2008

Well the last day is here! Ae you ready for 2009? I have blogged before that you can tell the health of a company (or a person) on the point if they are constantly looking to the past or the future. I try to keep my eyes on the opportunities of the future,but this is a time to look a little at the past. It has been a great yearwith it's share of difficulties. Between my wonderful wife, kids and family on the personal side and working for a great coompany with great people the work side was great also. Were there bads time? Yes. Were there difficult times? Yes. My thought is why spend any time on these? They happen and will happen again but they shouldn't direct my life. Have a great 2009!

Goals for 2009

So do you have your goals yet for 2009? I share my main 4 that I have set so people can keep me accountable (a good thing to help you keep your goals). They are:
1. Managed service's contracts - 1 per week
2. New client - 1 per month
3. Work out - 4 times per week
4. Work on being more assertive.
To focus on these things and not get hung up on the details I feel 2009 will be another great year for me.

Back to Work

I am not sure who today will be more difficult on, my kids or my wife and I. It has been a great couple of days with the family together. I love my job and what I do , but I love my family more. They are the reason that I get up every morning and go to work, even when I don't want to - which sometimes happens. Do you have a reason? If not you should take some time and find it because sooner or later you will need it.

Family

Well it is the day before Christmas and all through the house the kids were playing. My 12 year old made it home last night and now I feel that Christmas can occur. While he is a little different to interact with than his 1 and 2 year old siblings, he is still a child. At the base of it all they all want love and attention (although he wants it to show me his new football cards and to tell jokes to). Tis the meaning of Christmas to me - the reason I go to work (even though I love what I do) every morning, my family. Enjoy your family this season and have a Merry Christmas!

Goal Setting for 2009

A good friend of mine asked me to post a note to everyone on the importance of goal setting.
I think his note says it all.

Goal Setting for 2009 is due now!

The new year is just around the corner and what are you doing to prepare for maximizing your potential in the upcoming year. Stuart Crawford has published a great eBook and he is offering it for a great price on his website at http://blog.itsuccessmentor.com until the end of the year. For $7.99 you get all the tools you need to set goals that will stretch you, take you out of your comfort zone and grow in 2009. Goal Setting is a critical component to your success and especially today when there are so many obstacles to overcome with the economy, technology changes and other external influences. Focus on what you want to achieve, write them down and execute.

Stuart was recently featured in a Microsoft 5W50 seminar on Goal Setting, you can listen to the one hour session at https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/details.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=260603

Christmas Week

Well it is the most special week of the year, at least in my world. Christmas week is always my favorite time of year. I love hearing the story of the manager, eating great food and spending time with friends and family. I always wonder why we only do this one time a year? I know that the holiday only happens once, but the good cheer and happiness at this time of year could be replicated any time. I am going to volunteer May 15, my birthday, for another time we can do it. Easter and Halloween would be great also - spreading the days around. Or we could even do it everyday. Just think what a wonderful place this would be if we did that!

Clients or Friends

Do you have clients that you do business with or do you do business with friends? I think you will find out in the next couple months. Clients do business with you but when times get tough are going to look around. While some friends might do the same, they usually stick with you (even those you might wish you could lose). What is the difference? Do you care about them? About their kids and family? If not why should they care about you?

Back Again

Why do you go to work each day? I know it is because you love what you do (or it should be and if you don't life is too short and you should find something different) but what keeps you going? For me it is my family - I love my wife and three kids very deeply. Over the last fave days I got much closer to them. My two year old came home with the flu and was nice enough to share it with her one year old brother and then with dad - what a great daughter. The point to my story is I took three days off to help them get healthy. Did I get stressed due to lots to do at work - you bet, but if I can't take time to spend with the reason I work so hard now, when will I?

Sick Children

Isn't it amazing the things we do for our kids that we would never do for others? I am a person that if someone is sick I need to get away from them or I will be sick also. Unless it is my children and then I know I need to be right in there for them. My daughter has been vomiting since 2:30 this morning and while only mom can sooth her, dad is in charge of cleaning up. I am a cleaner so that doesn't bother me, bit it is nasty. But I just look in my daughter's eyes and know it is what I need to be doing. She is a little over 2 and scared and daddy's are suppose to protect and make things right, so that is what I am doing.

By the way my wife just looks and me and I tell her - welcome to parenthood.

Important Upcoming Webcasts

A good friend of mine, Stuart Crawford gave me the heads up on a couple upcoming webcasts that will be filled with excellant information for people in the technology industry (and if you aren't in the industry there still might be some good ideas to gain from attending).

The first is on the topic of goal setting, which is very relavent to this time of year. I don't know about you, but I always take a day at the end of the year to evalutate how I did the past year and to look forward to what I want to accomplish for the coming year. The link for this webinar is http://sbsc.itsuccessmentor.com/?p=344.

The second is around a new certification program coming out called the Trusted Business Advisor program. As a sales person, any way I can find to become more trusted by my clients is very important to me. This webinar link is http://sbsc.itsuccessmentor.com/?p=340

Hopefully you will take a listen and learn some new ideas!

Support the Troops

I received this today and thought it was a great program. I did it and it took maybe 5 minutes.
I would love to see everyone send one.

XEROX IS DOING SOMETHING COOL
If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services. How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! It is FREE and it only takes a second.Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them. This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you. Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do. We can never say enough thank you's. Thanks for taking to time to support our military!

Needing a Break

Maybe this doesn't happen to you, but I need a rest from the holidays. Thanksgiving was great - the food, the family and the football, but I need some rest after the fact. I figured out that i was in a car more than I slept. Don't get me wrong, I love the holiday's, I just need some RR from it.

Memories vs Dreams

Last night we finally got our Christmas tree up. With a 2 year old and 1 year old this is quite a job to get done! I spent a little time just sitting and looking at the decorated (especially the lights - I love the lights) and thinking about how special this year will be.

Later in the night I was reading Thomas Freidman's book "The World is Flat". At one point he states that you can tell a health of a company or country by how much they discuss dreams versus memories. The more memories the more they are looking at the past and dying, the more dreams the more they are looking to the future. What are you looking at for yourself, your family and your company. It speaks volumes of what is going really on.

Bailout Mania

Watching the news this morning and getting frustrated with all of the companies thinking they need a bailout. I know there are many factors to consider but bottom line is - good management. During good times it is easy to manage (and make money), but during harder times one needs to actually manage! Cut cost, market new ideas, thinking outside of the box. It isn't easy but they is why they make the big money, and why we shouldn't use taxes to bail them out of their problems they don't want to correct.

Kickin' With the Son

Kicking back right now with Noah, my 12 year old, watching ESPN and discussing sports. I am not sure when it happened but he seemed to go from loving Barney to being a young man. On our 3 hour drive home we discussed everything from girls to football to school. This is when the teaching as a father really kicks into high gear, but I am looking forward to it!

Waiting at the Airport

Waiting to pick up my son at the KC airport. The flight lands at 10:30pm and then a quick 3 hour drive home and I will be ready for Thanksgiving (and sleep). Today was an awesome day! I was as unplugged as I can get (and thanks to a discussion I had a few weeks ago with my good buddy from up north, Stuart Crawford, I am good with this fact). I had my smart phone and could look at email, but didn't have my computer on all day (until now). I had great meetings with clients in person and spoke to a lot of people on the phone. Sometimes I feel like I am a slave to my own processes. I create procedures so that I make sure I get everything done I need to, but I catch myself making them the priority and not my clients (and more importantly the people and the relationships). If I have a skill that I think that I excel at it is building great relationships - I truly care about people whether they are my clients, people who I have yet to make my clients, friends or family. I spent a good 3 hours on my phone today just talking to people and catching up with them. Between that and listening to my iPod that i loaded the awesome book "The Go-Giver" on I feel like my batteries are recharged. Hopefully they are recharged enough that it keeps me up for the next 7 hours (and Starbucks just closed!).

Project Weekend with the Family

Had a pretty good weekend. While Saturday was spent babysitting neices and nephews (my children were there too but you don't babysit your own kids). Sunday was spent doing projects around the house. I am one of those people who love to cross things off my list, it gives me satisfaction, but yesterday that wasn't my top priority. My two year old daughter loves helping me with projects. The day was spent finding things she could do to help me with my projects and it made it even more enjoyable. I am working on making sure that everything I do my family can help and enjoy with me. It takes more time and not easy, but it increases the enjoyment!

Economic Times

So what are your plans for the economic times ahead? If you listen to the media you get the feeling that everyone should close their business now. While I don't think we should do that yet, I do think you are foolish if you aren't planning. A good friend of mine (Mike Fafinski) and I were discussing this yesterday. We (I) have gotten lazy with the good times we were having. Now is the time to get back to the basics. In sales that is - cold calling, touches with current clients and seeking out new solutions to sell. Not rocket science but a winning combination. Sales is just a numberws game, even the worst salesperson will succedd if they do the work.

Not Sleeping Due To Rude People

Well it is 2:00 am and I am still awake. Why? Kids not sleeping? No it is because I had to deal with rude people yesterday and they tick me off so much I can't sleep. What better way to deal with it than to blog - right?

I was on a very long (around 6 hours) conference call yesterday. It was a call with my company and our major vendors creating a strategy for 2009. Lots of great information, but a long time for a sales person to focus. As any person with ADHD would do I watched the webinar on one screen, listened to the call, and did work on the other. When I was trying to start work on some goals I have with a time frame of January (HTG3 buddies I am already working on them especially since we lose a month this time) and had to send an internal email for some help. The person who I sent the email to had to reprimand me, not only in the response to the email, but also during the meeting on the phone (with fellow management and vendors listening in) for sending email during the call. This person has a habit of doing this to me. Not sure if I did something to them in the past, if I intimidate them, or if they just are just unhappy and want to make everyone else bitter also - but to me it was rude. I know I should have been focused 100% on the call, but that isn't the way I am wired. It shouldn't bother me so much but this person has a habit of doing this to me, especially in front of peers and vendors and I am getting tired of it. I didn't respond at the time because it would have been completely emotional and confrontational, but will today (I am learning there to take some time and think). How do you deal with rude people?

Christmas Shopping

Took yesterday off to spend with my wife and go Christmas shopping. Now I am not your typical guy (no comments from those that know me well) in the fact that I enjoy shopping. I enjoy looking at all the new items on the shelves. I remember back to the days when I was young (although they are getting harder to remember) and think what things we got for Christmas. There was GI Joe, Stretch Armstrong, Six Million Dollar Man, and of course we always got underwear (thanks mom!). The one thing I noticed is that shopping this early (and yes we are done) people are much friendlier and willing to work with you on special request. The stress is not there and it was actually a pretty enjoyable day. We shopped for around 8 hours and had an excellant meal at one of my wife's favorite places - The Cheescake Factory. My advise to anyone listening - go now and enjoy the time together instead of making it such a stressful situation.

Back in the Office

Well back in the office to get caught up. It always seems like I have just enough time to get accomplished what is on my plate - whether that be a lot of a little. I always try to keep a lot of plates in the air so I always have things to do, but there are days when I only have a couple of things I need to do - and it seems like those things take all day.

A good friend of mine, Stuart Crawford, is having a very timely blog/radio show this Friday on the economy. I would highly suggest jumping on to hear the discussion. The information is listed below.


Navigate The Stormy Economic Seas

Shopping malls are empty, businesses are stretching out IT projects and many small business are feeling the pinch of the economic conditions in today’s world. Is the press adding fuel to the economic bonfire? How is your business planning to ride out the economic storm? Many IT Professionals are very concerned about the economy and how to navigate the stormy seas of today’s economy. Join Stuart Crawford with leading Microsoft Partners, Sean Fullerton, Mark Crall, Mike Ritsema and David Ohendalski as we discuss today’s economy and what Microsoft Partners can do to navigate the stormy seas that are in the forecast. Visit http://www.blogtalkradio.com/smb/2008/11/21/Navigating-the-stormy-economic-seas to join the conversation on Friday, November 21 at Noon Eastern/9 AM Pacific.

HTG and Burbank

Another great start to the HTG meeting and it hasn't even started yet. The meeting is always great, but the time outside of the meetings are the time that I find even more educational. Last night some of us got together for dinner and cocktails to discuss life and lessons learned. Maybe you can't join a HTG group, but find some sort of peer group to get involved with. It will be worth the investment if you get involved and open up!

On My Way to HTG

Well up early to catch my flight to head out to Burbank. Meeting up with my HTG peer group and enjoying some warmer weather. It will be an interesting meeting, even more than usual. I think talk about the economy and politics will shape a lot of the discussion. It is always amazing how people who are in the same industry, but different parts of this great country of ours, can be affected so differently. I usually feel our brothern on the coast give us a heads up on what we in the midwest are going to experience in a few months.

Prioritzies and Family

Well it got cold and wintery over the weekend. It now truly feels like November. I am glad that I get to experience all four seasons. I love the changes in the weather (until it gets really cold). Today I have to leave to go to my wife's grandfathers funeral. At occassions like this it always makes me think - what will they say at my funeral. One of my mentors, Arlin Sorensen, is always talking about your legacy that you create with the short amount of time you are here. I have yet to hear anyone say "I should have worked more". I try to spend good time (not always the amount I would want) with my kids, wife and family. It is funny, sometimes when I feel overwhelmed with what I have going on and that I don't have time to spend with my loved ones I stop and realize they are the exact reason I am working as hard as I do. It makes you feel pretty humble (and stupid sometimes).
Make sure you prioritize your life the way you want it to be and then spend the time accordingly!

Another Chapter Begins

Well another election in over. Maybe your candidate won and maybe not, but now it is time to figure out how to move forward.

Yesterday was the mananagement meeting for HTS in KC. With the economy "correcting" it makes it a little more difficult to make decisions for 2009. I have always thought that to manage when things are going well is easy - it is when things are tough when people really manage. In the past it has been hiring someone has solved problems, but now it takes more thinking outside of the box. I think this is when the truly company changing decisions are made. I guess we will have to wait and see.

Election Day

Well today is finally election day! I voted early because I am on my way to management meetings in KC all day. I can't wait for all of this election coverage to be over. It seems year after year it gets worst and more disheartening. I am tired, as most people are, of the mud-slinging and called the other a liar. I wish we could go back to the day of a clean election where someone was elected on the merits and not on what their opponent can dig up on them. Oh the good old days...

Great Weekend

What a great weekend here in the heartland! We ventured down to Red Oak where I use to live and met up with some friends. The whole drive down my wife and I kept thinking that we had so much going on that we should just cancel, but out of respect we went. What a great decision that was. It was great to just sit around and talk and play with our kids together. It was refreshing and recharged my battery. Friends are what really makes life enjoyable. At the end of the day the person who wins has the most people that know them and will take their phone call. Start playing the game!

Props to a great friend

I received an email from Stuart Crawford, a great friend and mentor of mine in Calgary, Canada. His company, IT Matters, was earned a signficant award last night (http://blog.itsuccessmentor.com/2008/10/it-matters-wins-best-collaborative-solution-in-canada.html). Congrats Stuart and everyone at IT Matters! It is great to see you receive the recognition you truly deserve.

Economy

So how is the economy in your area? I think it is interesting that it seems to be interesting that things were going ok until the media made a HUGE deal about it. I am reading a book currently that states the more you think about something the more it comes true. I am trying to keep a positive and only talking about how the market may be slow but it certainly isn't the end of the world as some would want you to believe. How is it in your world? Do you think it is as bad as they say? And even if it is, what are we fixing by discussing how bad it is day after day?

Time Management

OK so it has been a while. What can I say. It seems like the priority system works, just that my blog doesn't sit as a top priority. I have missed it, but have been very busy. This weekend was my daughter's second birthday. It was great. We had family at our house and got to spend time with them while my daughter was the center of attention for a while (her 10 month old brother didn't do bad either). The last couple of weeks I have made sure to spend a lot of time with my kids (even more than I usually do) and their response has been amazing. It is like anything in life - the more you focus on them the better the relationship will be. Right now I am starting to work on my goals for 2009 and one of them is to focus more attention on my A clients. I want them to know how important they are to me and HTS. It seems like we end of focusing on the problem clients and forgetting about the good one. This next year I am going to work diligently on not letting that happen.

I'm Back

Well it has been a long time since I blogged because it has been a zoo. While it has been busy between the location and sales. While sales are busy it seems the economy is making people take a little longer to make decisions. I try not to dwell on the economy because it seems that if you think something long enough it will come true. I know things will slow down but I don't think it is going to be as bad as people are saying. I do know it is well worth people's time to be prepared for bad times, but not dwell on it.

Had a great weekend last weekend. Flew with my two youngest and my wife to see my oldest son in Albuqurque. Now the main reason was to see him, but a second reason was to see him play football. The problem is he hurt himself and didn't play. Oh well at least I had three great days with him. The older I get the more important time with my wife and kids becomes. There is nothing better than getting on the floor and just playing with them. It helps clear my head and the kids enjoy it a lot. Although it is getting harder to get up off the floor when I am done...

Home Team

Last night was a night with just daddy and the kids. My wife had a dinner meeting. You don't realize how important a team you are on until you are outnumbered with cranky kids. I did ok, no trips to the emergency room, but it is much easier when you have your home team with you to help. It makes you also appreciate all the other teams that you are on, and the impact each person has on that team.

Parents

Had a great weekend hosting my parents. It was great to have them at my house and able to take care of them for a little bit. Had a couple of odd jobs to have them help me with. We always have to have things to do or they get bored quickly (maybe that is where I get it from). I was struck by how their ages are catching up to them. Now they are not that old (both are 69) but what they use to do easily and without needing to stop for a break now takes twice as long. They are not able to just work all day like they use to. They have both worked very hard and I guess it is time for them to start slowing down a little and enjoying life. It reminds me of the book "The Four Hour Work Week". Why do we wait till the end of our lives to retire and enjoy ourselves, we need to do it all along the way.

The Weekend

I am not usually a person that can't wait for the weekend. I find that every day of the week has great aspects. Sometimes my Thursdays are as good as my Saturdays. But this week is different. I need some down time. These last two weeks have been very hectic. I know a few days ago I spoke of sales cycles and we are still in the "very busy" cycle. Now don't get me wrong, I love being busy, especially when it comes to sales, but sometimes you need a little down time. At these times not only do I get stressed out to make sure everything gets done, but I can't get much sleep either, which just makes things worst. I am looking forward to getting outside this weekend and doing some yard projects to get my mind to rest a little.

Late Night

Had a late night last night. Couldn't sleep so at 11:00 I went down and did work until about 2:00 am this morning. Even then I couldn't sleep. I know I am always saying that family needs to come first and you need to shut off at night, but every once in a while I need to do something like this. Do you find that also? My mind won't shut off at night and instead of just laying there in bed I might as well be productive. I find that I get so much done when I do this and it clears my mind as well. I am usually a morning person, but sometimes night works as well for me (not for writting or creative thinking, but just paperwork). I need to feel like I am caught up at least once in while to let me really relax.

Another Sales Cycle

Another sales cycle is hitting in full stride. This cycle is the "I am so busy I don't know which way to go". Now as a sales person I am not going to complain, I do love to be busy. I love to multitask and be helping clients with new projects. The thing I don't like is not being able to shut off at night. I had a very difficult time this weekend shutting off work. I even worked for a couple of hours last night. I do my best not to work at night or in the evenings - that is family time and I need to spend it with my wife and kids, but sometimes it has to happen.

Friends

How often do you have one of those days and you wish you could share with someone, but there is no one in your circle of friends that you can talk to. I use to be that way but with a lot of work I have developed a very large circle of friends that spans a massive amount of interests. I know if I need some one to talk to about sales, relationships, my family, football or anything I have someone to call and talk to. As important they know they can call me also. I have read a lot of great books but one I reread about every 6 months is "Never Eat Alone" by Keith Ferrazzi (http://community.keithferrazzi.com/ is the on-line community surronding the book and the thought pattern). The major items I took from the book (and I am not sure if it is spelled out in the book or this is just how I read it) are:
1. You can never have enough friends.
2. The person who has the largest roledex in the end wins.
3. Never keep score as to who called last. If it is a valuable relationship take the time to make sure it is healthy.
It is not easy, but it is well worth the work. I know that where ever I go I always have a friend near by and that is a great feeling.

Slow Down

Just got back from a short trip to see my parents. They live on the family farm (my greatgrandfather built the house) and live about 5 miles from the nearest town (and by town I mean gas station, little grocery store and post office). I spent 2 days there with my parents, my wife and youngest 2 children. It was wonderful. It seems like when I go out there life is so much simpler. Between the large corn fields and the 500 acres of timber it can feel like there is no one else around. I got to see 2 of my brothers and most of my nephews. On the drive back my wife and I had a long discussion. Why is it that it seems we make our lives so complicated. I believe it is because that is how I want it. As I blogged earlier (and my friend Stuart Crawford also blogged) that I like being connected most of the time. I like being booked through the day going out and seeing my clients. I like having multiple things going on in my life. But it is nice every once in a while to shut down also (for another blog on this see my friend Steve Riat's post on his vacation). While I didn't get to the point there was no connectivity, it was nice that I could just go outside and not worry about my phone. We would just sit outside during the day and play with my children and the cats that live on the farm (my daughters favorite). It is nice to just slow down and enjoy life so you can remember why you are working so hard.

Quick Start

Well a quick start this morning. I have an early meeting and no time to boot up my laptop. Therefore I am blogging from my phone (my good friend Stuart Crawford from ITMatters would love my mobilness). Sometimes I think that I need to disconnect more, but after a long discussion with my friend Stuart we came to the agreement that we LIKE to be connected. Not only is it good to be connected, it helps me to be shut down when I want to. At night I spend all my kids waking hours with them, no technology, and I never worry about email because I am up to date. It really helps me to focus and work on my time line.

A New Week

Are you ready to be back at the office today? I really enjoy weekends, especially long ones, but am ready to hit the ground this morning. Last week was hard, but you need to start every week, if not every day, with a renewed positive attitude. Don't let what happened in the past affect your future. I had a hard time with this one for a while. I had a rough patch a few years back. I was lucky to have great friends (and yes one became my wife), great family and a great mentor and boss that was there for me. Take time to listen to those around you. You may think it is just something to slow down your day, and sometimes it is a distraction, but sometimes it is a life saving act.

Cycles

In sales everything can be broken down to cycles - good, bad and ugly. Currently I am in one of the ugly cycles. It seems that lately I have had to deal with a fair amount of customer issues. Usually I would guess one might happen per week, but this week there have been too many (I think that number is around four). Now that may not seem like a lot, but to me it is way too many. I am not sure if it has to deal with the weather (low pressure system going through and it affects a lot of things - my kids got maybe 3 hours of sleep last night) or just it is that time when a lot of our projects are being completed, but it is the cycle. I am usually pretty good at handling this but sometimes a client just hits me wrong and that happened this week. When everything I say or do is wrong in their eyes and I can't figure out what my next step should be. These are the times that I have to force myself to back away for a little bit and regroup. Those are the times you write the email you really want to send them, hold if for 24 hours and then reread and then delete. It may not be overly productive, but it sure feels good to write the words down sometimes.

Image

I went golfing yesterday with a friend and client of mine - Dan Culhane, the executive director of the Ames Chamber and Economic Development. We had a great time and had a great discussion. One of the things we discussed that is getting more important to me is image. It seems that people are becoming unaware of how important image is for them. It may sound shallow, but it is the only thing many people have to go on the first time you meet them. I am not in favor of trying to become something you are not, but one should understand how what they wear, how they cut their hair, their tatoos and everything affects how people see them. Right or wrong it happens. Being in sales I am always very aware of this. Again I don't think it is right to be fake, but a person does need to keep this top of mind while going through life.

The New Me

Well I finally did it. I was tired of hearing about my HTG3 brothern and their new excercise goals, diets and new levels of energy. Today I start the first day of the new me (and I am blogging about it to make sure everyone keeps me going the right direction). I got up at 5:00 am this morning and worked out on my eliptical machine in my basement. Now I am know to overdue things, so I made sure I start slowly (I did 20 minutes) and then did 4 sets of 10 situps. Nothing earth shattering, but baby steps are a good start. I will keep you posted on how things go, but so far I feel great! Why is it that sometimes we need a little kick in the pants from good friends to do things we know we should be doing...

Farmer Communication Skills

I had a great dinner last night with a great friend and mentor, Stuart Crawford, and his family. They are passing through Ames and were able to make time to stop by and break bread (it was the deep dish style bread with cheese, pizza sauce and lots of toppings) and share some time. I really enjoy spending time with friends and family, but sometimes we get into ruts (especially when you have little kids) of not allowing that to happen. While we didn't solve all of the world's problems last night, we had a great time just sitting back and talking. It seems that we get so wrapped up in technology and information that we overlook the enjoyable items from our past. I remember when my parents would invite family and friends over almost on a weekly basis. They would sit around the dinner table and drink coffee and just talk. I was amazed, and still am, on how farmers can sit and talk for hours. Every time I go home I try to learn these "farmer communiciation skills" but really I think it comes down to caring about the other people that you are talking with. Too often we are worried about what we are going to say next that we miss what the other person is saying. While this is a bad habit I suffer from, I am working at over coming it. My oldest son, Noah, when we would talk use to grab my face in his hands and make me look at him. He knew if he didn't have eye contact, sometimes dad wasn't listening (pretty darn smart, not sure where he got that from).

Receiving

Well the shoe is on the other foot. My wife fly out yesterday and will be at meeting until Thursday. I now am a single dad of my youngest two children (Taryn 22 months and Gabe 8 months). I know that she does a lot around the house and I don't always appreciate what she does, but spending time alone being the only adult (read into this person to clean up after eating Cavatini - not the best choice to feed them, play with and give baths to) I really get a respect for what she does when I am away. I know it is hard, but being in her shoes reallys makes it much more understanding. My mother-in-law came over last night to watch the kids today. I have a customer event that will last into the evening and needed someone to help out. It is difficult for me to ask for help, even when there is no other way around getting something done. Thanks to my friend Brad Schow from Compudyne in Diluth for telling me that maybe I need to be ready to receive (this was after we ready the Go-Giver) and that might be holding me back. I had always seen asking for help as a weakness, but now I have to revaluate. Just one more thing to ponder over, but I know Brad is right (he usually is).

Personal Resources and Growth

A good friend of mine started a blog the other day and I find it a great site. Mike Fafinski and I have become good friends via our HTG3 peer group and have found him to be a great resource on sales issues and helping numbers make sense. His blog is at http://michaelfafinski.blogspot.com/, take time to check it out. There are so many great resources that I have, and most of them are from HTG3. When I started in HTG3 I wasn't sure what to expect, but have come away with great resources and awesome friends. I have come to realize that I have limited knowledge (for those of you who know me probably think that I am being liberal with the word limited) but have surrounded myself with great people - from HTS, HTG and other groups I am a member of. I can't emphasis how important it is to get out there and build your network, it will help you to continue to grow professional and personally.

Relationships

What makes you get out of bed in the morning? When I was younger it was money. I could never get enough. Then a few years later (ok maybe more than a few) it was status and power. I liked feeling important. Now I am older (and feeling really old) and am comfortable financially and where I am in life, the thing I love the most is working with people. Not just any people but great people who I consider my friends. The people I work with and my clients are very important to me. I send birthday cards and make note of special events in their lives on my calendar. Now don't think I do this just to build a fake sense of caring, I really do care. I have learned that maybe this makes me naive and sometimes I get taken advantage of, but I don't care. It allows me to get out of bed in the morning and think about all the great things I get to do.

Home with the Family

Back in the office on a Monday after almost being gone a whole week, a little daunting, but it makes one feel missed. Well I need to be careful now what I post, a lot of my HTG3 group members were made aware of this post last week and I have a feeling they will now be watching it.

I got home late Saturday night after a full day of travel, but once I was with my family I felt full of energy. My daughter wouldn't let go of me until I laid her in bed. My son just smiled at me the whole evening and keep giggling and saying "dadda". It's amazing how the little things your kids do can make you melt so easily. These are the reasons I go to work, so I can provide a good life for them. I know sometimes that I get wrapped up on what a "good life" can be, but in the end it means providing for their basic needs and making sure they know they are loved. Sunday was incredible with the whole day being spent just playing. We took a walk after dinner (working on my HTG3 goals already) and spent a good hour at the park. What a beautiful night it was.

I hope that everyone has someone in their lives that can help brighten the day with a smile or just knowing they are there. It does make life enjoyable.

Vancouver

What a beautiful city this is but I am really dragging. Traveling drains me and then going to the west coast, the time change really affects me. The great news is, the HTG3 meeting has been incredible. While the agenda has not been followed the best, go figure, the discussion has been awesome. As a group we are getting to the point where we are getting comfortable to throw the "bull crap flag". The meetings are only as good as you allow them, so the group is making people be real. After you lie to yourself long enough, you begin to believe it. You need someone to make you be honest with yourself or else you might find yourself on the outside looking in. Do you have a group you can be real with? Search people out that can be your mentoring circle.

Airports and Wasted Time

Why do we all feel like we need to travel so much? What sense of worth or sense of importance does it give to us? I am sitting in the Minneapolis airport and have been flying/waiting so far for 4 hours and I am not even half way there yet. I am going to my peer group meeting, HTG3, and meeting with some of best people I know in the industry, but am already tired. I miss my sons and daughter and especially my wife, and yet traveling gives me a sense of importance. What could be more important than my family though. Well I am hoping to slow down on my traveling, but I know that I will always want to get together with my HTG3 friends and mentors. Again it comes down to prioritzation of items in one's life. While it has been difficult to make that choice in the past the decision is getting easier.

Numbers

On my drive through the great state of Kansas (no that is not sarcasim, I really enjoyed it) I had a lot of time to discuss things with my great friend, Mike Fafinski (who has great hair). Sometimes it takes an outsider to make you see things correctly - we seem to fall into our ruts and feel very comfortable there. I asked Mike's input on many things (we had a couple of hours to get to another great friend and mentor of mine, Steve Riat) and with almost every question I asked him he asked how that affected my sales, which is my main focus, no matter what else is put on my plate. He helped me sit down and come up with how important I am to the company, hourly in both sales and margin. That really opened my eyes to using my time effectively. Am I making decisions based upon those numbers? I hadn't up to that point, but I am starting to now. It really opened my eyes to what every hours means to HTS and also to my bottom line. Again, as I stated yesterday, the importance of understanding numbers and what they all mean is something that is going to be a higher goal for me going forward.

Getting Real

Up to this point I travel to a peer group meeting and when asked the tough questions can fall back on "Well I am just a sales guy so I don't deal with that issue". As of August 1st I am now the location manager for the office that I am at, in Ames, Iowa. While this is an exciting move in my career, it does make me a little nervous. I now am more responsible for the day to day operations of the office which has a larger affect on HTS. While I look forward to this new challenge (the CEO of HTS, Arlin Sorensen, a person I respect a lot, calls it my 2.0 phase) I also have started evaluating me. I want to do a great job, like I do in sales, so what will that entail? I read a book a few years back called "Get Real" and I think that is going to be as important to me as my other goal - FOCUS. I was thinking late last night and came up with a list of items that I really need to work on to be a good location manager:
1. Financial Knowledge - after my meeting last week with Mike and Steve, I know this is a big weakness of mine.
2. People Skills - while I am great at building relationships, I am a typical sales person. I want everyone to be my friend. You can't manage or lead this way. Mike gave me some great pointers on the drive to Hays last week and I know I have a long way to work on this. I am glad to know that I can always ask my HTG3 buddies for help and direction on this one.
3. Better Prioritization - again something I am good at, but always with a sales focus. I now need to integrate a staff of 8, a location's profitability, and many other factors.
This is just a beginning list, but I know I will be successful, if I just seek help when I need it.

Hays, Kansas and GroupThink

Well it has been a couple of days since I blogged - I am attempting to improve (especially now that people I know have been made aware of this blog). I have been on the road for the last couple of days doing a GroupThink (I read this term somewhere and think it is great). I got together with two guys I respect a LOT - Steve Riat from Next-tech in Hays (his blog is listed to the side) and Mike Fafinski from Syand Corp in the Minneapolis area. We got together to really do a deep dive on a white board on cloud services (some people refer to these as hosted, but cloud sounds so much more impressive) and how to offer those to our clients. I am amazed and in awe of how Mike and Steve work in with numbers. They are incredible and I hope that maybe some of their smarts wore off on me. We had a great and very productive 24 hours.

I know that if I want to increase my success I need to associate with successful people, and can truely say I did that in depth this week.

The Routine

I love to read and I read a lot. Sometimes I think why should I read about sales and technology, I have been doing it for most of my career. Don't I know most of these ideas anyway, deep down. I could be playing my PSP or PS2 of WII (ok the last two are my kids, but the first is mine). I could be watching TV or just vegging out. Why read so much (I read about one book a month and about 6 magazines). I realized last night it is because I am always trying to get better. I am always trying to push myself. I get burnt out every so often and need to take a break, but I know I take a couple of days to refresh and get back at it. Like the old saying you are either green and growing or red and rotting. I had a discussion last week from my friend Mike in of Syand. He was feeling guilty for needing a little break. I think it is good for a person. We (or at least I am) are creatures of habit and I love my routine, but sometimes I need to let my hair down and just have fun. But after I do that for a day or two it is back to the old grind, and to tell you the truth I enjoy it. I love my life and what I do. Can you say that? If not, why are you where you are at right now?

Mall of America

Back at work after a few days off and ready to get at it. I love what I do, but sometimes you need to take a little time to recharge the batteries. I took the family up to the Mall of America in Minneapolis for the first time (being only 3 hours away I feel guilty that this was the first time to take the family). I had been there one time before for about 2 hours where I helped a friend pick a Lego toy out for his children, buy a new pair of sunglasses and then enjoy an excellant meal of Hooter's wings (they really do have good wings). This time we designated 2 days for the event, and probably walked into only 3 stores the whole time. My kids LOVED the amusement park. There was something there that all of them could enjoy (11 years, 22 months and 7 months). Most of the time I just marveled at the environment (it is so much more than just a mall). There is something for any age and whatever a person would want to do. It is truely a marketing marvel. It makes me think - what are we missing with our clients. Do they come to us because they want to, or because it is less painful than changing? I hope it is because of the relationships we have built, but for some I am not sure.
On a side note - with the way that the mall was busy, I certainly didn't feel any economic pressures. People seemed to be spending A LOT of money and seemed pretty happy about it.

Planning

I have been finding it difficult to take the time to blog lately. It seems like it is the first thing off my agenda when items get backed up, and I am trying to change that. I have been out of the office a lot lately on long trips and it plays heck with getting work done. I can get the normal day to day work done, but it is all the paperwork that backs up on me. I read a blog by a friend of mine this morning (Steve Riat - you can find a link to his blog on the side of this entry) in regards to salespeople in the office. I am torn with the idea. I think time out of the office is necessary, but so is time in the office. He made a great point of spending 1 hour a day on new clients - I just need to sit down and figure out how to get it all done. I am taking another great idea from a friend (Stuart Crawford - he also has a link on the side of this entry) and taking a planning day in a couple of weeks. This planning day will entail looking at sales numbers to date and where I want to be and how I am going to get there. It will entail reviewing my plan of how I work with my clients and what changes need to be made with that also. Without goals and a plan how are you going to get anywhere in life?

Friends

Well finally feel like I am getting caught up from last week. Off this morning to a planing session with a client. I love to meet with clients and help them! It always gives me quite a rush.
Had a great discussion with my good friend Mike from Syand Corp in Minneapolis yesterday. It is a necessity to have someone who you can call and talk about anything and everything with. We met through HTG3 and at first I was not sure if I was going to like Mike. We come at things from different angles and I had the feeling that we wouldn't see things eye to eye. But since that first meeting I have found his input to be invaluabel. His perspective is an exceellant source to cause me to think out of the box. I have finally gotten to th point in my life where I am secure enough that I want those different perspectives to gauge my ideas off of. That is how we get ahead. My question is how many of your friends are just like you and how many are cut from a diifferent model? Variety is the true spice fo life!

Priorities

Wow time has flown since my last entry and sad to say I don't know where it went. I got back from WWPC on Friday afternoon and had to jump in a car and drove to the east side of Iowa for my grandmother's funeral. It was not a surprise, but still a hard event. The whole family got together and remembered the good times growing up and how things have changed - made me feel like an old person. It is times like this that you realize where your priorities need to be. I may not remember what I discussed with a client six months ago, but I do remember the first smile that my children had or playing football in the backyard with my oldest Noah - the important things. Not to say that a job isn't important, but we shouldn't make it the center of your life, something that I battle with every day.

WWPC - Day 3

What can I say but I am full and tired. I love learning new things and meeting new people, but I am ready to be home. It has been a great time and have learned a lot but am ready to get back to the regular day to day. I miss my family and selling - the things I love.

Thanks!
Joddey Hicks
HTS

Sent via Windows Mobile 6.0

WWPC

My first Microsoft World Wide Partner Conference has started. We are about 3 hours into the conference and I am already full of information. I know that everything needs to be taken with a grain of salt, but there is excitement. One of the best things is being able to hang out with me HTG3 peers. They are great business owners, but more important they are great people. I know that I can do anything when I have so many great people in my life.

Written Goals

It has been a long time since I last blogged and feel out of sorts. The week / month / quarter / year seem to be flying by. Without written goals I am not sure how I could be as focused as I am. Goals are very important to keep me focused (which I need a lot of help with) and to gauge how I am doing. Do you have goals? More importantly do you have them written down and review them? What good are they if you don't document. I will take it one step further, do you have people that hold you accountable to your goals? I didn't for the longest time and found that reviewing my goals was something I did, but mainly it was a job to do. Now with a group of people that hold me accountable (I email the status of my goals monthly out to them) and I need to understand and explain why things are the way they are. Are we being honest with ourselves and what we are doing daily? It is a lot of work, but like I said, keeps me focused and aware of where I am in regards to my goals. Try it - I think it will be well worth the work.

Value

Last night I took my technicial engineers out for dinner and drinks (OK beer). We had a great time letting our hair down and just socializing. There was not much discussion of business, that was not the reason I do this. I want them to know that I value them not only as business associates, but as people also. I am a high "I" personality type (if you don't know what that means you need to look into the DISC Personality Types) so I want everyone to be my friend. I know that can't always happen, so I at least want my clients and staff to know that I value them. I try to take time to show clients that often, but sometimes staff gets overlooked. Make time everyday to say thank you to someone you work with and let them know how much you value them.

Be Real

I know a lot of you are wondering how my golf game was on Friday - well it was bad. I think I lost at least a dozen golf balls, but I had a great time. I know I am bad and tell everyone that I play with, but I always expect to have a fun time. Expectations are very important. I could get frustrated and angry, throw my clubs, and make a spectacle of myself. I love being out with clients and having a couple of drinks and maybe a cigar. Let your hair down and be yourself. How can you expect client's to trust you when you aren't being real with them? My wife always tells me I am such an open book - but I am not sure if that is such a bad thing...

Golf and Relationships

It's Friday in Iowa and it's not raining! That has not happened for a long time! One of my business goals is to take client's golfing (yes it is a goal signed off of by the executive team) and I might actually get to go today. I have had to cancel 5 tee times so far this year and would like to at least do one before July. I think it is very important to build relationships with your clients, and beyond just the business side, but to even get personal also. I really want to know as much as possible about my clients - spouse, kids, birthdates, anniversaries, etc... The more I become friends, and yes I do want to be friends with my clients, the better the work relationship. The plan is, hopefully golf will help me with this task.

Focus Part 2

It is 8:30 in the morning and I already feel behind. How does that happen? It is when we don't focus. That is really the core of my goals this year, and will probably be for next. I get working on the things that should be low priority and never get around to the high. I have a book sitting on my desk that I use for reference for these, "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and it's all small stuff". This is a great book to keep things in perspective. While I don't always do it properly - I am working on it. This is one of my goals for this year, and will probably be for next year also. Oh well, when I get better at focus it will help me in all aspects. What do you do to keep you focused?

MSPU

Starting the day in a wonderful way - with a big cup of Starbucks. Not many things get my day going better. I wanted to post a little on some sales training I attended this weekend that was fabulous. I was able to get involved in MSPU (Managed Services University) that centered around sales of managed services. I have been involved in selling this for a while, but doing it very poorly. The trainers were fantastic! Gary, Brandon and Rafael were not only great sales people and trainers, but great people. We gave up a Friday and all day Saturday and while it wasn't as good as being with my family, I know that it will allow me to provide better for them in the future with the tools they taught us. I can't say enough good things about this service and recommend it to anyone - because everyone is a salesperson. To gain more information go to www.mspu.us.

Monday's in the Office

Back in the office today and trying to get things done. Have you noticed how easy it is to postpone doing things until you get to the office, then it has to get done. I have been trying to leave Monday's open to get things done. It also seems like the day is full of fires that need to be handled. I guess that means I am needed, but sometimes it would be nice if I weren't needed so much. Oh well - back to the fire suppression.

Change

Today I find myself in Kansas City getting ready for an intense two day training on MSP (managed services). It is an incredibly great solution for almost anyone who uses technology, but it is a lot different than your typical selling. That is one of the things I enjoy most about the technology industry - it is ALWAYS changing. Now sometimes it does get a little overwhelming, but I love to learn new things. What we are seeing now is that technology is not so much hardware or software any more, but people and processes. As a company that is becoming our new focus - how can we help the people of the organization and create better processes? Like I said, it is a big change to the way a person sells. Like I said - always changing. How do you deal with change? When every people tell me they hate change I think about the saying that if you are like a tomato and you are red (happy with where you are at) you are ripe and beginnning to rot, but if you always stay green you are growing and living.

Communication

For the past two days my 20 month old daughter has been a bear. She is screaming and crying and just been in a very bad mood. The biggest problem that I have is that she can't tell us what is wrong. She has a pretty big list of words that she knows, but she either couldn't or wouldn't tell us what was wrong. This happens to me quite a bit - I have a problem, but can't or won't communicate it clearly. How do we expect things to get better if we don't communicate? I am working on it (I put it on my goals and my wife saw it, so you know she will remind me of my status). A lot of times it comes down to - I shouldn't need to ask for help. I guess the older I get the more I am sold on the idea that I am good at only so many things and I WILL ask for help. Are you able to do that?
By the way - my daughter was cutting a tooth (saw it this morning). Things are much better today!

First Day Back

It is my first day back from work after my vacation and I love it. I enjoy taking time off, especially with the family, but I enjoy what I do for a living also. It is hard for me to call it a job - that sounds so negative. I have had plenty of jobs (this is my seventh) and I know how hard it is to get up in the morning when you don't enjoy what you do. Today is my eleventh year with HTS and I can say that I have love 90% of it (anyone who says they love something 100% is full of it or on something). Do you love what you do? Why waste your valuable life doing something you aren't excited to do?

Report of "The Go-Giver"

The Go-Giver is one of those books you need to read every so often because there are so many great concepts to lead your life on. I would rank it up there with one of my favorites, along with "Never Eat Alone" and "Mr. Schmooze". The great thing is they are all very similar in their topic when you get down to the very basics. That idea is take care of others and you will be taken care of. I really love books that tell you great ideas but share in it great stories. The way the weave through the life of Joe, the main character, and how he sets about using the laws of success is done in a way that it is hard to put the book down. The laws are great not only to live your business life, but every facet. The laws were:

1. The Law of Value – your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment
2. The Law of Compensation – your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them
3. The Law of Influence – your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interest first
4. The Law of Authenticity – the most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself
5. The Law of Receptivity – the key to effectively giving is to stay open to receiving

As stated above I think this is a great read and a great way to lead your life.

Down Time

We finally got out on the golf course yesterday and had a great time. Now I am not good at golfing, but I enjoy it. My son, Noah, who is 11 is the same. It took us 3 hours for 9 holes so as you can see we set no time records. The course was awesome, although a little wet from all the rain lately. So while it was a little soggy, and we had to walk, it was still very enjoyable. I left my phone in the car and just had one on one time with my son. It has been a while since that has happened. Why do we feel like we always need to be able to be reached? Most of us are really not that important. Maybe it is to feed our egos? My task to you today is to schedule some down time. Maybe with your significant other, maybe with child or parent, or maybe just yourself, and see what a difference it will make.

Good Reading

I am reading a great book as an assignment for a peer group I am in (HTG3). Now I know it sounds like school work, but the book is actually very good. I love a good read and this is right up there with other favorites of "Never Eat Alone" and "Mr. Schmooze". These books tell great stories, something I love to do also, but at the same time give wonderful life lessons. Now I have not finished "The Go-Giver" yet but I will guess that the main message will mesh very well with the other books. It all comes down to putting others ahead of you, or how I like to look at it is the Golden Rule - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It sounds so darn easy, but trust me it is not. I get tested many times a day, and usually fail at least half, but I am getting better every day.
If you like to read put those books on your list, you will not be sorry.

Flexibility

Well yesterday was fun, but didn't happen the way I had planned. You see my son and I were to get up in the morning and go golfing. After that we were going to fish. Having rain ALL DAY changed our plans for us. I am not one to quickly and easily change my plans. This is one of the items I work with all the time. I don't want to be so care free that I have no plan at all, but I also need to be more flexible. A good sales person is able to roll with the punches. It is a skill that needs to be learned and practiced, and I am trying.
By the way instead of going outside - we went to a movie instead. Still a great time with my son, and we got to stay dry.

Vacation

It's the first day of vacation and I am looking forward to it. My oldest son is here (he lives in New Mexico with his mother during the school year) and we have a lot planned. Most of it focuses around golf and fishing, but there is some other things (like seeing movies and actually doing a little work around the house). I am sure it will take me at least a day to relax and get into vacation mode, but I will make it happen. As usual it is always hard to completely shut off from work. I always struggle with that concept. Recently though a mentor of mine, Stuart Crawford, hleped me think though it. Why do we ever need to shut completely off? Yes I take time for my wife and kids (I do need to take a little more time for me (thanks Mike)), but I do enjoy my job. I love helping people and playing with technology. It is a great thing to get to do every day.

Well I need to go - my son just woke up and is wondering what time our tee time is (of course it is pouring outside right now).

Where is the Sun?

Do you realize when factors out of your control affect you? For me a big one is weather. I know that if I don't see the sun for a while, I am going to get in a down mood. It has been quite a while since we have had a nice sunny day here in Ames, Iowa. I try to make sure that I don't do anything rash when I have these moods, but sometimes they last for a while. The best thing I can do is understand the situation and make the best of it (and then I will need to apologize to my wife afterwards).

Our Two Lives

A good friend and mentor of mine had a post yesterday in regards to a book we are reading, "The Go-Giver", for our HTG3 peer group. He has read a lot further than me (he is on vacation) and blogged about a portion of the book that really caught his attention. The quote goes as follows: "A genuinely sound business principle will apply anywhere in life - in your friendships, in your marriage, anywhere. That's the true bottom line. Not whether it simply improves your financial balance sheet, but whether it improves your life's balance sheet". What an interesting concept. How many of us seperate our home lives and our work lives. It has always been one of my goals to merge the two. If you are not doing good in one of the areas, the other will be affected. My wife and I always have the discussion that I am too much of an open book. My thought is that people know where I am coming from, no matter what area of life I know you. There is no just knowing a part of me, it is all or nothing (or at least as much as you can handle).

The Team

I read a great article this weekend that had to do with your company's pitch. It was written by a great friend and mentor of mine, Stuart Crawford, of IT Matters in Calgary, Canada (there is a link to his great blog site on this page). I always find his articles full of things to ponder, and this was no exception. He discusses how important it is for everyone in your organization to understand your mission, vision and value statement - your pitch. To my surprise he used the analogy of baseball. I didn't know Canadians knew much about baseball (is there another sport up there besides hockey?). In his defense, the article was right on. Just like in baseball, everyone on the team needs to be on the same page, especially the pitcher and catcher. The same is in your organization. Do you make sure that your receptionist know the pitch? They have more contact with your clients than anyone else in your organization. We are blessed in my location to have a great Office Manager, but not everyone can be so lucky. Just remember that to win in this game, just like any sport, it takes the whole team.

Live Your Life Correctly

This morning as I left for work I realized someone had broken into my car and taken my GPS unit. It was a pretty nice GPS unit from Garmin and I had not had it very long. Instead of getting angry though I decided that my life will go on without it and I wasn't going to let it spoil my day. Yes I will call the police and the insurance agent (read mother-in-law here) but I will not let it spoil my day nor my holiday weekend. I use to let things run my life, but with the birth of my children I have realized what is really important. Don't get me wrong, I like nice things but I don't let them control me like I use to about 10 years ago. With this change in my life I find it much more enjoyable and worthwhile. Try it!

Thinking Too Much

I helped sponsor and present at a great seminar yesterday. Once a year we hold an event for our education clients to help bring them up to date on exciting things that HP, Microsoft and SonicWALL are doing. While attendence is not always off the charts (yesterday we had about 20 people) the interaction and projects that come out of it are always good. I have already recieved 3 email to sit down and discuss new projects, and the event wasn't even 24 hours ago. One thing I realized is that at meetings like this I find out that I make assumptions with my clients that I should never make. I go through the discussion, of course in my mind and not with the client, and come to the conclusion that the client will not find the value. In meetings like this where there a group, when there is open discussion, sooner or later one of the clients will hear about a service that they didn't know we offered and I get asked "Why didn't you discuss this with me". Why do I do this? I don't think I am alone. I need to follow my gut instinct more (which usually leads me in the correct direction) and stop thinking so much.

Just Say "NO"

It is not always a bad thing to tell people "no" in fact sometimes it is necessary. There are only so many hours in the day and we need to focus (read I need to focus) on the things that get me to reach my goals. I always have the best intentions on helping everyone and doing everything (mainly because I do things the right way and most other people don't). It seems that lately I have been saying "yes" to way to many things that later I have to go back and say "no" to. Why make it more time consuming than it has to? Why don't I just say "no" in the beginning? I am learning and being more realistic with my time constraints, but I feel this will be a battle that is not over yet.

HTG Meeting

Back from another HTG meeting. These meetings, which are made up of peers in the technology industry, continue to add value to my life. It seems that after so many years I would have a basic knowledge of how the industry works, but every time I come home I have a new "ah-ha" moment that I need to integrate into my life. In the past these have included:
* Dave Sobel's P.O.F. (Pockets Of Fun)
* Erik Thorsell's SharePoint Roll Out Kit
* Stuart Crawford's Web 2.0 Ideas
* Steve Riat's MSP 2.0 Roll Outs.
I try to only choose one thing to bring back in order to allow me to focus better. It is like drinking from a firehose when I meet with this group. The only change I would make is I need to dedicate a day after I get home to help go through my notes to make sure I don't forget or miss anything.

Today's Life Lesson

I think I finally made a break through already this morning. I had a client tell me they were going with another solution for a quote I had submitted to them (it didn't meet their needs perfectly and I knew that but thought I would give it a shot) and I didn't take it personally. Why is it that we feel like when a client tells us this we feel like they don't like us (or is it just me)? I held my composure and asked why they went that direction and, after the discussion, would have recommended them to go that direction also. Not only did I learn without letting my ego or emotions get in the way, but I left with a PO for work that we hadn't even discussed before. This was not easy for me, but I know it is the correct way (one of those life lessons that we need learn but is painful). I guess another day another lesson learned.

My Boss - The Client

70 degrees and no wind - so why am I in the office? Sooner or later you need to stop in and get some of that dreaded paperwork done. Why is it that even though we are in the technology industry we still need to create paper? I think it has gotten much better - but there is still a long way to go. Yesterday I spent 5 hours in the car to meet with a client for 2 hours. That is a long time for one client, but I thought it was important to meet face to face. There had been some issues, there were some new projects coming up, but more importantly I had not meet in person with them for a while. While I love email, and phone calls are great, there is still nothing as powerful as meeting in person. To me it states that the client is important in my life. Early in my sales career I learned that email, fax, phone calls and the like are tools to suppliment in between personal visits with the client. At the end of the day - they are the only reason I have a job.

Golf's Basic Concepts

Yesterday I was out on the golf course for the first time this year. While I wasn't there very long (I had a lesson with the golf pro that lasted about 1 hour) I think he told me things that have already helped. The real eye opener is that all of the concepts are the basics - how to correctly hold the club, how to correctly swing the club, etc... How often do we get worried about the big things, when if we just do the little things correctly time in and time out it will take care of everything else. The other item is to always keep your eye on the ball. I get distracted easily so this one will be tough, but it is a very easy concept. Always focus on the project at hand and do the little things and it will work.
I will keep you updated on my golf game through out the year. I may not play the best, but it is a great place to meet up with friends and clients.

Control

This morning is was a glorious 29 degrees when I got out of bed this morning. It is almost May 1st and it seems like it still could be March. By now I should have golfed a couple of games, done some yard work and be ready for summer. Instead I have yet to hit a golf ball and other than mowing for the first time this weekend, no yard work is done. This stresses me out. I like things when they follow my plan, whether that is the weather, my kids or my clients. I have finally come to the realization with the birth of my third child, that life will do what it wants no matter how hard I try to change it's course. I am a student at this point in learning to roll with the punches and make the best what ever comes my way (but between some interesting clients and three kids I am on the fast track). After a lot of discussions with my wife, who just happens to be my best friend also, I have realized I can't let all of this get to me all of the time. I need to control the stress instead of it controlling me and stop creating more stress for myself (which we all do). I am learning and with a lot of help I should get there before I die.

FOCUS

As a typcial salesperson (that means short attention span, likes to have fun and gets distracted with blinky lights) the one thing that slows me down more than anything else is lack of focus. In my day to day work life I try to have a game plan that is pretty simple to follow and then execute successfully. When I get too many things in my plan I get caught up in the process and never get to the execution, which spells disaster. Lately I have been up to my neck in disasters... I know what I need to do but am too busy with the process stage, which does not make the sale only slows it down. I am trying to get better (I feel like there should be a 12 step program out there - maybe I will put that on my list of things to do also, but will probably never get it done) so if you have some ideas please pass them along.

Teamwork or Lack of It

Last night was the first night that I had my two youngest kids by myself, overnight. I thought how hard could this be? Taryn (18 months) and Gabriel (4 months) are good kids, just not the best sleepers, but I can handle this. My wife is travelling on business for a couple of days and told me that, maybe, I should call in some help. She does this on a pretty regular basis and I thought, well I should be able to do it also.

I should have thought this through better. Not having a team mate to help me (my wife) allowed my children to team up against me - and they did. I am almost 40 years old and should have the upper hand when it comes to thinking, but did I have my humility handed to me last night. Not only did they miss their bedtime (only by an hour so I thought I was doing pretty well) but when Gabe woke up at 12:00, 2:00 and 4:00 with Taryn waking up at 3:00 (yes there was overlap and I had to hear crying for at least 30 minutes) I knew I was not worthy. I needed my team (my wife or at least someone) to help me - but I didn't think I needed them.

How many times does this happen. We taste some success and all of a sudden we can do it all alone. We don't need any help. And what happens but we land straight on our face. I learned last night that not only do I need to back me up in every aspect of my life, but one person against a team will always lose no matter what their ages are.

Well I need to go get another cup of coffee - I am dragging pretty badly this morning.

Time to Slow Down and Reevaluate

I read a great blog by a good friend of mine, Steve Riat, yesterday in regards to always feeling like we need to rush around. It seems like if we don't have multiple things on our plate at one time we are not working hard enough (or maybe this is just me). Whatever happened to doing one thing at a time, and doing it well? I know that multitasking is needed sometimes, but should it be the normal way we do business?

A few months back I made a promise to be 100% at home in the evening for my family, that means no email, no laptop, no smartphone, no technology. Kids grow up too fast and you need to enjoy them while you can. Would this concept, in one degree or another, work at the office or on the road? I feel like I have become a slave to the process instead of allowing the process to make sure I have everything I need. The customer should be my number one priority, but lately I feel like paperwork has taken their place. This is not good and I know I need to change this mentality.

I am trying to get better at posting on at least an everyother day schedule. Again I think it is important, but it seems that the lower priority items take up all the time. Many of my mentors, including Arlin Sorensen, Stuart Crawford and Steve Riat, think that getting your thoughts down on paper (either physically or digitally) is important, so I think that I should follow their leads.

This weekend was awesome! My wife and kids and I did NOTHING but stay around the house and play. Oh sure it was difficult to do at some times (my mind always wanders to chores that need to be done) but how long will it be until my children don't have time for me? I need to make the most of the time that I have. I say that I work hard to provide for my family, but why wait to enjoy them until there is nothing left to enjoy because I am too old to do anything with them. A book that I read not that long ago ("The Four Hour Work Week") had many interesting thoughts to ponder, but the biggest that I took away was why do we wait till we are old to retire. Take some time every month or year to enjoy what you have. I am trying to do that and will tell you how that works.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

Do You Love Your Job?

How many other people can say they love their job? I can truely say it with a smile on my face. I have been working with the same company for close to 11 years now and still love coming in to work (well really love working with my clients and the staff, the office is still a time waster for me). When I was hired it was my 6th career change and I was really struggling. I was unhappy and didn't know what to do with my life (I was looking at everything from going into the ministry to being a truck driver). I really feel like I found my niche, not only my job and the company I work with, but also the great industry I work in (technology). There is never time to get bored, which is what I need, again A.D.D. runs rapid in my veins.
Life is way to short to do something you don't love. I tell people I don't have a job, I have an obsession (which may not be the most healthy, but it does help to get out of bed in the morning).

Time

Isn't it interesting that what ever you have to get done takes up the amount of free time that you have to complete it? What takes 30 minutes one day might take 2 hours the next, because that is the amount of free time that you have. I have always thought it is better to give a job to a busy person, they find time to get everything done. I am not sure why that is, but some people just do a better job of time management. Now I am not saying that this is always the case. Sometimes there is just too much to get done, but if we really analyze what is taking our time, we seem to always have time for the top priority items and the lower priority items just take our time up.

Well I am trying to make time for therapy, I mean to write my thoughts in this blog, but it seems there are only so many things that I can get done in a day. I get caught up trying to do everything and get it crossed off my list rather than get what I can done and relax a little. I can say that is something my kids and wife do for me - even thought it is difficult sometimes to do. When I get home I immediately put away my phone and laptop and get down and play with my kids. Not only is it fun, but it helps clear my head from what has happened that day. It helps me to focus on the actual important things in my life, my family. It seems like we work hard for our family, but we get mixed up and almost make our family get in our way. I know that I have lost a family once through divorce and want to make sure I keep my eyes on the important things. Like they always say, on your death bed you will not say, if only I had gone to the office a little more.

Why does it seem that we get caught up on the low priority items? It never fails - I prioritize my time, but when it comes to execution (a good friend of mine, and my boss, Arlin Sorensen always says 'Vision without execution is hallucination') the small fires start and I get distracted (look blinky lights - I am a sales person, don't we all have A.D.D.?).