Archive for the ‘Motivation’ Category
I believe it was “The Power of Focus” (Canfield, Hansen, Hewitt) that presented the idea of regular weekly reading. The idea is simple enough: if you watch five hours of TV a day, cut out two hours and replace it with a non-fiction book. Over the course of four years, you’ll have built the equivalent knowledge of a second Bachelor’s degree. Sounds crazy, right?
Read MoreYou’ve probably seen or heard something about Seventh Generation, a company that has been a market leader in green household supplies. Items such as environmentally conscious paper products, chlorine free diapers, and a variety of plant based cleansers. What really intrigued me about it is the origin of the name.
Read MoreYou might have heard the story of TOMS shoes. During his participating in the second season of the Amazing Race, company founder Blake Mycoskie witnessed the poverty experienced by children in developing countries. Growing up so poor they walked barefoot, to play, do chores, and go to and from school. This exposed to numerous cuts on the feet and infections transmitted through prolonged contact with the soil. So how do you solve a problem like this?
Read MoreI had an awesome English teacher in high school named Dr. Deborah Marinelli. Awesome woman, loved her students (or at least faked it well), and really wanted to impart the passion of writing in them. Anywho, the good Doctor once imparted some heartfelt advice to me after turning in one of my lousier papers, which went something along the lines of, “Chris, you have a wonderfully broad vocabulary; but you need to work on the specificity of your word choices.”
Read MoreI have only once, ever, EVER been asked, “Why do you belong to the Project Management Institute, when you aren’t certified yet?” I was speechless for a moment. I had never been asked that before about any of my professional affiliations. Regardless of whether someone has taken a certification or not, it says a great deal about them if they’re voluntarily choosing to be a dues-paying member of a particular group or organization. But why is that?
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The old management maxim of “What gets measured, gets done!” applies to all parts of life. Most especially financial fitness, physical fitness and weight-loss. So, with that in mind, here are four tools to help with each:
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Does your company have a corporate policy on employee use of social media? If you have over 15 employees and still don’t, you might want to consider sliding a clause or two into your next revision of the employee handbook, just to be on the safe side.
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I hate the term “fan boy” for a number of reasons. It’s derogatory against women, it’s stereotypical, and it’s a form of profiling. That’s right: people will judge you based on one characteristic alone, and try to pigeonhole you with it. Case in point? Apple Fan Boy, Linux Fan Boy, Nintendo Fan Boy, etc. Mind you, most tech geeks are male, and most of the obsessive behavior gets primarily by them, but that’s beside the point. My point is, I don’t consider myself a fan boy by any means, for any single system, technology, or political party. The things I do like and rant about to anyone foolish enough to listen, I enjoy because they really manage supersede my expectations. So, with that in mind, let’s talk about Ubuntu!
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On the surface it’s a simple question: why do you blog? As in, why do you bother to pay for hosting, write regularly, and give away (for free) whatever original thoughts and ideas that flutter into your head? It’s a question I get asked fairly regularly, usually by friends and family. Most don’t understand why I feel the need to dedicate 5-10 hours a week writing blog posts when there is a scarily-good chance that nobody else will ever read them, let alone quote me from years later.
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Just recently I became aware of the “as-is” rule of dating. The idea is that whatever your first impression of a person is, good or bad, it’s usually very accurate. All people supposedly come packaged “as-is” and do not tend to change, no matter how much one hopes, dreams, begs, wishes, nags, etc… At first glance, this appears true: most studies on change management and behavioral psychology tell us that people don’t tend to change unless they’re forced to, through some sort of pain or conflict. So what does dating advice have to do with selecting employers and clients?
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For years there was a terrible trend in corporate America. Automate, eliminate, exacerbate (our customers’ frustration). There are so many instances where having a real person, who thinks real thoughts, and can make real empowered decisions is the difference between a customer for life and just another RMA. For small businesses, this knowledge can be both a blessing and a curse.
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I was very, very wordy when I started trying to write formally. Casual tone, nothing to sweat. That’s easy. But with formal writing…I still am. It’s a constant struggle between a desire to ‘sound professional’ and the simple need for clarity and precision. However, thanks to an OpenCourseware Management Communication course I’ve read in my spare time, I’ve learned a few quick tricks to help instantly improve my writing! The first? “Make every word justify its existence on the page!”
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I don’t mind it really. After all, you don’t appreciate the bright, warm sunny days without a few cloudy rainy ones mixed in. Growing up in the Northeast as a pasty, pale white-faced pilgrim taught me that. Only we didn’t just have rain, we had snow for about 5-6 months a year. (Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but not by much!)
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It’s not every day you find someone who is highly qualified and underemployed. Unless of course it’s the year 2010 and the recession is still as brutal as ever. So, with that in mind, I’m throwing out a plug for my good friend and fellow grad of my alma mater, Clarkson University.
Read MoreI know a lot of people fear technology, which is why I think this is a such a great idea. HP is a technology company that sells everything from computers to servers to cell phones to digital cameras to you-name-it. And, since they’ve also bought EDS about a year ago (maker of the famous cat-herding commercials from years past) they’re trying to aggressively push into IT Services as well. So, what’s the deal with the learning center?
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Copyright © 2009-2010 Christopher Foundas.