Music……..Nourishment for the Human Soul

Every now and again I run into someone else that is a ‘music fruitcake’ much like I am. It’s like this sickness that some of us have. I never claimed to be any good at it but I enjoy attempting to play a little bass guitar and a little regular 6 string guitar. In fact, I have found if I go more than a week without playing, I get this sick and lonely feeling and start having dreams about playing again. I never said I was right in the head or even remotely normal……….whatever you want to label it, this is how I am.

Well today I met a young lady who is as smitten as I am with music. She is also a guitar player and seems to have this same sickness of which I speak.

One way to know if you have the bug is to get around another guitarist and briefly mention a word like Stratocaster. I have found these words lead to more detailed discussions………and before you know it an hour has passed and you have that craving deep down in your stomach to retire somewhere with a guitar in your lap. Today was such a day. Having a party at church for the kids………met a music junky….the rest of the day was simply a formality……..a brief period of waiting……the summation of all good thoughts has ended with much music…..maybe feeble at best but sweet music to my soul nonetheless.

If you don’t have a hobby to get your mind off of business, may I suggest music? It will take you to a place that is tucked away deep inside of your soul. I almost feel that everyone has a bit of it……..at times it simply needs awakening.

I pray you all have a good weekend.

Kml

2009

Management - Dealing with Difficult People

It would be nice if we all lived and worked in a perfect utopian environment. Sad to say, we do not and we would probably not be as developed as we are today if we had no struggles and trials. It seems that struggles refine and define us as human beings.

I had a manufacturing manger tell me one time that 10% of his job involved getting the product out the door and 90% of the time involved keeping the people somewhat sane. The longer I stay in management (going on 15 years now, man I feel old!!) the more I relate to this guy. It seems the trick to any company is ‘the people’ not all of the other ‘things’ that you would think would be tricky.

I have a few tricks of the trade that work. I can not lay claim to these for men and women far more capable than I used these things many years before I was thought of. However, these are things I have borrowed and they do work.

1.)    Never let the actions or attitudes of other people change ‘who you are’ as a person. Many times folks will yank your chain just to see if they can watch you spiral out of control. Believe it or not some folks actually get a thrill out of watching chaos.

2.)    Don’t be scared to get angry. Holding in anger can be detrimental to the manager. I do not mean that you should explode into uncontrolled rage but rather understand that there is no shame in being truly angry. The key is to ‘not let the sun go down upon thy wrath’. Get the anger out and get it over with .......moving on to the next challenge. You can not meet the next challenge without emotionally getting through the one before it.

3.)    Never make a decision in anger or in haste. I have made a personal rule for myself. I DO NOT make major personnel decisions without at least one full 24 hour period elapsing unless it is one of those things that can not wait. My rule of thumb is to sleep on every major decision one night and see it through the eyes of a new day before implementing changes. This self imposed rule has accomplished more in my management career than any other single thing I can think of.

4.)    Don’t be fearful of the ideas and innovative thoughts of those that work for you. Some managers live in constant fear of that college graduate aiming to take their job or the backstabber trying to get ahead in the company on the faces and backs of those they work with. Empowering those people that work for you can be a real boost for you as a manager. Your employees can make you look good or make you look like a fool. Empower them and give them credit when they have a good idea. Nurture them…….. you might work for them one day. This is not our ‘daddy’s world’. Corporate structures are not remotely like they were 25 years ago in America. Be fair and work hard. It all works out in the end. Yes, it all works out in the end.

Again, these are just a few simple things that have helped me these last 15 years. The list is by no means considered all inclusive. I am sure many of you can add more. Feel free to borrow from my list. It’ll improve your business and you’ll sleep better at night.

Your ideas are welcome here!

kml

2009

How to distinguish yourself in the marketplace.

I was reminded today again just how important it is to 'have your own brain' in the marketplace. After 10 years of reviewing worker's comp cases and going through the filing process in the State of North Carolina, I am learning to rely mostly on 'me'. Most insurance companies and brokers offer various elaborate (and expensive) software schemes to help track injuries and create a statistical analysis database. Thankfully I realized early on that a great percentage of these softwares are not compatible with each other. So, for example, comp carrier 'A' sells me one package. Two years later we corporately decide to change carriers. Now carrier 'B' sells me another package to 'manage my claims'. I find out only 50% of the information will convert into my new format.

Today I had the pleasant experience of listening to a pitch regarding a new software offered through our comp carrier that managed our injury tracking and statistical data. I listened intently and politely. I then illustrated our 'in-house' developed method of tracking. I was told that our methods far exceeded what the carrier could offer and that we should probably stick to what actually worked.

I say this not out of pride but more out out of sincerity. If you have a method that is global, that works, that is legal and that is profitable........don't let folks tell you that you are crazy. Vendors come and go but 99% of the time they care about,....guess who? The vendor cares about the vendor at the end of the day. Do not fall victim to schemes that completely disregard processes you may have that actually work.

On the other hand, it is also important to admit if you have processes that are not global, that do not work, are illegal and that are not profitable. One of the largest failures I see in business today is the lack of acknowledgment of a 'shrinking globe'. Profitable companies can no longer isolate themselves within a region or Country. The market is GLOBAL. We must begin thinking in terms of internationally compatible software etc.

In summary, today was rewarding but basking in the success of today will not help me tomorrow....... for tomorrow is a new day.

Your thoughts?

kml
2009

Microsoft Groove 2007 - Google Wave

OK...............so I picked up a copy of Groove 2007. With a little help from a good friend we managed to work together on a document, modify a workspace calendar and do some workspace chat. (From 2 different cities) This is an amazing tool and I am ashamed to say that I have not used it before now. I suspect we'll be doing some more trials in the coming days............

............which leads me to..............

..........Google Wave.......if Groove can do this, I have to wonder what Google Wave might do. With a bit of luck, Google Wave might improve slightly on the Groove model and really amaze me.

These softwares open a whole new world of possibilities. My colleagues in Switzerland could work on the same document that I work on in the Americas basically in real time. As we modify documents we can also share calendars in real time and chat together. I think I am getting into this.

I promise to update in the coming days!

kml
2009

Google Wave ??

Is it (Google Wave) the next great 'hooop-la' or is it a flop? I'm test running Microsoft Groove 2007 now. I'm a little less than impressed with Groove as I am not sure it will fully function on my 64bit version of Windows 7. I am struggling.......I would almost sell a pet to test run Google Wave.

If anyone has an invite, hook me up.......


Note: I had my first Windows 7 issue today. I was attempting to drag an icon on the desktop into a folder I had created on the desktop and windows explorer 'hung-up'. I had a very similar problem with Vista? Anyone that can attest to this issue, please do........I'm curious.


kml
2009

Windows 7 Ulitimate - 2 Days and Beyond

I gotta say, I was about a 2-3 weeks away from the switch back to Apple after 10 years of separation. In fact, Apple was not using Intel processors when I last used their product. Because of my job, I made the switch to Windows. It was painful at first as we were then using Windows 95 in the corporate environment and for the life of me I could never understand why the corporate world used Windows after my first week using it.

I decided that if I was to stay ahead of the curve at work I should update my home computers to Windows products from the Apple platform. I wanted to be able to easily share files between work and home. (keep in mind, 11 years ago this process was much more painful than now days)

I did most of the obvious Windows upgrades over the years, 95.........98..........98SE............ME.........2000Pro.........XP Pro.............Vista..........and now finally Windows 7 Ultimate. Out of 8 different OS choices, I feel that only 3 were worth having. So now I'm wondering, was I a fool or do I chalk it up as a 'continual learning experience'? The ones that worked, worked well.........the ones that were bad, were terrible.

This all leads me forward in time to where I am today. I'm through the weekend and still test driving Windows 7.........(I'm keeping my fingers crossed) I'm getting the feeling that this upgrade is one of the 'good ones'. Usually by now, if I was going to have problems......I would have seen something pop up.

The install was even smooth for me which is one of the things in the past that made me want to put a torch to the computer. Back-ups were easy. Things feel more intuitive with this release. (Wait a minute, am I talking about Windows here?)

Maybe another day or two of this.............but again, so far, so good. I am pleasantly surprised.

Your thoughts?

kml
2009

Windows 7 - Ultimate - Day 2

So far this (Windows 7) seems like my initial experience with XP Pro when it first came out. Nothing weird. I have been going through the paces and can not find anything yet that does not work. I'm already loving the new improved taskbar. There are lots of little tweeks to the task bar that I love. The 'show desktop' feature is something I did not think I would use but I have used it several times already. By default it is placed in the bottom right corner. Hover over this button with your mouse and all open windows become transparent showing a view of the desktop. This is quite handy I must say.

Open programs shown on the taskbar can be hovered over as well to show mini windows of open items.

The only thing I have noticed is that Windows 7 does not load quite as fast as Vista did for me on start-up. Not a big difference but enough that I noticed. However, I'd take this trade-off any day if the OS is reliable as it seems to be.

So far..........still, so good.

Your thoughts?

kml
2009

Windows 7 - Ultimate

Going for the test drive. So far, so good. Installation of Windows 7 was straight forward. There were no surprises and the system seems very stable. UI is much improved. I can already tell that this is a better OS than Vista.

Daily updates to follow.

kml
2009

B2B Social Networking

I have heard that it can not be done! I submit to you that successful companies must socially network within their supply chain to reduce costs and improve relationships.

What are your thoughts?

kml
2009

iPhone 3GS Review 1

I’m not sure the traditional ‘what I like’ and ‘what I don’t like’ review will fit here. Apple thinks outside of the box so I think I’ll just combine the review. You will catch on.

Email

iPhone email is not all the way there yet but it is so close that it is knocking on a partially opened door. The set-up (to me) lacks just a little when compared to the Blackberry product line. My BB Bold took just a very few minutes to configure and it works every single time, every day of the week…….it just works. Like I said, Apple is getting close. Now with a really nice MS Exchange Support feature, Apple is knocking on the door of business and I can tell you I saw some bright minds last week in Europe and the folks that were using their iPhones seemed a bit happier than those of us using Blackberry products. I love the push email from Blackberry and I like the fact that I do not have to pay the $99.00 fee just to have the feature. Apple needs to get with the program here and realize this is standard service I should not have to buy MobileMe every year to get what Blackberry already bundles? Are you listening Apple? Summary: I like iPhone email……almost.

Keypad

It took me a little time but the touch screen keypad works. I just don’t think it is quite as fast as pumping out emails on my BB Bold. However, having said that, I would not want a physical keypad on my iPhone. In fact, that would be a real ‘mood killer’ for me. One of the things I like about the iPhone is not having a gadget that has a flip or slide-out keyboard or a front mounted keyboard that uses precious screen space. I do appreciate the ability to now rotate the device for a larger keyboard view on many programs. It does help folks with fat fingers like me. My suggestion would be to offer 3-5 various keyboard sizes in the ‘settings’ menu so that the user could pick the size that best fit. Summary: The keypad is a bit crampy for me but with a little use I overcame and did enjoy but still prefer the on screen vs. buttons for this application.

Internet Browser

Do you remember how insanely crazy I was over the BB Bold e-mail functions? I can tell you, iPhone internet browser (Safari) crushes all of the competition I have seen in this market. In fact, when on a trip, if my family requires information that must be found online the iPhone 3GS is our first choice. We can pay bills, browse any page, look at news……….and we can do all of this in the time it takes to fumble through the opening pages on my Bold. Yes I have mini Opera on my Black Berry and it is still lame beside the Safari used on iPhone products. I have nothing negative to say at all about the browser on the iPhone until a competitor gets within the same century as Apple……then I’ll offer a suggestion or two. Summary: Browsing the way a mobile device should browse. In comfort and in style……..and intuitive!

Communicating with "Generation Y" at the Customer site

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=160161216551&topic=24770

Guess what folks, we are getting older! Pretty simple concept, huh? Did you know Apple recently hired a college grad who had never used email or read a newspaper? This grad was highly sought after. His methods of communication consisted of only Social Network accounts. He felt that email was 'taboo' and the 'old way' for simple and common communications. Why e-mail from one computer to another when a person can chat & video directly from one mobile device to another?

Think about it..........in 10 years communication will not look as it does today.

Just for giggles........anyone following Google Wave? Imagine the power we have to communicate transparently and in real time with our customer? Two-way dialog with all needed media involved.

http://wave.google.com/help/wave/about.html

No paper, no airline ticket, no jet-lag..........simply start choosing the poisons that are eliminated from the process.

Think the customer would hate this? I spoke to one of our top customers last night, he wondered why we had not moved in this direction 5 years ago.

Very sobering, when asked why they did not tell us earlier, he stated, "We assumed you were the best in your industry and knew what you were doing.!"

This is PROFOUND! Somewhere in the process the customer did not feel our relationship was transparent enough to tell us this. This is not the fault of the customer this is where we as suppliers have not thought into the future. We have been so consumed with keeping our jobs and making it through the recession that we forgot about 'Generation Y'.......the leaders of tomorrow at the customer site.

I spoke with another customer this week that said most paper he picks up at trade shows and from sales calls get tossed to the 'recycle bin'. He says, "At least we're being 'Green' in the process".

Please offer your ideas here. Discuss openly.

It's a new world..........same customer, new generation of leaders.

kl

Knowledge-Fest......Innovation Is Not Dead

Just returned from a week of soul cleansing. I've been couped up in a plane today for 13 hours so my feeble mind can not do the topic justice tonight.......however, I must say......Innovation is not dead in this world.

I have tasted of it this week. I have seen peoples from many nations united at heart.

It is soul-food for the mind. Give me a day to get over this jet lag and I'll give you a taste of this soul-food of the mind!!!!!!!

kml

2009

On The Road Again........

Once again on the road. Will be in the UK tomorrow.......then Switzerland the rest of the week.

Next in line for the blog will be iPhone 3GS reviews.

Stay tuned.........

kml

2009

Blackberry Bold – Review # 2 – 2009

Now for the handful of things that I’m not so happy about on the Blackberry Bold.

Media Player

It is OK. Maybe to some it is great. Too bad for Blackberry that I picked up an ipod a few years back. Other pieces of hardware that try to do music & video seem to pale in comparison to ipods. The media interface is mediocre and it does not seem like high quality to me. It feels like media was an afterthought …………somewhere way after email.

Voice Mail

I must do a ‘before’ and ‘after’ here. Voicemail before AT&T offered Visual Voicemail on the Bold reduced me to the basic cell phone voicemail. It was a pain in the butt and quirky. The little message symbols went away sometimes after clearing voicemail and other times I had to pull the battery. However, with Visual Voicemail, all of my Blackberry Voicemail issues went away. It’s now very easy to use and intuitive. I must add here that I suspect the Voicemail issues were always an ‘AT&T’ issue rather than a ‘Bold’ issue but it was still aggravating to say the least.

Internet

I saved this to last because to me Blackberry has absolutely failed miserably in this area. And YES before anyone suggests it, I have tried both Bolt and Mini Opera for Blackberry and to me they are both lame attempts to correct the largest flaw on any Blackberry device. If I needed my Blackberry for heavy internet use, I would take a sledge hammer and smash each piece into powder. Reading web pages (and pdf files) is like going to a proctologist that has huge fingers. It is painful and embarrassing……….and sadly this one feature would drive me to another device in the future if Blackberry does not fix it. Don’t give me the ‘well it is so good with email that you don’t need internet’ story. That story may have worked before the iphone but not in 2009. Blackberry, fix the internet engine and you will remain highly successful for many years. Ignore it at your own peril.

Your thoughts?

kml

2009

My Blackberry Bold – Review 2009

Well, I picked up my Blackberry Bold last November 2008. I immediately fell in love with some of the features. I’ll spend a day or two on the Bold and then I’ll address the iphone 3GS (my wife’s) next week.

Email

I was new to Blackberry until November of 2008. I can not speak to any earlier models of Blackberry devices. Email was the first thing that jumped out and ‘smacked me in the face’ with the Bold. WOW!!! Within 10 minutes of leaving the AT&T store I was getting e-mail from all 4 of my accounts. (2 Gmail accounts, 1 Bellsouth account and 1 MS Exchange Server account) It was just that easy and it has remained that easy. Email is what my Blackberry does best. I know of absolutely no way I would change email, period. Every device on the market would do well to pattern email after the Blackberry model. Did I mention that I love Blackberry email??

Blackberry Messenger

If your friends have Blackberry devices, there is no easier way to text them than Blackberry Messenger. I should add that Blackberry Messenger 5 was released this week (October 2009) with the barcode scan feature. Scan your friend’s device and it loads them to your BB Messenger friends list. Simple, intuitive and the way all messengers should work on any platform. I love this feature and use it daily.

Track Ball

Being a former Palm 750 user, I thought I would hate the track ‘ball’ on the Blackberry Bold. The first week, I hated the track ball. After the first week, I could not imagine any Blackberry without a track ball. Mine has been flawless and based on the UI of the device I think the track ball was the best solution.

Keyboard

I’ve been a Palm fan for years. I used several of their keypad/touch screen combos for years. I thought they were nice until I used the Blackberry Bold for 2 weeks. If the Bold can be beat in terms of style and accurate key boarding, I’d like to see the device that could do it.

Tomorrow you’ll get the things I do not like about my Bold.

Your thoughts?

kml

2009

Apple Snow Leopard vs. Windows 7

I gotta offer one more day of this......I am a tech junkie, forgive me......this article is too much not to pass along!!! I have pasted the link and posted the text here.

http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/10/08/whats-wrong-with-windows-7/

What's wrong with Windows 7

Posted by Philip Elmer-DeWitt

October 8, 2009 6:18 AM

Reading between the lines of Walt Mossberg's review

Photo: Microsoft

It's a given that Windows 7, scheduled for release in two weeks, is an improvement over Vista. But how does it stack up against Apple's (AAPL) Snow Leopard?

The definitive word comes in Thursday's Wall Street Journal and All Things Digital from Walt Mossberg, the diminutive dean of tech journalists and a man who takes his software reviews seriously. After testing Windows 7 for nine months on 11 different machines, he has pronounced it "the best version of Windows Microsoft (MSFT) has produced." (Ring a bell? See UPDATE below.)

"I still give the Mac OS a slight edge," he writes, "because it has a much easier and cheaper upgrade path; more built-in software programs; and far less vulnerability to viruses and other malicious software, which are overwhelmingly built to run on Windows. Now, however, it’s much more of a toss-up between the two rivals.

"Apple will have to scramble now that the gift of a flawed Vista has been replaced with a reliable, elegant version of Windows."

Mossberg has written a positive review; he has plenty of good things to say about Microsoft's latest operating system, and anybody who is seriously interested in buying it should read the whole thing.

But if you want to know what's wrong with Windows 7, we've excerpted the juicy bits below the fold.

In Walt's words:

• On a couple of these machines, glacial start-up and reboot times reminded me of Vista.
• On a couple of others, after upgrading, key features like the display or touchpad didn’t work properly.
• Windows 7 still requires add-on security software that has to be frequently updated.
• It’s tedious and painful to upgrade an existing computer from XP to 7
• The variety of editions in which Windows 7 is offered is confusing.
• Microsoft has stripped Windows 7 of familiar built-in applications, such as email, photo organizing, address book, calendar and video-editing programs. [They can be downloaded free of charge.]
• Windows 7 still isn’t quite as natural at networking as I find the Mac to be, but it’s better than Vista.
• In my tests, [a new feature called HomeGroups] worked, but not consistently, and it required typing in long, arcane passwords.
• The Mac still started and restarted faster than most of the Windows 7 PCs. But the speed gap has narrowed considerably, and one of the Lenovos beat the Mac in restart time.
• In the name of security, Vista put up nagging warnings about a wide variety of tasks, driving people crazy. In Windows 7, you can now set this system so it nags you only when things are happening that you consider really worth the nag.
• The system for upgrading is complicated, but Vista owners can upgrade to the exactly comparable edition of Windows 7 while keeping all files, settings and programs in place.
• Unfortunately, XP owners, the biggest body of Windows users, won’t be able to do that.
• They’ll have to wipe out their hard disks after backing up their files elsewhere, then install Windows 7, then restore their personal files, then re-install all their programs from the original CDs or downloaded installer files.
• Then, they have to install all the patches and upgrades to those programs from over the years.
• Microsoft includes an Easy Transfer wizard to help with this, but it moves only personal files, not programs.
• This painful XP upgrade process is one of the worst things about Windows 7 and will likely drive many XP owners to either stick with what they’ve got or wait and buy a new one.

"Bottom line," writes Mossberg, "Windows 7 is a very good, versatile operating system that should help Microsoft bury the memory of Vista and make PC users happy."

UPDATE: Kudos to reader Jon T. of Cardiff, Wales, for digging up this quote from Mossberg's review of Vista:

"After months of testing Vista on multiple computers, new and old, I believe it is the best version of Windows that Microsoft has produced." — Wall Street Journal, Jan. 18, 2007

"After using pre-release versions of Windows 7 for nine months, and intensively testing the final version for the past month on many different machines, I believe it is the best version of Windows Microsoft has produced." — Wall Street Journal, Oct. 8, 2009

Your thoughts?

kml

2009

What happened to Dell & Microsoft??

One would think in this economy that the Windows/PC products would be king(s) and Dell products would be queen(s). In fact, one would almost consider it obscene that Apple has been gaining market share in this economy. Although I am a long time follower of Steve Jobs, I am definitely not an ‘Apple guy’ only. After reading this article today http://www.wral.com/business/story/6156112/ and then other recent articles about how the PC/Windows market continues to tank...... I ask myself, “Which is the better value, quality or quantity?”

Why are people choosing Apple and running from Windows? Why would Dell, who one time could not build manufacturing plants fast enough, be closing house in some States? I contend that if Windows does not hit a home run (with the bases loaded) with this Windows 7 release………they are done.........as are some of these ‘quantity’ PC generators.

Ironically, even in a sour economy (maybe more so in a sour economy) quality and service are still king. Would you have thought the more expensive product (with much higher profit margin) could do it in the “Great Recession” of the 2000’s?

What happened to Dell and Microsoft?

Your thoughts?

kml

2009

Are you too ‘old’ to think ‘young’?

I know there are lots of different opinions regarding Brett Favre (2009 Vikings quarterback). I’m not a huge NFL fan but I do occasionally like to follow a particular team or person if they are illustrating signs of innovation. Brett Favre is one of those old guys (old for the sport) that seek to maintain mental youth. I love it!! Age should simply add experience to our mental youth…….not replace it with ‘old thoughts’.

I have a friend that learned to play the trumpet while in his mid 60’s. My grandmother even decided to take up a nursing career well after her 4 children had careers of their own.

What makes the difference? The difference is thinking young. One of my favorite things to watch in business is an older person applying years of wisdom to a young progressive thought. Who in the world would have thought that a group of old guys (by the standard of kids) could come up with an iphone or the revolutionary ipod?

Successful business leaders envision the future and design into the future not the past or present. Designing a computer or machine that works today will fail when brought to the marketplace. We must be progressive and think like the Steve Jobs types in the world. We must ask ourselves, “How will the world function 10 or 100 years from now and can I be a part of it?”

Are you a ‘young’ thinker?

kml

2009

Do you really 'know' your customers??

What do you know about your customers? How many contacts do you have inside of your customer facility? The ‘salesman’ ‘buyer’ relationship is as old as the process of bartering for goods and services. One guy rides through town and hooks up with a potential buyer. The guy selling looks over his shoulder……..making sure another seller is not riding into town with a better gadget for less money.

I remain convinced that we all collectively underutilize the resources at our disposal. We live in an age in which we could know anything we choose to know about our customers. We could interact with them socially online. We could not only know the buyer but we could know the end user and everyone in between.

We could let our customer tell us exactly what his need is and then simply produce according to the desire? What prohibits us? It is so easy to see the companies that truly know their customers. As a matter of fact, in the current economy the folks that really understand and know their customers shine even more so than in times of prosperity.

Do your really know your customer better than your competitor does? If not, what prohibits you from doing so?

kml

2009

What I've Learned In 37 Years.

Ironically, a day before (today) my birthday (tomorrow) this year I have enjoyed another "Langdon Family Reunion". I listened to some of the stories about my family during the very early 1900's. It helped me as I reflected on my thoughts for this blog going into the weekend.

In my short 37 years I have learned that I can never be successful unless I surround myself with good people. I owe my success, in part, to them.

I have learned that good leaders are rare. Good followers are even more rare.

I have learned that those who hesitate too long are often overtaken by the innovative thoughts of another.

I have learned to keep my friends close but my enemies much closer.

I have learned that I have to stop the movement of my lips to truly listen and hear the thoughts of others.

I have learned the value of the ability to reason. To simply have a 'mind' is not enough without the ability of that mind to reason .......it is but useless flesh.

I have learned that I have already lived longer than I deserve. Each day is a gift and I pray that I will treat it as such.

Have a great weekend my friends. Back to business on Monday.

kml

2009

Interacting with the New American Customer

If you are 20 years old or younger as of this writing, you are the generation that refuses to accept poor service. You will go to the grocery store and if the product is terrible or the service is rude you simply snap a quick pic or a short video on your iphone 3gs and within moments 1,000 potential people will also know your experience and share it with you via Youtube.

I fear the death of modern business will be the refusal of those over 25-ish to embrace this new age of communication. I know many people in their late 30’s that are still terrified to generate any kind of financial transaction online. Businesses that succeed in the future will embrace the ‘up and coming’ socially networked generation or they will fail and fail miserably. I continue to watch certain companies spend literally millions of dollars marketing a product when they could get more exposure for free. That’s right, free. The ‘old school of thought’ is nothing good is free. I say to them, “If paying a premium makes you feel superior, have at it.” It is a real shame though because there are over 500,000 hits on Youtube of video feed of a young kid playing guitar. Imagine that and to be quite honest with you the video is marginal at best. We must think differently today.

Much the way e-mail changed our lives so will online social networking change our lives. I read a recent study stating that Apple recently hired some kids out of college that have never (I repeat) never sent an e-mail. “E-mail” he says, “Wow that’s so taboo, who sends e-mail anymore when I can be linked real time to my entire community of friends?”

If my generation plans to succeed we better embrace socialnomics. (Socialnomics - the term is borrowed from a book written with the same title by Erik Qualman) We will ignore at our own peril.

Your thoughts?

To walk away from your job?? When would you??

During this economy fewer people seem to get ‘fed up’ with their jobs and simply walk away. I have been watching very closely over the past year during our Great Recession and have seen the tightening of the corporate belts across America and across the world. Some companies have trimmed the folks they feel were marginal at best. This leaves the few and the proud. The folks that are left often become very stressed wondering if they are next. Often times they work many hours for less pay fearful to say anything at all. Many companies have reverted to mandatory 4 day weeks asking their employees to work 10 hours days. Some companies have also cancelled the corporate contribution to the employee’s healthcare plan. Lastly, many companies have trimmed holidays and also stopped corporate retirement plan contributions.

I have seen many people ride out the first wave. The first wave is generally a mass lay-off. Some hang around after the reduced work week. A few more hang around after healthcare benefits are cut.

When would you leave or maybe the question is should you leave? In most economies it would be a ‘no brainer’……..in this economy it’s tricky. I have seen folks do it both ways.

I’d urge caution. Are you in a company that has a great likelihood of rebounding within the next year? If not, maybe it’s time for a career change anyway. Remember, although the times can be very difficult, some of the greatest companies ever built in America were built during the Great Depression of the 1920’s – 1930’s.

Your thoughts?