Focus on Enhancing the Business

Often nontechnical leaders find themselves in a position to select or to heavily influence selection of critical information system or technology. For many, this has not been a particularly comfortable position due to the lack of true understanding of the basis of the technology, its implementation process, and most importantly; a lack of qualified, concerned and engaged IS leadership.

In many instances, organizations have completely gutted their IT departments in order to impact fixed costs and show a rapid impact to the income statement. This however is one of the principle reasons proper and thoughtful diligence is rarely given to selections of technologies and sets the business leader up to handle areas that they are not willing to or not trained to accommodate.

Another reason for difficulty in making good technology selections is the business leader’s unwillingness to acknowledge their shortcomings when dealing with technology. As is often brought to ones attention, using technology is the primary source of knowledge when attempting to determine the level of usability to an organization. This is another place proper IT leadership is crucial.

Quote of the Month

“Proper information systems and cross-training are critical to the hedging of knowledgebase erosion.”

Craig Tedeton

Craig’s Notable Quotes

“Just because things could be worse,
does not mean you should stop striving
to make every situation better.”

C. Tedeton

Craig’s Notable Quotes

“Adequate focus is essential to measurable progress.”

C. Tedeton

Craig’s Notable Quotes

“Be thankful for good things and compliment yourself every once in a while.”

-C. Tedeton

The Jet has a name…. Cirrus Vision SF50

The age of personal jet aviation is here!

LINK: The-Jet   SF50

Electric Ben on Liberty

“ah!, think what you do when you run in debt: you give to another power over your liberty.

-Benjamin Franklin, c. 1757

Electric Ben Speaks Again

“We are taxed twice as much by our idleness, three times as much for our pride, and four times as much by our folly; and from these taxes the commissioners cannot ease or deliver us, by allowing an abatement.”

Benjamin Franklin, c. 1757

Missing the Point: The Explosion of Social Networking and the Degradation of Quality Contacts

In many professional and social circles, most understand the criticality of building and effectively maintaining a personal network of contacts. This “little black book”, albeit electronic or otherwise, can mean the difference in getting the meeting or not and closing the deal. Although, I refer to these contacts in terms of a business framework, they can certainly pertain to personal success in your individual spheres of influence. One’s associations with the PTA/PTO, religious groups, and the Little League can benefit enormously from a network of contacts.

However, with the relatively recent “big bang”-like atomic acceleration of Social networking, a disturbing trend has begun to rear its’ confused and scatter-brained head. I’m, of course, referring to the advent of and subsequent, exponential growth of the “Open Networker”. Ah yes….come one, come all. We are open for business.

This is a different creature than one may expect when observing a socially viable and outwardly looking dilatant of pressing the flesh. As we are all social creatures by the bountiful gifts of nature, it is expected that most of us look to directly and meaningfully connecting with another human for the express and deliberate purpose of initiating and cultivating an influential and enduring relationship. That was the preverbal “mouthful”, but a working definition of contact, it is. However, the Open Networker is another breed, nay another species when they attempt to single handedly test and prove the six degrees of separation theory. Although meeting and being met is an important event, the event itself is not the fleeting pinpoint in time that we are seeking.

Where is the love….where is is the meaning? According to Jeffrey Gittomer in his book The Little Black Book of Connections, “it is about connections and connecting, so that your little black book will become a success tool, not just a numbers database.”(Gittomer, 2006) I’m certain most people currently engaged in a social networking websites receive multitudes of connection requests from people more than four time zones away. One would find it painfully difficult to image the circumstances by which these requesters would ever have the slimmest opportunity to actually meet you, much less establish a meaningful, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship.

I too have succumbed to the excitement and allure of another human wanting to connect with me. It can be intoxicating to the ego to know that another person has taken an actual interest in you and hopefully after reviewing the not so limited life portrait that you carefully crafted for online consumption, they still want to connect….one can imagine the flips ones heart can do. Although this situation may sound, to some, as just the bit of excitement they were pinning for, I have decided to forgo this exercise in the enjoyment of endorphins, in favor of a better state of mind…

I have decided to make real connections from now on. No more blindly accepting requests and then looking through the person’s life history to see how we could possibly benefit one another. My new social networking motto…other than “who the hell is this person wanting to connect?”

“Putting true meaning back into the electronic handshake”

Craig A. Tedeton

January 16, 2009

Craig’s Notable Quotes

“In flexibility hides strength,

In strength hides endurance,

In endurance hides achievement.”

-Craig Tedeton

A Founding Father’s Word on Education

“Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone.  The people themselves therefore are its only safe depositories. And to render them safe, their minds must be improved to a certain degree. …aid of public education.”

Thomas Jefferson, 1775-1783

Lessons Learned #7

7. Owners/managers must have detailed plans on how to achieve and support the vision.