tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33041318570225586642024-03-04T22:24:31.662-06:00Like-em<b>to be, rather than to appear:</b>
<small>a collection of thoughts about pretty much anything rattling around in my head</small>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-78356851241985850662014-08-28T08:41:00.001-05:002014-08-28T08:41:11.513-05:00Like-em August PlaylistWhew! The last month was a busy one. Since I posted the July Playlist my fiancee landed a new job, which necessitated a move across town, which resulted in a new cat, and just about everything that goes along with packing up an entire home and completing an apartment search in 2 weeks while becoming first time pet owners.<br />
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I'd like to tell a better story than that to kick off what is a spectacular August lineup, but it was just that much of a rush month. Thus there was no other writing in the month. I'll get that all back on track as we head into September.<br />
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Without further ado:<br />
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<b>Strand of Oaks - Goshen 97</b><br />
There's just so much to love about this song. From the air instrument inspiring sound to the anthem-toned "I don't want to start all over again."<br />
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<b>Parker Millsap - Truck Stop Gospel</b><br />
This was my gold standard for August. I played this album many many times while I was hauling endless boxes down a three story fire escape. I'm not always pro-twang, now I think of that avoidance as saving myself for Millsap's work.<br />
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<b>Spoon - Rent I Pay</b><br />
Another great late summer album for 2014. I debated for a long time whether "Rent I Pay" or "Do You" would get a spot on the playlist and obviously went with "Rent I Pay." It's a great rock song with a steady beat and the lyric, "every kind of fortune gets old" is just the kind of rock-styled philosophy to gets you thinking.<br />
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<b>Alex Clare - Never Let You Go</b><br />
I stumbled across Alex Clare in a dark and dingy place with most of you, in a Microsoft Commercial. "Closer" was a spectacular single from his 2011 release. Later I discovered a love for his vocals while enjoying the full release. He adds to that with this summer's Three Hearts.<br />
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<b>MS MR - Hurricane</b><br />
MS MR is not afraid to challenge, as this video proves, and this first track on her new album sets the stage beautifully to explore "the inner workings of my mind."<br />
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<b>Weird Al - Word Crimes</b><br />
This will get one of 2013's atrocities stuck in your head, but you will enjoy it anyway. If you haven't heard this song with the video or, worse, haven't heard it at all, today is your day.<br />
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<b>Painted Caves - Painted Tigers: Ballad of the Office Worker</b><br />
My Milwaukee share of the month. Painted Caves has a great sound here mixing in Mideastern tones without letting it control their sound.<br />
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That's all for August. Keep me accountable, I have more thoughts to share as we surge into fall.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-51812766056235235472014-07-15T09:21:00.001-05:002014-07-15T09:21:30.836-05:00Like-em July Playlist<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
I haven't written much in July. This month has been an absolute rush. </div>
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I kicked it off with Summerfest on the 4th, raced through a crazy week in the office covering a colleague's vacation, and the next two weeks might be even busier. In the past few days my fiancee not only turned 30, but accepted an incredible new job.</div>
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First - I'm thankful that God delivered such a wonderful end to this journey. She's been job hunting for three years - in higher education there's usually only a flood of opportunity in the early summers. Going through lead after lead has been incredibly challenging for her and nearly destroyed her confidence several times. I'm proud of her resilience, her growth, and her herself. This new opportunity is a generous step forward in a career that she enjoys. </div>
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Her current position required her to live on campus due to her "on-call" schedule and handling escalations from her student staff even when she isn't on call. That means she has to pack up more than her office in the next two weeks. Oh and we have to find an apartment for her that we hadn't been searching for.</div>
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So yes, the next couple weeks will be pretty crazy too.</div>
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But that doesn't mean that I've not been soundtracking this whole month. I've got another handful of great new tunes to share. </div>
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<b>Robert Plant - Rainbow</b></div>
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I've never gotten into a Robert Plant song quite like I have with "Rainbow". It's the single for his forthcoming album. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Droid Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.9999942779541px;">Is it right that mostly put these songs here in the order that I decided to add them to my personal monthly playlist? "Stolen Dance" was one of those songs that was love at first listen for me and has probably the most plays this month. I actually threatened to leave my sister's upcoming October wedding early if this wasn't added to the reception playlist.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Droid Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.9999942779541px;">"Artiface" took me some time to get into, but I think that's mostly because the rest of SOHN's album of the same name still hasn't caught on with me. "Artiface", though, is worth more than a few plays. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Droid Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.9999942779541px;">Here's a sound that totally different from most of what I listen to and it stuck to me like crazy. It features a mashup of talents in Dan the Automator and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. With a slew of my most anticipated albums already released this summer, Got a Girl's release is high on my want list.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Droid Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.9999942779541px;">Yes, there's an official video. Yes, it makes an incredibly strong statement. Yes, I have referred to Like-em Playlist Rule 72 and posted the unofficial lyrics video instead so you could enjoy your own interpretation first. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Droid Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.9999942779541px;">My Milwaukee pick of the month. Heidi has a great sound and several tracks make me want to call in sick to work and walk to the local coffee shop where she would be playing live and the dark roast would be flowing freely.... anyway, I also love the twangy sound she brings in "Nebraska". </span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-31773595784061102982014-06-26T22:57:00.001-05:002014-06-26T22:57:11.585-05:00Milwaukee GI: Toyota Emblem<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
I'm starting another new series for Like-em. Milwaukee GI (Google Investigator) is part of a writing development idea for me to get better at doing online research and sharing my findings. Tonight I'm sitting on my back porch, listening to Wisconsin's next big thing in music, PHOX's debut album, and drinking a Smith and Forge Hard Cider. #HenryDavidThroeaustyle. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQHjT45_go1Y822JQ7S2rqzmyUjGCap96MGDwPNHqPbtlOQVtZ7EDKgspw8y3QavSnVoZ30PRRrCcWKtr108prAgho37b15RgdYOiLDi7gWH8C9_EsdH1-TOWNpIDZRixtyv5T32vyCI/s1600/toyota.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQHjT45_go1Y822JQ7S2rqzmyUjGCap96MGDwPNHqPbtlOQVtZ7EDKgspw8y3QavSnVoZ30PRRrCcWKtr108prAgho37b15RgdYOiLDi7gWH8C9_EsdH1-TOWNpIDZRixtyv5T32vyCI/s1600/toyota.jpg" height="161" width="200" /></a>As I'm imbibing (speaking of PHOX, the cider is more like juice) and pondering things to research, Toyota pops into my head. They have one of those logos that looks like it's supposed to mean something - clearly a man in a sombrero - but with some double meaning that the general public will never be able to decipher. </div>
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For any of you who have ever wondered along with me what exactly Toyota is trying to tell us with their cryptic logo, you already know that this is a relatively easy mission for a GI. In less than three quarters of a second Google returned some 13,400,000 results, the first being a collection of amateur answers on rival Yahoo!'s Answer forum. </div>
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That seemed like a natural lead to follow, it was almost too easy. The most "thumbs up-ed" answer indicates that <em style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">"The current Toyota Mark consists of three ovals: the two perpendicular center ovals represent a relationship of mutual trust between the customer and Toyota. These ovals combine to symbolize the letter "T" for Toyota. The space in the background implies a global expansion of Toyota's technology and unlimited potential for the future." </em> </div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">Not satisfied with such a quick answer for my first real GI investigation, I dug deeper. On Toyota's official website I learned that Toyota introduced the logo in 1989 to commemorate their 50th anniversary. The site confirmed Yahoo!'s answer and added further symbolism - it's not only a "T", but also a steering wheel. Clearly that was an add on by some high ranking executive who cheered gleefully at the cleverness of the steering wheel being incorporated and, in compliance of some 80s Japanese social rule, was never corrected. On a more serious note, Toyota also indicates that each circle uses a different brushstroke thickness which is a nod to a "brush" art known to Japanese culture. Now that's clever!</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">That prompted my first spin off GI mission - just seconds after my very first mission! "Brush" art seemed to most closely tie to Sumi-e. It's a form of art practiced all over Asia, but in Japan it's called Sumi-e or Ink Wash Painting. The key to Sumi-e is not to try to closely replicate the physical traits of the object, but the spiritual ones. Now we're learning boys and girls! Several sources noted how artists would spend significant time in mediation to prepare themselves to truly understand an object and its spirit before setting to work.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">The rabbit hole goes deeper. Sumi-e uses sumi ink. Naturally! Sumi ink is made by a process that generational wine makers would appreciate. Made from soot of pine branches from select Japanese forests the process often includes a few "secret" steps that make an individual artist's sumi ink its own unique art. It's done at certain times of the year and includes purification and aging before the ink is ready to use. </span></div>
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The work is fantastic. I'm including only Japanese work here as the style more closely relates to the original GI mission. Knowing the spiritual intent and preparation that goes into this art sucked me into a whirlwind when looking at some of these pieces. </div>
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So there you have it. Toyota is significantly more creative that just throwing a dude in a sombrero on their cars and calling it good.</div>
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I learned something there. No I'm going to surf Google images for a while.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-14686122812588965872014-06-21T15:06:00.000-05:002014-06-21T15:06:16.865-05:00Like-em June PlaylistIt's time for my June Playlist. I started this series back in April and have worked each month to find fresh tunes to share with you. Even though I'm always trying out new artists and exploring new music, I have to say this monthly post has pushed me to do that even more. I love it. That said, June was an awesome month for music.<br />
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<b>Jungle - "Busy Earnin'"</b><br />
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One way to measure a song is by the way it makes you dance. I had been working on this dance for a whole month before I even saw this awesome video. Yes... I dance just like this by myself at home...<br />
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<b>We the Wild - "Electric Blue"</b><br />
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I loved the whole new EP from We the Wild and hope to hear more of it when they do a full release. "Electric Blue" is a great tune that I just never want to end. Also, what is up with the video?<br />
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<b>Broken Bells - "Holding on for Life"</b><br />
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Another one of my favorite short releases from earlier this year, Broken Bells recently dropped the full album titled <i>After the Disco</i>. Your whole day will be awesome if you just play it over and over. Broken Bells is one of those bands right now for me that brings out some of those old sounds - this offering is BeeGees-esque - with a fresh feel.<br />
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<b>Spanish Gold - "Out on the Street"</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's going to kill me all year that these guys performed a live show in Radio Milwaukee's studio and I didn't call in sick to work. I did listen to the recording later where they shrugged off being called a super band - the members came from <span style="line-height: 16px;">My Morning Jacket, City and Colour, and Grupo Fantasma. In my heart they're still a super band and this might be the album of the year for me. </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;"><b>Benjamin Booker - "Violent Shiver"</b></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">Do you ever have that dream where your favorite steakhouse and favorite cheesecake joint become one restaurant and you get to eat there as often as you want? Benjamin Booker will be playing ahead of Jack White on tour this year... </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;"><b>Foster the People - "Coming of Age"</b></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">From the band that put Pumped up Kicks in your head for like 12 months - their 2014 album has dropped. <i>Supermodel</i> overall is a better offering in my opinion with tracks like "Are you Who you Want to Be?" and "Best Friends." "Coming of Age" is a great single whether you like singing along or just air drumming.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;"><b>Big Boi - "Mrs Vandebilt"</b></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">Comprised of half the Outkast crew, Big Boi remixed Paul McCartney's classic wonderfully. I'll share both just for you.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;"><b>Vinyl Theatre - "Breaking Up My Bones"</b></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">A late entry for this month, I have to confess that I only discovered Vinyl Theatre last week. They are a local Milwaukee band and instantly impressed me with their clean, polished sound. They have a fair share of good tracks out over the past year, but "Breaking Up My Bones" has my most plays thus far. I get to see them live in two weeks so I'll be playing a lot more before then. They have a great Jack's Mannequin-type sound and I hope to hear some similarly timeless hits.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">That's it for this month. Thank's for listening along.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-45835709914358277492014-06-15T12:16:00.001-05:002014-06-15T12:16:58.178-05:00For Father's Day<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1eom58n8BuH9VSswuMydZPT0aunNHH9dxp64e0-Hom-wcOIz8W627uTLY9xaJugVHQeHotBiJz2rgcN6D8BzNlLl98JCZaLIfpOV21AqXclUFrfgBZsbWEIAUpvj829MXujKhlFt8L0/s1600/ameewedding.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1eom58n8BuH9VSswuMydZPT0aunNHH9dxp64e0-Hom-wcOIz8W627uTLY9xaJugVHQeHotBiJz2rgcN6D8BzNlLl98JCZaLIfpOV21AqXclUFrfgBZsbWEIAUpvj829MXujKhlFt8L0/s1600/ameewedding.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a>Ah Father's Day - a day for new ties, BBQ, and a trip to the local golf course. On a day when all sorts of accolades will be shared on the interwebs, I'll chime in with a few of my own. <i>Please note: the pics clearly have nothing to do with a golf course.</i></div>
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I'm happy to know my dad in a number of capacities. He's been a life coach and a professional mentor. He taught me how to pray and how to be a father. He's given me relationship advice and helped me fix less complicated things too. He picks up the phone when I need to lean on someone. He taught me to flip pancakes and how to care about how the lawn looks when I'm done cutting it. He plays in my fantasy baseball league and makes regular trips across the state and a half that separates us to share time in person. My 'sconnie fiancee tells me that my Minnesooootan is never so thick as when I'm talking to Dad. We've shared the hobbies of cycling, golf, camping, and hiking, as well as the fine arts of grilling and craft beer. If his title wasn't dad, he number among my best friends.</div>
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I've shared this story elsewhere before, but wanted to share it here at Like-Em as well. It's one of my personal favorite stories with Dad. It's the story of the first time I shot par while playing golf with Dad.</div>
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I had been playing the best golf of my short career and was enjoying the game like never before. I was working at the course and when I wasn't on the clock I was out playing. I was often at the course from sun up to sun down. I didn't get in a lot of rounds with Dad and when I did I put a lot of pressure on myself to show him just how good I had gotten that summer. Of course that meant my game collapsed every time we played together. I don't remember how many times we had played together already that year, but I remember that it was enough to make me edgy about the round that day. I guess in a way I was looking to validate myself and my game. I came home raving about scores that I hadn't been able to prove. It was and still is just a game, but as a teenager it somehow meant more than that.</div>
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I started out with horrific tee shot. That much might have been predictable. I swung over the top of the ball and watched it race up the middle of the fairway for about a 125 yard shot to open my day. I recovered with a long iron shot up around the green, a chip, and a couple putts to make a bogey. The next hole, a par five, offered redemption and I took advantage rocketing a tee shot up the middle, laying up, making a nice pitch shot, and the putt for birdie. Back to even par. Holes three, four, and five went smoothly and I was still even par headed to the sixth tee.</div>
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Another duffed tee shot. The most dependable part of my game had now tripped me up twice this round. Like the first hole, I played a long iron, chipped, and missed a putt to make bogey. We had three holes to play and I was back at plus one. It was already a victory. Dad had never seen me play even this well, but now I had a real chance to shoot even par for the round. The final three holes offered one good chance to get the stroke back with a short par five eighth. </div>
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Seven is a 150 yard par three with sloped green that just never seemed to play nice with me. At that age, I had been prone to getting extra distance on my middle irons and too often played my second shot from behind the seventh green. I was also plenty jumpy coming off a bogey. To this day I can still walk on that green and tell you where the pin was placed that evening within about two feet. My tee shot stuck inside of that, just six inches left and back of the hole, and I was back to even par.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2EGs6lMJ2Kbpc9b97ZD5D_mhYI9I1PABeyg-Ic4ypHKicA3T3hFNkYC0rPRzp0ouk1MIO4_9iG5FAlFccOEDc_2kv73bYbpxmEsdbCt67l2pyUllVWUiYtexBFTBBhhss1UAI5KdJVMA/s1600/hunting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2EGs6lMJ2Kbpc9b97ZD5D_mhYI9I1PABeyg-Ic4ypHKicA3T3hFNkYC0rPRzp0ouk1MIO4_9iG5FAlFccOEDc_2kv73bYbpxmEsdbCt67l2pyUllVWUiYtexBFTBBhhss1UAI5KdJVMA/s1600/hunting.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>I knew that the longish uphill ninth was a threat to finish so I didn't hold back on the eighth, but ended up with a tap-out par after reaching the green in three. The final hole did not provide a challenge that night and I wrapped up with an even thirty-six at the turn. I've faced more adversity on the course and I've overcome more than a pair of bogies to get back to even, but never had two bogies been in my head as much as that night. For that reason I still consider it one of the best rounds I've ever played.</div>
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I would say that it was special to share that round with dad, but really it was special <em style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">because</em> I shared it with him. The role that he plays in my life led me to seek his approval in something as trivial as that round of golf. He'll tell you that I shouldn't need that, but I say that it shows the great impact that he has on me. </div>
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Cheers to you Dad!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-73322440469056366632014-06-04T22:04:00.000-05:002014-06-04T22:04:26.468-05:00One Year with Google Play Music<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnP9QclyRpW5qLB9A5MUTymd3_XgHniw-3ed-oaT-brLxj0nXy2pzg50BGYpfDfyOW0KVhoPcPGvT1BkX4JoINjQFMsrudMfJsxqI0QAyrM9PUEVXaEdtBjZlXqOXLSn2aeEH0_6-fAk/s1600/playmusic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnP9QclyRpW5qLB9A5MUTymd3_XgHniw-3ed-oaT-brLxj0nXy2pzg50BGYpfDfyOW0KVhoPcPGvT1BkX4JoINjQFMsrudMfJsxqI0QAyrM9PUEVXaEdtBjZlXqOXLSn2aeEH0_6-fAk/s1600/playmusic.jpg" /></a>I'm approaching one year with Google Play Music All Access (it's also approaching its one year anniversary). I switched the week it was launched from an Rdio service that I loved for one that I quickly felt offered a similar experience at a better value. I think I'm probably a power user. I've listened to 115 songs 20 times or more (196 hours), another 286 songs 10-20 times (241 hours) and 1446 songs less than 10 times. Those only count the songs that "made the cut" to be added to my library. For someone who doesn't even have streaming access during my 9-5 I think that qualifies me as something of a power user.</div>
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Before I run through my wish list, I'd like to say that I love the service. I seldom have issues with playback. I feel the quality is good. I think the layout both on the web and on my Android app are great. I'm a big proponent of subscription music services (see playback hours above) and think that Google has built a great overall product with Play Music. </div>
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That said, here are a few things I would like to see from the service as it heads into its second year:</div>
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<strong style="line-height: 1.428571em;">Link Devices Better</strong></div>
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Nearly every morning I use Play Music on my Chromebook while I have my morning coffee, peruse the news, and get ready for work. When I leave the house I often fire up Play Music in my car, but there is no way to just pick up where I left off. This was something that Rdio did well. Another impact of the failed linking is that my "Listen Now" tab is completely independent between my phone and computer - recent plays are remembered by device rather than by account. </div>
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<strong style="line-height: 1.428571em;">Better Music Discovery</strong></div>
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Google Now tells me daily travel times to things through an incredibly intuitive process, but Play Music regularly misses when artists I listen to release new stuff. I often hear about new releases on blogs or even from the Rdio "New Music From Artists You Listen To" email before Google recommends it. The "I'm Lucky Radio" is often a good place for discovery, but direct recommendations are lacking. </div>
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<strong style="line-height: 1.428571em;">Better Recognition of Subscribers</strong></div>
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I'm a paying monthly subscriber of All Access. So is my fiance. But when I share music with her, Google only manages to share a preview and link to buy the song/album. A better sharing experience would encourage more people to get on board with subscriptions. Sharing is social, and if sharing was better for subscribers it would make the All Access more social and generate more music sharing and discovery. The lacking feature makes it pretty clear that Google makes more money via selling music than subscriptions. I get that, but an increase in the volume of subscribers has some value too.</div>
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<strong style="line-height: 1.428571em;">Dream Idea</strong></div>
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Dear Google - You make a lot of money via advertising and local search and events get more and more prominence via Search and Now. Instead of recommending 4 "radio stations" to me (I've never once clicked on one) please recommend bands that are coming to my area and then, when I play them, make sure they show up in Now. You will help me discover more music and I'll probably buy the occasional ticket. For example - Jack White is coming to Milwaukee in July, I listen to a bunch of Jack White, bands he's been a part of, and numerous, similar artists. If you are going to recommend anything to me it aught to be Jack White a little more often for the next couple months and then make sure I know I can click <span data-mce-style="text-decoration: underline;" style="line-height: 1.428571em; text-decoration: underline;">your</span> link to buy tickets.</div>
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Some people might say they don't want Google to "doctor" the results that much - that they want recommendations to be purely driven by some algorithm that has identified the perfect music for their tastes. I think this is the type of example that blows that out of the water. I already listen to plenty of Jack White and similar music and it would improve my experience to get recommendations for more of him (both his new album and some old things I may not be familiar with) as the concert nears and to complete that experience with a live concert by a band that I enjoy. If Google just partnered highly powered marketed bands and recommended Miley Cyrus to me before she came to town that would be bad as I have never played her or a similar artist via Play Music.</div>
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Further, since Google shows that selling music is more profitable than subscriptions, this would be a way to improve profitability from the subscription service and ensure the long-term offering of the product.</div>
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Just my two cents, but as a daily user of the service these would definitely be welcome additions.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-78673122473577398582014-05-26T09:31:00.000-05:002014-05-26T09:31:17.648-05:00About the Food I Eat<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
I decided not to say diet in the title because I know that if you're literate - I'm guessing you are by this point - you skip a lot of posts titled diet just like I do. So, full disclosure, I'm going to talk about diet a little bit here today. This is going to be a little background into my recent diet changes to lay the groundwork for a some future posts.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steak, is a red meat.</td></tr>
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<em style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Quick English course: Diet can be a noun or a verb. The two noun meanings? 1) the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats. 2) a special course of food to which one restricts oneself, either to lose weight or for medical reasons.</em></div>
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Most of us forgot about number one decades ago. <em style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Insert your own joke about how predicable it is that our society abandoned meaning one for version two. </em>I feel the first definition contains a really interesting word that is missing from our diets today: habitually. I could write 1000 words about what I think about our fondness for fad diets, but this is going to be about how I've been shaping my diet in recent years. I'll share more about where I'm at now and where I'm trying to go in a future post; today is more about the journey.</div>
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About three years ago this month I started transitioning the way I looked at health. For a couple years before that I had gotten very focused on trying to build muscle mass in the most at-home, mid-20s, desperate way. I was lifting a lot of gym-rat type weights and transitioned my college diet to a protein focused one. It wasn't all stupid, I learned to put priorities into my meal planning and cut out wasteful calories in favor of the protein that I felt would help me attain my goals. Finally I accepted my body type and realized that being bulked up had zero benefits for my lifestyle. I started transitioning my workouts to more functional strength types: cardio, core, dynamic movements that combined multiple muscle groups. And with it I slowed down my protein goals and started thinking about healthy eating overall. </div>
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The first step was simply trying to eat "healthy." I followed all the conventional tactics and cut down on sweets, ate a little more produce, etc. Around May of 2012, Beth and I started cleaning up the grains in our diet. That meant a switch to conventional wisdom's whole grains. It meant updating our breads and pastas, but didn't really require any new menu planning.</div>
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The following January, after doing some reading on Paleo eating and discussing the benefits with family we deciding to switch from cleaning up to cleaning out grains entirely. There's a lot of information out there about Paleo - I strongly feel like there's a difference between what has become the Paleo diet and what has always been a Paleo methodology to eating. I'll cover that in the future too.</div>
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In our transition to Paleo we went completely clean for a short time, maybe 45 days and then introduced a few things back to see how they impacted us. Since then, we've been enjoying the best health of our lives along with a flood of awesome and creative new menu options. </div>
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The journey through the last few years is really goes back to diet's first meaning. It's about how we habitually eat. We have never adhered to a fad diet that we've forced ourselves into overnight. We've never gone through the kitchen and thrown out boxes and boxes of foods that "we're no longer allowed to eat." Each time we've made incremental changes in our diet we've focused on the menu staples that most needed to be addressed and found solutions that would allow us to be successful. By consistently making sustainable changes to our diet we've improved the way we habitually eat in a significant way. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-37201280118209451952014-05-20T07:17:00.000-05:002014-05-20T07:17:38.515-05:00Like-em May PlaylistWe're back for the second installment of monthly playlists. The weather is starting to turn here and the energy along with it. We've finally attained the type of outside warmth where you need to crack a window whether in the car or at home and you're not sure if you should wear shorts or pants so you just wear shorts and tough it out.<br />
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<b>Jack White - Lazaretto</b><br />
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I'm a huge fan of Jack White's music. I considered taking a day off of work just listen to the new album when it drops in June, but I decided to just spread it out over every evening that week. OK, maybe not, but I'm loving the sound of the new offering's already released singles, "High Ball Stepper" and this:<br />
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<b>The Whigs - Modern Creation</b><br />
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We need a word for one of those songs that you're singing to in the car long after the song has ended. I've greeted colleagues with a "it's just a moderrrrn creation..." and a nod. If you have a word for that already let me know.<br />
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<b>The Bleachers - I Want to Get Better</b><br />
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Here's a great catchy tune - the single The Bleachers released earlier this year. I would write more, but I'm still processing what the video was trying to tell me. Anyway, still like the song.<br />
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<b>Kaiser Chiefs - The Factory Gates</b><br />
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I've been playing a lot of the whole album the Kaiser Chiefs dropped this year. I hadn't ever really gotten into them previously, but I'm digging the sounds here.<br />
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<b>TV on the Radio - Mercy</b><br />
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TV on the Radio tends to have one song in every major release that I just play like crazy. You know that circle thing with the arrow that you hit to replay a video? You're going to need that in about 3:18.<br />
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<b>Max Frost - White Lies</b><br />
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For the life of me I can't figure out what is bringing White Lies back like it's a new release. The single was released in 2013. There hasn't been much more from Mr Frost. More Max! We want max Max. Anyway, I'm happy White Lies is getting played everywhere again. Clever lyrics alert: "I'm picking up really sketch vibes" will go to the lyric HOF.<br />
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<b>James Vincent McMorrow - Caviler (and Kiings cover)</b><br />
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We're wrapping up with a double feature. McMorrow's voice seductively draws your attention all the way throughout this song. The Kiings are local Milwaukee guys and covered this amazingly well. You know how a good chef makes that dish you thought you mastered at home just a touch better. The Kiings did that here.<br />
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That's it for May. Play them loud.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-6300476010479408092014-05-16T22:36:00.000-05:002014-05-16T22:36:26.670-05:00Be Interested<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have a customer with whom I've never been on the same page. He is several generations my senior. He's criticized me for not having a pencil at the ready and being too dependent on my computer. He marches his way into my office as if I've just been sitting around waiting for him. He wants business to be done the way it was done decades ago and has decided that as the local face of the company, I'm going to hear about it. Naturally, he does a fair amount of business with us. The other day he came in needing a minor service. Shortly after sitting down he set a new iPhone on my desk and mentioned that he had just picked it up last week. Yes, the same customer who refused to use ink over lead. Happy to find common ground I asked how he liked it. </div>
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We spent the next ten minutes talking about how he had become the unofficial photographic historian for the city. He had some 11,000 photos of historic buildings and homes, new builds, landscapes, events, and everything in between. Most of the photos had been taken with a more professional camera, but he had moved all the storage to the cloud for quick access when he was out and about. </div>
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As a person who prides myself on my talent in cultivating relationships, I must say I learned a great lesson about people during that conversation. No matter how busy I might be, or what important things might be on my agenda for the day, none of it is as important as the people. </div>
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A number of years ago, I'd guess I was in college, I read some great advice that applies here. Unfortunately I don't recall the source, but it amounted to a simple concept: be interested. The story had been about someone who was struggling to enjoy settings with numerous new people because they felt others simply droned on and the conversations were boring. The advice was to "be interested" and to really listen to others and appreciate the diversity of people. </div>
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I forget that lesson from time to time, but when I remember to put it to work it's amazing how different interactions with others feel. You learn how often you get caught up in your own agenda and how you really don't give others the time and attention they deserve. I relearned that with my customer the other day. When I could lay aside my work for ten minutes and really listen to who he was, it was surprisingly easy to find something I found interesting about him.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-6742737703256053442014-05-14T21:09:00.000-05:002014-05-14T21:09:17.652-05:00Bulletproof Your Diet Efforts<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00DbqmG-X6cn48kl6EKCrvpYeGbNwBKgk7t6Xy5ugvMuilfUDf3CwhRDSJRSuaBoMEATeZNYpeaR4AsCUomHPq241SVbE1iSFPwt4F1ppd6NIrQWhpJQQqWnzfT-5dzfsDSXV7_FCcns/s1600/CameraZOOM-20130609171704811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00DbqmG-X6cn48kl6EKCrvpYeGbNwBKgk7t6Xy5ugvMuilfUDf3CwhRDSJRSuaBoMEATeZNYpeaR4AsCUomHPq241SVbE1iSFPwt4F1ppd6NIrQWhpJQQqWnzfT-5dzfsDSXV7_FCcns/s1600/CameraZOOM-20130609171704811.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Google stopped counting "best diet tips" after getting to 313,000,000 in a little more than half a second. I didn't read any of the results, but I'm guessing most of the results include lists. Anyway, there are a lot of strategies to help you meet your diet goals. I'm just going to talk about one today. It's my own. I stumbled on it trying to eat better myself and I know it will help you. Most tips you read or hear about are about trying something new. This might be a new idea, but it's designed to keep you from going back to something old. </div>
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<strong style="line-height: 1.428571em;">Change your staples.</strong></div>
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That's it. Change your diet staples and you'll have just as hard of a time going back to your bad habits as you had cleaning up your weekly menus in the first place. Many people make the mistake of trying too many new recipes when changing diets. I love to cook and I love creating in the kitchen and trying new things. But being a full time chef when you get home from work is exhausting. If you're not careful, it's easy to pick up an old staple one night on the way home from a long day of work and that's too often the beginning of the end for healthy intentions.</div>
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There was a time in my life when I could leave work late, stop at the store, blindfold myself, grab some fresh chicken, a package of those Buitoni tortellini, a jar of marinara, and head home. I didn't actually use the blindfold but I could have. Today, it's zucchini instead of tortellini and if they kept it in the same place every day I could probably do that blindfolded too. In the same way, it's automatic for me to pick up ground hamburger and some sweet potatoes or a spaghetti squash. </div>
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When we first dropped grains in early 2013 it was a challenge sometimes to stand in the grocery store and try to find a quick meal for a Thursday night. But as we swapped out pasta nights for squash nights, pizza nights for hamburgers and salad nights, and pancakes for egg frittatas it's gotten much easier. And now that we have new staples, I'm not sure I'd immediately know how to switch back.</div>
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Some tips on replacing staples:</div>
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<li style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Write down a list of your go-to meals<ul style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.428571em; list-style-position: outside; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px;">
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<li style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">When we cut grains we used zucchini and yellow squash to make the same dishes. We dropped hamburger buns and put our burgers on a bed of salad.</li>
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<li style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">We're not great about this, but we often shop for the first half of the week on Sunday afternoons. It forces us to focus on shopping a little less often and doesn't set us up for failure on one of those quick stops on the way home from work.</li>
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After a couple months you'll start to feel like your grocery store trips are more automatic. You'll be buying familiar things every week and maintaining your diet switch will be a lot easier. Give it a try. Good luck and happy eating.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-89227357639707685772014-05-05T20:53:00.000-05:002014-05-05T20:53:05.937-05:00On Trail Running and Maybe Meditation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've mulled all sorts of ways to write about my love affair with trail running.</div>
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I have bits of writing about my transition from a shin-splinted sidewalk sprinter to the river-side runner I am today. I have bits down about how trail running is more spiritual than physical or mental. I've written about the added challenges of navigating tree roots, rocks, puddles, narrow passages between trees, steep banks, various depths of mud and how they make me love running even more. </div>
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Some day I'll share some of those with you. Today is about the mental benefits of trail running. You can read all about how nature is a good stress reliever and how activities like camping and hiking, visiting state and national parks, and enjoying a good campfire are some of the greatest pleasures in life. It's all true - and that's why I run in it.</div>
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I'm a really bad meditate-er (I'm OK with illegally hyphenating a word if I'm making up the work to begin with). Like probably at least a few of you, I have tried to meditate a handful of times and I suck at it. I can't sit still. I can't clear my mind. Thinking about my breathing is one of the few ways I can actually bore myself. I like to think it's because I'm imaginative. When I manage to stop thinking about all the stressors in my life, I fill it right back up with something new. I could probably do it with some practice and instruction, but I haven't figured it out yet.</div>
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When I'm running the trails however, I'm forced to put everything away. The challenge of navigating the path and the cardio effort require intense focus. I'm pretty good at worrying about all kinds of things at once, but out there it's not physically possible. If you zone out into thinking about a conversation from work or with your spouse you will trip over a tree root and roll down the bank into the river. If you think about your bank account you will stumble on a rock and drive your shoulder into a tree. If you think about chores that need to be done in the house you will miss your turn and find yourself stranded on the end of a long peninsula with a the flooded river around you.</div>
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Like the stories that I have heard about from my mediating friends, I reach a point of emptiness in my thoughts that doesn't really feel empty. It feels peaceful. It feels clear. It happens naturally because I've put myself in a place where my stressors can't follow. Whether or not it's the same, I guess it's taught me about the importance of taking time to do something, to go somewhere, for yourself once in a while. I think more people need to take that seriously be it on a mat in a quiet room of the house, on a trail in the woods, or anywhere in between.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-60382638724307994992014-05-01T20:56:00.000-05:002014-05-01T20:56:15.397-05:00Wolf Of Wall Street and Income Producing Activity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I won't really spoil anything from the movie here - instead I'm going to spoil the post a bit right now. Most of the inspiration for this post is from the first few minutes of the movie while we are being introduced to Jordan Belfort and his budding Wall Street career. I would write a movie review, but... well trust me, it's better that I don't start that.</div>
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At the beginning of the movie, Leonardo DiCaprio's Jordan Belfort makes his way into his first Wall Street gig and meets a number of extreme characters. His lunch with Matthew McConaughey's Mark Hanna was, for me, one of the best parts of the movie. Hanna spoke about everything he did to be successful, clearly he was motivated by money and showed that he would do literally anything to get more of it. He offered that he was doing everything from alcohol to drugs to a number of other things to keep his edge every single day.</div>
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Moral notes aside, as the movie had its off-putting moments if you're the kind of person who has ever even driven past a church, Hanna's depiction of serving money was interesting to me. I say "serving money" because it reminded me of Matthew 6:24 - <span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." I'm not going to try and enforce any moral code on Hanna, Belfort, or anything else that happened in the movie. Good stories inspire me to think about myself and Hanna's high level of success and the extreme choices he made to achieve it left me thinking about my own professional and personal success.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">This isn't going to be about Matthew 6:24. The passage is another one that gets you thinking about how you define success, but it's a topic for another day. Rather this is about how Hannah forced as much income producing activity into his day as possible.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">During a typical work day for me, I might spend 2-3 hours seeing clients, another 2 hours doing follow up, an hour reading on policy or product changes, an hour talking with colleagues, thirty minutes completing trackers and checklists, thirty minutes getting myself back on track after an interruption or after completing a task, and an hour at lunch. It would be easy to argue that all of those things have there place and that I appear to be pretty efficient at managing my time and getting a fair amount work done each day. You could also argue that spending just 25-40% of my time meeting with clients (the highest probability of income producing activity) is simply not enough to maximize success.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">So how do I gear my day to shed more of the non-income producing activity in favor of more time with clients? Here are two things that I've made a habit in my work day that have made the difference for me:</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.428571em;"><strong style="line-height: 1.428571em;">Daily List</strong></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.428571em;"><span data-mce-style="color: #0000ff;" style="color: blue; line-height: 1.428571em;"><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black; line-height: 1.428571em;">I already set a daily list of important items everyday when I first sit down at my desk. I look at items from the previous day that went undone and the items that most need to be done today and make a list. I try to keep it short. I first started this after hearing about the "6 Most Important Things" idea. Some days I have four, others eight, but I try to always have a list. To drive more income producing activities, I need to focus on what items are filling up that list. Half or more of those items should be about driving new production.</span></span></span></div>
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<strong style="line-height: 1.428571em;">Personal Accountability</strong></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="line-height: 1.428571em;">It comes down to me. I could ask to be managed, but like anyone else on Earth, I hate that. Being managed is a demotivator to me because I like knowing that I did something of my own volition. Simply then, I just need to decide that I'm going to push away service activity and adhere to more sales activity.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-23034243562384532242014-04-27T13:11:00.000-05:002014-04-27T13:11:23.101-05:00Like-em April PlaylistI've loved listening to a wide breadth and high volume of music since people were confused about the legality of pirating digital music - pirating is a word with many connotations. Well OK, since mixed-tapes but I don't always admit that. Now I'm a happy Google Play Music subscriber and listen to all kinds of music. I would like to share some of them with you every month.<br />
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This is my April Playlist - the songs that I played most this month whether or not they are new releases. I'm not going to write exciting critiques because I lack nearly ever bit of musical training that would allow me to do that. I'm just a guy who loves fresh tunes. Here's this month:<br />
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<b>Arcade Fire - Normal Person</b><br />
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Reflektor was the first single I saw and didn't hit home with me right away, but Normal Person is my favorite song of the year so far.<br />
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<b>The Black Keys - Fever</b><br />
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When this single was released I was pretty disappointed. I love The Black Keys for the "dirty" rock sound they've always had and felt this picked up on more trendy sounds. After hearing it through a couple times I've picked out the classic Black Keys sounds and like how some of the new sounds mix in. I am really excited for the full album release in a couple weeks.<br />
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<b>Neon Trees - Text Me in the Morning</b><br />
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This won't be the biggest hit off the album, but I thought it was one of the more fun. I wish they would have actually tucked it back a bit further in the album because I felt they needed a little more energy in the second half. There was no YouTube release for this one, so I'm share the Play Music link.<br />
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<a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Twmtsnw7etsx3uiut4cvbkisq7q" target="_blank">Neon Trees - Text Me in the Morning</a><br />
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<b>James Blunt - Postcards</b><br />
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I almost went with Miss America which is what got me to even try out Blunt's new offering, Moon Landing. Postcards is a fantastic track though, and won my heart. Clever lyrics are the key to my heart and sending his feelings on a postcard because he "doesn't care who sees what I send" is the kind of unabashed feeling we all wish we had about something from time to time.<br />
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<b>Arctic Monkeys - Knee Socks</b><br />
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You knew I was going here when I said the clever lyrics thing about Postcards right? She's strutting around the house is his sky blue Lacoste and knee socks!!! This album has probably had the most plays for me this year and I plan to be in attendance when these guys play on the lake this summer in Milwaukee.<br />
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<b>American Authors - Trouble</b><br />
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I played the EP like an addict when it came out last fall, so it was hard to get back into songs that I willfully overplayed when the full album came out. But Trouble is fresh and awesome and I'm glad they saved it.<br />
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<b>St. Vincent - Digital Witness</b><br />
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The sounds all the way through this song just keep me coming back for more. This whole album is great, but Digital Witness was the song I first heard and it certainly earns cornerstone status on the album.<br />
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<b>PHOX - Slow Motion</b><br />
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I've taken great satisfaction in listening to local artists in the past year and PHOX has me excited for they debut album with this great single. I'm anticipating my go-to hammock soundtrack.<br />
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I hope you enjoy April's Playlist!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-88971529663454901262014-04-27T11:57:00.001-05:002014-04-27T11:57:07.465-05:00Back to Public WritingI'll keep this short as sort of a bookmark showing a return to public posting.<br />
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I've been writing privately much more than ever before for the past year, and as a result feel the most prepared to write publicly that I ever have. I've been working on a number of writing projects and hope to start sharing some of those soon.<br />
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As for today, I'll get the ball rolling with a new thing I'd like to do - sharing a monthly playlist of songs that I just couldn't get enough of each month. They won't all be new songs, just the songs that I played over and over all month.<br />
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Hope you enjoy!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-5147468485628537992013-07-02T22:12:00.001-05:002013-07-02T22:12:18.411-05:00A New ProjectI've taken time to work on other projects over the past year and haven't done a great job of writing for myself. So I'm recommitting yet again. This space will be changing over the coming weeks as a round out a new place for a variety of topics that will likely include some of the business and Android posts of Like-em's past, but also more about health, fitness, and who knows what else.<br />
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I can say that I've been most inspired lately by a little dirt trail on which I've been spending my runs. It's a bit of solitude carved out in my otherwise busy life and it's reminded me of how important it is to complete thoughts and not just let life blow by. I'll be starting with a post about the trails, but need some time to put those thoughts together this week and snap a few pics to put with it.<br />
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Until then.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-10266017108567835792012-03-17T10:23:00.000-05:002012-03-17T10:25:09.212-05:00App Review: Any.Do<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQtqiP1aMl9a_-q6cByNExSuTsx826jFrQjM5csklOjBGjsjdB4Ww" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQtqiP1aMl9a_-q6cByNExSuTsx826jFrQjM5csklOjBGjsjdB4Ww" /></a></div>
Any.Do is one of the top task management apps available on Android. If you haven't followed the new app buzz over the past 6 or so months, you might have missed Any.Do. It's relatively new to the scene, and if you've been using an older task app, this review is for you.<br />
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Grade: A<br />
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Quick Pitch: Any.Do does just what you'd expect any task management app to do - it allows you to enter tasks and reminders, then check them off when you've completed them. It's the way Any.Do does it that makes it one of the best apps for the job. It runs on a simplistic, clean UI that is so eye-appealing you'll spend time on the app just to look at it. It comes complete with 4 different widgets so you can keep you to-do list in front of you with ease. And it syncs with your Google Tasks so that you can manage and view your tasks online. When it comes to sharing and organization Any.Do makes collaborating on tasks easy. Whether a contact uses Any.Do or not, you can share any task with them directly from the app. Perhaps the best part of this app is the task entry. When typing a task into the app it predicts common tasks with the accuracy of the best text-prediction keyboards - "Pick up..." becomes a list of Pick up drycleaning - prescription - milk - check - etc. If you are entering contact information such as "call Mark" the app automatically queues up a list of Marks from your address book, lets you pick one, and places a phone shortcut in the task so you can simply call from the app when you're ready to complete that task. Finally, one of the newest features to this app launches a pop-up box after each missed call and allows you to add that call to your tasks for later.<br />
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Full Story: If you've read my previous reviews, you can probably tell I'm smitten with this app - I use probably 95% of its capabilities on a regular basis. I feel that using a task management app like this is a great compliment to using one of the great note-taking apps I <a href="http://like-em.blogspot.com/2012/02/app-showdown-evernote-catch-springpad.html">previously reviewed</a> because it keeps your tasks closer to your fingertips. Any.Do is still a relatively new app, it's not without its bugs, but the team behind the app is great with updates and more functionality is always coming. Before using Any.Do, I wasn't a regular user of any task management app, but tested out such apps as Taskos and Astrid before deciding that Any.Do was the one to go with. For me, it was about the simple UI.<br />
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Pros:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Simple UI, easy to use - I'll admit it, I'm a guy, I don't like needing a task list to remind me to do anything (as much as I need it). So being able to get in and out of the list in a hurry is essential.</li>
<li>Task Prediction - Any.Do can let you enter your tasks in half the time, simply because it knows all about common tasks.</li>
<li>Missed Call Reminders - Add missed calls to your list and never forget to call someone back again.</li>
<li>Widgets - If you're as bad as I can be at keeping your list in front of you, a widget will take care of that.</li>
</ul>
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Cons:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Syncing - While the app syncs with Google Tasks, I've had issues with that working from my tablet. The Any.Do team collected a bunch of feedback so I'm confident they'll find a fix, but in the meantime, my tablet only keeps tasks that I enter from my tablet.</li>
<li>Organization - It's getting better, but for the most part you enter a task, then go back and choose a priority (today, tomorrow, this week, or later), whether to put it into a folder (personal, work, etc), whom to share it with, when to remind you, etc. A recent app update allows you to jump directly to share or remind - which are by far the best two options - but I still wonder how it might look if you could fully customize your task before submitting it.</li>
</ul>
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Overall, this is a fantastic app and worth your time to give it a try. You can download it from the market <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.anydo#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDUwMSwiY29tLmFueWRvIl0.">here</a>.</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-68888795866033913092012-03-14T10:16:00.002-05:002012-03-14T10:16:48.203-05:00The Cerebral ProfessionalI am posting a day late this week, because I spent yesterday landing a new job. I am really excited to be returning to the financial services industry. After spending a year outside of the industry I really learned how passionate I am about helping consumers and small businesses with their financial needs.<div>
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That said, I want to talk about a skill (theory?) I used for job hunting that has always been effective for both me and those I have advised with job searches. That skill is getting inside the head of who you need to be for the proposed job.</div>
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I feel that a lot of people who are looking for a promotion or new job display their understanding for that position as they understand it from their current position. That's wrong. It is said that you have to dress for the job you want, not the job you have - it's even more important to think like the job you want rather than the job you have.</div>
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To use an example that is familiar to most of us, let's look at a bank teller looking to transition her/his career to a personal banker position. The core skill set for a teller involves, money handling, customer service, detail orientation, and referrals. Those skills are all transferable to a personal banker position, but transferable is the key word. </div>
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For example, let's use customer service. A teller provides customer service via a strong greeting, in-transaction conversation, and a strong closing. Their mentality needs to be around answering the customer's primary need and good communication. These are all very <b>re</b>active actions. A banker, on the other hand, needs to be much more <b>pro</b>active. While addressing the customer's initial need/request the banker also needs use their service skills to deepen the relationship for the future. </div>
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These are subtle differences, but the step of using customer service skills to build a relationship rather than a more "one-and-done" mentality is important. If you are the teller, applying for promotion, it's important to understand how you would approach customer service differently to be successful at that next level.</div>
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That's just one example, but it is true of almost every job change out there. Just like the clothes, you have to think like the new job.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-79825273582504511442012-03-10T08:29:00.000-06:002012-03-10T08:29:12.902-06:00App Review: totenotes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media1.android-apps.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Tote-Notes.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="http://media1.android-apps.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Tote-Notes.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Here's a very new app that many people probably haven't heard about yet. I have only been using it this week, but it's already shown me that it will get more than just a quick trial for review.<br />
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Grade A<br />
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Quick Pitch: totenotes is an app that launches after each call you complete and offers a chance for you to make voice notes regarding the call. It transcribes your note, attaches the mp3, and sends the whole shebang over to your preferred email (which you've smartly filtered for the expected message). totenotes goes a step further than some other "after-call" apps and allows you to set both All hours and Business (8-6) hours for the app to activate AND to set a timeframe for the pop up to disappear without you having to press anything.<br />
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Full Story: I expected to rate this app about a B-. I don't like apps that ask me to take an extra step after every call. It's just another obtrusive step with which I'd rather not deal. When I do need to make a note following a business call, I'm OK with heading over to <a href="http://like-em.blogspot.com/2012/02/app-showdown-evernote-catch-springpad.html">my preferred note-taking app</a> and doing it myself. totenotes however, is as automated and as unobtrusive as I've seen for this type of app. The additional benefit of being able to set business hours (even though I only get to choose totenotes' 8-6) is another great feature. If you use your phone for business use this is a fantastic app to try. If you are like me and taking notes is something you need to do more of, this is perfect.<br />
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Bonus idea -- If you want all of your notes in one place you could use your note-app's email account rather than your regular email.<br />
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Pros:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Automated and Unobtrusive - this app does what you need it to, then gets the heck out of the way.</li>
<li>Customization - there are a number of preference settings to help this app work for <b>you.</b></li>
</ul>
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Cons:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Contact Recognition - I organize my Google contacts into groups like a boss, and I'd be totally OK giving totenotes permissions to see which contacts I'd leave notes for and which I won't.</li>
<li>Notification Bar - I know this is really Android's problem, but I do have a threshold for the number of apps that I allow to occupy my notification bar all the time.</li>
</ul>
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I only tested the free version of this app, but if you're looking for power-user options you can upgrade for $3.99 to be able to leave longer notes and add a CC email address. </div>
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You can download the free version of the app <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.totenotes">here</a>.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-43422499789723133032012-03-06T09:00:00.000-06:002012-03-06T09:00:00.919-06:00A Plug for Personal BrandingI write a lot about professional relationships here on Like-em. I feel they're critical to the success of our careers. It's cliche to say "it's who you know," but there is and always will be a ton of truth to that statement. I know plenty of talented, brilliant people who have gotten nearly every job they've ever had based on who they knew and not being a blind candidate for a position that they are well-qualified for.<br />
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Given that, I feel that many of us miss the boat on opportunities to really brand ourselves professionally. We go through our professional lives, working hard and being brutally modest about the results. There's nothing wrong with modesty - until it restrains us from well-deserved growth.</div>
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A huge opportunity that we have in today's world is digital social networking. It doesn't really matter which digital platform you spend your time on, - Google +, Facebook, Twitter, blogging, etc - there are people to be met everywhere. An interesting thing about how we use those social platforms however, is something we need to keep off the back burner.</div>
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I'll use Facebook as an example. It's a wonderful platform for a lot of reasons. At the heart of the platform are a number of core features that allow us to easily remain connected to friends and family that we otherwise might lose track of from time to time in our busy lives. I can personally say that I have grown a number of relationships with extended family and friends from past cities, jobs, and schools because of Facebook. The ability to share the simplest of events with a large group of people encourages deeper relationships. </div>
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In the past, I've compared Facebook to a Friday night out (you can choose if it's for food or drink) where you connect with someone you haven't seen for a while. You share a few things about what's happening at work, your family, your kids (we tend to be redundant when we're catching up don't we?), and any other various personal interest topics. This is a great component to a relationship, sharing these things builds trust and familiarity.</div>
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It's also missing something. You know that project at work that you think is headed the wrong direction - the one you can rant about at a moment's notice? Chances are you didn't mention that in your status update tonight. Remember that industry-related article that really got your mind spinning about how changes are on the horizon for your customers? You left that bottled up inside too. And those questions that are burning a hole in your head about how to overcome a new challenge in your industry? You didn't have one meaningful conversation with someone who understood the topic as well as you do.</div>
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Enter a new perspective on digital social networking. It can be more than just a diversion for your weeknights on the couch. There are any number of like-minded professionals around the globe tackling the same goals and challenges as you are. They aren't millionaire business moguls, high-priced consultants, or well-meaning best friends. Actually, they're just like you, hard-working professionals making an average salary and trying to do the best they can. And there's a way that you can find them - because digital social platforms have made the world a whole lot smaller.</div>
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When you use a digital social platform as a way to promote your personal brand - one as a professional with an understanding of your industry, working to gain more knowledge, and willing to network to do it - you'll find these people coming out of the World Wide Web's woodwork (that's wwww for those keeping score at home).</div>
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Now I can promote any digital platform - some are better than others at creating an open environment for this - but ultimately any one <i>can</i> work. Here are few tips that I've found helpful for helping me to be a better professional and to help build a reputation (personal brand) for being a person who is focused on growth within my profession.</div>
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<ol>
<li>Read and Share - Everyone tells you to read more. It's true, by reading industry/job related content you can improve yourself in a number of ways - not the least of which is deepening your understanding of what you do. By sharing what you read to a social network you are letting others know what you are reading (so they can see how smart you are getting) and allow them to engage in a conversation with you about the topic at hand (allowing you to battle-test your new knowledge).</li>
<li>Create some content, share that too - Reading is for growth, writing is for proof. You don't have to be a regular blogger, but by posting your personal ideas and observations to your social account you can really show what's important to you and where your mind is at. This can generate awesome conversations as well allowing you to really get to the bottom of a topic of interest.</li>
<li>Seek and connect with like-minded individuals - Our society still feels a little funny about connecting with our peers around the globe. We seem to be more comfortable being a silent follower of some "expert," but by connecting with people just like yourself, you will find some of the best conversations.</li>
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Additional Encouragements:</div>
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<ol>
<li>Open up a little bit - Building relationships is about getting to know people a little bit. If you just swing by a platform to post a professional tidbit and move on you're not doing much beyond personal marketing. Move past your narrow, professional interests once in a while and share content related to your personal interests and hobbies. You don't have to share pictures of your kids, just a good article about your favorite restaurant or sports team.</li>
<li>Add value to conversations - This isn't all about you. In fact there are going to be a lot of people involved and <a href="http://like-em.blogspot.com/2012/02/professional-relationships-101-win-win.html">win-win</a> is one of the best relationship tactics I know. Share some of the good content you see from others and make comments that add value. Joining a conversation takes some of the weight off of your creative juices too.</li>
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<i>Bonus plug for a platform</i></div>
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Over the past seven months, I have really enjoyed the growing community over at Google +. The platform still has plenty of growing to do, but it's one of the most engaging communities I have ever been a part of. You can't really compare it to Facebook, because you'll find a whole other group of people to connect with at Google +. </div>
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I've dedicated a lot of time and energy to building my own network there since it's launch, but it is and will continue to be worth the work. I know that most of you reading this are from that network and I thank you. For those of you who either aren't using it or are minimally using it and want to find ways to make it more impactful, feel free to <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102463930722750242099/about">connect with me there</a> and I can try to point you in the direction of some interesting and engaging professionals.</div>
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A big reason that I've made Google + a core component of my personal branding efforts is that the design of the platform highly encourages both connections with like-minded individuals (rather than existing friends) and quality engagement. These are things that can happen on other platforms, but are the foundation of the Google + design.</div>
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<i><br /></i></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-73777519863944337202012-03-02T08:07:00.000-06:002012-03-02T08:07:07.240-06:00App Review: CallTrack<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/uyZcKCvQumb5-MXHWwQqqYRfjV340ncKu2h8z6jmS0PHZMwGqCjyW32sA0pMXHTJoA=w78-h78" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/uyZcKCvQumb5-MXHWwQqqYRfjV340ncKu2h8z6jmS0PHZMwGqCjyW32sA0pMXHTJoA=w78-h78" /></a></div>
Today I take a look at one of my favorite productivity apps, CallTrack.<br />
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Grade: A-<br />
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Quick Pitch: CallTrack is a simple application that does exactly what you may have already guessed. It tracks all of the phone calls that you make. The real beauty of this app is that it doesn't require you to go to the app after initial setup. Instead, it posts all of your phone calls to a Google calendar. The app is incredibly simple, giving you options for which calendar you want to share it to and which combination of incoming, outgoing, and missed calls you would like to track. Oh, and it's free!<br />
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Full Story: For anyone who uses their phone for business this is a fantastic app. The ability to go back to your calendar to check out your phone activity is priceless. I created a separate Google calendar for my calls (this way I can toggle it off when looking for personal events) and I frequently go back it to check volume, verify when I last called a client, or to make notes. The only thing this app is missing is a way to specify contact groups or some other method to sort out personal and business phone activity.<br />
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Pros:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Simple - Once you complete initial setup, all you have left to do is review your history. There's no on-going maintenance.</li>
<li>Dependable - I've used many simple, unheralded Android apps and have survived my share of bugs. CallTrack always works.</li>
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Cons:</div>
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<li>Organization - Keeping personal and business calls separate would make for a better experience</li>
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You can download the app from the market <a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=app.calltrack&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImFwcC5jYWxsdHJhY2siXQ..">here</a>.</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-74729701366057648012012-02-28T15:38:00.000-06:002012-02-28T15:38:36.779-06:00Professional Relationships 101: Win-WinMy post about maintaining an open door to potential professional relationships <a href="http://like-em.blogspot.com/2012/02/professional-relationships-101.html">last week</a> created some good conversation. I'd like to extend that conversation this week into another key component to professional relationships: win-win.<br />
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I feel that win-win is the foundation to maintaining any relationship. I believe that no matter what the opportunities are for either party, each party much gain. Those gains are not always equal, but when there is a loser, the relationship begins to fail.<br />
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<b>A Story</b><br />
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In meeting with a prospect this week, I got a great reminder of how powerful win-win can be. I was meeting with him to discuss some consulting services that I could offer his business based on marketing opportunities I had identified. Last week, I ran across the business name, did a little digging, and found a real need, so I knew there a genuine need for what I was selling. It would have been easy for me to head into the meeting with my sales hat on, tell him about my research, why my services were better, and brought out my closing lyrics. I probably could have sold him that way too, he had an obvious need.<br />
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Instead, the first thing I did was tell him that I wanted to get to know each other. As I had called for the meeting I went first, telling him about my background in finance and banking, why I had made the move to the marketing industry, and how much I enjoyed helping small businesses get their story out. I set the tone for that conversation with a very deliberate statement, "I want to let you know before we start that the most important part of my business is the relationships, I believe that when we understand each other best we can both win."<br />
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The rest of the conversation went wonderfully. We had honest conversation about his needs, current marketing plan, budget, and so forth. I'm confident in saying that we started a relationship that should easily last as long as we both stay in business.<br />
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The important observation though, is that it started with the vision that we both could win. This is key to any relationship. You need communicate it both by your words and actions - that you aren't just looking for what you can get from this before moving on.<br />
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For you fellow salespeople, I believe the best way to add this component to your meetings is by taking a deep breath and starting this conversation the way I did above. You don't need to detract from the rest of your sales process, just to let the prospect know that you aren't another salesperson dropping in off the street hoping to get them to write a check. Rather you are a professional that both cares about them and has a product that may meet their needs.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-60682397982280296112012-02-25T11:40:00.001-06:002012-02-25T11:40:19.864-06:00App Showdown: Evernote-Catch-SpringpadThere are a number of note taking apps available for Android. Over the past few weeks I have reviewed three of the most common ones and today I'm bringing it all together for a head to head comparison.<div>
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This is my first attempt at an infographic (as it were). So bear with me a little bit, but I think it turned out well.<br /><div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDyNDOzTWl8YmKM_btl6K-M_8JkJOIEkjxSd8ao0L4DS1HExAuCQMVjyGG25iz-EKjrmAO6Lh5lUpGbzgxekPxeaRqwIRV8FJuQsvkIPI26dNLJhsq7LuZlRymEuEBCWio_OUVKfiZt0A/s1600/Note+App+Infographic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDyNDOzTWl8YmKM_btl6K-M_8JkJOIEkjxSd8ao0L4DS1HExAuCQMVjyGG25iz-EKjrmAO6Lh5lUpGbzgxekPxeaRqwIRV8FJuQsvkIPI26dNLJhsq7LuZlRymEuEBCWio_OUVKfiZt0A/s640/Note+App+Infographic.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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As you can see, these apps match up pretty well against one another with the only major notes going to Evernote's lack of QR scanning for notes and the absence of rich text formatting via the Catch and Springpad apps. Depending on how you plan to take notes, either of those items could become important to you, but for the majority of users, these apps are all even.</div>
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<b>Highlights:</b></div>
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<a href="http://like-em.blogspot.com/2012/01/app-review-evernote.html">Evernote</a>: For me, Evernote paced this group with the quality feel of the app. The crisp and flexible UI, and sharp colors (mostly green) were appealing every time I opened the app. </div>
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<a href="http://like-em.blogspot.com/2012/02/app-review-catch.html">Catch</a>: The app and sync settings were king of the hill for Catch. That might not seem like a lot, since it's about app taking, but behind-the-scenes features often make the best experiences.</div>
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<a href="http://like-em.blogspot.com/2012/02/app-review-springpad.html">Springpad</a>: The customizable widget offered by Springpad is sweet. You can set up the widget to make the app perfectly functional for you. </div>
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<b>So how do you choose?</b></div>
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The feel of each app is quite different, and I didn't share that in the graphic as it really isn't a tangible thing. The best advice I can give you is to download all three. Take some notes, organize them, refer back to them, repeat that for a week or so and go with the one that is most intuitive to you.</div>
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I had been using Evernote for more than a year prior to starting these reviews. So while I tried to be unbiased in my reviews, I also didn't find any compelling reasons to switch. I will say that if I was starting from scratch, Springpad is hard to ignore, I use my widget all the time with Evernote and Springpad's is great.</div>
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Download the apps from the Market links below and try them out for yourself:</div>
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<a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.evernote&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5ldmVybm90ZSJd">Evernote</a></div>
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<a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.threebanana.notes&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS50aHJlZWJhbmFuYS5ub3RlcyJd">Catch</a></div>
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<a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.springpad&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5zcHJpbmdwYWQiXQ..">Springpad</a></div>
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<i>Let me know if these reviews help you to choose an app or ways that I could make them more useful. I'll probably be staying away from apps that I'm not already using for a while. I worked hard to use Catch and Springpad enough to write a solid review, but feel that I can be much more thorough if I take my time. </i></div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-33110079509917151282012-02-21T16:29:00.000-06:002012-02-21T16:29:35.627-06:00Professional Relationships 101<div>
I apologize for missing last week's post, other duties were calling loudly.<br />
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My thought of the week involves what I feel is the most basic component to professional relationships - an open door. I'm thinking of this mostly in the context of salesperson/customer relationships. <br />
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I'm not sure what it is about our society today, we seem to be either too busy or too cautious when it comes to meeting with people. I've seen it everywhere from consultant/client meetings to sales rep/prospect appointments. Many people simply avoid meeting with salespeople whenever possible. <br />
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I don't advocate giving up your time just to be nice to the salesperson, but rather approaching relationship opportunities from the perspective of what do you have to gain. <br />
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When you dumb it down, a salesperson's job is to identify prospective customers for a product, introduce them to the product, and justify purchasing the product. They only sell products that are designed carefully with eventual customer benefit in mind, so what do you have to lose? <br />
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Certainly, you can't afford to buy everything. Whether you're a business trying to budget equipment, wages, inventory, advertising, etc, or a consumer balancing cell phone, cable, internet, banking, and utility services, you have choices that you need to make. <br />
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In making those choices, however, why do we avoid conversations with the very people we who have the training to fully explain the benefits of each product? <br />
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I think the load is shared by both parties. Consumers need to step out of their shells and be willing to engage in exploratory conversations about products that may be beneficial to them. Likewise, salespeople need to cut back on aggressive sales approaches and realize that by educating everyone about what they can offer, they can find the ones who truly need them. <br />
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I'm painting two extremes here, but there's plenty more ground between those sides than there is behind either one of them. <br />
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Here's to spending time this week making yourself a better partner in the sales process, whichever side you are on. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-24329065328673708442012-02-17T10:00:00.000-06:002012-02-17T10:02:26.423-06:00App Review: Springpad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRSRwY4AwOMR6-EuA1dKt_eWdfWfpGvSMk2PUXrHLgKiFvBS5u998_WtInw" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRSRwY4AwOMR6-EuA1dKt_eWdfWfpGvSMk2PUXrHLgKiFvBS5u998_WtInw" /></a></div>
This week I am reviewing my third note taking application, Springpad.<br />
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Grade: A<br />
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Quick Pitch: Like other note taking applications, Springpad is a full-service application that makes taking diverse types of notes a breeze. It comes complete with ways to add text, pics, audio, and even locations to notes. Springpad also has a built in advertising feature that pushes discounts to your app based on content - an example they give is you adding a recipe for a calzone and receiving a discount offer for $1 off a Pillsbury product. It also has all the usual organizational features with multiple notebooks, a variety of theme options, and a customizable widget.<br />
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Full Story: Springpad is compelling application for anyone looking to organize different thoughts and notes into a cloud-based application for access across all devices (read everyone). The app is both simplistic and powerful. The delivery of the options will help novice note-takers find ways to instantly integrate the app into their daily lives. I haven't had the opportunity to experience the content-driven ads as of yet. I'm not sure if this would be an annoyance or convenient, but given the fact that none of my business-minded notes have incurred an ad yet, it doesn't seem to be a major component either way. I can tell after a short time with Springpad that there is a lot to this app I wouldn't be able to review without a much longer test period. That's not to say that it's confusing, just that it's very feature rich and allows you deeper and deeper organization tools as you add content.<br />
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Pros:<br />
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<li>Customizable Widget - The widget is packed with a "wow" factor. There are 5 buttons on the widget, the first is to open the app, but the other five can be customized to the app features that you use most. This is a delivery that more developers should take note of.</li>
<li>Note Organization - Springpad takes organization to another level. There are built in features for everything from recipes, to wines, to TV shows, and products. There are built in search features to match your notes with items from the web. </li>
<li>Clean interface - This is always important to me with apps because you want something that you can get in and get out with relative ease.</li>
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Cons:</div>
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<li>Rich Text - Springpad lacks rich text features that might otherwise allow convenient things like bold or italics. It also lacks numbering and bullets.</li>
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You can download the app from the market <a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.springpad&hl=en">here</a>.</div>
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<i>Note 1 - This is a review that I wrote after giving Springpad some extensive use for a short period of time, unlike my Evernote review I haven't tested the app outside of the Android application as I tested it for purposes of review.</i></div>
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<i>Note 2 - I intentionally didn't compare the app to previous <a href="http://like-em.blogspot.com/2012/02/app-review-catch.html">Catch</a> or <a href="http://like-em.blogspot.com/2012/01/app-review-evernote.html">Evernote</a> reviews in this post. I'll be putting together a comparison of the three apps for next week.</i></div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304131857022558664.post-27249751253843050172012-02-07T09:17:00.000-06:002012-02-07T09:17:35.285-06:00When the Leader Isn't the StarI read an excellent article this past weekend about the late Angelo Dundee. I'll be honest, I had never heard the name before. But when I read the intro caption on SI.com, "Angelo Dundee's influence and motivation was the perfect buffer to Muhammad Ali's flamboyant demeanor, writes Richard Hoffer, and without it, Ali might not have been the "greatest." I had to read it. You should read it <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/richard_hoffer/02/02/Angelo-Dundee-obit/index.html?sct=mma_t11_a2">here </a>too, it's a great piece.<br />
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The reason it caught my attention is because, as a leader, I've always been keenly interested in the lives of mentors to great people. Ali certainly has a permanent place as a great person. So what was it like to manage a person like that? What was it like to corral the endless motivation, work ethic, and talent?<br />
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Most of us will never be on quite that stage. That doesn't mean that we don't, from time to time, manage someone who does their job better than we could. That's a unique thing about managing that I feel we often miss the boat on - managing is about understanding the process, motivating, and tracking progress.<br />
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Managers of great performers excel at this. They take their deep understanding of the process and relay that to an individual with the talents and tools to complete it. They push their students, challenge them, sharpen them. They take raw talent and polish it to a shining diamond.<br />
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What things can we do in our everyday management of our top performers to help them reign in their talent and focus their strengths on the task at hand? How can we motivate them to be the best they can be at every turn? How can we elevate them to being all time greats?<br />
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Good thoughts for the week ahead.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12272742506408058160noreply@blogger.com0