Blog

Came across this in the eCustomerServiceWorld.com weekly newsletter.
The tribal wisdom of the Dakota Indians, passed down from generation to generation, says that when you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount. In many organizations, however, a whole range of far more advanced strategies are often employed, such as:

1. Change riders
2. Buy a stronger whip
3. Do nothing: “This is the way we have always ridden dead horses”
4. Visit other companies or countries to see how they ride dead horses
5. Perform a productivity study to see if lighter riders improve the dead horse’s performance
6. Outsource: Hire a contractor to ride the dead horse
7. Harness several dead horses together in an attempt to increase the speed
8. Provide additional funding and/or training to increase the dead horse’s performance
9. Appoint a committee to study the horse and assess how dead it actually is
10. Re-classify the dead horse as “living-impaired”
11. Develop a Strategic Plan for the management of dead horses
12. Rewrite the expected performance requirements for all horses
13. Modify existing standards to include dead horses
14. Declare that, as the dead horse does not have to be fed, it is less costly, carries lower overheads, and therefore contributes substantially more to the bottom line than many other horses
15. Promote the dead horse to a supervisory position.

I just love analogies like this!

I came across this interesting article by Trevor Cook: Blogging, why do we do it?. It brings up some interesting questions about the potential evolution and possible downfall of blogging. What is the next evolution? – my opinion, lookup wiki.

It hasn’t been long since I’ve started trying this new approach to my blog. Trying to look at things with business eyes; creative eyes; just down right thinking eyes. But it’s funny how the day job can easily stomp that out. My day job is o.k.. It keeps me on my toes and always busy. But, like many other sufferers of this affliction called slow death I need a cure. I’ve gotten to the point I can hear it in my own voice as I say , “it’s o.k.”. It’s not great, it’s not mind blowing, it’s not the coolest thing in the whole wide world!, it’s o.k. That alone makes my stomach turn. I’m not alone. So many others have I life long “job”. I’ve even heard the term “lifer” at my work. Almost like it was a prison. As I am preparing to cure myself and leap out their into the abyss, I’m looking around and I see so many others who have the same disease. They know they have it, but don’t have a doctor. I try and remind them that they can cure themselves. They are the doctor. Rock the boat, stoke the fire, walk away. Those are really the only prescriptions you have at your finger tips.

As I mentioned in my first post, I put in my resignation at work. It’s an extremely liberating experience. But unlike others, I put in 3 months notice. At work I do a billion and 3 things. I’ve created that niche position just for me and I’ve become “irreplaceable”. Which really means, there is no way in hell I’m ever going to be able to get a new position at least at the company I work for now. So when the window of opportunity open I said “why not”. Now the interesting things about it all is the reactions. There are people who are thrilled for me leaving, some aren’t but happy, there are the people who honestly don’t care, and then there are the people who don’t talk to me anymore. It’s funny to here the reaction or when people start the conversation as “I heard a little rumour…” or “Say it ain’t so”. I haven’t told anyone who hasn’t come to me with it first. It’s actually becoming my little interest to see where the rumour mill is going next.

I always considered myself open and receptive enough to look at the whole picture. To really see how people see me, but as this process goes I start to wonder. What else goes with the rumour? It’s the first time really that I’ve ever wondered. I’m not going to go down the path, because I personally don’t agree with the gossip gravy train, and I slap my own hands when I do it. But it’s still a wonder. How many times have people talked about you?

Welcome to the Fight Club of the business world: ChangeThis

Rule One: Everyone Talks about ChangeThis
Rule Two: Everyone Talks about ChangeThis!

It’s all about spreading the word in the underground. I can picture all of us in dingy, dank, club basements. It’s all It’s all about the Fight. But instead of exchanging fists and blows to the gut it’s about the exchange of the manifestos?.

Half of me is kind of skeptical. Will these “Manifestos” really be the statements they claim to cause the stir? Will they really cause the blood to boil or will they simply become glorified over-worded haiku’s

A tiger can smile
A Snake will say it loves you
Lies make us evil

• Chuck Palahniuk Fight Club

The other half of me is very supportive. I think something like this to spread around the office is good. If people like Tom Peters and Seth Godin are involved it could turn into something interesting. I’m going to do my part so take a read
at the first Manifesto. Sign Up to read more. My full judgment is still holding out until I see my own blood boil.