Happiness is as Happiness does

Neat little video I have always said that you are "as happy as you make up your mind to be." This video reminds me that I have forgotten how important one's vantage point is to their mental health. But more importantly, to those around you! Enjoy Gretchen Rubin's The Years are Short. -ski ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah www.throughput.us +1 330 432-3533 tag: Gretchen Rubin ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Forbes Bogus Biz Plan Contest

Today is the last day to enter

That is, if, your business model is from like the 1980s... did you notice the last question to qualify?

"Does the company have at least one salaried employee (besides the owner)?"

Bogus

Sorry Forbes magazine... but you got it wrong. The contest was a great idea. I thought that today I would spend the time to enter... the $100k suggests that it would be a worthy use of my limited time. But I was wrong.

As I have mentioned before, I have been reading Forbes since my exit from the Marine Corps (lets just say over twenty something years ago). I thought Malcolm was mostly brilliant and Steve has been coming along nicely... {grin}

If you are a startup today, and have any salaried employees, you probably won't make it (IMNSHO). In 1989 I learned that dog won't hunt. When I launched eDivision.net LLC in 1998, it was obvious that employees were like boat anchors: just one more fixed expense to hold you back.

For the most part, the most passionate folks are not seeking a paycheck... at least not the ones that I want on my team. I would rather my team members work a "day job" like Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria Parker did at Wendy's. Then give me some creative efforts in their off hours.

Maybe I should launch my own contest... with the proper entry rules to help ensure that my participants get started on the right foot... making intelligent decisions that will help thrust them to greater rewards faster than their competition... but I digress.

Forbes: color me disappointed.


-ski

P.S. If you would have qualified for the contest otherwise, drop me a note. Let's chat.

----
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.throughput.us
+1 330 432-3533

tag: Forbes Magazine
©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

It Is the Weak Dollar

Doc shares a little Good News

On Kudlow & Company the other night, the discussion jumped to the fact that it is the weak dollar that is killing us. Of course, Steve Forbes has been saying this for some time, but it did not sink in!

The comment was that oil was about $80 a barrel adjusted for the weak dollar. Still high, but it helps put the blame on the shoulders of this administration as well as OPEC.

It helps to have access to smart people... if I had to figure this all out myself, I would be in a world of hurt!

-ski

P.S. If the value of this observation (the problems of the weak dollar) is lost on you, I suggest you quickly run to the local bookstore (or drugstore) and pickup a copy of Forbes magazine.

----
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.throughput.us
+1 330 432-3533

tag: Steve Forbes
©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Oracle Magazine makes Mistake

Guess I will never know... I hate when cost-counting penny pinchers take me for granted. The latest edition of Oracle Magazine arrives in my in basket today, so I quickly click the link to open the magazine. By the way, I got a nice email blast from Sybase today, with a link to a very poorly done (and poor quality) video link... I can hardly wait to get SKI TV fully funded. But I digress... The link to the magazine appears, with a pop-over offering me a $25 gift certificate at Amazon. Perfect! Until you click the link on the pop-over. Seems Oracle only cares about the first 300 people who take the time to complete a survey. All the others who take the time to respond appear to get nothing. How stupid. I have decided not to read this issue of Oracle Magazine. Wonder what their advertisers think of such short-sightedness? -ski P.S. I have always liked Sybase a lot better. We use to get a quote from Oracle to determine the hardware requirements for any RDBMS projects, then buy Sybase! Why? Sybase always tried to save pennies on the hardware specs, which made their solutions run too slow. Oracle understood that more memory and more spindles meant better performance. ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah www.throughput.us +1 330 432-3533 tag: Oracle Magazine ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Nonperforming Assets

Can you say, Holistic?

My good friend (and client) Tony Rizzo has started to blog about his Total-Matrix approach to maximizing shareholder value on a new blog, simply named: Total-Matrix.

He has even offered to let me post a thought or two if (when) the moods strikes. Maybe today. Maybe not. Along with "Software Jonah" Richard Zultner. Speaking of Zultner, I have asked him to guest blog here about his activities of late, with special attention to using QFD to predict the rewards possible from using a systems (or holistic) approach to solving business challenges.

So, if you have any influence on Zultner, ask him to put finger to keyboard on our behalf! Soon. But I digress...

Assets

Nonperforming assets. The worst kind. Or are they? I was listening to an episode of an old TV interview I did in 2004 with good friend Ed McCullough, when something Rizzo said to me a couple of weeks ago hit home. I will remind my readers that I am quite confident that if I can achieve significant results, ANYONE can! I am rarely (if ever) the smartest guy in the room. But I am willing to outwork everyone else by staying focused until the results are achieved. So, from April or May of 2004 until yesterday, this thought lay just below the surface of my consciousness:

Applying resources (as well as assets) to the wrong task does not simply result in "no value" as I have repeatedly claimed, it is actually causing damage. Perhaps significant damage. Perhaps, damage that might result in the self-termination of a business entity.

Suicide

An ugly word. Yet, every reader of the comic strip Dilbert™ has shaken their head in agreement at the stupid situations that are portrayed! Many of which would be fatal acts in the real world. So, can you relate to the comic because it strikes near the practices at your place of employment?

"You don't know, what you do not know."

A favorite quote. In fact, my picture may even adorn this passage in a book of quotes somewhere! But if there is hope for me, there is hope for you! I have learned to seek out those that know things (important things) that I do not. This is no one on planet earth that knows more about project management as it relates to shareholder value in a product development organization, than Tony Rizzo. And yes, I have him plotting a book on the subject. However, that will not help you today. And we all need help. Today.

So, check out Rizzo's new blog and let us know what you think.


-ski

P.S. Tony is available to put the proper assets to work on the proper tasks. Give me a call (initial consultation is free) to jump start holistic thinking at your company.

----
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.throughput.us
+1 330 432-3533

tag: Holistic Thinking
©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

GDP up Again!

US Commerce Department reports...

GDP (Gross domestic product) was up 0.9% for the first quarter of 2008.

Imagine that: growth. Who knew?

Me.

-ski

SKI predicts US Economy Up Big Time

... the biggest increase on record

"Excluding transportation, orders rose by 2.5 percent last month, the biggest gain in 9 months. Orders for electrical equipment and appliances surged by 27.8 percent, the biggest increase on record, with strong demand also registered for primary metals, machinery and communications equipment."
— AP

Just in case NBC Nightly News fails (again) to cover the real news.

-ski

P.S. I might have mentioned the lack of a recession on several occasions...
http://consultski.blogspot.com/2008/05/no-recession-part-iii.html
http://consultski.blogspot.com/2008/04/there-aint-no-recession-part-ii.html
http://consultski.blogspot.com/2008/04/no-balance.html
http://consultski.blogspot.com/2008/04/ski-reminds-no-recession-in-2008.html
http://consultski.blogspot.com/2008/02/there-is-no-recession.html

----
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.throughput.us
+1 330 432-3533

tag: Ain't No Recession
©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Nardelli's Chrysler :: Or Mine

Can one man make a difference? Lee Iaccoca did. Steve Jobs did. Sonny Kinsey did. Bob Nardelli just might be on the right track. When rumors spread a year or so ago that Ford might go private, I got excited. This is even better. My favorite car company and a rebel CEO: the perfect match. Now, the only question, how can I assure myself the winning video in the Chrysler Listens contest? -ski P.S. You gotta love that new Dodge Challenger! ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah www.throughput.us +1 330 432-3533 tag: Bob Nardelli ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

google earth iPhone

WOW is probably the common reaction A neat demo from a Boulder-Colorado startup called Earthscape... I hope it works on my Apple iPod touch! -ski

No Recession :: Part III

Sales of new one-family houses
in April 2008 were up 3.3%

Yea, the mass media must hate the fact that the average American can go to a web site and get the facts. Let me see... if the news is bad, I guess folks will buy more newspapers, watch more evening news, and therefore, buy more products from the companies smart enough to advertise in the "doom and gloom" media.

Anybody else see a problem with this logic?

-ski

Take a deep breath

I should not have been amazed...

Searching for prospects with projects going "sideways" (in other words, projects not going to meet the promised due date), I thought of a great slogan:

"take a deep breath — project help is as close as your phone"

When my search turned up this Breath Easy offer. I had no idea of its value. This is not an endorsement. I am simply sharing my amazement... okay, so I am easily amazed.

If you were building a new project model from scratch (or even from templates of past efforts), I would be recommending you switch to TMx for MS-Excel — our add-in for building the best project plans possible. Without MS-Project... but easily exported to Project complete with the resource pool.



But for you, there, in front of the CRT, you need help NOW! In fact, you needed help yesterday! And the day before. So, here you find yourself polishing up your resume out of fear from the fall-out of this key project failing big time. And taking out everyone associated with it!

Take a deep breath

Then call me.

-ski

----
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.throughput.us
+1 330 432-3533

tag: Projects restored
©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Hippos

Most entertaining A classic for the kids (or those of us that love the song!)... Makes me think of my favorite joke. I have already admitted that I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer. It took me several YEARS to get the punchline. See how you fair: One unusually hot summer, many years ago (before Al Gore invented the internet), it was hot. Dang hot. So hot, that the animals in the jungle had no strength left to worry about their next meal. The lion was laying next to the lamb. Alligators were floating next to flocks of otherwise tasty birds, not even thinking about chomping into one. So hot, that two hippos had found the perfect spot in a backwater lagoon, and were submerged up to their eye balls and nostrils. Just standing and kind of half-floating in the water. In fact, they had remained that way for days. It was that hot. When, the one hippo looks over to the other, and says,

"I can't get it out of my head, this isn't Monday."

Memorial Day 2008

Let us never forget...

Semper Fi

-ski

Branding Words

Dylan Cher Madonna Shakira & SKI

No, I cannot carry a tune in a bucket... no, I am not famous... or rich... but I am on iTunes. Actually my podcast series Throughput Press is on iTunes. And of course, I have created several iMixes, like this tribute to the power of branding.

Did I mention that you can get help for your buzz marketing efforts?

Including podcasts...

vBuzz.org


-ski

----
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.throughput.us
+1 330 432-3533

tag: vBuzz Branding
©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

The Real Steve Jobs

Jobs should want to hear me out...

I am flipping through my 100+ channels of nothing much (yet) to watch on the TV when I see Steve Forbes on Kudlow & Company. There is Kudlow, Forbes and three others as I recall... when Kudlow says something like, "Is everyone else as frustrated with Vista crashing their computer?"

The replies seem to concur.

But then he goes on to say that he is ready to make the ultimate upgrade: to an Apple Mac! Disclaimer: I own Apple (AAPL) stock. However, that does not change the fact that the Mac simply works. One of the contributors remarks that Steve Jobs has Kudlow's home phone number and he should expect a call that night from Jobs to help him make the change over.

Mac vs. PC ads on appple dot com

I shared this link of great TV commercials with a friend, and his remarks are classic:

"They're funny, in a frustrating sort of way."

Exactly.

Here is how my mind works: Apple could own the project management software corner of the market world-wide. Period. In just 90 days. How? Well, I am hesitant to tell the whole story, but it involves one of my clients and a certain critical chain project management (CCPM) company that delivers the ultimate in scheduling software.

For a hint, see my TV interview.

If Apple does not have a program to fund startups with the unique mission of creating best of breed apps with the narrow focus of replacing PCs with Macs, then it should. Jobs might consider writing me a check for one million dollars for the explicit purpose of creating a software company to replace MS-Project with an Apple Mac only replacement based on CCPM... and guess what? It would be ready for rolling out at MacWorld 2009. But I digress...

Yes, those TV spots are cute in a puppy dog sort of way. But frustrating as #@!%.

-ski

----
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.throughput.us
+1 330 432-3533

tag: Mac vs. PC
©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

twitter :: Is it Anything?

Dean Landsman asked first

"Are you using twitter?"

I had been seeing more and more references to twitter, so I decided to take the plunge. Now, after a couple of weeks, I have added it to my home page, and in a moment, to the mast head of this blog.

Why?

Simple: business gurus like Guy Kawasaki are posting thoughts to twitter that they may not share in any other medium. Why is that important? D'oh!

If you have followed my blog more than a few days, you know I preach a quote that has meant more to me than all the others combined:

"Five years from today, you will be the same
person that you are today, except for the
people that you meet and the books that
you read."
—Charlie 'Tremendous' Jones

Today, I would suggest a slight revision to Mr. Jones' quote: "... and the all the successful people you study."

Guy Kawasaki was seeking a quote from the new Indian Jones movie, and sure enough, someone (via twitter I believe), came up with the actual sound byte!

http://tinyurl.com/5enzp3

My gut reaction to the lesson in this clip: doing is just as important as thinking. No more important. No less important.

-ski

----
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.throughput.us
+1 330 432-3533

tag: twitter
©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Top Ten Business Gurus

Top 10 Business Gurus for Results...

www.top10gurus.info

Totally Results :: Tony Rizzo

Have a Project that needs help?

Like yesterday!

Who you gonna call?

If I were you, I would call me.

What I mean to suggest is that I have the answer you seek for all your project management problems. Yes, all of them. In fact, I have answers to questions you have yet to discover need addressed.

Mind reader?

No. It is the fifth tip that I shared in my book, Purple Curve Effect: Involve others.

Once upon a time, in a far away state, there was a problem of the engineering sort. A nightmare of a challenge that was costing thousands of dollars each day for which it went unresolved. So, the company brought in a respected engineer to solve the problem. Now, when the engineer arrived, the chief operating officer suggested that the gentlemen first break for lunch as it was almost one o'clock in the afternoon. Then he stated that they could return and devote full attention to the challenge.

The engineer refused. He suggested that he take a minute to correct the problem, and that would then allow them plenty of time to enjoy their meal. And that is exactly what he did!

I met the engineer in this story many years ago. He has long since passed on to his reward in the "here ever after"... but that caliber of expertise may still be employed on a contract basis. I know several independent contractors with that kind of talent.

More importantly, I am willing to put them to work for you.

Today, I would like to bring to your attention, one such guru: Tony Rizzo

As part of my "virtual buzz" assistance role for him, I have created the Totally Results blog to share his availability. In case you did not know, he is the creator of the Total-Matrix planning process and a software developer, having written the TMx application.

Visit our store front at totallyresults.blogspot.com and let me know if I can put Tony Rizzo to work on your most pressing projects.

-ski

----
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.throughput.us
+1 330 432-3533

tag: Tony Rizzo
©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Quality Expo Detroit :: June 11-12 2008

Catch SKI in Novi, Michigan...

I am pleased to offer my unique brand of focus at the 2008 Quality Expo Detroit Conference next month. Sponsored by Quality Magazine.

Session 202: Lean Six Sigma for Quality Manufacturing:

Leading Lean Six Sigma Projects for Quality Manufacturing

Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Partner and Senior Consultant,
Throughput.us LLC

Leveraging Lean with Six Sigma is the "Best Practices" of quality manufacturing for our present times. However, there is more required for successful projects than simply "the will to succeed".

Leadership requires passion in addition to great tools. Leadership also requires action: the proper action at exactly the perfect time. Every time, Faster than circumstances can deteriorate!

Cycle through your Lean Six Sigma toolbox turbocharged by Colonel John Boyd's OODA Loop (Observe-Orient-Decide-Act) to ensure mission critical successes for each and every project on your plate. Learn of real life applications of the OODA Loop.

• Observe: unfolding circumstances; internal and external data; implicit guidance & control
• Orient: cultural traditions; Analysis & synthesis; previous experiences; heritage; new data
• Decide: Decision
• Act: Take action; test

Leaders produce. Effective leaders produce the desired results. Lean Six Sigma leaders empowered by Boyd's OODA Loop exceed expectations by mastering the four criteria for accuracy inherit in projects: accuracy relative to duration, to logistics, to costs and to the deliverables.

If results are an important part of your job, I look forward to seeing you in Novi. This event might just be the "kick in the pants" you need... better yet, bring your COO too.

-ski

----
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.throughput.us
+1 330 432-3533

tag: Quality Expo Detroit
©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

google adWords :: Take Two

Purple Curve Insight #9

"Testing is common sense.
All companies on the Purple Curve test."

I have spent a small fortune (including some of my own money) on testing concepts on google via their AdWords program... like the example shown here from this morning. Probably going back at least four years. Maybe longer. I was a beta user of google thanks to Guy Kawasaki's old Rules for Revolutionaries listserver. It took a while before I gave up AltaVista completely. In fact, I still used them until google added the ability to use quotes around search phrases. I like to think my suggestion helped make it a reality. But I digress...

Yesterday, I talked about seeking out that one customer that is searching for you.

Today, some comments about our findings. First, our first ad pulled only 1 true "impression" based on a search of the term we selected. However, due to the "secondary" market where google places its advertising, we had over 10,000 impressions. And five clicks.

Perfect.

No, not the lack of results. The fact that like Thomas Edison, we now know of at least one way to NOT make a light bulb... or one way to NOT sell a $7000 oil portrait of an American icon. No, not Steve Jobs. Chief Iron Tail.

So, now you see the second attempt (above). We also changed the search terms to get better exposure. As a former software developer, I love the iterative ability to tune a marketing campaign with AdWords. You can circle around until the check is placed in the mail.

In a related matter, after several months of behind the scenes activity, I am pleased to announce that you too can benefit from viral or virtual buzz marketing:

www.vBuzz.org

My latest adventure to help my fiends make money now, and more in the future.

Why?

Focus. You need someone focusing on your marketing message. Someone that gets up each day with several hours dedicated to getting your message out into the world. Consider hiring my organization to help you do just that: get the buzz going!




So, if you need some focus, give me a call. Part of the results of my focus these many years in the Open Source arena is the ability to offer solutions that scale. So, if you need one or one-hundred and one trumpets for your brand, your new best friend is just a phone call away...

-ski

----
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
jeff@vBuzz.org
+1 330 432-3533

tag: www.vBuzz.org
©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Pursuit of One

How many customers are you looking for?

Yesterday, I did a little time traveling, and held an interesting conversation with a shop keeper up near Northfield, Minnesota. You know, where the James-Younger gang ran into big trouble in the fall of 1876...

Well this shop keeper and gambler, Luke Short happens to have an "Old West" antiques business on the internet. Go figure. Time travel is like that, quite unpredictable! But I digress.

Seems he met this guy with a nice collection of "stuff" for sale, and now has this "Jeche Collection" listed on his store front. So far, so good. But Luke goes on to tell me about this great oil on canvas painting of Chief Iron Tail by artist David Humphreys Miller. This is the Indian that the US Mint used for the "Indian Head" nickel.

Well, it is kinda pricey for me, but I am thinking that there is at least one buyer somewhere, that would love to have this portrait of Chief Iron Tail. But how do you find him or her?

Great question

No easy answers. However, a couple of thoughts come to mind. Is there a town with a museum that might feature other memorabilia of the Chief? If so, you might try to contact a local antique store and offer to partner on the sale. But that is not very "internet" like, is it?

What about other sites that already have traffic looking for Chief Iron Tail photos and such? Better. We could reach out to one or more of them, and that may not be a bad idea. But again, that sounds like Luke would have to share his commission. Not the best approach methinks.

Enter google

I was trying to explain to this old west legend about this fancy contraption known as "the net" where he had staked his claim for his store front... how that a number of years ago, one company seemed to leap frog everyone else: google. How its stock was selling for over five hundred bucks PER share. All based on this neat technology it bought at a garage sale.

Luke's eyes flashed me this big old grin, and he said, "Now that, I can understand!"

Everyone loves a bargain. And so it was he related, that this oil on canvas painting was worth every penny of the asking price, and perhaps, even more. But again he asked, how do we find the guy looking for it?

google AdWords

If a buyer is looking for something, chances are better than ever that she is using google to find it... so, we just have to camp out on google's door step and wait. Well, maybe not exactly like that, but close. So I explained to Luke how we might craft an AdWord campaign to capture the attention of that one buyer... you know, our "pursuit of one" customer.

Would you like to know?

-ski

----
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
ski@throughput.us
+1 330 432-3533

tag: Chief Iron Tail
©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Art in Action

The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki I love my Apple(1) iPod. It holds a lot of music, but almost as many (if not more!) podcasts like Kawasaki's Art of Pitching from this book. In fact, just this morning over coffee I listened to my most recent TV appearance, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I have a Dream and this chapter of "Art", read by the author. Why? I am on a mission. Those that know me, know that means I am focused like a laser for the next ninety days on making something happen. Something that should prove of great value for a number of folks. I would have said for a "number of businesses" except that my mind is not wired that way... for me, a business is a dream by one or more individuals. A dream of serving one's fellow man. A dream of results that leave planet earth in better shape than that condition in which it was found. Yes, I understand that not everyone has so pure of intentions. Not my problem. I only must answer for my actions. To Do: create a press release Last week I was sidelined by yet another cold. Seems that my visit to Ohio is not agreeing with my health. One would expect that May in Ohio would be full of sunshine and warm weather. Wrong. It is not expected to break seventy degrees in the next five days. But I digress... I need a press release unlike most others. The subject is most interesting (at least to me): Tony Rizzo and I have agreed to a joint marketing effort on behalf of his Product Development Institute. I have become an agent (non-exclusive) for PDI with the mission of reselling his services. Hence, my study of great messages by great leaders... in search of the perfect "voice" for the press release. A release worthy of the occasion. A document that will move others to action. What might be called, "Art in Action." -ski P.S. Although the PR is not yet complete, feel free to contact me immediately if your projects are not progressing as required. Your success is the key to our success... and the sooner we start, the sooner you will experience breakthroughs you might be tempted to consider impossible. They are not. ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah www.throughput.us +1 330 432-3533 tag: Tony Rizzo ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved. (1) Disclaimer: I own Apple (AAPL) stock.

More Good News

Clarke offers us another chance to think...

Guess what? Every time that someone knows something that another does not, they crack a smile in disbelief. For example, when my google alerts pop up a job req searching for talented souls with experience in one of the fields I watch closely, I am amazed.

Recently, in the project management space, a job req needed a PMI certified manager that could multitask. How stupid.

Those of us that know better simply shake our heads... sometimes, I allow myself the pleasure of thinking ahead, and with my recent experiments in "day trading", I wonder about shorting the companies dumb enough to encourage bad multitasking. But I digress...

Thanks Clarke, your post offers one more ray of hope that maybe, just maybe, that the number one disease (that robs the world of the most of its potential productivity) might, just might, be eliminated in my lifetime.

Yea, right.

-ski

P.S. Not convinced? Continue to feel secure in the knowledge that the world is flat...

----
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.throughput.us
+1 330 432-3533

tag: Clarke Ching
©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Bluffton Farmers Market

Where do you spend Thursdays?

Now that James Brown has went on to his rewards, Ed McCullough is seeking nomination for the title, "Hardest working man in show business!"

Diane Fornari and Ed McCullough teamed up organize a farmers market in the Bluffton-Hilton Head Island. It seems to have hit a chord in the community.

Congrats.

-ski

Apple Position

Finally, I took my own advice

Since buying my first Apple Mac (yes, I was on the waiting list in 1984), I have been a big fan. Recently, I made it official and became a stakeholder. I do not give investment advice. However, as a huge fan of Apple, I have blogged about its pros and cons over the years, and finally convinced myself that I ought to own a piece of that rock.

As noted in my previous post, I will begin listing a disclaimer when I am covering a company for which I may profit. Do I expect my two cents to make any difference in the stock price?

No.

But it is better to mention the connection, than to have you guess.

I never want it said that I somehow mislead anyone. Those that know me, will acknowledge that I am often tougher on friends than my foes... so, you should expect to me to continue to highlight both the good moves and the bad moves that Apple might make. As always, this blog is my opinion... your mileage may vary.

-ski

©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Three Years (and counting)

Is it anything?

Mother's Day 2008

Once again, google offers a nice, understated salute to a national holiday. If your mother is still reminding you to "wash behind your ears" and spouting other such colourful expressions of love to you, give her a call if the distance is too great to "pop in" for a visit.

-ski

Wisdom :: Mike Murdock

Who are your mentors?

One of my heroes, is Mike Murdock. His web site is overflowing with profound thoughts on wisdom. I have heard him live and in person on a couple of occasions. Most excellent.

In the process of doing some office cleaning (more reorganizing than actual cleaning) I found a small (in physical size) book that Murdock wrote, Secrets of the Journey - Part I. So I flipped through it, and this passage caught my attention:

Reading affects your thinking
Listening affects your feelings
Reading affects your mind
Listening affects your emotions

This helps explain (in a small yet powerful way) why I love my iPod. I have created podcasts of my TV interviews with good friend, Ed McCullough and have been listening a lot of late to the most recent episode of Talk of the Town.

I shared the actual TV broadcast via the web (on SKI TV) with some friends, and one remarked how good of an interviewer Ed was, and how knowledgeable he was on Constraints Management fundamentals. In case you did not know, Ed was a partner in one of my old adventures (eDivision.net LLC) and wrote the landmark book review of Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point. In the review, written shortly after the release of Necessary but not Sufficient, Ed applied the tenets in Gladwell's book to the characters in NBNS. Great stuff... but I digress.

If your iPod is not full of podcasts, might I suggest that you are not really serious about the success of your business?

Too strong a statement?

Sorry. Life is too short.

Was it Col. John Boyd that said, "The victory goes to the wise?" Maybe not. But he was a big fan of reading. I would expect that he read King Solomon's thoughts on war, like this passage:

"For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war:
and in multitude of counsellers there is safety."
—Proverbs 24:6

Thanks Mike, for reminding me how important the spoken word is to our mental health and attitude. Your efforts are appreciated.


-ski

----
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.throughput.us
+1 330 432-3533

tag: Mike Murdock
©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Congrats Son

So you got that promotion... Now, the fun begins! Friends that might not like taking orders from you... folks that want to be your friend, now that you have some control over their future. Oh the joys of the hidden agenda! I recall Earl Nightingale quoting from Shakespeare’s Hamlet:

"To thine own self be true..."

Not quite as polished a speaker, I prefer this quote from a Reggie Jackson TV commercial:

"The only person that I have to impress, is me."

Trust your gut. Of course, you might take time to re-read my book as well. There is a reason why I called it a business leadership guide. There were a number of reasons your grandfather wanted it published, and I have to believe that one of them was for your benefit. Focus. My key to any success that I have enjoyed. I am willing to stay on task until it is complete, or the circumstances demand a review. Study the facts, ask a lot of questions, then make a decision. Quickly. Then apply leverage at the focal point. Never second guess yourself. Life is too short.

"Its relationships, stupid."

I tell myself that most every morning. Not that I am all that stupid (or, all that smart), but we all make mistakes. But Jim Collins gave us a great gift in his Good to Great book, and that was the proof that the RIGHT people are your greatest asset. Not the smartest. Not the young (or the old). The right people. Surround yourself with great people, and you will be amazed at the victories that await your command. Find those loyal young hot shots (like you were just nine years ago!) and challenge them to contribute. You have my number, call if you need encouragement. Call to share your successes. But as you have learned over the years, I do not accept calls to complain. Life is too short. --the dad