tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13061496786785195532024-03-23T03:14:20.712-07:00John M. HawkinsJohn M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-74181783642451140892020-10-11T09:05:00.001-07:002020-10-11T09:48:31.440-07:00Oct 2020 Giveaway: $100 cash, +$50 donation in your name, and a FREE book<p>
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</p>John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-76308763377243034032020-05-08T20:42:00.001-07:002020-05-08T20:42:05.564-07:00May 2020 Giveaway: $100 cash, +$50 donation in your name, and a FREE book<a class="e-widget no-button" href="https://gleam.io/KqS6v/may-2020-giveaway-100-cash-50-donation-in-your-name-and-a-free-book" rel="nofollow">May 2020 Giveaway: $100 cash, +$50 donation in your name, and a FREE book</a><br />
<script type="text/javascript" src="https://widget.gleamjs.io/e.js" async="true"></script>John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-8919054701319386382019-12-01T13:28:00.000-08:002020-01-26T10:37:14.609-08:00Dec 2019, Pay it forward 50/50 - $200 GiveawayCongratulations to Monique, from Santa Monica CA, who won the "Dec 2019, Pay it forward 50/50 - $200 Giveaway."<br />
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John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-42135764666429760252019-11-01T20:44:00.000-07:002019-12-01T13:24:10.867-08:00November 2019 Giveaway, $100 Visa Gift Card and a BookCongratulations to Jason, from Arvato California, who one the "November 2019 Giveaway, $100 Visa Gift Card and a Book."<br />
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<a class="e-widget no-button" href="https://gleam.io/MXscg/nov-2019-book-and-100-visa-gift-card-giveaway" rel="nofollow">Nov 2019, Book and $100 Visa Gift Card Giveaway</a> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://widget.gleamjs.io/e.js" async="true"></script>John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-19433056300181256312018-06-10T09:07:00.002-07:002018-06-10T09:07:44.726-07:00My Strategy Radio Show, Hosted by John M. Hawkins <a class="spreaker-player" data-autoplay="false" data-cover="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/images.spreaker.com/original/5cc23d403c2cee9a2e761d96781876d1.jpg" data-height="400px" data-playlist="show" data-resource="show_id=2938795" data-theme="light" data-width="100%" href="https://www.spreaker.com/show/my-strategy">Listen to "My Strategy" on Spreaker.</a><script async="" src="https://widget.spreaker.com/widgets.js"></script>John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-42660838103357104062018-04-26T13:45:00.000-07:002018-04-26T13:45:07.123-07:00A bird's perspective on, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Si-FZcf_5Z1Tkqn9CjPEE2cNdiyxBVIMp6oaBp13eIUEojPmb2M-1fXaAJst05yRCtRUB4gP9vZODVBTnpuHYjTB-0dZxPwHy4YBHgr0KkbkyRO_zV9gLE62GNkWBnPGKI6gEtfQHkU/s1600/Worm-in-the-Beak_600.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="303" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Si-FZcf_5Z1Tkqn9CjPEE2cNdiyxBVIMp6oaBp13eIUEojPmb2M-1fXaAJst05yRCtRUB4gP9vZODVBTnpuHYjTB-0dZxPwHy4YBHgr0KkbkyRO_zV9gLE62GNkWBnPGKI6gEtfQHkU/s400/Worm-in-the-Beak_600.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-61620840135068794552018-02-08T20:21:00.000-08:002018-02-08T20:21:10.224-08:00Radio interview @Moneytalk1690 AM<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi9t1-6tMQo" target="_blank">Listen to the recording</a> from my live radio interview @moneytalk1690 AM, with Eric and Angel from @ExperiencePros on the “most positive business talk show in America*,” where we discuss my new book “Coached to Greatness.” #business #radio </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi9t1-6tMQo" target="_blank"><img alt="Click Here" border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="863" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilP42q8is4rdJ4CCYiZuUVwGK-TOVP_7LwZwlvJGIV6PVWWzvKZxcLgufW3rPzclp7QulX7fFhEoMrxC78o5-bUXblHHiGuwj1kvIAufMO7Te1so4QVYAdt82-_2jubpxX8SM_d0jIW3U/s320/Radio_Interview.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-60699930329585047302018-01-19T16:29:00.001-08:002018-01-20T07:06:43.398-08:00BE ADVISED: NO VISION, NO GOALS, NO STRATEGY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnqYLVvd_cFUFVghBnAkJbSehd7h0RBzYu05KMkBHxXZqSR1FkTtzBRfDLtcYc1yyI5Sm8uVnX-KxBwMokuUNXmkdxeLAtXcOeCBzcvM5_Undz8lCQJhlgAYoCpTiqKz_p9F1VSDbsuY/s1600/no-vision-no-goals-no-strategy_700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="700" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnqYLVvd_cFUFVghBnAkJbSehd7h0RBzYu05KMkBHxXZqSR1FkTtzBRfDLtcYc1yyI5Sm8uVnX-KxBwMokuUNXmkdxeLAtXcOeCBzcvM5_Undz8lCQJhlgAYoCpTiqKz_p9F1VSDbsuY/s400/no-vision-no-goals-no-strategy_700.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-52525485927502433402018-01-15T18:06:00.001-08:002018-01-15T18:32:02.210-08:00People Struggling Is One Reason Why I Wrote “Coached to Greatness”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnfmClUXYxXqwppHEr1DdszIQG2x-Ry9X1GNSKjU-Kgtc4wVuWZCKtvg7tQDvng82W61pFO-r4VY4632b1ayuEwFwLokkfYuqL4iuzRaMO6x-SFnheNqgxhR68TA3skwsBCZhNaEqr2lc/s1600/why-write_coached_no_writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnfmClUXYxXqwppHEr1DdszIQG2x-Ry9X1GNSKjU-Kgtc4wVuWZCKtvg7tQDvng82W61pFO-r4VY4632b1ayuEwFwLokkfYuqL4iuzRaMO6x-SFnheNqgxhR68TA3skwsBCZhNaEqr2lc/s1600/why-write_coached_no_writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnfmClUXYxXqwppHEr1DdszIQG2x-Ry9X1GNSKjU-Kgtc4wVuWZCKtvg7tQDvng82W61pFO-r4VY4632b1ayuEwFwLokkfYuqL4iuzRaMO6x-SFnheNqgxhR68TA3skwsBCZhNaEqr2lc/s1600/why-write_coached_no_writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="241" data-original-width="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnfmClUXYxXqwppHEr1DdszIQG2x-Ry9X1GNSKjU-Kgtc4wVuWZCKtvg7tQDvng82W61pFO-r4VY4632b1ayuEwFwLokkfYuqL4iuzRaMO6x-SFnheNqgxhR68TA3skwsBCZhNaEqr2lc/s1600/why-write_coached_no_writing.jpg" /></a></div>
<h3>
Friendships are declining, the middle class is shrinking, income potential is being passed to heirs, we need to be ‘smarter’ about personal decision making.</h3>
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<div>
There is always a bittersweet feeling after releasing a book. During the writing process, I take comfort in the mental escape, the familiarity of having a project I enjoy working on. I like the creativity of the pre-production process where the book takes shape and all the effort from nurturing starts to show.</div>
<br />
While it’s comforting to work on a project, it is very satisfying to say the project is complete. I am thrilled to announce that my third book Coached to Greatness is now available.<br />
<br />
My focus during the writing process was to create a book that could help inspire, motivate, provide ideas and give concrete examples to help those people who might be struggling.<br />
<br />
I’ve learned so much during the process, here are some of my findings.<br />
<h4>
Finding #1 - Research Concludes that High Salaries are Passed from Parents</h4>
One interesting finding is the ability of parents to pass high salaries on to their children.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“According to a Pew Research study, 50 percent of income advantage—the ability to command a high salary—can be passed on to children (Pablo A. Mitnik, 2015).” - CTG</blockquote>
Thinking about this logically it makes sense - children learn by example.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Based on a survey, 76 percent of Americans believe the Middle class is no longer the economic majority.” And given “the middle class has been declining, which means that more and more parents of children are making less and less money. Based on statistics, future generations will earn less money” - CTG</blockquote>
This is important, but consider the importance of the ‘American Dream.’<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“For many Americans, the middle class is what the American dream is all about. You are relatively financially comfortable, you can see how far you’ve come, and through hard work, you can aspire to accomplish more and hopefully get to an upper-class spot.” - CTG</blockquote>
If income advantage is passed on and we continue to see a declining middle class, statistically we will have fewer people who can earn high wages.<br />
<br />
The result could be that we end up with two main socioeconomic classes; the haves and the have-nots.<br />
<h4>
Finding # 2 -Studies Show People Now Have Fewer Friends</h4>
With all the ways to digitally connect, this next finding surprised me.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Studies are showing that people’s personal and friendship networks have shrunk over the last thirty-five years (Miller, 2014). It’s not becoming any easier to grow relationships. “Forging platonic relationships isn’t always easy. [Cathryn Jakobson] Ramin’s situation appears to be increasingly common: According to a meta-analysis with more than 177,000 participants, people’s personal and friendship networks have shrunk over the last 35 years” (Psychological Bulletin, 2013).” - CTG</blockquote>
Having fewer friends is a fact that has stuck in my brain, I enjoy people and find that I can get lonely even after a few hours without any human interaction. With so many ways to connect, why is this the case?<br />
<h4>
Finding #3 - We forget that Engagement in life and accomplishments can help</h4>
Getting stuck in 'routine,' without having good examples, can distract us and lead us to the wrong path.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“We forget our goals and our purpose, and we end up compromising and settling. Initially, the constant activity of a busy schedule can make you feel like you are accomplishing something, but the reality is that you are spinning. Days turn into weeks, and weeks turn into months, and months turn into years. Pretty soon, you will feel like you are stuck.” - CTG</blockquote>
We need to be engaged in life, which translates to ‘keeping busy.’<br />
<br />
Understanding the importance of keeping busy, and the positive effect it’s had on me drove me to my thesis.<br />
<h4>
My Thesis </h4>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“The best athletes get to the top of their sports with the help of coaches, mentors, or others. Athletes don't find greatness in a day or overnight, and neither can we. I do believe that the more strategies you have to accomplish will put you in a better position to help others who are also seeking growth.” -CTG</blockquote>
I thought about the guidance I have received over the years, I researched motivation, human behavior, health, fitness and came up with strategies to help readers reflect on what motivates them, rediscover and assess core values, philosophies, and competencies. Also to find settings that allow them to be the most productive; and track progress towards accomplishing goals.<br />
The Result of my Research is covered in my book “Coached to Greatness”<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“If you know you can accomplish more, but change is slow to come; if you don't wake up excited and ready to achieve; and if you don't know what to do with your life, career, or business, you need this guide to success. By keeping an open mind, tuning into your senses, and being on the lookout for motivation, opportunities, and like-minded individuals who want to do more, you'll be coached to greatness.” - CTG</blockquote>
There you have it, three findings that I learned from writing this book. I hope the lessons I learned from this experience can help others in their quest for Greatness.<br />
<br />
“Coached to Greatness” is now available on Amazon and at other book retailers around the world.<br />
<br />
John M. Hawkins is an author, coach, and leader. He is the author of two other books: Building a Strategic Plan for Your Life and Business and Affinity. He graduated with a degree in business from the University of Portland.<br />
<h4>
CITATIONS</h4>
CTG - Hawkins, John(2018, JAN), Coached to Greatness<br />
Miller, A. (2014, Jan). Friends wanted. Retrieved March 25, 2017, from Apa.org: http://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/01/cover-friends.aspx<br />
Pablo A. Mitnik. (2015, July). Economic Mobility in the United States. Retrieved March 25, 2017, from http://www.pewtrusts.org/:<br />
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John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-26049366205707770092018-01-06T12:48:00.001-08:002018-01-09T08:58:06.494-08:00Can you help? I'm looking for reviewers to review Coached to Greatness, Free Book & Starbucks Gift Card. For a limited time, I am offering a FREE book & Starbucks gift card to anyone who will review my latest book "Coached to Greatness."<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSidNj1oWT5mGruFVx6COzdyXWLFMLkUC-9fy0B_f9ulSzcE8VZgdp5OHiqftQ9dUtokIeXJvlP8VXwSVHN9Qq_0-Bz37B5tF4qKJOmwc_hxHvI3FlI-8kxVP6sQaOFs3aRx89hISyH5o/s1600/book_reviewers_wanted_coached_to_greatness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSidNj1oWT5mGruFVx6COzdyXWLFMLkUC-9fy0B_f9ulSzcE8VZgdp5OHiqftQ9dUtokIeXJvlP8VXwSVHN9Qq_0-Bz37B5tF4qKJOmwc_hxHvI3FlI-8kxVP6sQaOFs3aRx89hISyH5o/s400/book_reviewers_wanted_coached_to_greatness.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Coached to Greatness Book Description:</b><br />
<i>You don’t find greatness in a day or overnight.</i><br />
<i><br /></i> <i>Change takes time, and making too many changes in a short period of time creates chaos. But incremental, positive changes can help you find your purpose, hold yourself accountable, and achieve goals and objectives.</i><br />
<i><br /></i> <i>Coach and leader John M. Hawkins reveals strategies that will help you accomplish more and—most importantly—be in a better position to help others who are also seeking growth. Get the guidance you need to</i><br />
<i><br /></i> <i>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>reflect on what motivates you;</i><br />
<i>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>rediscover and assess your core values, philosophies, and competencies;</i><br />
<i>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>find settings that allow you to be the most productive; and</i><br />
<i>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>track your progress toward accomplishing goals.</i><br />
<i><br /></i> <i>If you know you can accomplish more but change is slow to come; if you don’t wake up excited and ready to achieve; and if you don’t know what to do with your life, career, or business, you need this guide to success.</i><br />
<i><br /></i> <i>By keeping an open mind, tuning into your senses, and being on the lookout for motivation, opportunities, and like-minded individuals who want to do more, you’ll be coached to greatness.</i><br />
<br />
<h3>
If Interested Contact Me:</h3>
<b>Email:</b> johnm_hawkins@yahoo.com or DM my twitter account https://twitter.com/hawkinsjohn<br />
<br />
<b>Subject</b>: Book Review for Coached to Greatness<br />
Tell Me Your Preferred Format:<br />
· Paperback<br />
· Kindle<br />
<br />
<b>Physical Mailing Address </b>(*optional)<br />
<br />
* If you want a signed paper copy or Starbucks gift card send a physical mailing address, PO Boxes are just fine.<br />
<br />
Thank You!<br />
<br />
<br />
John M. Hawkins<br />
<br />
LEGAL: This is limited time offer & subject to quantity on hand<br />
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John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-51551178789831261372017-10-12T13:21:00.004-07:002017-10-12T13:21:57.781-07:00Choose the Cover to My New Book<span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7); font-family: "Source Sans Pro", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro", Meiryo, "Hiragino Sans GB W3", "Noto Naskh Arabic", "Droid Arabic Naskh", "Geeza Pro", "Simplified Arabic", "Noto Sans Thai", Thonburi, Dokchampa, "Droid Sans Thai", "Droid Sans Fallback", -apple-system, ".SFNSDisplay-Regular", "Heiti SC", "Microsoft Yahei", "Segoe UI"; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Which cover option do you like? </span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7); font-family: "Source Sans Pro", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro", Meiryo, "Hiragino Sans GB W3", "Noto Naskh Arabic", "Droid Arabic Naskh", "Geeza Pro", "Simplified Arabic", "Noto Sans Thai", Thonburi, Dokchampa, "Droid Sans Thai", "Droid Sans Fallback", -apple-system, ".SFNSDisplay-Regular", "Heiti SC", "Microsoft Yahei", "Segoe UI"; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Option #1, #2, or #3? </span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7); font-family: "Source Sans Pro", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro", Meiryo, "Hiragino Sans GB W3", "Noto Naskh Arabic", "Droid Arabic Naskh", "Geeza Pro", "Simplified Arabic", "Noto Sans Thai", Thonburi, Dokchampa, "Droid Sans Thai", "Droid Sans Fallback", -apple-system, ".SFNSDisplay-Regular", "Heiti SC", "Microsoft Yahei", "Segoe UI"; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The cover is for my new book coming out later this year.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7); font-family: "Source Sans Pro", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro", Meiryo, "Hiragino Sans GB W3", "Noto Naskh Arabic", "Droid Arabic Naskh", "Geeza Pro", "Simplified Arabic", "Noto Sans Thai", Thonburi, Dokchampa, "Droid Sans Thai", "Droid Sans Fallback", -apple-system, ".SFNSDisplay-Regular", "Heiti SC", "Microsoft Yahei", "Segoe UI"; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7); font-family: "Source Sans Pro", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro", Meiryo, "Hiragino Sans GB W3", "Noto Naskh Arabic", "Droid Arabic Naskh", "Geeza Pro", "Simplified Arabic", "Noto Sans Thai", Thonburi, Dokchampa, "Droid Sans Thai", "Droid Sans Fallback", -apple-system, ".SFNSDisplay-Regular", "Heiti SC", "Microsoft Yahei", "Segoe UI"; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Post your vote below in the comments section.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWRurF0fTejvL8-76BONXNIKuR9htop7cSkoCUSzzaTOuQW_CpsZXB8eZlASpbEXIRdM7BdgU8VpsFbenRMGV3SQHi4ZltOByi3uv_10TBbYZyd_gYlUkVzl63zJ7hlO7zq18PLO4t0o/s1600/Capture_2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro", Meiryo, "Hiragino Sans GB W3", "Noto Naskh Arabic", "Droid Arabic Naskh", "Geeza Pro", "Simplified Arabic", "Noto Sans Thai", Thonburi, Dokchampa, "Droid Sans Thai", "Droid Sans Fallback", -apple-system, ".SFNSDisplay-Regular", "Heiti SC", "Microsoft Yahei", "Segoe UI"; font-size: 15px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="881" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWRurF0fTejvL8-76BONXNIKuR9htop7cSkoCUSzzaTOuQW_CpsZXB8eZlASpbEXIRdM7BdgU8VpsFbenRMGV3SQHi4ZltOByi3uv_10TBbYZyd_gYlUkVzl63zJ7hlO7zq18PLO4t0o/s400/Capture_2.PNG" width="400" /></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7); font-family: "Source Sans Pro", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro", Meiryo, "Hiragino Sans GB W3", "Noto Naskh Arabic", "Droid Arabic Naskh", "Geeza Pro", "Simplified Arabic", "Noto Sans Thai", Thonburi, Dokchampa, "Droid Sans Thai", "Droid Sans Fallback", -apple-system, ".SFNSDisplay-Regular", "Heiti SC", "Microsoft Yahei", "Segoe UI"; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-71876111944070558312017-09-15T21:17:00.001-07:002017-09-15T21:17:53.935-07:00Could The Need for Human Connectivity be Driving the Age of Digital Transformation?<span id="docs-internal-guid-17d647e3-88e3-266d-9a39-dc4cc4735f6a"><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXiFflCmZWXCTFNOoGzFvRIppP2oVEUe8kmEdFsID4dH5ywTvi6o-DZ5phXtTukU4DSNJxvLtfjmZXXeJjhfq9NKRnFPbic6WdCzP2Ji_gBgMIEdfxfniZB-Siyx8mh8d6DBqbnxdG2E/s1600/human_connectivity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXiFflCmZWXCTFNOoGzFvRIppP2oVEUe8kmEdFsID4dH5ywTvi6o-DZ5phXtTukU4DSNJxvLtfjmZXXeJjhfq9NKRnFPbic6WdCzP2Ji_gBgMIEdfxfniZB-Siyx8mh8d6DBqbnxdG2E/s320/human_connectivity.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3598917" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #827be9; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gartner predicts that </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">connected devices will increase 31% in 2017 from the number of devices in 2016. According to their calculations, the consumer segment should grow to 12.8 Billion. Consumer, plus business verticals are predicted to rise to 20 Billion. The projected increase from 2016 to 2018 is much greater, with devices expected to increase by almost 220%.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What’s driving the increase of IoT devices?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Healthcare - do you go to the Dr.?</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to a </span><a href="http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/internet-of-things-iot-in-healthcare-market-fastest-growing-sector-in-this-segment-during-the-forecast-period-2024-832546.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #827be9; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sbwire</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> report; “(IoT) in the healthcare market, which comprises systems and software, medical devices, and services, has had a significant impact on the overall healthcare sector.” The sector now heavily relies on remote monitoring to add value by; “lowering costs, improving efficiency, and bringing the focus back to quality patient care.” Healthcare is going Digital.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Security - been out in public lately?</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On a daily basis you are likely to be recorded on video at least 75 times (if American) and up to 300 times (if from the UK) according to a</span><a href="http://crimefeed.com/2015/02/eyes-many-times-caught-surveillance-cameras-per-day/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #827be9; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> crime feed report</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Today, people have only a 5% chance of not being recorded on video. Security is going Digital, cameras, and sensors are at the forefront.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Human Connectivity - do you connect with others?</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pew research suggests that human connectivity is one of the biggest drivers of this digital age. In a Pew </span><a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/06/06/theme-1-people-crave-connection-and-convenience-and-a-tech-linked-world-serves-both-goals-well/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #827be9; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">research study, </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">one reason for the growth is; “People crave connection and convenience, and a tech-linked world serves both goals well.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Human condition is pushing digital and is one of the most powerful drivers.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These are only a few of the industries and drivers of IoT that are fueling the digital movement. Just think about the other applications, and you will find more use-cases for IoT device growth. This high demand will create an interesting problem statement.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Problem statement: Can the cloud platforms scale enough to support exponential growth?</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To enable digital transformation, we need to ask the question. What technically will it take for us to connect 20 Billion devices or more? If all devices were the same, then the answer is easier, but this is not the case. Just take a look at the various types of devices you might use or see on a daily basis, and more importantly all the hidden devices, that we don’t see.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Could growth of device be higher?</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Given the drivers, I think it is possible that the number might be even greater than the projected 20 Billion. If there were 7.3B people in 2015 (when Gartner predicted the 20 Billion) then what might the number of future devices be? Wouldn't all people benefit from core services? Calculating future devices becomes a math problem, based on what the percent of the population that is currently connected, and the number of devices required per person. For argument’s sake; let’s say we grow to ten devices (per person on the planet) - then it's simple math; we can multiply 10 (projected devices/sensors) times 7.3 Billion (Number of individuals) this would be 73 Billion devices. I don’t know if 73 Billion is even realistic, but based on the power of the need for human connection and just core services like health care and security, we have enormous growth potential.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Regardless, Standardization and Automation are necessary to support the digital growth.</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Based purely on mathematical and physics constructs we must accept that manual configuration and connectivity of these devices would require more resources and time effort than plausible. Archimedes, who lived from 287 to 212 BCE, was credited as saying;</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">History tells us Archimedes had limited access to technology, but his words still apply to this day. Today we use people, process, and technology to solve this larger problem. Technology and automation are our lever and fulcrum.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Technically it’s simpler to connect similar devices than connecting different platforms, assuming, of course, they all have interfaces. As the number of devices increases, we must rely more heavily on standardization of device interfaces, that can simplify the connectivity. We should also look to automation to help us meet the scale. Think about Archimedes lever and fulcrum.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The human need for connection is a big reason behind the need for digital information and in large part the driver for all these devices. Based on the laws of physics and mathematical principles, we must start thinking about the IoT ‘end state’ and accept that the only way to network and connect all the various permutations is by applying standardization of interfaces of the devices and implement automation to connect all these devices. Which may sound straightforward enough, the hard part is getting folks to agree on the ‘best technical direction,’ which isn’t always evident. But when we come together and agree on the future benefits, then debate, test, and agree on the optimal technical direction we can then move forward.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Please post comments below; I would love to get your perspective on IoT drivers and also your ideas for device growth projections.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">John M. Hawkins is the author of Coached to Greatness (expected 2017), </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Building-Strategic-Plan-Your-Business/dp/1469746247/" style="background-color: white; color: #4d469c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Building a Strategic Plan for Your Life and Business</span></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, and Affinity. John writes about strategy, goal setting, personal development, business, and technology. Follow him by subscribing </span><a href="http://www.johnmhawkins.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #4d469c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">johnmhawkins.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, on twitter </span><a href="http://twitter.com/hawkinsjohn" style="background-color: white; color: #4d469c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">@hawkinsjohn</span></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span></span></span>John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-64203847972909310772017-09-15T09:29:00.002-07:002017-09-15T09:31:40.453-07:00Do you want to grow your social network but are unsure about how to go about doing it? <span id="docs-internal-guid-17d647e3-83ce-a314-59a2-a81cfd35e77c"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-17d647e3-83ce-a314-59a2-a81cfd35e77c"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I built my Twitter following to 48K+, and it wasn’t as difficult as you might imagine, here are some tips you can use to grow your ‘following.’</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-192fb3ce-865e-2b89-dee9-c33698cec55e"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAVTPelWLrYTRX2esS0Ww8DmOcouQpAKo2759ZihwzKD1WISav8Dgvb4Opf9wxDbyoO4hKJiU3T8PpSaq1gpFKJh369Ec3duJvFv_ZVQe1Djz9-Z9YAQUO75Sel6BmXiiAXFEjBs3i6Y/s1600/john_hawkins_followers.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="456" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAVTPelWLrYTRX2esS0Ww8DmOcouQpAKo2759ZihwzKD1WISav8Dgvb4Opf9wxDbyoO4hKJiU3T8PpSaq1gpFKJh369Ec3duJvFv_ZVQe1Djz9-Z9YAQUO75Sel6BmXiiAXFEjBs3i6Y/s320/john_hawkins_followers.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One frequent question I get asked regarding my social media usage is; </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“How did you get so many twitter followers?”</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Sometimes I joke with the person asking me, I’ll say; “It will cost you, how much will you pay for this valuable information?” Although, no one has taken me up on my offer, nor would I charge someone. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are lots of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">benefits of having a strong social network</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, such as creating a platform to give you credibility, share knowledge, communicate, do business, entertainment, and even the good feeling you get after tweeting. And an even better feeling when you get a positive response from a tweet. Having a good 'reason' will keep you motivated to work on your goal. Since I have been asked the question many times, I figured I would share my experience. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Developing good </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">twitter habits</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> can help ensure your success by providing a simple easy to follow ‘process.’ Basics include, for every tweet make sure the tweet is ‘relevant’ to your audience, tweet at least 3 to 5 times a week during the hours your audience is active on Twitter. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Three Tweet Styles to get you started. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tweet Style #1 - Content, share information you find interesting.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tweet Style #2 - Engage with others, mention them in a tweet, or comment on a post they shared. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tweet Style #3 - Share something personal about you, this way you won't be mistaken for a robot. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For starters, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">create three tweets based on each of the three styles. Try those out, then create three more based on the styles and tweet those, continue until you get the hang of it. You will soon figure out what’s working and is not, with experience you can change your strategy accordingly.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7 Tips to Sharpen Your Twitter Strategy</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Topics: Focus on 3 to 5 topics at most, if you have too many you’ll have a hard time keeping up with it all. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter Mentors - Find twitter mentors (people who you might aspire to be like). Follow, and interact with them. Search and follow individuals with keywords that match your focus areas (they are more likely to retweet).</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Content - Content is King. As you go through your day and look up information, perhaps others would also enjoy the information, share it socially.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sharing Tactics - To have a friend you must be a friend, this means that you should be engaging with your like-minded mentors and followers. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Other social media sites - Share your thoughts in blog posts, articles, commenting and engaging with others.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tools to Automate - Use tools to help with grammar/spelling, automatically schedule tweets, and other tasks.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maintenance - Review the Twitter tweet rules, there are limits to how many people you can follow, and unfollow any time, check Twitter’s website for the latest.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've only covered a few basics, what are some tactics that you use? </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">John M. Hawkins is the author of Coached to Greatness (expected 2017), </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Building-Strategic-Plan-Your-Business/dp/1469746247/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Building a Strategic Plan for Your Life and Business</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and Affinity. John writes about strategy, goal setting, personal development, business, and technology. Follow him by subscribing </span><a href="http://www.johnmhawkins.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">johnmhawkins.com/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, on twitter </span><a href="http://twitter.com/hawkinsjohn" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">@hawkinsjohn</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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</span>John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-22186436466054402672017-02-14T20:12:00.001-08:002017-02-14T20:12:20.534-08:00IoT Event Causes Alarm Police Investigate<span id="docs-internal-guid-c63cbf94-3abd-c718-1b2d-07d3b191fe64"></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>IoT Data, Risks, Liability all identified from an IoT Device</i></span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUzH6v_rVqEOBQ2ElvqRKHtjDLY5fv2hvvRTzfYfu0YEyzsEdQ4URdW8WhOeQOtW9fK6SnJoQWHYmSUmpJPG3sDpIC3xm_fBOBcF-XH8kMbSrnTcN2SuzJaudTMosPScrEEj2B-piK0w/s1600/Internet_of_Things_vacuum.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="IoT Data, Risks, Liability all identified from an IoT Device" border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUzH6v_rVqEOBQ2ElvqRKHtjDLY5fv2hvvRTzfYfu0YEyzsEdQ4URdW8WhOeQOtW9fK6SnJoQWHYmSUmpJPG3sDpIC3xm_fBOBcF-XH8kMbSrnTcN2SuzJaudTMosPScrEEj2B-piK0w/s400/Internet_of_Things_vacuum.png" title="Internet of Things (IoT) " width="400" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">As devices shift to 'the edge' there are many new and unforeseen implications concerning data, security, legal liability, and overall management of IoT devices. My recent experience with an IoT Vacuum got me thinking about some of the unintended consequences from the IoT epoch we are now living in. These implications go beyond just IoT and could also apply to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices as well. One thing for sure, the Internet-of-Things will not only change the tools we use but will also how we think about and use them, forcing us to think ahead to think about risks just as much as we reflect on the benefits. And while this little vacuum is one of the many devices, it among other devices will be a forcing function for IoT thought leaders to take into consideration when developing their solutions.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5545454545454545; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One weekday after finishing up a morning meeting I pulled out my smartphone to check for messages, to my surprise found that I had multiple missed calls, voicemail messages, and dozens of text messages. One of the missed call phone numbers of particular interest was the Burglar Alarm Company - theirs was the first phone call I returned. I dialed the number and immediately got an agent on the phone.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5545454545454545; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Agent: "Based on the number you are calling from is this Mr. Hawkins?"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: "Yes, this is he, what's going on? I've received multiple calls from you."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Agent: "There was a glass break alarm that went off at your house this morning, we have notified the Police - they are on their way."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5545454545454545; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fearing the worst I did what any rational person would do, I quickly repacked my work bag, which I had unpacked only a short time ago. I shouted down the hall to my coworkers; “I have to leave, my home alarm went off, and need to take care of this, bye,” I rushed to my car and headed back home.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5545454545454545; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At about the halfway point on my drive, I called the alarm company back and got another agent back on the phone.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5545454545454545; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: "What's the status of the Police probe, is everything ok?"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Agent: "Mr. Hawkins, the Police have been to your house, I am issuing an all-clear - I’ll reset the alarm, what’s the passcode?"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: “What does that mean?”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Agent: “It means that they have physically been on premise at your home and found nothing that looked suspicious, no broken windows, the doors were secure - so we reset the system.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5545454545454545; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I had a decision to make, do I proceed home or head back to work? My overactive imagination had gotten the best of me, and I was worried about the family dog - so I decided to proceed home and investigate what was going on.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5545454545454545; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I entered the door the alarm rapidly chirped, this was much different noise than the typical one chirp, and there was no dog there to greet me. The chirping indicated to me that the event was real and that I needed to proceed with caution.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5545454545454545; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stanley, as the children affectionately call him, is our IoT Vacuum and he was not in his charging station where he usually is. Every day he starts vacuuming at 8:00 AM, and by the vacancy, in the charging station I saw that Stanley most likely went out for his daily assignment - however, he did not return - this was not like him.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I proceeded to the living room, as I entered the room, everything became apparent and the chain of events that must have happened. I saw a glass vase laying on the floor with its contents scattered. The crash of the glass vase must have set off the alarm. Stanley probably became tangled with the phone cord located adjacent to the glass vase that was sitting on a glass table. Oblivious to his circumstance he proceeded with his job - as he moved away from the table he pulled the phone cord, the phone and ultimately the glass vase off the table and onto the floor. I moved from the living room into my home office and saw Stanley stuck on an area rug only a few yards from the scene of the crime - case closed, I’ve caught the perpetrator!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I do enjoy the benefits of having a nicely vacuumed home, and I see some effects from the experience that got me thinking. What can I learn from this IoT device occurrence? For starters, Stanley was just doing as he was programmed, but something else dawned on me. I now see this seemingly good little helper in a new light, and I see that there is a much greater potential for him to do harm than I had first thought.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Legal Liability</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The alarm company summoned the police to my home, as the homeowner I know that I'm ultimately responsible for purchasing the device and programming the device. However am I liable as well? Was there a bright yellow WARNING label on the device that read not to use when no one is home? Raising an interesting question regarding the liability of the IoT-device, they automate and help, but should they be programmed to run without supervision?.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Risks</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Risk of Fire; What if the telephone cord was near a lighted lamp, and the light was pulled off the table and broken; this could have exposed hot electrical wires and potentially cause a fire. Should I be powering off lights before the IoT device moves throughout the house? And given this IoT device has a large battery, could it ignite itself? Now the thought of sending an IoT vacuum off seems riskier - almost as dangerous as leaving a simmering pot on the stove.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Data Security</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The IoT device is 'smart,' according to the manufacturer, it captures, and stores information about which rooms it has vacuumed. In this case, the GPS coordinates are processed and stored in the cloud. The floor plan along with furniture placement is in the cloud, along with the vacuuming days and times. The Alarm company knows when my alarm is set, and can remotely reset it - there is a lot of data, any breach could give information that I may want to keep private.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">IoT devices</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stanley is one IoT device, but what about the other devices that capture and send data to the cloud and elsewhere. My Alarm system with all its wireless sensors is IoT-enabled. What will become of all these sensors, how will we manage the devices? At some point, we could end up with IoT device proliferation? One takeaway for me is that while it’s good to have sensors, it’s just as important to be able to see what’s going on - perhaps a camera system would be beneficial as the next step.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maintenance</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At these devices go about doing their job who is going to do all the maintenance of these devices? In the vacuum's case, there is a dust collection bin that needs cleaning, a filter that requires cleaning and assists, get him unstuck when needed, software updates and more. The more IoT devices, the higher the maintenance toll.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">IoT Service Costs;</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The incident encouraged me to stop what I was doing and head back home to investigate; this means lack of productivity at work, it caused unnecessary work for emergency personnel and the alarm company. There is a cost to the IoT service, and this should be taken into consideration as well. The automation can help, but there may be hidden costs associated with it. Do the cost outweigh the benefits.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am now more curious than ever about IoT devices, and I can see that there is much more work that needs to be done to ensure we are creating meaningful IoT devices that help us to reduce risk, automate the mundane, and in doing so provide a higher quality of life. And while I fully take responsibility for the programming of the device, leaving work early, and involving the police, this experience opens up some interesting complexities that I had not thought of before this incident.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I did reprogram Stanley not to run unless I am home, and hopefully, an event like this won’t happen again. As for my dog. The dog is safe; I found him sitting in a recliner chair in my office - he didn’t look too happy when he saw me. I’m sure the screeching alarm hurt his ears, and that’s probably the reason for his silent protest. I gave him a few treats, then he came and sat on the chair next to my desk - where I logged back into work and finished my day.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’d love to hear your stories about the IoT and data at the edge, post comments below or share them directly with me on Twitter</span><a href="http://hawkinsjohn/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">@hawkinsjohn</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c63cbf94-3abe-1699-9bb0-26fd707a41ea"></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">John Hawkins is vice president, Corporate Marketing & Communications,</span><a href="http://www.vxchnge.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">www.vXchnge.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Hawkins is an author, speaker, writer, strategist, and technologist with over 20 years of consulting experience to Fortune 25-500+ companies, where he provided services to many of the large cloud providers. Find John on LinkedIn</span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/hawkinsjohn" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">John M. Hawkins (LinkedIn)</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter at</span><a href="http://hawkinsjohn/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">@hawkinsjohn (Twitter)</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-82176269988206018992016-11-06T19:00:00.001-08:002017-01-30T20:42:06.193-08:00The Middle Class Squeeze Fuels Growth in Lower and Upper Social-Classes<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiov4BGveORBJ9dtG6GP8-vpynyMn54OdVPstDXGHviou4Ar7UNQB0NakV7DDpJFHbovwyZYIzKThj7y_vrC5l5bFVZ0jDlbp6KdWonzTdIrAqioAJt9nqzPAS4TB13TmFJVXf2g3WK_Q/s1600/ShrinkingMiddleClass.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiov4BGveORBJ9dtG6GP8-vpynyMn54OdVPstDXGHviou4Ar7UNQB0NakV7DDpJFHbovwyZYIzKThj7y_vrC5l5bFVZ0jDlbp6KdWonzTdIrAqioAJt9nqzPAS4TB13TmFJVXf2g3WK_Q/s400/ShrinkingMiddleClass.png" width="286" /></a><i>Survey of 76% of the US Population Shows The Middle Class is no longer the Economic Majority</i></h3>
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The middle-class had been the ‘bell’ in the social-class bell-curve for years, for many Americans the coveted middle-class is what the American dream is all about. As a middle-class member, this means that you are relatively financially comfortable, you can see how far you’ve come and through hard work can aspire to accomplish more and hopefully get to a top upper-class spot.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Paycheck to Paycheck</span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">While many take top spots, the data shows that more and more people are living paycheck to paycheck – meaning they are further away from the American dream. According to Market Watch, “</span><span style="background: white;">63% are unable to handle a $500 emergency (</span><a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/most-americans-are-one-paycheck-away-from-the-street-2016-01-06"><span style="background: white;">MarketWatch</span></a><span style="background: white;">).” Others indicate they will change their spending to pay for an emergency “23%, reported they would pay for an emergency by reducing spending on other things</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";"> </span><a href="http://www.bankrate.com/finance/consumer-index/money-pulse-1215.aspx"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">(BankRateSurvey)</span></a><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">.” </span><span style="background: white;">The rest must borrow to cover a $500 emergency expense.</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";"></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">76% of The Population Studied</span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">The ability to pay for an emergency isn’t the only indicator of a declining middle class - according to a Pew research study, “</span>from 2000 to 2014 the share of adults living in middle-income households fell in 203 of the 229 U.S. metropolitan [statistical] areas (<a href="https://www.blogger.com/PewSocialTrends_2016"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">PewSocialTrends_2016</span></a><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">).” This study is significant because it included data from 76% of the 2014 national population, a large percent of the population, which means that we should take a serious look at this data.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">If you take a balloon and put pressure on the middle the force from the pressure will displace the mass to one end or the other, in this case, the mass is shifted to both lower and upper classes – meaning that people's income is moving from the middle of the ‘bell curve’ to either end – resulting in fewer middle-class spots.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Why Should You Care? </span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">This shift is significant because now there are fewer rungs and a greater distance between the fewer ladder rungs – just like with a ladder or staircase – the further the distance between steps the harder it is to get from one step to another. The middle class plays an important function and acts as a buffer between the two ends of the spectrum; on one end we have ‘the-haves’ and the other ‘the-have-nots.’ A lower class person can see themselves getting to a middle-class spot, but moving from a lower class to upper class is a quantum leap. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Your Choices; </span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Choice A) = Do <u>nothing</u> </span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Given the declining middle class, it’s not ok to assume that if you do nothing, you will get to keep your current social status. Some forces could push you lower on the social-class ranking.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Choice B) = Do <u>something:</u></span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">If you choose to do something then here are five steps to find out where you are on the social-class ladder, and also give you some ideas on how to build a plan to help you maintain your status and perhaps move to the next class.</span></div>
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<li><b>Assessment</b> – here is a middle-class calculator <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/05/11/are-you-in-the-american-middle-class/">(Middle-Class Calculator)</a> that you can use to calculate which class you are currently in – knowing where you stand will help as you develop your plan.</li>
<li><b>Vision development – </b>Dealing with the day-to-day activities can put a cramp in anyone’s dreams – develop your vision by dreaming about your ideal situation.</li>
<li><b>Goals development</b> – Having big goals is good, but having goals that are too big might mean that you don’t have a realistic plan. Visualize your goals, quantify your goals, and qualify your goals – then choose to focus on the goals that align with your vision and will get you to the next rung, keep in mind it’s hard to skip a step.</li>
<li><b>A Role Model </b>– find someone who has achieved similar goals to what you want to achieve – learn from others who have already made the mistakes.</li>
<li><b>Success Delivers Success </b>– if you’ve tried and failed, it becomes so easy to just stop trying – so try achieving little successes, this might be as simple as getting up 15 minutes earlier and spending that time on your goals – that might not seem like a lot of time but over a month it will add up, <i>15 minutes a day over 30 days is 7.5 hours.</i></li>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">There is no doubt that there are fewer and fewer middle-class members and more and more people who are now not able to handle a relatively small financial emergency. Regardless of where you are currently in your life, it wouldn’t take much to move you off your plan. Those who want to preserve their place in the social-class system should be planning now to understand where they are currently, then develop a plan to either maintain their status or grow above and beyond.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">If you need some guidance consider reaching out to a mentor or find a coach who can help you see a different perspective and maybe help you find happiness – with the assistance you too can change the trend and maintain your spot or grow into a higher ranking.</span></div>
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John M. Hawkins is a Vice President of Marketing and Communications, a technologist and the Author of ‘Building a Strategic Plan for your Life and Business” Author goo.gl/X3pN75. You can find him on twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/hawkinsjohn"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">www.twitter.com/hawkinsjohn</span></a></div>
John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-32387151834273137532016-10-17T20:44:00.001-07:002017-01-30T20:43:25.579-08:00Rise in Job Satisfaction Means Americans Should be Happier at Work – So Why aren’t you?
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">63+ Million Americans are unhappy with their current job if studies are to be believed</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxY6OtFo5IoBGRsn_0ScZ9-dheZfGsq3TUj2zH3DZvAQ9gWxFCeUdgofu87kXMhIRhiaWtgCG7ORHY0ge_E2OSnas9RhhQAXHXqRZesnibr54mEvUJpWkvy9DmNKhs4XiUogejo0JssYc/s1600/frustrated_worker.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxY6OtFo5IoBGRsn_0ScZ9-dheZfGsq3TUj2zH3DZvAQ9gWxFCeUdgofu87kXMhIRhiaWtgCG7ORHY0ge_E2OSnas9RhhQAXHXqRZesnibr54mEvUJpWkvy9DmNKhs4XiUogejo0JssYc/s320/frustrated_worker.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">2016 job satisfaction numbers continue to buck a ten (10) year unhappiness trend in the workplace. Now 49.6% of employees claim to be satisfied with their current jobs, according to a 2016 Conference Board Report (<a href="https://www.conference-board.org/publications/publicationdetail.cfm?publicationid=7250"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">conference-board.org</span></a>), this CBR report largely attributes this increase in happiness at work to the economy and a declining unemployment rate, which leads to increased hiring and more opportunities. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">Other studies show an even much rosier picture, a 2016 SHRM (<a href="https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/pages/job-satisfaction-and-engagement-report-revitalizing-changing-workforce.aspx"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">SHRM.org</span></a>) study looked at engagement in the workforce, the study indicates that there is an improvement with engagement. People are now more engaged at work at 3.8 (1 lowest 5 highest), which is an increase from prior years. Additionally SHRM reports that approximately 88% of US Employees reported overall job satisfaction, an increase from their last year’s report of 86%. In comparison to the SHRM report, this is a much higher percentage than the 49.6% from the CBR report.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">In the US there were 124 Million full-time working Americans in Sept 2016, according to Statista (<a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/192361/unadjusted-monthly-number-of-full-time-employees-in-the-us/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Statista.com</span></a>). Based on the CBR Study and SHRM study this means that roughly 50% of survey participants are happy at work – the flip side is that 50% are not entirely happy. Regarding numbers of workers, there might be anywhere from 60 Million to 110 Million satisfied full-time employees. This seems confident right? Not entirely, the downside to this is that this leaves tens of millions of Americans who are unsatisfied with their current job – as many as 15 Million to 63+Million UN-SATISFIED workers.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">So what makes a worker satisfied or not? The studies both indicate the areas that are key to happiness in the workplace are related to the treatment of employees/managers, compensation/pay, benefits and job security. Each individual is ultimately responsible for his or her own job happiness, meaning that we all need to take responsibility for our own career and ultimate job satisfaction. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">Here are five tips to increase your job satisfaction, which might just make you happier at work.</span></div>
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<li>Engagement - By increasing your engagement at your work with management, coworkers, and others can help you better appreciation your job - those who are engaged at work tend to feel better.</li>
<li>Accountability – More responsibility comes to those who demonstrate that they can be trusted and are accountable – do your job and always ask for feedback and look for additional ways you can help.</li>
<li>Networking - Networking inside and outside of your organization, can help you to develop the perspective on the market and your situation - you might think the grass is greener elsewhere, when that may not be the case.</li>
<li>Volunteering – Volunteering puts others needs first, forcing you to not focus all on the issues you have and provide focus on ‘greater good,' an hour or two once a month at a food bank, shelter or school can really add perspective.</li>
<li>Hobbies/Exercising – No matter what your roles are; either a business owner or employee, everyone needs some downtime from work activities – having a hobby and getting enough exercise can give you a break you need.</li>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">Polls and studies can give us a glimpse into the employment situations with broad-brush strokes – but as you can see from the two studies cited, each shows a very different percentage of happy folks. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">Regardless of what the polls indicate, the reality is that for millions who are in an unhappy situation they are not a statistic or percentage. Those who are struggling to find happiness can and should take steps to make a change. The first step should be to discuss with your boss. If that’s not an option, consider reaching out to a mentor, or finding a coach who can help you see a different perspective perhaps helping you find your work happiness – with help you too can buck the unhappiness trend.</span></div>
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John Hawkins is a Vice President of Marketing and Communications, a technologist and the Author of ‘Building a Strategic Plan for your Life and Business” Author goo.gl/X3pN75. You can find him on twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/hawkinsjohn"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">www.twitter.com/hawkinsjohn</span></a></div>
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John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-43200581747929098302016-09-02T08:06:00.000-07:002017-01-30T20:48:09.946-08:00Some Change is Good, But Too Much Change Can Create Chaos!<div class="MsoTitle">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Percent change might just be the best way to </i></b><b><i>predict when change is good or too much!</i></b></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbEY58zT8Vmoio8hJ6KMbfOjNpLuGILXdwrTU-NttE8lEBdm3QZewG44SOGbXtWZM9RFXsAOwROuqrAiWAif9ZvOdHFEfPXP61Arxl5mSUyK88RxrlkQCXla_CkY86HSBdUignyzCT_k/s1600/percent_change_8.28.2016.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbEY58zT8Vmoio8hJ6KMbfOjNpLuGILXdwrTU-NttE8lEBdm3QZewG44SOGbXtWZM9RFXsAOwROuqrAiWAif9ZvOdHFEfPXP61Arxl5mSUyK88RxrlkQCXla_CkY86HSBdUignyzCT_k/s320/percent_change_8.28.2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A little change can help you see things in a new light, or from a different perspective – but change that happens too quickly, or even not enough change for that matter, over a period of time can lead to unrest and chaos.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If my assertion that change can cause confusion is correct, then why are many successful leaders quoted for their change statements. Winston Churchill was attributed as saying; <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white;">“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” </span></i></b><span style="background: white;">Does this quote contradict my opinion that too much change can cause chaos? </span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "cambria";">Or consider Maya Angelou’s statement on change;</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white;">“If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.” </span></i></span></b><span style="background: white; font-family: "cambria";">This is an interesting position on change; perhaps we need to change our attitude so we can accept change. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "cambria";">One of my favorite </span></i><span style="background: white; font-family: "cambria";">change quotes is attributed to Charles Darwin; </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”</span></i></b><span style="background: white; font-family: "cambria";"></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "cambria";">These quotes are all taken out of context, to truly be able to determine if the quotes apply in a given situation we would need to understand the ‘current situation’ of the organization (or entity), the ‘future situation’, and the time frame of the change - otherwise the quote at face value may or may not apply in every situation. And if it doesn’t apply, then perhaps change would hurt, not help.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "cambria";">An Exaggerated Example </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria";">Imagine that you wake up every morning then follow your standard routine on your way to work.</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "cambria";"> </span><span style="font-family: "cambria";">Daily you stop by your favorite coffee shop.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "cambria";">One day you walk into the coffee shop and find that an unfamiliar face greets you, after a few questions you find the coffee shop is now under new ownership.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "cambria";">Day two; you find that the coffee shop hours have changed, they now open 30 minutes after you typically get there.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "cambria";">Day three the menu items change to include more lunch items</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "cambria";">Day four they remove the classic espresso machines for an automatic machine</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "cambria";">Day five they increase their prices, and in addition to the price increase went to a lower quality coffee bean.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">An unlikely series of changes, but in this case: </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Change too quickly created CHAOS!</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Many of us have expectations, but when change happens too quickly we notice! If this happened to the coffee shop that I frequented, then I would be the first to vote with my dollars and find a new coffee shop – one that provided the coffee experience that I wanted. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Organizational change that causes unrest can be significant such as a key leader change, a policy change, cutting off key programs; even some seemingly insignificant change can have a dramatic impact. Without action from the organization's leadership team, the organization can loose it’s compass as members develop a sense of apathy, disengagement, or even resignation from the organization, which can lead to a chaotic feeling amongst organizational members.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As a business owner or leader of an organization, it’s incredibly important to keep in mind that change can be good, but we want to be careful that there is not so much change that it creates fear, uncertainty, and doubt in the members who are part of the organization. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Percent Change Can Help Predict Chaos </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thinking about change, I thought to myself how one could quantify when a change might impact an organization either positively or negatively? It dawned on me that we could quantify it regarding Percent Change. A 10% change isn’t really a lot of change. If you’ve got a dollar and get 10% more, you’ll have $1.10. 90% of a dollar is $0.90. Imagine 200% of the dollar, then you’ll have significantly more money – you’ll have $2.00, double the money.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Mathematically Speaking, The Percent Change Equation</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS ゴシック"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "cambria";">There is a programmatic way we can simulate if a change will have a negative or positive impact to an organization or entity.</span><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> By taking the Percent Change formula and plugging in two variables, it’s theoretically easy to determine if folks would be happy or unhappy just based on the percentage of change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We can calculate the percent change by taking the ‘Future Situation,' subtract the ‘Current Situation’ and divide that by the ‘Current Situation’ – then multiply by 100, and you’ll have the percent change. If Percent Change is positive, you might want to think about ways to maintaining the new situation.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Percent Change = ((Future Situation – Current Situation)/Current Situation) X 100</span></b><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Percent Change<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">= is the percent increase or decrease<b></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Future Situation<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">= the situation desired state or wanted state<b></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Current Situation </span></b><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">= where we are today, our current situation or current state<b></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For Example </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Assuming a ‘Current Situation’ as represented by 100 (I just picked a number for the sake of the model). And the future ‘Future Situation’ potential values could be 40, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 and 175. We could then calculate the percent change, which I’ve done and is represented in the table below.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 23.75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-table-layout-alt: fixed; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 470px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 14.85pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="background: gray; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 14.85pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 149.05pt;" valign="top" width="149"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; word-break: normal;">
<b><span style="color: #f2f2f2; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 242;">Probability of Chaos</span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: gray; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 14.85pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 67.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="68"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; word-break: normal;">
<b><span style="color: #f2f2f2; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 242;">% Change</span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: gray; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 14.85pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 81.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="81"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-align: center; word-break: normal;">
<b><span style="color: #f2f2f2; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 242;">Future Situation</span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: gray; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 14.85pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 1.25in;" valign="bottom" width="90"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-align: center; word-break: normal;">
<b><span style="color: #f2f2f2; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 242;">Current Situation</span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: gray; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 14.85pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 82.45pt;" valign="bottom" width="82"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-align: center; word-break: normal;">
<b><span style="color: #f2f2f2; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 242;">Time</span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 20.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 149.05pt;" valign="top" width="149"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">Higher Probability Chaos</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 67.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="68"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">-60%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 81.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="81"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">40</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 1.25in;" valign="bottom" width="90"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">100</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 82.45pt;" valign="bottom" width="82"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">Constant</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 20.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 149.05pt;" valign="top" width="149"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">Higher Probability Chaos</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 67.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="68"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">-50%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 81.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="81"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">50</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 1.25in;" valign="bottom" width="90"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">100</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 82.45pt;" valign="bottom" width="82"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">Constant</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 20.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 149.05pt;" valign="top" width="149"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 67.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="68"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">-25%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 81.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="81"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">75</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 1.25in;" valign="bottom" width="90"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">100</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 82.45pt;" valign="bottom" width="82"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">Constant</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 20.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 149.05pt;" valign="top" width="149"><div class="MsoNormal">
We may seek more change</div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 67.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="68"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">0%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 81.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="81"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">100</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 1.25in;" valign="bottom" width="90"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">100</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 82.45pt;" valign="bottom" width="82"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">Constant</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 20.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 149.05pt;" valign="top" width="149"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 67.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="68"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">25%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 81.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="81"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">125</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 1.25in;" valign="bottom" width="90"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">100</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 82.45pt;" valign="bottom" width="82"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">Constant</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 20.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 149.05pt;" valign="top" width="149"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">Higher Probability Chaos</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 67.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="68"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">50%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 81.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="81"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">150</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 1.25in;" valign="bottom" width="90"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">100</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 82.45pt;" valign="bottom" width="82"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">Constant</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 20.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 149.05pt;" valign="top" width="149"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">Higher Probability Chaos</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 67.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="68"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">75%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 20.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 81.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="81"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">175</span></div>
</td>
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<span style="color: grey; font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">Constant</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The larger the percent change (or deviation from the current situation) will be the situation with the greatest potential for chaos. Here we see that negative change at -60 might also lead to chaos, on the flip side a +75% change could also lead to pressure and potential chaos.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Additional Complexity is like increasing variables in a Math Equation</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When sitting down to solve a math problem with one unknown variable, it can be simple if you have something like (4 + X = 10). You don’t need to be a math wizard to take the X and replace it with a ‘6’ – and fairly confidently you’ll have the answer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Organizations typically have many variables in the equation - and this is what can make decision making difficult. Now, imagine that you have got your percent changes formula and instead of plugging in two numbers you have an expression you need to figure out first. The sample math problem, like a changing entity, can get more complicated when we modify or add variables. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Exponential Change Factors</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria";">There are weighted factors, these types of changes are much higher weighted, such as:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "cambria"; text-indent: -0.25in;">Leadership Changes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "cambria"; text-indent: -0.25in;">Change in Values</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "cambria"; text-indent: -0.25in;">Market Changes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "cambria"; text-indent: -0.25in;">Reduction of Programs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "cambria"; text-indent: -0.25in;">Revenue Changes</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Now imagine trying to calculate the more complex future situation of ((2+Z) + 2Y = 10) and adding in the leader change (perhaps a power of 2) – the formula gets more complicated ((2+Z) + 2Y = 10)<sup>2</sup>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The more complicated the problem, the less confident we are that we can quickly solve it, so true is for organizational change.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Takeaways </span></b></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "cambria";">I think that it’s probably fair to say that many people enjoy change, but the changes we like best are the ones that impact us in a positive way.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "cambria";">When the percent change between the ‘future situation’ and the ‘current situation’ becomes too drastic, it can put stress on the organization or entity.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "cambria";">Making policy, organizational or leadership changes might seem innocent enough. However, these changes can have a great impact.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "cambria";">If you don’t like the chaos created by the change, the simple answer is to just take yourself out of the equation by disengaging with the organization or entity.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "cambria";">Alternatively, you can choose the ‘current situation’ that you want to be a part of, essentially putting yourself into an equation that you’d prefer.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "cambria";">If you’d prefer not to leave the organization, then engage and become part of the solution, or just wait and given enough time things will change.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cambria";">I think it’s fair to say that we all want ‘positive’ change, which is human nature. </span><span style="font-family: "cambria";"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cambria";">However, I suspect that if we had all the change we could hope for, then odds are we would still not be happy.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I stated earlier my favorite or the three quotes was Charles Darwin’s; </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” </span></i><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Let me know your thoughts on the topic of change, I’d be particularly interested to hear about case studies or other insights into how you think about change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">John Hawkins is a Vice President of Marketing and Communications, a technologist and the the Author of ‘Building a Strategic Plan for your Life and Business” </span><span style="background: #f5f8fa; color: #292f33; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Author<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "cambria"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022https\:\/\/t\.co\/CMEajQksLy\0022 \\o \0022https\:\/\/goo\.gl\/X3pN75\0022 \\t \0022_blank\0022 ";"><span class="invisible"><span style="background: #f5f8fa; color: #0f475c; font-size: 1.0pt;">https://</span></span><span class="js-display-url"><span style="background: #f5f8fa; color: #0f475c; font-size: 10.5pt;">goo.gl/X3pN75</span></span><span class="invisible"><span style="background: #f5f8fa; color: #0f475c; font-size: 1.0pt;"> </span></span></span> You can find him on twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/hawkinsjohn">www.twitter.com/hawkinsjohn</a></span></div>
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John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-16045842774083758892015-07-16T08:16:00.001-07:002015-07-16T08:40:38.534-07:00Five Leadership Lessons to Frustrate Your Team <div class="MsoNormal">
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Have you ever been part of a team, where during the course
of a team event you found yourself frustrated - but not exactly sure why? I
recently played the role of a frustrated team member while trying to enjoy a weekend
round of golf. My “fun” experience ended up in hurt feelings, thrown clubs, and
me sitting down to write a lengthy complaint letter. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Upon reflection on my Saturday round, the biggest question
in my mind was; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“What had transpired to
get the whole team upset and frustrated doing a ‘Fun’ activity”?</i> <o:p></o:p></div>
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I personally did not like feeling frustrated and felt bad
for my team members; so on the next day I spent hours writing a complaint
letter to the Courses General Manager (GM). While composing my thoughts and
after finally speaking to the GM on the following Monday, I was confident I had
figured out what caused my teams frustrations and triggered our reactions - it
had to do with leadership and managing teams.<o:p></o:p></div>
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First a little background. On one long weekend earlier this
year some friends decided to spend our Saturday morning golfing. To maximize our day we
scheduled a 6:50 AM tee time. On the day of the tee time, three of the members of the foursome arrived early, the fourth alerted us earlier that morning that he would
not be able to make it - we informed the course at the time of sign-in. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Our threesome had arrived with enough time to hit practice
balls and warm up. At 6:25 AM (twenty five minutes before the scheduled tee time) the Marshal
came down to the range, he said to one of the three team members that you can tee
off now, this was mistake #1 – the team’s expectation was set to start at 6:50,
by changing the start time and not consulting nor communicating to the whole team which threw the team off. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lesson 1</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">: If you change assumptions that impact the
team you need to communicate and get buy-in from the whole team. Teams need
adequate preparation to ensure they have a solid start. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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At 6:40 AM the team was on the first tee warming up, swinging,
getting tees, and ball markers ready. Since our fourth had cancelled the course was able to quickly filled the vacant spot with a single golfer. After being introduced to
the course provided fourth member it became obvious to me that this gentlemen had
a very good relationship with the starting Marshal – this was most evident by
seeing them spend five minutes chatting. At the time I thought nothing
of it, I only noted the interaction. Our
starting Marshal insisted that our foursome wait for the group ahead to get off
the green. Interestingly enough our Marshall had us wait until 6:55 AM before we started out.<br />
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Golf Marshals are much like golf course police officers - when a Marshal approaches the pulse rises. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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After a few holes into the round, I knew we weren’t going as
fast as we could. But at the same time there was no one in back of
our group – the law-abiding Marshals are usually pretty quick to investigate
slow play. My slow play feeling was confirmed by hole 3. On this hole we
started seeing multiple marshals, they would come and go throughout the rest of the
round. A Marshal would ride up to his buddy(our fourth member) chat then move on. Marshals didn’t just approach the fourth member. In
other instances a Marshal would ride up to another team member - say something
then move on. The Marshal said things on various occasions to team member 1, member
2 and member 3. After the marshal addressed an individual and left, the team congregated and transferred the Marshals message to the whole team
(for a good minute or two). - This was mistake 2.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lesson 2:</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> When you have a team (that must complete
milestones together), you must communicate to the team as a whole.
Communicating to one team member and expecting them to relay the message can;
show favoritism, dilute the message, or perhaps the message communicated will
be incorrect, or not communicated at all.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Further into the round it became clear to me that the course
had heavily invested in golf Marshals (after all it was a three day weekend). With the added Marshals my teams dynamic changed, other team members in my foursome verbally expressed their distain with the
Marshals. The team was frustrated and I too was frustrated. The favored fourth player
and I decided that we would try to help improve pace of play. So, from holes 11
through 13 we convinced the team to move from blues to the combos (a shorter
course plays faster) - we then announced ready golf. I so wanted to improve
play that I rushed putts and left greens before everyone had putted out –,
leaving a player putting on the green is rather discourteous to the golfers on our team but I felt it was
the right thing to do given our situation. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I was a champion for the course and so excited with my
progress. I wanted to demonstrate with my actions - "look at me Mr. Marshal, I’m a team
player – I’m here to help".<o:p></o:p></div>
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I vividly recall sprinting to the 14th tee and quickly teeing
off as the rest of my group approached the tee box. Excited by my big drive in
the center of the fairway I saw the Marshal swerve off the path and drive down
the fairway to me. I figured he was going to give me praise – little did I know
that what he would say would be the proverbial straw that broke the poor camels
back. The straw that helped me contemplates what it truly means to lead a team.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Marshal pulled up beside me.</div>
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I gave a big smile to the Marshal and noted his name tag which read, "Dick"</div>
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I said: “Hi Dick, How are you”?<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Marshal grimaced and looked at me, then said; <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“You know, you’re the reason the pace of play is slow today, if you’d
just reduce your practice swings you guys would be much faster.”</i> - This was
mistake #3.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lesson #3</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">: Don’t judge a team’s performance by taking
in one data point and making an assumption, if you reprimand the wrong person
you might break one of your champions.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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After the comment on hole #14 I was completely discouraged. At
hole 15 when one team member saw a Marshal sitting on the green watching as we approached, he
proceeded to throw about four clubs, one at a time from his position on the
green to the first cut. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I said to my teammate; <i>“Are you OK? I’ve never seen you throw
a club.”</i><br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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My teammate said to me; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Well I hope the
Marshal sees that I’m upset”.</i></div>
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Our frustrated team finished the round and went into the
clubhouse. It didn’t take long before we started discussing the situation and
complained to anyone who would listen. I felt betrayed by the
process - we energetically discussed as a threesome. The team didn’t understand
why the Marshals had been riding our group as much as they did. There wasn’t
anyone waiting behind us, they never told us how much we were off pace –
mistake #4.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lesson #4:</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> When you are measuring a team’s performance
you must provide the team a means to measure success, and give them ways to
self regulate. This should be quantitative, easy to measure and visible.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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When I got home late in the morning I still felt frustrated,
when I woke up on Sunday I knew I could not let this go. So I sat down and wrote
my essay to the GM and emailed it off to him. I was meticulous in providing my
shot-by-shot analysis(including my score) and clubs hit. I wanted vindication
after being labeled and called out by the Marshal.<br />
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After I emailed my essay to the GM, it didn’t take long for him to call me personally, I spent about 35 minutes
discussing the situation. During our conversation, I told the GM that while I realize
the team didn’t play as fast as they could, we still finished in 4hrs and 13
Minutes. The GM said to me; “Oh, 4:15 is the pace of play for later in the day,
however we expect players in the morning to play in less than 4 Hours.” - Mistake
#5</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lesson #5:</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> You’ve got to set expectations before the
team starts on the activity. Teams will work based on past assumptions – if
assumptions change then this information needs to be communicated before the
team started their task.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Recently, I shared my story with an organizational consultant,
after I finished telling my story – he laughed and said I’m not surprised you
felt that way. The consultant said that he has a workshop exercise where he puts teams through a
simulated situation where goals are vague, this creates tension similar to what I had experienced.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the exercise my consultant friend said that he creates
teams of about 5 to 7 people. He has one person stand with their back to the
group. The second person has their back to the first person. The rest of the
group faces the second person.<o:p></o:p></div>
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With the group in place he gives the first person (with
their back to person 2) specific instructions, and without the first person turning around or
saying anything the second person must ensure the team meets the objectives. I
won’t give away the answer but he told me that only one team member in this
exercise feels good about the exercise, the rest get visibly upset.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My golf day reminded me that when managing a team you must
set proper expectations, not show favoritism, communicate to the whole team,
give the team tools to measure, and understand each player’s contribution. I’ve
accepted my reaction to the situation and feel that I was justified in feeling
the way I did – my only regret is that I wish I had taken some steps earlier in the round to
get the team together. I’ve decided to use these lessons learned to help me not
only on the golf course but also in dealing with other teams.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Situations like this can have a serious impact on customer
satisfaction and your team’s morale. In my situation, even though the GM
promised me a free round of golf I decided that after that poor experience I had
no intention of going back any time soon. And while this is my immediate
reaction, to avoid the situation, the better thing to do is to get back there
and see if my feedback was taken seriously, implemented, and see if there is improvement. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I’d be curious to get your stories of situations where you
felt frustrated by a team effort, and perhaps we can examine why you felt the
way you did, and perhaps figure out what could have been done to provide a
better team experience.<o:p></o:p></div>
John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-26722672946307015972015-04-19T14:49:00.000-07:002015-04-19T15:07:52.518-07:00Five Steps to Get Unstuck and Back on Track<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibweeoKHkPsLgWeh_87WSN24AKZqIqHesky3-OT6KCTpaJanbNBdrk0d6KLkS2ulhMyTZLCfqN3NVSznNTu9eyjFufTRDiCpySD331HXt_-TO0JWnKZM0sXGiq_5IPL_cFRY0TKJbamkM/s1600/car_stuck.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibweeoKHkPsLgWeh_87WSN24AKZqIqHesky3-OT6KCTpaJanbNBdrk0d6KLkS2ulhMyTZLCfqN3NVSznNTu9eyjFufTRDiCpySD331HXt_-TO0JWnKZM0sXGiq_5IPL_cFRY0TKJbamkM/s1600/car_stuck.png" height="196" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s easy to
identify stress when you are in a life and death situation, but what about when
you are slowly put into a stressful situation – this is what it can feel like
to be STUCK!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Think about
the poor lobster that gets dropped in a cold pot, the heat is turned on and slowly
heated to a boil. Mr. Lobster won’t realize he is stuck until it’s too late. Many
people are not satisfied with their current situation, which could be due to a
number of factors such as underemployment, unemployment, current job situation,
family, children and many other conditions that we must face on a daily basis.
These responsibilities rob us of our ability to think clearly and get ourselves
out of these stressful situations<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">I’m sure many
have found themselves in a situation similar to the following; when motoring
down the road they see brake lights and then slowly push their cars brake pedal
to begin the process of slowing down - out of procedure you glance into your
review mirror, in the mirror you see a car coming at you with smoking tires –
then you hear the screeching. You think to yourself a crash is imminent – a
feeling of helplessness overcomes you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">How does your body
respond to this situation? I’ll tell you how mine does and I’d expect many to
have a similar response. I get shortness of breath, tunnel vision, a rising
pulse, and I’m one step away from PANIC. During urgent situations like these we
have a choice of confronting the threat or take action to get out of the
situation. The described situation feels very real when you are put in it - it’s
a life or death situation. These physical situations come unexpectedly; the
transition from a tranquil state to a state of sheer terror can take a few
seconds but can make a lasting impression. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Here are five
steps to consider if you find yourself feeling stuck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Step 1: Do Something<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">There is a
terrific quote;<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> “</b>Action is the
Foundation to All Success” – Pablo Picaso. Now, I have no way of verifying if
Pablo Picaso said this or not, given he was a Spanish Painter and there may
have been something lost in translation. Regardless of the quotes’ authenticity,
the quote still resonates with me. We never seem to find motivation where we
are looking, which contributes to the reason we are stuck. To get moving again sometimes
we just need to do something<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">. </b>Motivation
comes from with-in, however the strength comes from internal & external
sources.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Step 2: Less of the Same<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">I’m sure you
have heard that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over-and-over
again and expect different results. If you’re unhappy, perhaps the actions that
you perform on a daily basis have gotten you to this point, if you continue to
do these actions you’ll most likely get even more of the same. Which is a departure
from what your intended goal is. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Step 3: Learn to Solve Problems<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">I hear all the
time from people that they are capable of solving big problems but have never
been given a chance to prove themselves – they make statements like; “I could
do his job, if only they’d give me a chance”. It doesn’t matter if you are
getting paid or not for solving a problem, if you can effectively solve
problems you’ll stand a good chance of getting a shot at solving bigger
problems – which can all lead to increased reward.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Step 4: Become Accountable <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">At the end of
the day when you put your head down to rest - “Rest Assured” that you can sleep
knowing that things are under control. When you can demonstrate, over and over
again, that you are accountable and reliable, people will naturally come to you
to help them solve problems. Becoming accountable will help you take that ownership
and prove you can be accountable to handle many situations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Step 5: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Set S.M.A.R.T Goals <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">In a situation where you are stuck you’ve got to be very tactical with
your goal settings. Stop the pattern of failure and focus on your core
strengths and pick goals that meet the S.M.A.R.T criteria. These goals should
be Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Timely. If you need more
information on SMART goals you can read my prior blog entry;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“S.M.A.R.T.Y’s Can Set and accomplish any
Goal.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">I know we all get stuck, I still get stuck - the key is to realize
you’re headed into a bad state and self-correct before you start developing an
apathetic view or feel powerless towards your ability to get unstuck from your
current situation. And if you are stuck and don’t have someone to rely on then
by all means find a someone who can help you think through the current
situation and help you build a platform on which you can lift your self back in
to confidence, move from being stuck in the slow lane to the fast lane of life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-13957700892006221832015-01-01T14:02:00.002-08:002015-01-01T14:02:42.289-08:002014 Regrets Pave a Path of Hope in 2015 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjivI44uuuL-RxR3n8M121kU806hll1mw89zJ1JR2joP_XUzoAHh5XlN5S3El8-FZWav_CavwKpRdl66TgpuShPvk3nzcAMW3mamEwARRpM0GKHTNX-63iAS0lldROtxu0YVX6lgmcWtuw/s1600/johnmhawkins_family.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjivI44uuuL-RxR3n8M121kU806hll1mw89zJ1JR2joP_XUzoAHh5XlN5S3El8-FZWav_CavwKpRdl66TgpuShPvk3nzcAMW3mamEwARRpM0GKHTNX-63iAS0lldROtxu0YVX6lgmcWtuw/s1600/johnmhawkins_family.png" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Now that the New Year is here I know I’ll have some of my typical adjustments,
such as remembering to write ‘2015’ instead of ‘2014’. I’m sure, in more than a
few conversations, I will say; “twenty-four...” then – in the same breath correct
myself and mutter; “I meant twenty-fifteen”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 319.5pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">2015 is here yet it’s bittersweet, 2014 has found its way out of my
grasp and into the history books. 2014 also seemed to have a lot of suffering,
fear and tragedy and I feel for those impacted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">For me the changing of the calendar year is a time for reflection, planning,
and contemplation and yes I also have regrets. I reflect on how I could have
been a better father, friend, husband, businessman and all my other roles and
responsibilities. I think about all the little decisions I made on a daily basis
that sum up to my year – I figure as long as my pluses are more than my minuses
I’m doing ok and making steady progress<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">As I close out 2014 there are five focus areas I’ve been thinking
about that I hope will guide me in 2015.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 319.5pt;">
<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Core Values – </span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">I know who I am and my
values, over the course of a year it can be easy to focus on quick wins that
could compromise my value system, I want to keep my values in check.</span></div>
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<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Span of Control</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> – There are lots of
things in life that we can not control, this year I’d like to be better at
identifying those points and accept the things I can not change and work on
those I can.</span></div>
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<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Focus – </span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">It’s easy for me, like
many, to get distracted and who does not like the bright shiny objects. This
year I’d like to do a better job of recognizing the occasions where I’m off
course and redirect back to my plan.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 319.5pt;">
<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Confidence – </span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">It’s no secret, we all
at times suffer from lack of confidence and I’m no different and while I’m good
at reacting confidently there are some areas that I would like to be more
confident in.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 319.5pt;">
<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Service to Others – </span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">I volunteer and I give
money to charities – this year I feel I should start to focus on helping others
in a more direct manner.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">With these five themes in mind I hope to enter 2015 with a running
start. For those who have been part of my 2014 I want to say Thank You! Hopefully
we’ll spend some time together in 2015. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 319.5pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">I’m also very curious to get your thoughts on your year and get an
understanding for what you think about at this time of year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 319.5pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Comment and share your thoughts below. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Happy New Year <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">-John M. Hawkins<o:p></o:p></span></div>
John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-47164803491858505672014-12-14T19:24:00.000-08:002014-12-14T19:24:44.740-08:00S.M.A.R.T.Y’s Can Set and Accomplish any Goal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZhnqEJW6k0-x_8HRk4haCuQtnW2GblN2nXCll4GFZjxgS-WPYE2C_LunDFlC06U8q-8wOIkgVVcSjGBdcqrHaqxnxb6zcSTej5F3YE0DFNwcXCHm3vQk7iz4fbipqVdljiXsGjBJr6WY/s1600/Smarty_Einstein.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZhnqEJW6k0-x_8HRk4haCuQtnW2GblN2nXCll4GFZjxgS-WPYE2C_LunDFlC06U8q-8wOIkgVVcSjGBdcqrHaqxnxb6zcSTej5F3YE0DFNwcXCHm3vQk7iz4fbipqVdljiXsGjBJr6WY/s1600/Smarty_Einstein.png" height="226" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">I am a goal-oriented person – on a daily basis I think about my
activities and their priorities - I do this for all areas of my life whether it’s
for work, family or even my hobbies. Personally, I believe if there isn’t a good
reason to do something then why spend time on it. This means that my free time
is usually filled with activities that all align to my greater plan. </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">That said, I do a lot of planning and goal setting. As I work on
my goals there is always one little mnemonic acronym that comes to mind -
S.M.A.R.T. You might be wondering why the title contains a Y, spelling S.M.A.R.T.Y.
– I will fill you in on that detail later.<br />
<br />
The reality is that goal setting can be pretty easy to do. Jerry Brown said it
best; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The reason that everybody likes
planning is that nobody has to do anything”.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">Setting goals can be easy, the real challenge lies in setting
appropriate goals that you can complete and will get you closer to your greater
vision. S.M.A.R.T. can help you set appropriate goals and objectives. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">S.M.A.R.T. stands for: <u>S</u>pecific, <u>M</u>easurable, <u>A</u>ctionable,
<u>R</u>ealistic or Relevant, and <u>T</u>imely<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">Let’s apply this to some goals and see if they are SMART goals.<br />
1) Write a book on the theory of nanotechnology this year, however I was a Spanish
major in college<br />
2) Increase my investment earnings return to 10 percent next year, I got 8
percent last year<br />
3) By next year I’d like to earn my PGA tour card, however I started golfing a
year ago<br />
4) Start and develop a profitable company in the next 5 years, I’ve got 10years
experience in the field<br />
5) Make lots of friends<br />
<br />
Let’s take the five goals listed above, evaluate and ask if these are SMART goals.
We need to determine if the goals are specific, measurable, actionable,
realistic, and timely. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">Goal 1: <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">Sure you might be qualified to write a book but not sure if a Spanish
major could pull this off in a year, this goal is neither realistic nor timely.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">Goal 2:</span></u></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><br />
The second goal is specific given there is a way to measure your results, it's
actionable because you can drive this. 10 percent is realistic given you got 8
percent last year. So I'd say this would be a good goal to set, ideally we’ll
need to add some specifics to help make this happen.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">Goal #3</span></u></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><br />
The third goal is specific – you can measure it. It’s actionable, however it's neither
realistic nor timely – you might like golf but by next year to earn a tour
card?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">Goal #4</span></u></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><br />
The fourth goal is more realistic, if your going to start a company you should
have an idea of what that company will be - but not sure it's that actionable
given it’s not specific enough. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">Goal #5</span></u></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><br />
This goal is good because relationships are important - but it lacks actions
needed to make it happen, also it’s not timely.<br />
<br />
All right it's time for me to explain the Y. I added the <u>Y</u> because
setting and realizing goals requires that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>YOU</u></b>
take ownership of the goals. If you own the goal you'll find a way to
accomplish that goal. Also consider if the goals align to your competencies and
value system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">So the next time you are writing down your goals ask yourself, "Do
my goals make me a SMARTY?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">If not it might be time to re-evaluate them and set goals that do make
you a SMARTY.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-6046881616482296762014-10-18T16:54:00.001-07:002014-10-18T16:54:06.489-07:00Ten Tips to Fostering Passion in Your Workplace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6oK36dZhhgnWJgvjBOS5uxQ-NZWbDBYC0GYhsamDp-5knKyhOK3K-Ikp_6v9NDPaq0DWTs_vj9yBHDaldq2ldxmIfS2ncCtPOEw06-n2Txsrt6PXeiuMgP4-D4xrmxc1zBoQ3Wc7sOM/s1600/passionate_employees.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6oK36dZhhgnWJgvjBOS5uxQ-NZWbDBYC0GYhsamDp-5knKyhOK3K-Ikp_6v9NDPaq0DWTs_vj9yBHDaldq2ldxmIfS2ncCtPOEw06-n2Txsrt6PXeiuMgP4-D4xrmxc1zBoQ3Wc7sOM/s1600/passionate_employees.png" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">There is no
doubt that a passionate employee can bring a lot to the table. Those who are
passionate for their work stand a much better chance of being given key
assignments, opportunities for advancement, a chance to become part of a
winning team and drive the business forward.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">I believe that
any employer can create an environment to develop and cultivate passion in the
workplace. This summer I wrote an article for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Personal Excellence Magazine</i> on ten strategies to create a
passionate employee. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Here are the
ten strategies you can use to find and cultivate passionate behavior in the
workplace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Growth
opportunities,</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";"> we
all need challenges to keep sharp - find challenges that will not break
the back but instead build the spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Hire passionate
people</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">, this
might sound obvious but hiring people who are already passionate can
develop a passion for other activities.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Build friendships
and community feeling </span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">at work - friends stay together, friends look out for one
another, friends have a better chance of working well together than enemies.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Values of the
company</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">, find
people who share the values of the company - when you share values it
becomes a pleasure to come to work<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Purpose,</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";"> give people a purpose beyond the
clock - give them something to nurture<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Incentivize behavior</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">, the better the performance the
better the pay<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Room to fail;</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";"> micro-managing can hold back
employees, give enough room to allow for controlled failures<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Praise publicly and
often</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";"> for a job
well done and celebrate success.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Communicate Often</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";"> give feedback on a regular basis,
communicate the goals and vision for the company, if employees know the
goals they might get a good idea of an activity they want to foster.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Accountable and
Responsible</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">
employees will embody the passionate characteristics and help drive the
business goals and objectives.</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";">To read the
complete article you can go to Personal Excellence Magazine on page 26.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt;">Click Here: <a href="http://www.excellenceessentials.com/en/topleaders/interactive_content/personal-excellence-essentials-july-2014_hxhms5kz.html">Personal Excellence Magazine</a></span></div>
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John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-53756992951282269972014-10-12T11:02:00.001-07:002014-10-12T11:02:17.772-07:00Winners From this Summers Giveaway!<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.6619318181818181; margin-bottom: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now that I've heard back from all the winners, I can announce them!</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.6619318181818181; margin-bottom: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Grand Prize winner is Angela from South Amboy NJ. Angela has won a $50 gift card and a copy of </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Building a Strategic Plan for Your Life and Business</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Congratulations, Angela!</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.6619318181818181; margin-bottom: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lisa from Agawam, MA and Melissa from Pittsburgh PA are the two runner-up winners, who each will receive a hardback copy of the book and a $25 Visa gift card. I hope you both enjoy it!</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.6619318181818181; margin-bottom: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I very much appreciate everyone who entered. I hope you’ll benefit from my posts and continue to leave me comments with your thoughts.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.6619318181818181; margin-bottom: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks again!</span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-0a4d1a8f-0583-bc62-b6be-1ae9ed043d23"><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">John M. Hawkins</span></span>John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-5933555124728011832014-07-27T09:17:00.001-07:002014-07-27T09:17:13.193-07:00How to accompish your goals and objectives<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/buPLhp57D98?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306149678678519553.post-89313506699425370822014-07-09T22:19:00.001-07:002014-07-09T22:19:14.032-07:00Five Tips to Gain Back Your Lost Confidence<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOHhIbY-Xo5xoEY5M8RF7aghTe-0VBZKMZQhJeVSXeohNSAqNH2H8BtNq1ldx5f7Vaf0e_HHNFrT3bT3Z3zBlKD_w6MLMFPfKN9I1i8HQkCabYWcX53gaLfxjcfgPytqecdft7AfdKSI/s1600/confidenc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOHhIbY-Xo5xoEY5M8RF7aghTe-0VBZKMZQhJeVSXeohNSAqNH2H8BtNq1ldx5f7Vaf0e_HHNFrT3bT3Z3zBlKD_w6MLMFPfKN9I1i8HQkCabYWcX53gaLfxjcfgPytqecdft7AfdKSI/s1600/confidenc.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10pt;">I know we have all been there, in fact I've
had very close friends tell me that they don't feel confident and that they are
worried that someone will find out that they are a fake or not qualified to do
their job. I'm always caught off guard when I hear this, because in my eyes
this person might be an overachiever – a person who seems to have the world at
their fingertips. But for some reason they have lost their confidence. When
smart people get into this situation it only takes a few bad habits to crush
their spirit and send them down the wrong path.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
I'm a firm believer that it's not the big things in life that cause you to lose
self-confidence. But rather the daily little activities that can boost
confidence and prepare you, so that when the big opportunities come up your in
the right frame of mind to accomplish them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10pt;">My five confidence boosting tips:<br />
1) <u>Avoid negative people</u> - negativity is like adding fuel to a fire. If
you’re already in a down state your positive state has been compromised, being
around negative people will only make it worse. I know this can be difficult,
because in many cases the negative folks are doing their grass roots form of
therapy to help cope with stress in their environment, but too much negativity
can demoralize an individual - recognize when you are among negative people –
then associate with those who have a better attitude. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10pt;">2) <u>Change your routine</u> - we are all
creatures of habit to some extent. You know the old saying, only the paranoid
survive, well odds are you created some habits and adapted for one reason or
another – but they may not be positive habits. Try adding a walk to your day,
or take a short trip, go to a different coffee shop rather than the usual stop.
Taking a different path might just get you refreshed enough to find the answers
you are looking for - a different frame of mind can put you in a position to
solve your problem. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
3) <u>Think back to happier times</u> - I'm sure back in the day you did that
made you feel confident. When you feel like the world is against you the worst
thing you can do is nothing, any forward progress will make you feel a little
better. Try doing some of the activities that you had success doing. It can be
as activities as simple as you like - riding a bike, sports, playing cards,
games and even connecting with friends you had during better times. I'm sure
there are lots if activities you can think of - the same can be said for
revisiting with folks whom you've enjoyed some form or another of success.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4) <u>Say high and smile at strangers</u> -
my children hate it when I do this, however it works very well - try engaging
with complete strangers. It's very simple to do, for e.g. next time you are in
the line at the grocery store just say high to the clerk and ask them how their
day is going before they ask you. That simple gesture can help you build your
own self-esteem and confidence. You never know, you may just help them with
their day or you might even make a new friend. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
5) <u>Get professional help</u> - get stuck in a rut and you can lose years and
years of productivity. And while I've given some tips and tricks on ways to
boost confidence there are also deep-rooted issues that are based on chemical
imbalances, or emotional problems. If you are having trouble gaining confidence
you may want to seek professional help, it's better to get help and get well
than to have someone say you've wasted your life away.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
We all get down from time to time for one reason or another and lose our
confidence, it's normal and part of what we are - I'm not a psychologist so I'd
don't know why it happens but from my perspective it's a defense mechanism that
can help in high stress situations but left unchecked can destroy you. And
while I'm sure many can relate to feeling this way, others have felt that way
and have fought back.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
John M. Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06844292655469610160noreply@blogger.com0