Dream Big or stay home

2009 Hemi® Orange Dodge Challenger

Sundays are for dreaming big dreams... as Les Brown says, don't waste time on the "how" but spend that time on the "what" that will inspire you to take action.

He goes on to say that few folks aim high enough for fear of missing; most aim too low and hit their targets! How to break out of the Status Quo?

Dream big dreams.

The local Dodge dealer has a new 2009 Hemi® Challenger on the showroom floor. Wow! This is a great looking car to those of us that grew up in the heyday of the American muscle car. I recall my 1967 GTO falling to at least one 'Cuda back in the day. One 340ci Red 'Cuda in particular comes to mind... we left the line together (both stick shifts with some tire spin) as the light turned green. When the other guy hit second gear, it was as if his 'Cuda jumped straight up into the air and ran off into the night, never to be seen again. But I digress...

Back then, I was raised on the Chevy brand. Loved my small blocks like the 327ci with "hump back" heads in my 1965 Chevelle. Or the 350ci in my 1972 Camaro. And yet both my '67 and '68 GTOs (both had the 400ci engine) hold a sweet spot in my heart. Plus there was the 396ci 1968 Chevelle 4-speed to which I added the Mr. Gasket V-Gate shifter.

Why buy a retro and restore it when you can buy a brand new Hemi® 'Cuda?

Sorry, I meant Challenger.

-ski

Rules for Start ups

Best Business Start Up book I get a number of calls (mostly emails, but some are old fashion teleco calls) from would be entrepreneurs. Which I encourage. I am happy to share the little bit of the puzzle that I have discovered over the years. One of those recent calls got me to recommend Dan Hanlon's book, Riding the American Dream. As a result, I started re-reading the text myself. It is even better than I remembered! If you don't own a copy of this book and you are serious about "changing the world" through your own business venture (and the timing could not be better, given the economic turmoil), you simply will waste a lot of time and money. Time and money you do not have to spare! This book is a not a short cut. It is the road map. If you write a business plan today without consulting Dan Hanlon's book, you just don't understand throughput. How sad. -ski ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah www.throughput.us ski@throughput.us ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Career suicide

by way of the "Counter Offer" I bumped into this great article addressing the "counter offer" when a valued employee decides to move on. I have had this happen on at least two occasions. Once, I recall jumping through a number of hoops for a great consulting role with a consulting firm. One of those deals where they did not want to talk wages until they knew I was the right person for the job. When I passed all tests, they offered me a low ball figure. I was insulted. One of the reasons that I have never, and would never, consider applying for another job where the employer is embarrassed to reveal the wage and benefit package early in the dance. Your mileage may vary. But in this case, I so wanted to leave my old position that I agreed to work for that low wage. They said if they had made a mistake, they would make adjustments at my annual review. And they did. I got a 20% increase a year later. Largest in company history. I felt vindicated. They admitted that they were wrong. Now that I was in demand, time to look for an employer worthy of my talents. Within three months, I found one and left. They made the counter offer, but I explained that it was "too late" for them to impress me. Yes, they honored the commitment to "make it up to me", but even a 20% increase a year later would take years to actually repay those lost wages. But I also knew "career suicide" was more common than most would like to admit. Don't fall prey... -ski ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah www.throughput.us ski@throughput.us ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Stroke Warning Signs

Know the Signs

"A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough."

RECOGNIZING A STROKE Remember the "3" steps, S..T..R Read and Learn! Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

• S - Ask the individual to SMILE.
• T - Ask the person to TALK to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. . . It is sunny out today)
• R - Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke. If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. Source: ClassBrain dot com Download Poster: Aging-No-More dot com

Happy Thanksgiving 2008

no-bake chocolate pumpkin pie Our First Thanksgiving:

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast which is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies.

Did they have no-bake chocolate pumpkin pie? Probably not. However, I cannot imagine a Thanksgiving Day celebration without pumpkin pie. In fact, I had a couple of pieces last night in order to be ready for big day! Please join me, as I give thanks for this great country. For the freedoms we enjoy... -ski

YART :: Yet Another Road Trip

Into the heartland For a number of years (too many I would suggest), I made a lot of trips across Ohio's mid-section. But as the Prophet said, "Do not despise small beginnings." Today, I am happy. Happy that I made those treks. A few in a great road machine (once or twice serving as a great snow machine!) known as the Merkur XR4Ti. Black on black. Turbo charged. Sunroof. H rated Yokohomas (and at redline, every inch of the rating was necessary). Today, I make the trek in a car rated at 38mpg highway. My best trip to date brought "only" 36mpg. But I will not complain. Even at $1.69/gallon, less fuel consumption is better. Although the XRAT (as my friend Luke Short first tagged the XR4Ti, followed by Ohio's official plates) did get in the low 20s for miles per gallon. The "fun index" was off the chart when measured by the gallon of fuel consumed. I recall my brother suggesting one late night that I did not need to break the rear tires loose cornering on the back roads... (I disagree) but I digress. As I have mentioned before, I love road trips for the wealth building venue they provide. I will consume a number of podcasts and audio books as well as the best of Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Dylan (to name a few). With my trusty digital recorder at the ready, let the adventure begin! Need focus? Take your own road trip. -ski P.S. Your mileage WILL vary! ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah www.throughput.us ski@throughput.us tag: Jeff SKI Kinsey ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

New feature: Say What?

That can't be right Listening to talk radio this morning, the crew shares a story from somewhere (or, maybe they made it up!) that I am hoping that I heard wrong. You know the kind of thing you hear out of one ear, and strain to catch with the other... something that if you were talking in person, you might request a little more clarity. As in: "Say what?"

PE man (President Elect) may need a second term to fix the economy. Seems it might be "too big a mess" for our super hero to correct in his first term. So we should be prepared to grant him a second term to continue his efforts?

What efforts? Did I miss the part where PE man has already done some great work on the economy? The only headline I noticed was the obligatory conclusion of a smoke filled room promise to make The Hilary our next Secretary of State. Is it possible that PE man is not aware the true costs of honoring that decision? Here is a great video on YouTube (at least until The Hilary gets it removed) fore telling her approach and ability to deal with challenges: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq8aopATYyw -ski

Kawasaki Nomad 1500

Merry Christmas to us In 1976 (as I recall), we bought a Kawasaki 500 "triple" for two up riding. Do I need to mention that we were much younger then? But we had a blast. And no, we never went further than 100 miles from home. Well, I get this call from a guy that bought this Black 2000 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Nomad new, and starts the conversation: "Remember when you said you wanted first chance at the Nomad if I ever wanted to sell?" Yes. Very much so! "Today is your lucky day. If you are still interested." We had a bagger in 2006, but had to sell the Excelsior-Henderson Super X (against my better judgment). I refuse to ride "two up" on the vRod. It is not a bagger, IMNSHO, even though I see a fair amount of them with bags. This ultimate bagger now helps to round out my collection. Where is Al Gore and his global warming when you need it? Regardless, this should be perfect for the run to Daytona Beach Bike Week this spring. Now, I just need to find that perfect Buell. -ski

Gambler P. J. Kepplinger

Kepplinger's "Holdout" for Card Cheating Interesting claim to fame: Creating a device for cheating. Old PJ could have worked for Enron. But I digress... My friend Luke Short has this device for sale on his Old West Antiques dot biz web site and blogged about Kepplinger on his Frontier Gambler site. I get the sense that these babies are rare. Get it while it lasts... just in time for those holiday card games! -ski Disclaimer: Luke Short and Old West Antiques dot biz are clients of vBuzz dot org. tag: vBuzz.org is a member of the Throughput.us LLC organization. ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Endeavour Shuttle Launch

Great photos of latest launch by hyku Browsing through some twitter conversations, I ran across hyku and his camera work. Most impressive. I have always wanted to witness a launch live, but have yet to do so...

HowTo kill cable TV

Philips Stereo RF Modulator The missing link was this handy device from the "sense and simplicity" folks at Philips. For years, I have watched the evolving marketplace for consumer TV services. I have investigated DirectTV (et al) and have not been impressed enough to pull the plug. Until last week. When the good folks at Time Warner sent us "over the edge" of reasonableness: the latest price increase. Almost a 10% increase for the same crappy service (less than 70 channels, no digital or high def). I had discovered hulu dot com some months ago. In the back of my mind, this thought kept popping to the foreground: could hulu replace our cable service? But not just hulu, I also have used Apple's iTunes for four years now, and it keeps getting better and better. Ever wonder how Steve Jobs (and company) continues to make money? Good enough is never good enough! Anyhow, when we received the notice of the price increase, we immediately called and canceled our cable TV service. I had been experimenting with displaying YouTube and iTunes on the TV from my Apple Mac mini for several weeks. I had also priced the DirectTVs of the world (talk about bait and switch!), and just was not impressed. I did consider the Apple TV, but it still lacked (as far as I could tell), the ability to surf the net and therefore get hulu to display. Then it happened: I discovered the Philips RF modulator. The final ingredient! SKI's Cable TV Killer Bundle:

• Apple Mac Mini
• Apple DVI to Video Adapter
• 1 each S-Video cable
• 1 each 3.5mm Male Audio Stereo Plug to Dual RCA Female Jack Y cable
• Logitech V220 Cordless Optical Mouse
• Coaxial Cable 2-way splitter
• Multiple coaxial patch cables
• Philips Stereo RF Modulator
• Optional: Multimedia Amplifier

Again, the only piece that I did not already own was the RF modulator. I was dragging the Mac down to the TV in the living room when ever we wanted to watch old episodes of the TV series "The Pretender" or the latest on the Homes & Garden network. Or a movie on hulu. No more. Now, I switch out the DVI to VGA converter on the back of the Mac mini for the DVI to Video, and grab the wireless mouse. That is it! The mouse works in every room of our two story house. We use it to navigate hulu or to launch iTunes (or even check email!). I probably will add a wireless keyboard with the money I am saving by not having a cable TV service fee each month. But right now, I am using those funds to pay for my new big screen TV. Just in time for the holidays! Talk about throughput? This will free up $65 per month for our home budget. Plus, more and more services will come online to complete with hulu. A true "win-win" scenario. Merry Christmas -ski P.S. We use the coaxial splitter to connect the Mac to the TV in the living room plus the TV in the master bedroom. As I already had the Multimedia Amplifier, I plugged it in between the RF modulator and the wall jack in my office. It really helped to strengthen the signal. It was not necessary for driving just one TV. Again, as I already had it, I used it. Your mileage may vary. P.P.S. Questions or concerns? Write me: ski@throughput.us

Frank Feather on LinkedIn

Meet Frank Feather 100+ "Best Answers" on LinkedIn I use twitter a couple times a day, still trying to make sense of its value for professionals. But I use LinkedIn a lot. And the reasons continue to grow and evolve. Might I suggest too few of us are getting our money's worth? [FYI: Basic functionality is free!] Well, in my travels the other day, I bump into an old friend. He mentions a company we both know that is laying folks off. Wrong-headed thinking for sure, but most American executives really do not understand the ramifications (and most still complain about employee loyalty, but I digress) of such short sighted actions. So, I offer, "Sales must be off. It's the economy." No. He heard that sales are brisk as ever (even as the Dow sheds points like a drunken Marine out on the town burns through greenbacks), and the backlog is significant. We talk further, but I am stuck in the moment: Sales are increasing and they are laying people off. Enter LinkedIn. I post this question in the Q&A section:

Why do manufacturing companies lay people off? I thought I knew the answer to this question. I was surprised last night by a friend who provided an answer that I would not have guessed! Please give me your ONE and ONLY answer as to the most common reason. To add clarity, both hourly and salaried people have been laid off. In a somewhat likely ratio to the overall mix of the plant.

Within twelve hours, I get 12 responses. More than a few of course match my thoughts (declining sales). A few suggest other possibilities that I have yet to encounter. That is one of the great things about the pool of talent on LinkedIn. Here is the "best of the best" in my not so humble opinion, from Frank Feather:

It is a swift cost-cutting measure which immediately saves cash flow, which thus helps the company weather the storm, which thus helps preserve the remaining jobs, and which thus helps the company recover and start re-hiring again.

This explanation fits the other (limited) details that I have from the conversation with my friend. Anyone reading my blog for more than a couple of days will groan a small "Oh yea" under their breathe at the mention of cashflow. But the core problem goes unresolved. Eli Goldratt said that companies cannot be doing too many things wrong, or they would cease to exist. True enough. Normally. However, the economic climate is anything but normal! The Dow just staged its worst two-day sell-off in 21 years. So, Frank is probably right, this company is watching cashflow and Wall Street. When a fire alarm sounds in your hotel room, it is best to grab your Apple MacBook Air, and then if time permits, throw on some clothes and your shoes, then head down to the parking lot. Yet bigger problems remain for this company. Now, add the fact that maybe, just maybe (actually, I would almost guarantee it) a few extremely talented folks were just released into the wilds of unemployment. Few understand the true costs of replacing talented contributors. Sounds a little like saying my hand hurts, so I will shoot myself in the foot. That will take my mind off my pain. Wrong. -ski ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah ski@throughput.us ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Reality Check by Kawasaki

Reality Check by Guy Kawasaki One of my favorite business gurus has a new book out. Another "must own" from the master of entrepreneurial savvy. On a recent podcast I heard Guy say this effort was his "Management like" book, a reference to Peter Drucker's 600+ page Management book that was:

"The essential book on management from the man who invented the discipline"

Guy was careful to not suggest his work was as important as Drucker's. Allow me:

"Reality Check is the essential book on entrepreneurialism from the man that sets the bar on its current state: Guy Kawasaki" —Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey

Get your copy. Do it today. -ski P.S. One of my favorite quotes from Guy (paraphrased) says, "Of course it is impossible [what ever the challenge], right up to the minute the entrepreneur accomplishes it. That is what an entrepreneur does, he or she accomplishes the impossible." ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah www.throughput.us ski@throughput.us tag: Guy Kawasaki ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Les Brown on Robert Roots

Robert Roots, Prepare for the Wolf Ever hear something new on an old recording? Yesterday, taking with a good friend, I mentioned Les Brown. Les is my favorite motivation speaker. Period. He will get me to do things that others cannot. For me, it does not get any better than Les Brown. But I digress... Well, as I listened to a session by Les this morning over coffee, I heard him make mention of Robert Roots. I must have heard this recording 50 times. Maybe more. But this passage hit me like never before. One of those, "When the student is ready..." moments.

"Your success is not based on what you need, but what you have!" —Robert Roots (paraphrased)

Does that get your attention? It did mine this morning. Ever explain away great opportunities because you felt that you lacked the resources to make it happen? I have. Too often. This morning, I made a decision to allow it to happen a lot less! Who gets your attention? Who drives you to achieve more than you thought was possible? Mentoring is not about physical proximity, it is about nurturing that flame of passion within each of us that needs just a little bit of direction and yet, a lot of pouring gasoline on that small flame in order to ignite the bonfire within. If my book has done that for you, please add your review to amazon dot com. -ski P.S. Did I mention the PDF of Purple Curve Effect is free? Now what is your excuse? ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah www.throughput.us ski@throughput.us tag: Jeff SKI Kinsey ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

More bad news

Paulson and Bernanke on the Hill... Defending the $700B bailout... while Pelosi gets ready to honor her contributors by pushing through a bailout for the automakers. Just as Paulson's efforts have protected his buddies on Wall Street (and done very little else), Pelosi now must return the favor. Never mind the fact that with the overhead of pensions and health care costs none of the automaker bailout billions will save even one job. A politician bought and paid for is as good as gold in times of great need. -ski

Bogus headline

Bogus Headline misses the target Normally the group at Small Business Trends does a great job. However, this headline is wrong on several fronts. First, I would suggest that for 80% of the small businesses out, this advice will kill their business for sure! Given the economic climate. Automation is rarely the cure. Most often, in the short term, it makes matters worse. Orders of magnitude worse. Spending limited time and resources on links of your business chain that are not the weakest link, waste valuable time. Plus, they steal your resources from the true (and only one) weakest link. This headline also misses because the article makes the case (early in the body of the article) for proper focus for most small business: cashflow:

"And to increase cash flow you have to sell. Anything that takes you away from selling is a threat to your cash flow."

So, hold off on that automation effort. In the short term. Get out there and sell something! -ski ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah www.throughput.us ski@throughput.us ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Results not always throughput

Over at Quality Magazine I was reading the "Last Word" column from June 2008's issue, and was struck by the mental image that Thomas Sloma-Williams painted. He thought he was pointing out "True Partnerships Endure." What I heard was different. Recall that in my mind, the definition of throughput is simply more money in my pockets. Now, and even more in the future. It is that "purple curve" thing all over, each and every day. Plus, it is non-linear. Boyd's OODA Loop tells of the jerkiness of the activities required to achieve success. But I digress... We all have been in those meetings: a group of professionals around the conference table hammering out an action plan. Or mission statement; or refining the deliverables for the next phase of a major project. In this crazy matrixed world of out sourcing and distributed workforces, Peter Drucker and Buck Rogers (et al) have preached partnerships. I have heard about partnerships from every business pundit at every magazine imaginable my whole career. This article in Quality Magazine ends with this question:

"Do you have genuine partnerships or relationships of convenience with your suppliers?"

Wrong question. Both relationships are necessary. Furthermore, it is not necessarily a matter of choice. The better question is a two part query aimed at the heart of business. Your business; my business; businesses everywhere:

"Is your organization producing positive results? If so, are those results producing throughput?"

That is the $64,000 question. It might even be the 64 billion dollar question! In my 20+ years in business management and leadership roles, I have purchased millions of dollars worth of goods and services around our globe. Partnered with worthy organizations as well as fly-by-night companies that served a very necessary and finite role. How was I measured? Wrongly in most cases! If your organization still measures your performance based solely on reducing costs, they probably won't be around much longer. But I digress... Why did I give up computer consulting to pursue business consulting? I rarely (if ever!) was addressing the core constraint facing my clients. Let me repeat that basic truth:

"Few organizations address the real problem!"

As I have repeatedly remarked (from the podiums of events across this great country as well as this and other blog posts), most business owners have explained away the real breakthroughs possible. Results that would generate untold throughput. Real and lasting wealth. How sad. -ski ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah www.throughput.us ski@throughput.us tag: Jeff SKI Kinsey ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Certain to Win podcast

SKI shares the Agile definition via iTunes As documented in Chet Richards' book, Certain to Win. A tribute to the strategy of Colonel John Boyd. SKI's podcast: CertainToWin.mp3

Wikipedia cash crunch

Wikipedia’s Desperate Plea for Donation! Sorry, not interested. America works for a lot of reasons, among them our republic form of government. We are not 100% democratic. That would result in chaos... kinda like Wikipedia. I was angered when one of my entries was deleted by a supposed "do gooder" but then, when other idiots do gooders tried to remove Doc Searls, I somehow felt better. -ski ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah www.throughput.us ski@throughput.us ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Apple Genius Bar

Anyone used it yet? The Apple Genius Bar. Looks like one of those services that makes more sense in theory than practice. But I said that about XML before I started using RSS feeds. There is a great "guided tour" on the link...

Speaker for Hire

2009: The Year of Focus Need a speaker to build a fire under your staff? Einstein said it best, "Small plans have no ability to move man to action." Yes, that is a bit of a paraphrase. But the fact remains, if you keep doing what you have been doing, you will only get more of the same. Time for a fresh approach.

"SKI's carefully audience-tailored talks are centered on business methodologies; choosing the right one or ones and then harnessing them to work equally as well for companies, service organizations or institutions. By drawing comparisons to the attendees’ own familiar business realms, SKI teaches through the example of his own real-life implementations... Audiences will benefit from his sharp and honest appraisal of not only what went right, but what to avoid."

What obstacles does your organization need to stare down? -ski ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah www.throughput.us ski@throughput.us tag: Professional speaker for hire ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Wrong-headed worries

Another issue of IndustryWeek More insight for the taking... This time, one of the articles talks about a survey of the concerns facing those in manufacturing. 70% said "raw materials" costs. How sad. Wrong-headed thinking to the max! The second concern should have been the clear winner: finding (and retaining) qualified talent. Yet this issue only rated a 47% concern. This might come as a shock, but the fact of the matter is simple: good people solve problems. If hiring, training, promoting and retaining the right mix of talent is not at the top of your radar screen, I would give you odds of only 66% that you will be in business this time next year. Yes, a third of you will not make it. Ouch. Do you understand that the rules are changing? Focus on "low cost" providers has given us lead contaminated children's toys. Dead pets. Ineffective prescription drugs. The list goes on (and on and on!) but I digress... When will the light go on that people and the efforts of people are the only real solution to whatever might ail our economy. And our factories. -ski ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah www.throughput.us tag: Leadership vs. Management ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Where are the Leaders?

Ted Turner 1991 Time magazine's Man of the Year Several weeks ago, Carl Icahn was on CNBC and was disrespected by the crew of "financial" pundits (or so called). I was so mad I could hardly see straight. Last week or so, T. Boone Pickens was on 60 Minutes. Last night, Ted Turner was on Letterman. I know of no one with more respect than I for these icons of American Free Enterprise. But they cannot live forever. Our nation's greatest President did his time, but those eight years came and went so fast... Ronald Reagan, we miss you. The news is really more like propaganda today. Mainstream media now believes for the most part that it is their duty to tell Americans how and what to think. There is proof to suggest that our president elect raised tens of millions of dollars illegally in order to buy the office, and to my knowledge, only Fox News covered the story. What a mess. I could scream. What good would that do? Little. Very little indeed. How does Ted Turner do it? Or Boone Pickens? Or Carl Icahn? Get up every day and fight the good fight. As with all life, one day theirs will end. Who will pick up the mantle? -ski ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey www.throughput.us

Car Key Leadership

It's Monday Do you know where your car keys are? I use to have a terrible time finding my keys. I was speaking at an event once upon a time, and almost missed the whole show because I could not locate my car keys! My wife says, "Why don't you put your keys in that corner of the counter top? Always?" D'oh I hate not being the smartest person in the room. For all my accomplishments, my spouse has more organizational ability in her little finger than I have in my whole body. Just not my strong suit. Does that make it a big deal? No. Leadership is taking direction from those around you. When they have the better answer. When the subject is not your strong suit. When you are focused on more pressing issues. 99.999% of the time my car keys are in the same exact spot every morning. Brilliant? Yes. Beyond all reasonable thought. How so? I continue to preach the elimination of bad multitasking. My former days of searching for my keys wasted a lot of time and energy. Time better spent solving real problems. When one is searching for the mundane, flashes of insight might just get away. One of the reasons that eight years later, I still use my Sony® digital recorder. Leadership cannot be reduced to a set of habits. However, routines can remove obstacles that could be preventing more throughput in your personal and professional life. The race goes to the swift. Why jump hurdles when there is an obstruction-free path ahead? Focus requires time to think. Anything that limits one's time to think is therefore, bad. Today is a great day to apply some "Car Key Leadership"... and do let me know what breakthroughs you create with this simple tip. I really would like to know. -ski ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah www.throughput.us P.S. No, I am not suggesting everyone buy the recorder. I used a simple pad and pen for years. However, the results with the application of technology has been profound for me. Your mileage may vary. tag: Leadership vs. Management ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Turismo Cycles Red Horse Motorworks Birth of a Classic American Pro-Street Harley TwinCam 88" 6sp Trik Shift RSD 250mm Rear Tire Fat Front Tire Chrome vRod controls Weld Racing Wheels Watch it on flickr

Leadership Development

SKI on Leadership Development Over at Throughput.us LLC, I wrote a piece on the value of team members. How is development of the skills (or talents) of leadership best approached? But first, why is leadership even a concept worth exploring? Recall that my life is extremely invested in business organizations. I tend to "eat, sleep, and dream" about successful business adventures. My perfect vacation is 80% work and 20% pleasure. I recall one such adventure a few years ago. I combined a wedding anniversary with a business conference in San Diego. Yes, the trips to the spa (for my wife) was adequate compensation for the time I had to spend "at work" during the retreat. Truly a "win-win" Before we can talk about developing one's leadership skills (or, any skill), we must frame the need for the skills and talents that are being sought. Why leadership? For me: freedom. Freedom to pursue most anything that strikes my fancy. Like my adventure into the world of Custom American Motorcycles in 2004/2005. Again, I was able to combine a love of the open road and motorcycles with a business need. For you: Fill_in_the_blank. Readers (of more than a few weeks) will recall that Sunday's are great for "dream building." Why is this exercise important? Without a goal (vision, or dream), most people will give up when the least little resistance appears. You want a promotion? Simple. I can help you with that dream. During my fifteen months as a Business Analyst at Lexis-Nexis (as a consultant, not an employee), I was promoted to "Billing Department Lead" of a neat multimillion dollar project. Kinda unusual for a hired gun. How did it happen? Hard work? Sure. But I would suggest that it was more focused that laborious. I threw myself into the project. Attended every meeting that I was entitled to attend. Offer my vantage point when I felt it differed from the others. Networked like crazy. Sought to understand the demands of others on the team. How did my portion of the project impact the other pieces? Offered to take on tasks when others were hesitant to volunteer. Spent personal time getting up to speed on technology that might (or might not) affect the project. In other words, I put myself into the project. I made it my project. Among my duties, I got to recruit other members to my team. How do I lead? By serving. By plugging into the adventure and finding ways to contribute. No matter how small. Or large. If you share your dream, together, we can identify and explore the skills necessary to become a leader in your chosen endeavor. But, without a dream, I cannot help. It is that simple. -ski ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah www.throughput.us P.S. Yes, I was once again prowling the car lots this morning. That Cadillac CTS still is calling to me! Plus, I was searching for another Excelsior-Henderson Super X as a possible bagger for a road trip to Daytona Beach Bike Week this spring... tag: Leadership vs. Management ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

More on Leadership

Dan Loichinger on Leadership I find some interesting and thought-provoking reflections on Loichinger's blog. And yet, he makes a statement that sends the wrong message (at least to me):

"That is, there is not one single idea, or group of ideas, that will eventually lead to success and fully engaged leadership in every organization."

He goes on to suggest that there is no silver bullets in leadership. Wrong. How long did it take for the world to accept the fact the earth circled the sun? Too long would be the short answer. Because the answer eludes, is no reason to pronounce final judgment. I claim that I weigh a certain amount and yet the truth is that I am constantly gaining and losing weigh second by second. Therefore, my stated weigh is an average of sorts. At best. There is, in fact, a single idea that leads to success in every organization. When the leadership within an organization fully adopts this focus, success results. However, as organizations by definition have human components, no single idea will ever transform all organizations. There is an expression among business consultants, "It is after all, his [or her] business." My overwhelming experience with organizations is in the context of privately held business entities. As employee, consultant, temp, founder and on many occasions as owner. Every business consultant with more than one engagement has seen the client make irrational decisions. It is a fact of life. It is after all, their business. When you own all the marbles, you get to decide. Books will be written on leadership until the very end of time itself. Every vantage point imaginable will be explored at great length... and yet, as long as the free enterprise concept of "ownership" exists, pure logic will never rule in every circumstance. So, should we give up? Of course not. But do not discount the fact that a single (and simple) silver bullet does in fact exist. Freedom of choice. It is the spice of life. Business too. -ski ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah www.throughput.us tag: Leadership vs. Management ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Leadership is not Management

You lead people... You manage things Another great thought-provoking exchange on LinkedIn. If you are not using this tool at least once a week, you could be missing some great meetings of the minds. This morning brought the chance to comment on leadership. Actually, the person was seeking blogs that focus on leadership... like this one. I do not believe that you can lead without a focus on throughput. Ever hear anyone ask, "Who can lead us back into the world of less?" Me either. It has been said that everything is either growing, or it is dying. Very little status quo. So why would one seek "more of the same?" Give me leadership, or give me some time off! -ski ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey www.throughput.us tag: Leadership vs. Management ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Hammer time

More therapy for the soul... A colleague (of the open road) ask if I could pick up his Victory Hammer at the shop. His schedule was crazy, and the dealership is 30+ miles away. What a great excuse for breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then a romp through the scenic, rolling hills. As long as I can stay away from the news, I feel better. The more time in the saddle of a mechanical steed, even better. Also took the misses for a short hop across town on the ultimate "bagger" — the Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad. What a cruiser. Comfort all around. Then, a mad dash traversing the boulevard on the vRod. What are you doing to regain balance after the election? -ski ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey www.throughput.us tag: Victory Hammer ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Spelling contest

Nothing you can't spell will ever work.

Will Rogers US humorist & showman (1879 - 1935)

Made me think of that great line in the movie, Tombstone, where Doc Holiday says to Ike Clanton, "I know Ike, lets have a spelling contest." Found this Will Rogers quote with my trusty RSS reader, bloglines. Did I mention that I use bloglines for my home page. Their "dashboard" is a great way to see what is new at a glance. But I digress... How do you stay informed? Main stream media? D'oh! -ski

The End of the Beginning

The Federalist Papers The United States of America was founded on a few simple principals. Documented for all to see in the form of a constitution. You might remember it as that, "We the People..." thing, depending on where you were schooled. Or maybe the subject of an entertaining movie or two. Writing in the first "Federalist Paper", the General Introduction, Alexander Hamilton explained among other points, that in the papers that followed, our founding fathers would be making the case for ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Hamilton specifically wrote: I propose, in a series of papers, to discuss the following interesting particulars:

• THE UTILITY OF THE UNION TO YOUR POLITICAL PROSPERITY
• THE INSUFFICIENCY OF THE PRESENT CONFEDERATION TO PRESERVE THAT UNION
• THE NECESSITY OF A GOVERNMENT AT LEAST EQUALLY ENERGETIC WITH THE ONE PROPOSED, TO THE ATTAINMENT OF THIS OBJECT
• THE CONFORMITY OF THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTION TO THE TRUE PRINCIPLES OF REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT
• ITS ANALOGY TO YOUR OWN STATE CONSTITUTION
• and lastly, THE ADDITIONAL SECURITY WHICH ITS ADOPTION WILL AFFORD TO THE PRESERVATION OF THAT SPECIES OF GOVERNMENT, TO LIBERTY, AND TO PROPERTY.

It is that last item that I fear we have just voted away: preservation of Liberty and Property. I mourn for the passing of what our Declaration of Independence called, "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness..." On a positive note, our president elect will have a majority in both houses of Congress. The next two years will provide the proving grounds for this landmark election. His actions and those of his party members will quickly shape America's future for all to see. What comes to mind? The adage, "Be careful what you wish for, it might just come true." To those that embraced this particular brand of change: "The ball is in your court." As for me? I will mourn the end of our heritage. Jeff Kinsey

Vote

google sends the right message with art... VOTE!