As The Citadel Class of 18 looks toward their Recognition Day this Saturday I know some of their thoughts. Thirty Eight years ago it was the Recognition Day for the Class of 81. I wasn't sure how it would go. There was some worry if I was physically able to handle what was coming. The 4th Class system was coming to an end. On one hand it was with relief that after that day there would be no more bracing, no more yelling, no more MRI with the 1Sgt, Ahead was relaxing times on the gallery, making friendships with those who spent the first part of the year turning eliminating our individuality and the last part of the year building us back up as a team (though some of my classmates would disagree with that last part). But I wasn't sure entirely sure some of those friendships would really happen.
The day came and boy was it a day. At the end of a very physical time and after a large number of pushups we were standing at attention (or at least trying to do it between gasps of breath and swaying back and forth). The Company CO announced that the 4th Class System had ended. Then started the long line of first name introductions and handshakes. Dan, Joe, Brian, another Joe, George, Kevin, Rich, John, Robert and many more.
Somewhere along the way it became a blur. Not because I passed out but because the emotion hit me. I had survived. I had gone through an experience that none of my high school classmates had done. The person who walked through the sallyport in August 1977 with a flattop was no more. In his place was someone who had matured and was ready to handle whatever came his way. It wasn't sweat in my eyes but tears of joy and thanks. The cadre, company leadership and even every company member, had done their job well. Now it was our turn to continue the training for the next class and to continue our development over the next 3 years. Those lessons in knob year and the next 3 have well positioned all of us to face what life sends our way.
For the Class of 2018.... Your Recognition Day is different than ours. That is ok. You live in a different time. Change is important for people and an institution to remain relevant. Embrace your day. You will be exhausted. Many before you have survived Recognition Day, so will you.
Don't hold grudges toward any upperclassmen, even those who did treat you unfairly. Learn from that and don't be like them. Become their friends....With very few exceptions they were doing what they thought was right. Learning how to get over things and turn these people into friends and comrades will be a talent that will serve you well in the future.
What we learn in knob year is how to "play the game" and WIN for the team. Not many people know how to do that. It is great satisfaction in the business world to put that to use and win not for self but for the team/company.
Thank your parents and those that have helped you during this year. They have sacrificed so that you can have this experience and are also proud of your accomplishment.
Now on a personal note: While, as an alumnus, I am proud of every knob that has made it through the year there is one in particular that I am especially proud of. She has done well and approached situations with a "can do" attitude even when they were not what she expected. She is an awesome young lady and will be a leader with or without rank.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Pebble does it again
As of 8PM EST the current Pebble Time campaign has gone to #5 all time Kickstarter funding with 32,562 backers and 6,835,152 USD pledged! They have already broken Kickstarter records today and are on the way to the #1 spot again.
I do have a first generation Pebble and have written an app or 2 for it. During the last 1.5 years or so I’ve been impressed that Pebble has made continuous improvements in the firmware as well as the interfaces using the Pebble app. They have a magic combination of a good price point (199 USD msrp for the Pebble Time, less for the current models) for the device and a continuous improvement of the ecosystem. They embrace and support their developer community providing a free and open SDK and online development IDE in the Cloud.
I believe that with the new features on the watch (read about them at the above link) when paired with a phone/tablet brings Pebble into being a valid enterprise level device at a good price point. It won’t be the „eierlegende Wollmilchsau“ but no company really needs that. What people do need is a device that is easy to see providing a visual and possible audio interface back to their main smart device. That main device can and should do the heavy processing and interfacing with the rest of the world. In this combination the battery life of the watch can be optimized. Each device can do what it does best.
https://medium.com/
“We challenged people to start with blank slate,” he says. “It could be software, it could be hardware, it could be a watch, it could be not a watch. Just walk me through a day in the life. We focused on a day because one of our stated goals and my core belief is that we want to make technology that is with you every single day of your life. There were some pretty crazy ideas.”
Eric Migicovsky is clearly a visionary in the wearable space. This version of the Pebble will move into the mainstream enterprise. Eric and all Pebblers are showing that laser focus and being OPEN can win! It is time for corporate IT departments to wake up and realize this.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Monday, December 24, 2012
Apollo 8 44 years later
Those of us who were around in 1968 remember watching as Jim Lovell, Frank Borman and Bill Anders read from Genesis while orbiting the moon. Most people have seen the iconic pictures they took of the Earth.. "the blue marble". Those words spoken by the first 3 humans to leave the influence of this Earth had so much more meaning while being able to look at the complete Earth. We truly are one human race on this little marble. Only 7 months and on the 3rd flights later we had improved the processes and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were standing on the moon.
For sure those years were turbulent times. I don't remember much of the riots and race issues. We were raised to treat our fellow man as equals so didn't understand much about the issues of the times. What is clear is that we went to the moon by focusing on a goal and achieving that goal. This is something that is lacking today. Our Legislative and Executive branches are mired in squabbles both within their own party and with the other party. They aren't able to do what is expected of EVERY successful business..... Have a balanced budget. Instead they continue to argue, spend and take every opportunity to change the focus to something else. Folks, Get it together.. FOCUS... Forget everything else. Pass a real budget and you'll find that a lot of other problems just go away. Take a bold step as we did in the space program. Republicans and Democrats, join with each other as you did in a joint session after the senseless attack on Gabriele Giffords. Get rid of the center aisle, In the new session sit with each other and work together for the American party. Enlist the support and draft some of your regular "every day guy and gal" constituents to work with you to really solve problems, not just talk about them. Don't talk to your colleagues... Talk WITH your colleagues. We have to work together and return this country to being innovative and leadership, not just on the political and peace front but in industry and to be a place where we can be proud of the people we elect to governmental office because of what they do.
The Mercury 7, Gemini, Apollo, Space Shuttle, MIR and ISS astronauts and cosmonauts took and are taking bold steps in space exploration. We have so much because of that focus. Those of us who are Earthbound should do the same.
For sure those years were turbulent times. I don't remember much of the riots and race issues. We were raised to treat our fellow man as equals so didn't understand much about the issues of the times. What is clear is that we went to the moon by focusing on a goal and achieving that goal. This is something that is lacking today. Our Legislative and Executive branches are mired in squabbles both within their own party and with the other party. They aren't able to do what is expected of EVERY successful business..... Have a balanced budget. Instead they continue to argue, spend and take every opportunity to change the focus to something else. Folks, Get it together.. FOCUS... Forget everything else. Pass a real budget and you'll find that a lot of other problems just go away. Take a bold step as we did in the space program. Republicans and Democrats, join with each other as you did in a joint session after the senseless attack on Gabriele Giffords. Get rid of the center aisle, In the new session sit with each other and work together for the American party. Enlist the support and draft some of your regular "every day guy and gal" constituents to work with you to really solve problems, not just talk about them. Don't talk to your colleagues... Talk WITH your colleagues. We have to work together and return this country to being innovative and leadership, not just on the political and peace front but in industry and to be a place where we can be proud of the people we elect to governmental office because of what they do.
The Mercury 7, Gemini, Apollo, Space Shuttle, MIR and ISS astronauts and cosmonauts took and are taking bold steps in space exploration. We have so much because of that focus. Those of us who are Earthbound should do the same.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Thoughts on recent events
Three events in recent times are sticking in my head. Not because of the magnitude or impact but rather for the ability to totally refocus our attention. These events are:
Two things should have our focus in these weeks:
First, don't let our Congress and President get sidetracked from their job of passing a budget. For them it must be the number one priority. They can debate gun control (pro and con) AFTER they do their job of stopping wasteful spending and pass a workable budget not more continuing resolutions. They should do nothing else until this is completed, delivered to the White House and signed. Stop blaming party A or party B. Forget the parties (both holiday and political) and get it done. Without that this country goes into a financial crisis.
Second: Say a prayer for those that are directly impacted by these events then get angry and make sure that you are prepared so that it doesn't happen to you. (and that doesn't necessarily mean you have to start carrying a weapon) Become aware of your surroundings. Do you know what you would do if an active shooter walks into your office, the mall or the grocery store when you are there. Are you always aware of what and who is around you in a 360 degree bubble? Do you know your company's plan for an active shooter? Do they even have one? Don't say "it won't happen here". The only statement that is valid is "It hasn't happened here yet". Go to work tomorrow and ask your Safety Coordinator or HR if there is a plan. Insist that one is in place and exercised just like fire drills. (and for sure the same plan does NOT work for both). Imagine what would happen if half of the workforce showed up at the office door asking this question. It will get noticed.
The article at http://www.policeone.com/active-shooter/articles/2058168-Lt-Col-Dave-Grossman-to-cops-The-enemy-is-denial/ is a good read for more information.
Stay safe and keep aware.
- the "fiscal cliff" or as it should be called "the Executive and Legislative branchs' inability to govern" or perform to the same standards expected by every normal business
- the Bengahazi consulate attack
- several active shooter incidents over the last weeks
- the Sandy Hook Elementary School active shooter incident.
Two things should have our focus in these weeks:
First, don't let our Congress and President get sidetracked from their job of passing a budget. For them it must be the number one priority. They can debate gun control (pro and con) AFTER they do their job of stopping wasteful spending and pass a workable budget not more continuing resolutions. They should do nothing else until this is completed, delivered to the White House and signed. Stop blaming party A or party B. Forget the parties (both holiday and political) and get it done. Without that this country goes into a financial crisis.
Second: Say a prayer for those that are directly impacted by these events then get angry and make sure that you are prepared so that it doesn't happen to you. (and that doesn't necessarily mean you have to start carrying a weapon) Become aware of your surroundings. Do you know what you would do if an active shooter walks into your office, the mall or the grocery store when you are there. Are you always aware of what and who is around you in a 360 degree bubble? Do you know your company's plan for an active shooter? Do they even have one? Don't say "it won't happen here". The only statement that is valid is "It hasn't happened here yet". Go to work tomorrow and ask your Safety Coordinator or HR if there is a plan. Insist that one is in place and exercised just like fire drills. (and for sure the same plan does NOT work for both). Imagine what would happen if half of the workforce showed up at the office door asking this question. It will get noticed.
The article at http://www.policeone.com/active-shooter/articles/2058168-Lt-Col-Dave-Grossman-to-cops-The-enemy-is-denial/ is a good read for more information.
Stay safe and keep aware.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Thoughts on Election Night
As I sit here tonight listening to the same comments being repeated over and over in the media I think about what this election means to me. It is true that the outcome of the election will affect this country for many more than the next 4 years. Regardless of who wins he can not by himself correct the issues we face. It will take every one of us pushing our elected officials to correct issues, balance the budget (heck, even just pass a budget) and move us forward with innovation in energy, manufacturing and other areas.
JFK said it best on Sept. 12, 1962 at Rice University when he laid out his plan for the space program: "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too." That speech galvanized a nation to achieve what many thought impossible and to do it in the next 8 short years. We need that again, not only in our quest in space but here on earth too.
I have heard from some people that they will leave the country of Obama wins, others say they will leave if Romney wins. Folks, this is OUR country. We need to all stay and work to make it a better place.
I am reminded of one of the first things I learned at The Citadel, right after the 3 standard answers....the Cadet Prayer, written by Bishop Albert S. Thomas, Ret, Class of 1892:
Almighty God, the source of light and strength, we implore Thy blessing on this our beloved institution, that it may continue true to its high purposes.
Guide and strengthen those upon whom rests the authority of government; enlighten with wisdom those who teach and those who learn; and grant to all of us that through sound learning and firm leadership, we may prove ourselves worthy citizens of our country, devoted to truth, given to unselfish service, loyal to every obligation of life and above all to Thee.
Preserve us faithful to the ideals of The Citadel, sincere in fellowship, unswerving in duty, finding joy in purity, and confidence through a steadfast faith.
Grant to each one of us, in his (her) own life, a humble heart, a steadfast purpose, and a joyful hope, with a readiness to endure hardship and suffer if need be, that truth may prevail among us and that Thy will may be done on earth. *Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Improving this country is a challenge is one that we must be willing to accept, one we can not postpone and one which we intend to win.
JFK said it best on Sept. 12, 1962 at Rice University when he laid out his plan for the space program: "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too." That speech galvanized a nation to achieve what many thought impossible and to do it in the next 8 short years. We need that again, not only in our quest in space but here on earth too.
I have heard from some people that they will leave the country of Obama wins, others say they will leave if Romney wins. Folks, this is OUR country. We need to all stay and work to make it a better place.
I am reminded of one of the first things I learned at The Citadel, right after the 3 standard answers....the Cadet Prayer, written by Bishop Albert S. Thomas, Ret, Class of 1892:
Almighty God, the source of light and strength, we implore Thy blessing on this our beloved institution, that it may continue true to its high purposes.
Guide and strengthen those upon whom rests the authority of government; enlighten with wisdom those who teach and those who learn; and grant to all of us that through sound learning and firm leadership, we may prove ourselves worthy citizens of our country, devoted to truth, given to unselfish service, loyal to every obligation of life and above all to Thee.
Preserve us faithful to the ideals of The Citadel, sincere in fellowship, unswerving in duty, finding joy in purity, and confidence through a steadfast faith.
Grant to each one of us, in his (her) own life, a humble heart, a steadfast purpose, and a joyful hope, with a readiness to endure hardship and suffer if need be, that truth may prevail among us and that Thy will may be done on earth. *Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Improving this country is a challenge is one that we must be willing to accept, one we can not postpone and one which we intend to win.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Leadership Lessons from Knob Year at The Citadel
Reading the various Facebook posts today about the recognition of the Class of 2015 brought together some thoughts I've been having about
early influences on my leadership style. The first influences were 18
years of examples by my parents of how to be a good person and treat
people correctly.
In late August of 1977 the 2nd step of leadership training began. That first day was sensory overload where we began learning how to be good followers. The biggest leadership lesson of that day was the 3 answers: "Sir Yes Sir", "Sir No Sir", "Sir No Excuse Sir". Particularly that last answer is one that is key to being a good leader: Not giving excuses but rather taking responsibility for issues and mistakes. 34 years later it still gets used even when in some cases it should be used by someone else. Responsibility is a big thing that is missing in so many companies today.
Looking back over that year there were examples of bad leadership, those we won't mention. There were also examples of good, even great leadership. Our cadet company commander lead by example. He was firm but fair. When we had PT runs or other activities he participated. There was one particular time where the famous Mr. Rampey would not allow a flat top haircut due to "regulations that didn't allow blocked hair cuts". The CO stood up for the knob who wanted it and even wrote a memo to the tac officer and Mr. Rampey regarding the issue. He didn't have to do that and it didn't change Mr. Rampey's decision but it taught that knob an important lesson: Support your people. This company commander is now a Lt. General and is the Commanding General of the NATO Training Command in Afghanistan. I have heard from people with first hand knowledge that he leads in the same way today: up front, with his people and pulling his own weight.
Others of the cadre that year taught us that being firm doesn't mean not being sadistic (though some of my classmates might disagree). "Racking" (running in place, push-ups and other things) was the method of discipline when there were minor infractions. Normally this was done by the cadet sargents and corporals. They were lead by the 1st Sgt, Asst 1Sgt and cadre platoon leader. ALL 3 of these gentlemen took this activity seriously and as a result most of the others did also. (as I mentioned at the top, there were a few exceptions). After breakfast there were usually a collection of us out on the 3rd division getting in some "rack" time. The cadre who were overseeing the activity were physically present. They didn't just start us up and then go in their room to get ready for class. Lesson Learned: discipline when needed should be in person.
My advice for the Class of 2015 as you end your recognition activity this weekend: Take time to congratulate yourself on persevering though what more than likely has been the toughest year of your life. Be proud of that. For sure, those of us who came before you are proud of you. Tomorrow take some time to reflect back on the good leadership you have experienced and how that will help you. Also think about the bad examples and resolve NOT to do those things.
Congratulations, Class of 2015
In late August of 1977 the 2nd step of leadership training began. That first day was sensory overload where we began learning how to be good followers. The biggest leadership lesson of that day was the 3 answers: "Sir Yes Sir", "Sir No Sir", "Sir No Excuse Sir". Particularly that last answer is one that is key to being a good leader: Not giving excuses but rather taking responsibility for issues and mistakes. 34 years later it still gets used even when in some cases it should be used by someone else. Responsibility is a big thing that is missing in so many companies today.
Looking back over that year there were examples of bad leadership, those we won't mention. There were also examples of good, even great leadership. Our cadet company commander lead by example. He was firm but fair. When we had PT runs or other activities he participated. There was one particular time where the famous Mr. Rampey would not allow a flat top haircut due to "regulations that didn't allow blocked hair cuts". The CO stood up for the knob who wanted it and even wrote a memo to the tac officer and Mr. Rampey regarding the issue. He didn't have to do that and it didn't change Mr. Rampey's decision but it taught that knob an important lesson: Support your people. This company commander is now a Lt. General and is the Commanding General of the NATO Training Command in Afghanistan. I have heard from people with first hand knowledge that he leads in the same way today: up front, with his people and pulling his own weight.
Others of the cadre that year taught us that being firm doesn't mean not being sadistic (though some of my classmates might disagree). "Racking" (running in place, push-ups and other things) was the method of discipline when there were minor infractions. Normally this was done by the cadet sargents and corporals. They were lead by the 1st Sgt, Asst 1Sgt and cadre platoon leader. ALL 3 of these gentlemen took this activity seriously and as a result most of the others did also. (as I mentioned at the top, there were a few exceptions). After breakfast there were usually a collection of us out on the 3rd division getting in some "rack" time. The cadre who were overseeing the activity were physically present. They didn't just start us up and then go in their room to get ready for class. Lesson Learned: discipline when needed should be in person.
My advice for the Class of 2015 as you end your recognition activity this weekend: Take time to congratulate yourself on persevering though what more than likely has been the toughest year of your life. Be proud of that. For sure, those of us who came before you are proud of you. Tomorrow take some time to reflect back on the good leadership you have experienced and how that will help you. Also think about the bad examples and resolve NOT to do those things.
Congratulations, Class of 2015
Friday, March 23, 2012
Shadow IT
There is an interesting article: http://www.theregister.co.uk/
Many years ago the same discussion/problem existed when departments started using the new technology like the Wang mini computers and PC’s and discovered that they could solve problems using spreadsheets and access databases. Geeky engineers liked the ability to program the Wangs. Part of that solution was to declare the mainframe systems that were tailor programmed to be obsolete relics of the past and to move to client-server systems that were smaller, lower cost and ran off-the-shelf software that would “solve all problems".
Well, they weren't exactly the silver bullet that many had hoped for. The software produced by the leading providers is for sure flexible but it is very difficult for anyone to really know how to configure all the possible functions. Now we are back into the same situation but now with that very same “savior” client server software and a new era of portable computing devices where we carry massive power on our belts. The software is run on huge server farms (ie: mega-MIPS systems) with huge main memory capacity and almost unlimited (and low cost) disk storage. (the “mainframe” of today) All of this is accessed by a GUI program running on a PC. This is not unlike the 3270 or 5250 green screens of before, just looks a little better.
Have we really improved or in order to solve the problems of today do we need to go back to having highly customized applications to meet the business needs? Can the big software companies and the legions of consultants/analysts move fast enough to stay up with the fast changing world of social media and tablet/palm computing devices. Is this causing companies to not be able to innovate their internal processes fast enough to stay world class leaders in their industry?
I think that we are being held back by these restrictions. In an attempt to compensate there are now, yet once again, huge spreadsheets, uploads/downloads being done in the business in order to support reporting. We have to get back to having the IT support the business and the business to support IT to do that.
More in a later blog about HOW to accomplish this.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Reducing the eMail Firehose
In a recent discussion with a colleague he recommended that I read the book “The Hamster Revolution: How to Manage Your Email Before It Manages You”. This book has a humorous approach to explaining what we all know but are not able to do much about: eMail is wasting not hours but weeks of each of our productivity time per year. The techniques in this book seem logical so I am going to use them in 2012.
As such you will see the following changes in the email you receive from me:
This information will be revised as the new method develops. Check back here if you have any questions OR send me a “REQUEST:” email.
We would all benefit if each of us applied some simple email structure to this important communication tool.
I highly recommend that you read “The Hamster Revolution …” and consider it for your own email process.
As such you will see the following changes in the email you receive from me:
- the subject line will be formatted in this way:
ACTION: descriptive subject (-eom) - ACTION will be one of:
- ACTION
- INFO
- REQUEST
- CONFIRMED – I have completed the subject action
- DELIVERY – this email contains a response to a request you have made
- The subject will be descriptive of the contents and never blank
- If “-eom” is included then the complete intelligence of the email is in the subject and you don’t need to open the email. Just read the subject line.
- The body will normally have 4 sections (this may take a while to work into):
- Brief greeting
- ACTION: context, specific action, purpose and response time
- BACKGROUND: clear, concise and relevant background.
- CLOSE: next steps, signature block
This information will be revised as the new method develops. Check back here if you have any questions OR send me a “REQUEST:” email.
We would all benefit if each of us applied some simple email structure to this important communication tool.
I highly recommend that you read “The Hamster Revolution …” and consider it for your own email process.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
AT&T's buyout of T-Mobile
I have mixed feelings about the recent announcement AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile USA. On one hand it will consolidate the GSM network under one provider. The combined physical network will provide better coverage than either company has alone. That is a good thing.
However, the loss of competition in the USA GSM world will allow AT&T to have a monopoly in that space. GSM is unique in that the chip can be moved from phone to phone giving some flexibility in changing devices.
Back in the mid 60s it wasn't possible to own your own phone and connect it to the phone network but rather paid a monthly cost to Bell for them.. that over time changed to where the customers owned phones. That gave rise to many different types of low cost phones. In the early 70s the Bell System was split up into 7 Regional companies. Ironically, at least 4 of those are now part of AT&T!! Seems that the old Bell System is rebuilding itself.
IF the FCC and FTC allow this merger to go through then they should put some controls in place to ensure that the combined company acts in the best interest of the consumer. They have not proven that so far (recent example is the DSL to U-Verse conversion where at their discretion they will change the service and payment plans).
If the merger is NOT allowed to be completed then that opens the door for Google to then acquire T-Mobile USA and become a carrier. This could prove interesting as Google does operate in the interest of the consumer.
Only time will tell....
However, the loss of competition in the USA GSM world will allow AT&T to have a monopoly in that space. GSM is unique in that the chip can be moved from phone to phone giving some flexibility in changing devices.
Back in the mid 60s it wasn't possible to own your own phone and connect it to the phone network but rather paid a monthly cost to Bell for them.. that over time changed to where the customers owned phones. That gave rise to many different types of low cost phones. In the early 70s the Bell System was split up into 7 Regional companies. Ironically, at least 4 of those are now part of AT&T!! Seems that the old Bell System is rebuilding itself.
IF the FCC and FTC allow this merger to go through then they should put some controls in place to ensure that the combined company acts in the best interest of the consumer. They have not proven that so far (recent example is the DSL to U-Verse conversion where at their discretion they will change the service and payment plans).
If the merger is NOT allowed to be completed then that opens the door for Google to then acquire T-Mobile USA and become a carrier. This could prove interesting as Google does operate in the interest of the consumer.
Only time will tell....
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Quantum leaps
Technology at the hardware level is moving at amazing speeds.. 2 TB disks are now at the 100 USD price level. Smartphones have more power and capability than desktop PCs of only a few years ago. If only industry could make the same quantum improvements in our business processes then the financial/business crisis would be truly solved, not just declared as solved via Powerpoint. We look to pretty powerpoint charts and written standards to show that we are doing good things. That just gets us stuck in a false belief that we are good.
The big question is "why is this not possible". There are 2 reasons. First, hardware has no feelings (yet). The 1 TB disk that was 100 USD last year doesn't know that it is replaced by a 2 TB disk. The 500 Mhz mobile processor replaced by a 1 Ghz Snapdragon in new phones will continue to faithfully do its job in its phone for many years until the phone isn't used anymore. We humans on the other hand are very sensitive to being replaced. In general we are very insecure about change, doing new things, experimenting, and most of all failure.
"Failure is not an option" was the mantra of Apollo 13 but it should not be the mantra of people who are tasked with the success of businesses. Only by stepping beyond what we know today and by trying new methods and processes and sometimes experiencing failure will we know that we've truly will take us to make our businesses truly world class and industry leaders.
Fear of new things or the unknown is nothing new. http://bit.ly/9OTlFd is a YouTube video of portion of a 60 Minutes 1982 interview with RAdm Grace Hopper (then Capt.) regarding change. It's worth a few minutes to watch.
Don't forget about the past but look forward to what could be and don't look for reasons NOT to change but rather never stop looking for reasons and opportunities to improve.
Very few companies are innovating at the speed of hardware. The company that can do that will DEFINE "World Class" and be an industry leader. The others are followers and copiers.
The big question is "why is this not possible". There are 2 reasons. First, hardware has no feelings (yet). The 1 TB disk that was 100 USD last year doesn't know that it is replaced by a 2 TB disk. The 500 Mhz mobile processor replaced by a 1 Ghz Snapdragon in new phones will continue to faithfully do its job in its phone for many years until the phone isn't used anymore. We humans on the other hand are very sensitive to being replaced. In general we are very insecure about change, doing new things, experimenting, and most of all failure.
"Failure is not an option" was the mantra of Apollo 13 but it should not be the mantra of people who are tasked with the success of businesses. Only by stepping beyond what we know today and by trying new methods and processes and sometimes experiencing failure will we know that we've truly will take us to make our businesses truly world class and industry leaders.
Fear of new things or the unknown is nothing new. http://bit.ly/9OTlFd is a YouTube video of portion of a 60 Minutes 1982 interview with RAdm Grace Hopper (then Capt.) regarding change. It's worth a few minutes to watch.
Don't forget about the past but look forward to what could be and don't look for reasons NOT to change but rather never stop looking for reasons and opportunities to improve.
Very few companies are innovating at the speed of hardware. The company that can do that will DEFINE "World Class" and be an industry leader. The others are followers and copiers.
Monday, May 10, 2010
True Teamwork - The best ROI this country has ever had
On May 19th I will join approximately 100 other folks at NASA's Johnson Space Center for an educational day and behind the scenes view of Mission Control during the STS-132 mission. Since it's inception the Space Program has set the example of innovation, decision making, teamwork and leadership. One of my focuses (but not the only) during this day of opportunity will be to explore how NASA achieves such selfless teamwork where leaders and team members are so interchangeable.
Understanding and having these skills in the workforce will help companies become agile and able to respond to such issues as the economic crisis.
Follow this blog, http://www.twitter.com/rcopelan or links at http://www.copelan.com as I prepare and participate in the STS-132 JSC TweetUp
Understanding and having these skills in the workforce will help companies become agile and able to respond to such issues as the economic crisis.
Follow this blog, http://www.twitter.com/rcopelan or links at http://www.copelan.com as I prepare and participate in the STS-132 JSC TweetUp
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Alternative Planning
The events of the past days in Iceland shows us how fragile our infrastructure really is and how powerful "Mother Nature" can be. We grow to depend on our technology but few ever think about a disaster from the point of view that the technology no longer works. Sure we have disaster plans for:
- IT systems failing: we get new hardware and restore the backup
- fire or natural disaster: move to a new building/location, get new equipment.
But what happens when the technology can no longer be used:
- a nuclear blast generates EMP and fries the electronics in our computers, cars, radios, hospital equipment, electrical grid
- the atmosphere is filled with particles and planes can no longer fly through it
- a LARGE asteroid impacts the Earth changes the dynamics of rotation.
Yes, at least some of these are improbably scenarios but at the beginning of last week the 10 Europeans sitting in meetings with me in Chicago weren't the least bit worried about going home on Thursday and coming back in 2 weeks for a SAP GoLive. As of Saturday only one that I know of got a flight to Rome, many hours by train from his original destination. The rest were wondering if they would be at their meetings on Monday or still here in the USA. Some of us are starting to think about an alternative GoLive support plan.
I am sure that companies that depend on air freight for keeping their production lines running are now scrambling to find alternative shipping methods to get material to open airports. This impacts costs in a very real way and may even push some companies into situations from which they can not recover.
How long will it last. We all hope that flights resume on Sunday/Monday but this is not something we can control, not something that Congress can pass laws to fix or have hearings to "Punish the guilty" (though I am sure that they will). Nature has reminded us that we need to be flexible and to never depend on anything so much that we can't do without it.
Robert Paterson has a good article on this topic at: http://smartpei.typepad.com/robert_patersons_weblog/2010/04/volcano-air-travel-a-black-swan-what-might-happen.html
- IT systems failing: we get new hardware and restore the backup
- fire or natural disaster: move to a new building/location, get new equipment.
But what happens when the technology can no longer be used:
- a nuclear blast generates EMP and fries the electronics in our computers, cars, radios, hospital equipment, electrical grid
- the atmosphere is filled with particles and planes can no longer fly through it
- a LARGE asteroid impacts the Earth changes the dynamics of rotation.
Yes, at least some of these are improbably scenarios but at the beginning of last week the 10 Europeans sitting in meetings with me in Chicago weren't the least bit worried about going home on Thursday and coming back in 2 weeks for a SAP GoLive. As of Saturday only one that I know of got a flight to Rome, many hours by train from his original destination. The rest were wondering if they would be at their meetings on Monday or still here in the USA. Some of us are starting to think about an alternative GoLive support plan.
I am sure that companies that depend on air freight for keeping their production lines running are now scrambling to find alternative shipping methods to get material to open airports. This impacts costs in a very real way and may even push some companies into situations from which they can not recover.
How long will it last. We all hope that flights resume on Sunday/Monday but this is not something we can control, not something that Congress can pass laws to fix or have hearings to "Punish the guilty" (though I am sure that they will). Nature has reminded us that we need to be flexible and to never depend on anything so much that we can't do without it.
Robert Paterson has a good article on this topic at: http://smartpei.typepad.com/robert_patersons_weblog/2010/04/volcano-air-travel-a-black-swan-what-might-happen.html
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Thoughts on iPad Day One
Much has been said in various blogs about why to get an iPad or why to wait. There is no need to rehash that. There are good points for either decision. As a geek, today was tough to watch the unboxing of 2 iPads on the TWiT Network and not have one myself. I will wait a while. Clearly Apple has hit another "long drive" and scored multiple runs with the iPad just as they did with the iPod and iPhone.
These are paradigm changing devices and move us toward a future that we saw only in Star Trek and other SciFi movies not so many years ago. Some look at these devices and wonder "why do I need it". The real benefits become apparent only after obtaining one and discovering new ways of doing things. Books don't go away, they just become more accessible. Radio and TV becomes audio/video podcasts or streaming networks such as TWiT. Real time interactivity between show hosts and the audience, only a dream for the big networks, is already a reality for shows that are "connected". This is enhanced by these devices for those who embrace them.
There is a healthy competition between between the iDevices and Android devices. Apple has again set a high bar for tablets in both hardware and software. I expect that in the coming months we'll see other hardware for Android. There is room for both and having both will ensure that companies as well as developers continue to innovate and improve.
Thank you Apple and Steve Jobs for moving the bar up a notch or 2. The challenge will be met.
These are paradigm changing devices and move us toward a future that we saw only in Star Trek and other SciFi movies not so many years ago. Some look at these devices and wonder "why do I need it". The real benefits become apparent only after obtaining one and discovering new ways of doing things. Books don't go away, they just become more accessible. Radio and TV becomes audio/video podcasts or streaming networks such as TWiT. Real time interactivity between show hosts and the audience, only a dream for the big networks, is already a reality for shows that are "connected". This is enhanced by these devices for those who embrace them.
There is a healthy competition between between the iDevices and Android devices. Apple has again set a high bar for tablets in both hardware and software. I expect that in the coming months we'll see other hardware for Android. There is room for both and having both will ensure that companies as well as developers continue to innovate and improve.
Thank you Apple and Steve Jobs for moving the bar up a notch or 2. The challenge will be met.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Google Wave Book - A new openness in publishing
Gina Trapini announced yesterday on This Week in Google that she is working on a new book destined to be the definitive source of information on Google Wave. I find her total desire to put her knowledge into the public domain really refreshing. The book is being developed online using MediaWiki and is licensed under the Creative Commons License. While she does plan on publishing PDF and traditional paper versions, it is clear that Gina intends for this to be a dynamic reference guide that will be updated as Wave matures. Visit The Complete Wave Guide to experience this openness in information sharing.
What does all of this have to do with 21st Century Business? Several lessons can be learned from Gina by businesses who want to move forward.
Too often businesses create new processes but then fail to stay in a mode of continuous improvement. Some companies implement the tools of the Internet like blogs, wikis, intranets but fail to realize the dynamic change that is the culture of the Internet. They ask "why aren't our tools successful". The answer is: "free them, free the knowledge and let your employees' creativity and innovation come to the surface."
What does all of this have to do with 21st Century Business? Several lessons can be learned from Gina by businesses who want to move forward.
- Knowlege is meant to be shared, not hidden in some file share directory structure or locked behind passwords
- Knowledge is ever changing. Just because the project is over or the documentation published the changes shouldn't stop. Documentation of a process or method that is not ever changing is outdated.
Too often businesses create new processes but then fail to stay in a mode of continuous improvement. Some companies implement the tools of the Internet like blogs, wikis, intranets but fail to realize the dynamic change that is the culture of the Internet. They ask "why aren't our tools successful". The answer is: "free them, free the knowledge and let your employees' creativity and innovation come to the surface."
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Google Wave
Google Wave is breaking new ground in the collaborative environment. I know that people are not happy about having to wait for invitations or the system isn't running perfectly. It is PREVIEW or pre-beta. Google has broken new ground by opening up development projects that would normally have never been used or even known for months later. They use the feedback from these experiences to further improve the software for the public release. By involving ourselves in this endeavor we, the community, have certain responsibilities:
Other software providers who have been traditionally closed are slowly moving in this direction. We, the preview testers, can make this the way of the future by working with the providers and not against them.
For a good introduction to how to use Wave visit Gina Trapani's Wave 101 at: http://lifehacker.com/5376138/google-wave-101
- Be patient and realize that Google has their schedule and that schedule may change at any time. We don't influence the schedule
- Realize that any part of the system may or may not work at any time. By agreeing to participate we were not guaranteed a working system
- Provide honest feedback about the functionality and suggest improvements
Other software providers who have been traditionally closed are slowly moving in this direction. We, the preview testers, can make this the way of the future by working with the providers and not against them.
For a good introduction to how to use Wave visit Gina Trapani's Wave 101 at: http://lifehacker.com/5376138/google-wave-101
Saturday, March 14, 2009
TED Talk on Wisdom
I just finished listening to Barry Schwartz's talk on the "Loss of Wisdom" given at TED in February 2009. This is an outstanding talk and really gets to the root of some of the issues that caused this current economic crisis and are also causing companies to be stuck in a crisis circle.
Barry makes very clear points with examples that rules and incentives are NOT the solution to our problems. The issues we face are, in his words, "often ambigous and ill defined". It isn't possible to write rules to solve these issues. Each situation is different. We must apply morals, wisdom (maybe collectively known as common sense) to each situation in order to solve it. Responding by developing guidelines or rules that "must be followed" are not the solution and in fact more often than not will cause even more problems in the long run.
Everyone should listen to this talk (see the link). There is something in it for everyone regardless of your position in a company or society.
The talk is available at http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_our_loss_of_wisdom.html and also on iTunes.
Barry makes very clear points with examples that rules and incentives are NOT the solution to our problems. The issues we face are, in his words, "often ambigous and ill defined". It isn't possible to write rules to solve these issues. Each situation is different. We must apply morals, wisdom (maybe collectively known as common sense) to each situation in order to solve it. Responding by developing guidelines or rules that "must be followed" are not the solution and in fact more often than not will cause even more problems in the long run.
Everyone should listen to this talk (see the link). There is something in it for everyone regardless of your position in a company or society.
The talk is available at http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_our_loss_of_wisdom.html and also on iTunes.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Your Digital Reputation
http://thefuturebuzz.com/2009/02/28/digital-reputation/
I thought this was a good article. Sometimes we don't realize that sites such
as Facebook, Linkedin, mySpace, Twitter, mailing lists and so on are cataloged
and available for searching. Even if we have turned up maximum privacy, our
comments or pictures may be found on other people's sites that have less privacy.
These days employers DO search these sites for information about prospective
employees. Speaking from my own experience, I google EVERYONE that is a business
partner. That "funny" picture at a party, slouching in a chair or comment that
might seem inappropriate when the background isn't known would be the one thing
that causes someone else to be chosen for a job.
That certainly doesn't mean that we shouldn't use these new social media tools
but only that we should keep in mind how others would use them and how we want
others to view us. Yes, some things will get posted by others that we can't
control but we can control what we post and how we want the world to see us.
Properly used, these social media sites can be a very powerful force that will
open doors to opportunity that a simple old-fashioned resume never would.
I thought this was a good article. Sometimes we don't realize that sites such
as Facebook, Linkedin, mySpace, Twitter, mailing lists and so on are cataloged
and available for searching. Even if we have turned up maximum privacy, our
comments or pictures may be found on other people's sites that have less privacy.
These days employers DO search these sites for information about prospective
employees. Speaking from my own experience, I google EVERYONE that is a business
partner. That "funny" picture at a party, slouching in a chair or comment that
might seem inappropriate when the background isn't known would be the one thing
that causes someone else to be chosen for a job.
That certainly doesn't mean that we shouldn't use these new social media tools
but only that we should keep in mind how others would use them and how we want
others to view us. Yes, some things will get posted by others that we can't
control but we can control what we post and how we want the world to see us.
Properly used, these social media sites can be a very powerful force that will
open doors to opportunity that a simple old-fashioned resume never would.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
2009 - The Rebirth of In-house Development
The change in the dynamics of the world economic situation will change how companies consider capital investments. In particular, the high cost: initial license, implementation and ongoing warranty costs of software will receive a very high focus. As companies, even whole industries, realize that they need to make radical and fast changes to their business models there will be a mandate for the software systems to change at the same rate of speed. The current model of using Commercial Off-the-shelf software (COTS) and high cost implementation consultants will not be able to respond to this new situation.
In the 1970s and 80s there were large in-house IT development staffs that in the 90s were seen as resistant to COTS and client-server. This was true. However, now we have a new paradigm of agile, "open" development that really does connect the end customer of the software with the developers (eXtreme Programming and similar methodologies). Using these "new" methodologies we can reintroduce the in-house programming teams and couple them with the open source community to leverage an even bigger effort to develop and maintain software. The in-house staffs can keep the software current with business requirements and feed those changes back into the community.
For most companies, the support software isn't strategic to the company's success. It is only a tool. If they are using a system such as SAP R/3, Oracle's manufacturing system or others then they probably only use a fraction of the total capability, yet pay a license for much more. By leveraging the Open Source Community they will not be put at a competative disadvange, rather will be able to be at an advantage by reducing costs while increasing the speed at which they can change their internal processes.
In 2009 we will see that systems such as OpenBravo, Alfresco, Knowledgetree and Pentaho become more prevelant. Protocols such as XMPP/Jabber will be used to power scalable interfaces between modules of these systems as well as with companies, their customers and suppliers such as it has with the Evergreen Library system.
In the 1970s and 80s there were large in-house IT development staffs that in the 90s were seen as resistant to COTS and client-server. This was true. However, now we have a new paradigm of agile, "open" development that really does connect the end customer of the software with the developers (eXtreme Programming and similar methodologies). Using these "new" methodologies we can reintroduce the in-house programming teams and couple them with the open source community to leverage an even bigger effort to develop and maintain software. The in-house staffs can keep the software current with business requirements and feed those changes back into the community.
For most companies, the support software isn't strategic to the company's success. It is only a tool. If they are using a system such as SAP R/3, Oracle's manufacturing system or others then they probably only use a fraction of the total capability, yet pay a license for much more. By leveraging the Open Source Community they will not be put at a competative disadvange, rather will be able to be at an advantage by reducing costs while increasing the speed at which they can change their internal processes.
In 2009 we will see that systems such as OpenBravo, Alfresco, Knowledgetree and Pentaho become more prevelant. Protocols such as XMPP/Jabber will be used to power scalable interfaces between modules of these systems as well as with companies, their customers and suppliers such as it has with the Evergreen Library system.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
A New Paradigm?
Back in the 80s it was said that no manager would be fired for selecting IBM (mainframe or software). Along came a paradigm shift from the big iron mainframes to smaller, client-server based systems. SAP was(and is) the leader in these systems. However, they have lost sight of why companies switched from the "big iron" and in-house supported COBOL/CICS systems. It was because the client-server gave flexibility. However, over the years it has grown into exactly like the software it replaced. Big, bulky, slow to change, difficult to implement. Expensive to support (both hardware and software). No longer with SAP and similar systems be a "given".
A new paradigm shift will be accelerated by our current economic downturn. Innovative companies will return to the roots of having a core staff of in-house Business Process/Programmer combination people that can leverage the power of various FLOSS ERP systems and their supporting communities. The result is that systems such as Compiere, OpenBravo and other systems will move toward a large scale Enterprise support. Utilizing technology such as Evergreen does with XMPP these systems will be scalable from the smallest implementation on one PC server to supporting Enterprises all over the world.
Finally, organizations will be able to innovate their support systems at the same speed as they need to innovate their business. Waiting for months (if not longer) for "the next release" will be a thing of the past. AND that folks is what we need in the 21st century.
(copy of a comment that I made on "The Register" this morning")
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