365QOD-Day754

"Bad choices make good stories" - t-shirt slogan

I believe in learning to make better mistakes.  It is silly to make the same mistake over and over again.  It seems that you are just not awake if you make the same mistake repeatedly.  You are not living in the present.

When I saw this t-shirt I immediately wrote it down.  I sometimes try to remember slogans and later realize that it is a mistake because I can not recover them.  So I took my phone out and wrote it in a file called quotes.  I did not make the same mistake again. I made a better choice.

Another part of this slogan is the storytelling aspect.  I believe that most of us want to hide our mistakes. BUT if we could allow ourselves to share the mistakes we will definitely tell a good story that others will easily remember and maybe not make the same mistake.

Today's question is:
"Do you tell good stories?"

365QOD-Day753

"I am changed again"- my response to a book

A couple of years ago I read a book called Ka-Ching.  It opened my eyes to the world of creating a blog and publishing.  The end result was two books and a daily blog which keeps turning out new material.  The book was so powerful that I could not even finish it without starting the blog.  I almost had to do while finishing the book. 

This weekend I read the book iPhone Millionaire.  It blew m away.  I had just got done with another book which I thought was one of the best books I have ever read so I did nit expect this one to move me.  But move me it did.

In the iPhone Millionaire the author, Michael Rosenblum, clearly lays out the case for videos being more and more in demand and the key to the next opportunity wave.  The book teaches you how to become a better photographer, videographer, and creator of videos.  It even touches on how to sell yourself and your work.

It made me wonder how to incorporate it in my success formula.  My multiple streams of income are: blog, books, apps, and now videos.  The combination and mission need to support my ultimate need to create.  I do not have the answers now BUT I know that my world will never be the same.  I have not been able to stop talking about the book since I finished reading it.  (Maybe I should have started shooting videos already)

Today's question is:
"Have you ever been changed by a book?"

365QOD- Day752

"Oh, to be young, and an entrepreneur"- USA TODAY story caption

This story made me think. What is changing?

"According to a Gallup Poll released in January 43% of students in grades five-12 want to be entrepreneurs, and around the country youngsters =, and around the country youngsters are signing up for lessons in business savvy.  Almost 60% say their school has classes on how to start a business, up from 50% in 2011.  Those numbers don't even include after school entrepreneur workshops"- Oliver St. John in USA TODAY story

I believe that just like many adults have become disappointed by Wall street, kids are being proactive.  They would rather create something for themselves rather than depend on some large business for their security.

God bless them!  I think our country would be better off with more people thinking like entrepreneurs than employees.  (In the long run this will reduce the ability to outsource a person's work.)

I believe that the street goes both ways.  An employee can become an entrepreneur.  An entrepreneur might not succeed and go back to being an employee.  However, after being an entrepreneur the person will never be the same.  They might decide to be an "intra-preneur" within a instead of just being an employee.  Their world has been stretched and can never be the same.

Today's question is:
"How secure are you being an employee?"

365QOD- Day751

"A cool story"- my review

I watched the movie The Words last weekend.  It was a very good movie.  It was three stories within one.  It was a story of a reader and his life.  He was reading a story of a man who found and published a book by a third man.  Last story was of the third guy.  It was interesting story because it made you a part of three different lives and how they connected.  The connection was the reader.

Lately I been wondering if people are interested in reading great stories.  I mean a short story that pulls you in and never lets you go.  Recently, I read several Leo Tolstoy short stories and I can tell you that there is power behind a short story.

The entrepreneur side of me immediately wondered if a short story is worth 99 cents.  Just like an app?  Would people pay for a great short story?  Maybe they already are?  I am ignorant about the market.

I do believe that a great short story is no different than a great website, great blog, great book, etc.  Without people being exposed to it it dies a quiet death.  Without social media it is very difficult and costly to get anyone's attention.

Today's question is:
"Which one of your products is dying a quiet death?"

365QOD- Day750

"What is it with people" - my question

Something that I have observed in the last year drives me nuts.  People are just completely unaware of the physical space around them.  I do not know if it is a cell phone phenomenon or not BUT I see the same when people are not attached to their phones.

People just seem to just stop without consideration for anyone around them.  They just stop as if they are lost.  They care less if they are in anyone's way.  The bump into things and people without apologizing.

I do not know if they are in deep thought or not BUT it seems like someone has turned off a switch or two.  It is making me wonder if I am doing the same thing.  Everything is more annoying when someone else does it.

Today's question is:
"Are some of  your switches OFF?"

365QOD- Day749

"I don't give out my salary information.  My boss and I are both ashamed of it"- Don Amerson

Recently Don said this to me in a hallway conversation.  Man, I could hardly wait to get back to my office to write it down. It is a jewel and great advice.

In Europe where I grew up people telling you their salary is very common.  I do not know if it is just not thought of as private or maybe we in the US consider it too private?

I usually do not share that information.  It serves no purpose to share it.  If I am interviewing for a job then I should be judged based on what I bring to the table NOT based on what I settled for in my last role.

I do believe people see you differently once you give out that information.  Some will look up to you and some will look down on you.  There is no good that can come from it.

Today's question is:
"What private information do you give out freely?"

365QOD- Day748

“Four key questions

1. Do customers recognize that they have the problem you are trying to solve?

2. If there was a solution, would they buy it?

3. Would they buy it from us?

4. Can we build a solution for that problem?” –Lean Startup by Al Ries

While reading the book Lean Startup by Al Ries I came across these four questions. Recently I have been working on learning how to develop apps that would teach math concepts that students do not learn well in high school.  I would like to be able to create apps that teach a little theory, show a few examples, and provide a tool to continue the learning.  So how would I answer these questions?

Q1 answer: There is a large group of students going into I believe that most students are using their smart phones in innovative ways.  If a tool is given to them to learn a concept then they will test it.  If the tool can effectively teach them the concept then they will embrace it.

Q2 answer:  When I did a search on apps that provide a tool for learning math there did not exist one.  I believe as long as I provide 4 lessons per app for $1 they will buy it.

Q3 answer:  Since my apps are the only ones that provide the tool, then there is no competition.  If they are 

going to buy an app that teaches them 4 lessons per app then they will buy mine.

Q4 answer:  I have build the solution to the math problem and presented it to a major on-line university several years ago.  They chose not to buy from me but created their own versions.  

Today’s question is:

“Do you have an idea to put through the four questions?”

365QOD- Day747

“All Advice is autobiographical  It is one of my theories that when people give advice, they are really just talking to themselves in the past.  This book is me talking to a previous version of myself.”- Austin Kleon Steel Like an Artist book

We are so full of opinions.  When presented with a story we jump at the chance to offer advice.  Hell, sometimes we don’t even wait for the whole story.

This desire to solve the other person’s problem stems from the quote.  We are in a sense giving our younger selves advice.  It is as if we are solving our own past problems with new information gathered from experience.

Today’s question is:

“What is the best advice would you give your younger self?”

365QOD- Day746

“Analog vs. anti-log” – new idea

While reading Lean Startup book by Ries I came across his explanation of the concepts of analog and anti-log.  

Often times, when in the process of creating we can see how something is an extension to something that already exists.  In the book the author gives the example of creating a iPod device like the Sony Walkmen.  It was just an upgrade to existing device that people were using.  The Walkmen showed that people were willing to listen to music in public with little earphones in the ears.

So what is an anti-log?  Consider the time frame during which the iPod was created.  Napster was king and allowing people to illegally download music.  This was an indication that people would download music BUT also that they were not willing to pay for it.  Napster is the anti-log.

Combining those two concepts gives you the iTunes store where music can be downloaded easily and a person pays for a single song.

Today’s question is:

“What are the analog and anti-log concepts related to your idea?

365QOD- Day745

“Impossible contains I’m possible” – Audrey Hepburn

Recently I notice this quote.  I created my own version of this quote

  Impossible

  I’mpossible

  I’m possible

What is the difference?  I introduced an obvious transition piece.  But it is more than that.

Notice that the middle piece puts an accent on the I.  In other words I have to find it within myself in order for the transition to occur.  The only way for the transition between the first and second pieces to happen is for one to sit down and understand what those beliefs are and why they are believed to be true.

Another transition has to occur between the second piece and third pieces.  Once you understand your current beliefs, you have to create the new beliefs that will make you see it as a new reality.  

BUT it can not be just mental.  In other words I can tell myself that I believe all kinds of things BUT I might not act like it.  In order for me to act on that new belief that something is possible I have to attach emotions to that belief.  This involves repetition of the belief while ‘feeling’ it true.  You have to get yourself ‘pumped up’ with that belief as if your life depends on it. 

Today’s question is:

“What do you believe is impossible?”

365QOD- Day744

"You should focus on being interested rather than interesting”- Jacqueline   Novogratz 

I believe there is a reason why our human body is designed with two ears and one   mouth.  In my opinion, this design allows us to be able to listen to others twice as    much as we talk.

Unfortunately, the reality is that we tend to talk twice as much as we listen.  Often     times we only even just hear enough before wanting to jump in and comment.

So what?

Well, by listening we are working on the first part of the quote- ‘being interested’.   We give the other person an opportunity to give us a view of their world and beliefs.  

By actively listening and being interested, provides us some room to sound off and be  interesting to the other person.  If you truly hear what they are saying then you are     better going to be able to reach them.

Today’s question is:

“How do you show you are being interested?”

365QOD- Day743

“’If there is a  God, how can he allow this to happen?  How can he let so many people suffer?’

Several years ago, I married a man of strong faith.  One day he sent an email to me that said this: ‘On a street corner I saw a cold, shivering girl in a thin dress, with no hope of a decent meal.  I got angry and said to God, ‘Why did you permit this? Why don’t you do something about it?’ God replied, ‘I certainly did something about it.  I made you.’”- Lisa Ling Give of Yourself advice

I remember reading this portion in a book and it immediately made me think how we want God to take care of all of our problems.  Is that fair to us?

Yes, you read that.  If we give away that power then we are powerless to help each other.  As the story illustrates then why does God need us?  He created us to do what?

We are the tool for most of his miracles.  We are here to help one another.  God is there to cover the big stuff.  

Today’s question is:

“What small miracle did you help God with today?”

365QOD- Day742

“One of the most profound lessons I’ve learned is that life we don’t go through things; we grow through them”- Mo’Nique

Wow!  I love this quote.  The way I say the same thing is not as short and sweet as Mo’Nique’s quote.  

I believe we all are at a level in handling different issues that come up in our lives.  So if I am a level 5 person then a level 7 problem seems impossible to solve.  

So what happens then?  Most often we just simply wish the problem to go away.  BUT I believe the wisdom is that we must raise our level to be above 7 in order to easily handle the problem.

As the quote points out ‘we must grow through them’ in order to handle things.

Today’s question is:

“How do you grow through your problems?” 

365QOD- Day741

“Everything that needs to be said has already been said.  But, since no one was listening, everything must be said again.”- Angre’ Gide

 

I often worry that a post I am currently writing is one I have already written but can’t remember that I wrote it.  With 741 posts in my blog I can not keep track of them in my mind any more.

I am certain that often I repeat the message but maybe in a slightly different format. Maybe it is middle age? Another way to say this is that I am re-enforcing the message.

I do believe that I do get inspired by same ideas and have to be on guard to expose myself to new thoughts and ideas.  Only with new thoughts and ideas can I replace the old worn out connections in my brain.

Today’s question is:

“How do you know what you have already said?

365QOD- Day740

“Create a morgue file- file where you keep the dead things that you will later reanimate in your work”- Austin Kleone

I have a lot of boxes in storage.  Due to space constraints I currently have only one box of my “stuff”.  

The stuff is ripped out pages from magazines, pictures, articles, notes, ideas, sketches, etc.  These are contents of my ‘morgue file’

Once in a while I go through it and trim it into a slightly smaller version of the box.  It never goes away because as I trim I add to the box.

Sometimes I give myself the luxury of going through the file and just re-reading and getting myself inspired.  As the author states, it reanimates me and my work.

Today’s question is:

“Do you have a morgue file?”

365QOD- Day739

“Only 5 percent of entrepreneurship is the big idea, the business model, the whiteboard strategizing, and the splitting up of the spoils.  The other 95% is the gritty work that is measured by innovation accounting: product prioritization decisions, deciding which customer to target or listen to, and having the courage to subject a grand vision to constant testing and feedback.”- Lean Startup

Man if I can only come up with a billion dollar idea!  Does this sound like you?

Most people believe if they can only get one idea their lives would be set.  This lack of an idea is followed by realization that one is lacking, time, money, etc. to execute the idea properly.

But as the quote states the idea is only 5% of the battle.  Unfortunately we stop at the 5% and never proceed to action and innovation.

The sad part is that ideas are cheap and easy to get.  It is not the idea that counts but the execution of that idea.  There are many ‘poor’ smart people with ideas but they never execute.

Today’s question is:

“Can you execute the other 95%?” 

365QOD- Day738

"I wonder what it takes to get to 1%" - my reaction

Yesterday I got an email from LinkedIn.  It said, "You have one of the top 5% most viewed LinkedIn profiles for 2012!"

Man it made me feel great.  I have 500+ connections but that is nothing compared to many others.  I spend maybe 1 hour per month nurturing the relationships.  In other words, I have put my profile up and just do the bare minimum.

My blog posts do not even get posted on it.  Imagine if I put my posts up on the site.  Maybe it would drive my traffic to this blog and improve my rating.  Maybe it would push me into the 1%?

So what?  Well, marketing these days is mostly about social media. LinkedIn is a powerful weapon.  Maybe nurturing it would help my brand and improve my marketing. It is a wake up call to me.

Today's question is:
"What powerful weapons are you ignoring?"

365QOD- Day737

“Q: From the entrepreneurs you've worked with, what has collectively been the biggest barrier to their success? How do you suggest people overcome this?

A: More than anything, the key is staying focused. I tell a lot of my clients to look at their life like an iPad and to identify what "apps" they have open. 

Most people have way too many apps, or projects open. What happens when a computer has too many apps open? One, the processor speed slows down. And two, worst case scenario, a crash can occur.”- Entrepreneur Coach Antonio Neves on Finding Focus and the Power of Storytelling

I also believe that most people have way too many apps or projects open.  I am definitely one of them.  Even though I currently only have one job, I have many projects. 

The rest of the quote is right on also.  Since my attention is divided then my brain feels like it has slowed down.  Even better, at the end of the year I feel burned out and need to recharge by sitting on the beach for a week or two.

So what?  Well, I think the secret is to focus on one project and place a hold on the other ones until the one is done.  This is easier said than done.  I often start with great energy but then something else looks shinier and more interesting.  I move onto that and then after some time come back to the first project.  Eventually both get done but it is definitely not a sequential process of one thing gets done and I move onto the next one.

I have learned to accept that in me as long as I am executing something.  BUT what I see as a weakness is the idea of ‘too many apps open’.  Maybe I need to limit myself to 2-3 projects in front of me.  Maybe it should be only two?

Today’s question is:

“How many apps do you have open at this time?”

365QOD- Day736

“80/20 rule again”- my thought

I listened to two very talkative people have a conversation.  I was wore out. 

During the conversation one of the people kept talking and talking.  Usually their typical conversations are dominated by one or the other.

So the usual format is one will start it and the other will dominate it.  It works for them but I feel that it is limiting.

When I have conversations with people I want to engage with them.  Maybe share something and then listen to their response and ideas.  It seems to me that the 80/20 rule fits well. 

I want to do the 20% and let the other person fill in the 80%.  I know what I know BUT I do not know what they know.  Then I expect the other person to do the 20% and for me to give them the 80% in order for me to contribute.  It is also very important to be able to truly listen and absorb (4 times as important) what is being given to you.  Unfortunately, we most often are just simply formulating our response. 

Most conversations do not follow this ideal.  They can not but the closer they are to that the more ideas we would exchange.

Today’s question is:

“Can you hold a 80/20 conversation?”

365QOD- Day735

“If I hire someone just like me then I have doubled the company’s strengths and doubled it’s weaknesses” – my response

I spoke these words recently during an interview.  I was asked, “What do you look for in candidates?”  I strongly feel that we must hire people that are different than ourselves.

In my opinion, most interviewers are asking themselves a simple question, “Is this person just like me?”  The closer you are to their vision of themselves then the more likely you are to get the job.

It requires a lot of self-awareness to be able to honest and realize that we all bring strengths and weaknesses to a job.  In order for a team to be stronger we need to hire people that complete the team not just duplicate team members.

Unfortunately, most folks are stuck on this replica idea.  Their belief is that if the person is just like them they will succeed just like them.  And after all they are doing the interview so it must be true.

Today’s question is:

“How do you handle working with very different people?”

 

365QOD- Day734

“Do you want fries with that” – A McDonalds question

I do not know if it is still true today but McD employees were urged after a person placed an order to ask if the person wants fries with that.  Why? Because McD recognizes that the markup on fries is incredible.

Think about it like this.  A good deal 10 lbs. of potatoes are usually about $3.  In it you probably get 20 potatoes.  So if you take 2 of those and convert them into fries that you sell for a minimum of $1 then you just converted $3 into $10.  So McD knows what is the most profitable item and that by selling it they maximize their profits.  (I happen to think their McDouble is a great deal for $1 but their fries are not such a great deal)

The moral of that story is that you need people to buy into your ideas and you need to know which ideas give you the biggest bang for your buck.

Today’s question is:

“What is the most profitable thing you sell?” 

365QOD- Day733

“Do you want me to smile on a Monday?” – Actual question posed to me

My answer is no.  I can not make you do anything.  You are an adult and have control of yourself.  If you do not want to smile then you will not.

I believe that Mondays are critical to team effectiveness.  I put on my best smiley face on Mondays.  Why?

Spring of 1993 I suffered four major setbacks that each occurred on a Monday.  I was responsible for several shops and all of the equipment in them.  On Monday morning I would show up before 7 and the technicians would tell me how they needed my help to troubleshoot a machine that they had been working on all weekend.  I would spend the day and at the end of the day the machine was still not fixed.

Demoralized I went home to open my mail and discover that I had been rejected from another Ph.D. program.  I would then shower and get ready to go teach my first engineering class. 

After this had happened for four weeks in a row, I remember lecturing in front of 75 people and one of the students, David Zajakala, asking me if I was all right.  He pointed out that I am not the same guy that started the class. It dawned on me that I had let these Monday experiences affect my teaching. 

It was that night that I made a wow to myself to never have a bad Monday.  I realized that it affected not only me but other people around me.  I chose positivity, especially on Mondays.

Today’s question is:

“How do you begin your Mondays?”

365QOD- Day732

“Not my problem”- Unknown

If you want to control something then you have to take ownership.  Just because someone else provides the vision, you have to own the process in order to execute it properly.  You can’t be the owner without control.  Giving someone responsibility without authority never works.

I have never gotten push back when I took ownership of a process.  It seems to me that most people want to be participants rather than owners.  Owners are not necessarily the “owner” of the company.  It could be a process, location, tools, etc.

As owner you do not have a person you can blame.  Tag, you are it.  You own it and want it to succeed.  So you must nurture it to success even when you see your baby failing.  It is not easy.

Today’s question is:
“Do you want the responsibility of ownership?”

365QOD- Day731

“Only the paranoid survive” – Andy Grove’s book title

I remember giving a speech at a major university to an incoming freshmen engineering class.  In the speech I described my world as a professor and an engineering manager in steel industry.

During the speech I told a story of how major steel got its lunch taken by mini mills because they were not paying attention to the low-end producers.

In the story I told how Andy Grove went to a conference where he heard this story and he restructured the strategy at Intel to handle this threat.

As the title of his book suggests, he believes that being paranoid is helpful to survival.  BUT I believe that you still have to be a bit more confident. Paranoid Confidence as Derek Flanzraich from Greatist terms it.  “I believe the best entrepreneurs develop a healthy balance of paranoia and confidence. They're vigilant and realistic while, at the same time, never lacking the gumption to believe their vision is right.”

Today’s question is:

“Do you exhibit Paranoid Confidence?”

365QOD- Day730

THANKS for two years worth of support... 
THANKS for over 1000 views in a month
THANKS for over 10000 views total
THANKS THANKS THANKS...

“I can’t see that”- a lack of vision

I happen to have a boss who is a great visionary person.  He can see what is wrong and what he wants instead.  He is very clear of his vision.

I am an execution guy.  Once he sets the vision, I have to be able to execute it by making sure all of the pieces are there and in the right place.  Obstacles in front need to be identified and overcome before they become difficulties.

The two skills are complementary and not exclusive.  Some people excel in one and not the other.  Developing both makes you more complete as a person.

Today’s question is:

‘Do you compliment your fuzzy vision with clear execution?”

365QOD- Day729

“I just give up” – often heard

Sometimes giving up is the right decision.  Often it is not.  The “stick-to-it-ness” most of the time can guarantee good results.

To me stick-to-it-ness is another way to say grit.  You will continue the fight until you persevere through the difficulty. 

It might require long hours.  It might require a lot of sweat equity.  It might require believing in yourself and your ideas when others have given up. It might require that your world changes completely.  It might require growing beyond your current self.

Today’s question is:

“On a scale 1(weak)-10(best), what is your stick-to-it-ness level?”

365QOD- Day728

“To not decide is a decision” – a surprise to many

Recently during an internal interview for an operations role I was asked how I know when I know enough to make a decision.  I quickly jumped on the 80/20 rule.

In my world you never know enough.  You have to trust yourself and those around you to be able to respond to this fuzzy world quickly.  So if I feel that I know 80% of the facts then I should be willing to pull the trigger.

By waiting to get 100% of the facts you delay your response time.  You will cause paralysis by analysis by giving yourself the time to think and think and think and think. 

It is better to mobilize and move towards a target than to be “immobilized by indecisiveness” (Doug Bend’s phrase). Expect to learn from your mistakes but keep moving.  Decisiveness is critical.

Today’s question is:

“How do you stop paralysis by analysis?”

365QOD- Day727

“Man, I am overwhelmed.”- A frustrated co-worker

Often times I have been told this by people around me.  These words trigger many questions in my mind. 

As a manger you always have to coach your employees to monitor their time.  BUT as a leader you also have to teach them to monitor their (and your) energy (physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, etc.).

In life we realize that our effectiveness is due to mostly being passionate about what we focus on.  BUT eventually we realize that we can not do it all by ourselves.  Some people never trust enough to give away some of their tasks to people that can better accomplish them.

Your effects need to be directed towards tasks you are best suited for and will affect the group’s success the most.  In other words, you have to create a test- a litmus test as Susan Strayer LaMotte calls it.  The test needs to question why you are the person doing a particular task.

Today’s question is:

“What is your litmus test for what task you do?”