things in America anymore.

I came away with some important points. In America we need to educate our students to be able to compete in this rapidly changing global landscape. Students need both left brain and right brained job skills. It’s not enough anymore to know how to do something, you also need to know how to innovate, create, and market new products and services.

It is really important that our students embrace creativity through the I-Force. This is a profound set of inspirations that will help students in the new century.

1. Inspiration thru Information

a. The what, where, why, and how

2. Inspiration thru Innovation

a. Can an existing thing be made bigger, better, faster etc.

3. Inspiration thru Imagination

a. Can you imagine the possibilities?

These three “big picture” skills will help our students compete but they are not enough. Students also need to learn communication and leadership skills. It is imperative that students rise above “commoditization” and become truly gifted leaders. Organizations that teach these skills such as Toastmasters International are becoming more important every day.

Mr. Friedman wants to tell you how exciting this new world is, but he also wants you to know you’re going to be trampled if you don’t keep up with it.

This is one of the most important books of our time.

Read it, take note, and hold on.

Blogger Felix Gerena, author of BrandSoul, along with the writing team over at the Synergy Blog have come up with a great way for bloggers to give back to the needy around the world. The idea is called “Blogidarity” with a tagline of, “Cause 1$ can save a life”.

Felix’s idea is to use blogging for a higher purpose, that of helping others who are far less fortunate.

The idea came to Felix while on a bus ride….

Blogging is fun, blogging inspires writers, blogging stimulates interesting conversations, blogging markets business, blogging builds community … but what else? What can blogging achieve that is bigger than all of that, and really, truly, good and right?

From that bus ride and synergy with a group of like minded people was born Blogidarity.

Check out the website and the mission at blogidarity.org

I had a somewhat disturbing revelation the other day at church. My wife and I usually go to second service and for some reason we always seem to be a few minutes late. As we walking in someone said “you’re getting a reputation for being late to second service”. A “reputation for being late”… not something I want on my resume. I was mad at myself and I vowed that things would change.

When I got home I did a little thinking about the problem. I realized that over the past few months time seemed to be shifting backwards and I found myself being a few minutes late for different things… work… church… and other meetings. Never more than a few minutes… but enough that people noticed. I decided I needed to do something about it.

What would happen if I was five minutes early instead of five minutes late… would people notice? Would it make a difference?  I started timing things and I suddenly became aware of just how long things actually take. The drive to work actually takes 15 minutes instead of the 10 that it used too. How could this be? When I plotted it out I found that the addition of three new signals slowed my progress down a few minutes each. There is a lot more traffic than there used to be.

I timed things at home and found the five minute shower had turned to a ten minute one. Taking my lunch took an extra three or four minutes and feeding the dogs with a new kind of food added a couple more. All of a sudden I could see the almost imperceptible problem emerge. Everything added together was slowing me down. The half hour I used to plan on for getting ready and driving to work was now taking longer. Thirty minutes would not work anymore.

I decided to make a new habit by doing a ten minute transformation.

Time was moved back 10 minutes

My schedule was turned around backwards. I started doing the routine stuff when I got up instead of waiting until it was almost time to go to work. I made my lunch earlier and got the dog’s food ready in advance. I put a little clock in the shower.

I started arriving five minutes early instead of five minutes late.

This small little change has made a real difference in my life. The stress level is much lower when I’m early and I don’t yell at drivers to get out of my way anymore. I arrive refreshed instead of uptight. I actually have time to check my e-mail and get a cup of coffee before the day starts. I’m still tweaking things and every once in a while a unforeseen thing comes up but for the most part I’m five minutes early.

It’s a simple little change and it’s becoming a new habit this month on my 12 habits program.

Nothing earth shattering… but I think people notice the difference.

I sure do…

Your Life. Your resume. Your Move! Post Your Resume FREE Today!

MBA On The Run is now online. This new blog is designed as a resource for anyone wishing to further their business education by listening to audio books. Covering all Major Business Assets the program will give you the insights of the best business minds in the world. Based on the concept of the Personal MBA by Josh Kaufmann, this program utilizes audio books to cover the subject areas that would be covered in a traditional MBA program.

The differences…

1. The 42 audio books, an iPod, and a good notebook cost under $1000

A traditional MBA program can cost upwards of $80,000

2. The Audio books are enjoyed while walking thru different business districts for greater continuity

A traditional MBA program puts you in a classroom environment away from the real world.

3. An online thesis is created with interviews of real business owners.

A traditional MBA includes interaction with other MBA students and professors

A review of this concept is in the current issue of Business Week Online.

This blog will follow my adventures with the program . Books will be reviewed on a bimonthly basis with blog posts at least once a week. The reviewed books will include…

• Book description and weblink
• Technical items (author, book length, etc)
• Where I experienced the book (location, time, etc)
• My feedback on the material
• My feedback on the learning experience
• Three major takeaway points
• An interview with a related business person including podcast or written interview.
• Your feedback on the book.

I look forward to your comments and your reviews of the different books. If you have an Ipod, try this simple experiment. Download one of Seth Godin’s audio books and listen to it while walking through your local mall, downtown business district, or other business area. You’ll be amazed at the experience. The book will come to life and the marketing concepts will be very apparent. You’ll soon see why some of the businesses are flourishing and others are struggling to get by.

This new blog will be updated every Friday and I’ll keep you updated on our progress with a post here from time to time. You can add this site to your Technorati Favorites by clicking this link.

MBA on the Run

Success Begins Today

 
The first four books that we’ll cover are

Some of my adventures so far…

Stories in Old Town

On Writing Well

Back to the Future

All proceeds from book and technology sales as well as ad revenue over the next two years will go to help build a youth center and computer lab. Please consider helping out our future entrepreneurs and career seekers by buying books and electronics through links on this site.

Hope you will drop by MBA on the Run