Month: May 2005

Jeremy Wright’s best friend, Will, succumbed to cancer today. [here]
Jeremy, my thoughts are with you.

Over the last few days, there has been the start of Bzzzzz around the sneak peeks people are getting into the new Office 12 for Windows.
I haven’t read them. I don’t care. Guess I am a dinosaur.
On my work laptop, I am very happy with Office 11 (2003). My wife is very happy with Office 10 (2000) on machine.
Who is Office 12 aimed at? Enterprises are going WTF? Another *%^&%%$&% upgrade that is going to cause things to break and new security holes to appear, due to the new complexities that have not been completely tested?
Consumers? Most home users are likely to say that Ofice 97/2000/XP/2003 work fine for them, so why should they shell out a couple of hundred bucks for an upgrade?
I have an idea that will revolutionize the entire Microsoft Office marketing campaign, and put the fear into the entire marketplace.
Give away a LESS complicated, stripped down version “stock” version of Office 12 to anyone who wants it. Should be able to fit it into something like the 60-80 MB that OpenOffice fits into.
That’s right. I have spoken the heresy. The basic Office 12 should be given away for free. If you need/want more advanced connectors/translators/add-ons, they can be purchased and downloaded online for modular prices ($9.95, $19.95, etc).
Why will Microsoft still make gobs of money of this method? Because the core development work for Office 12 is complete. Has been complete for maybe a decade, but at least 6-7 years.
If Microsoft doesn’t consider this free download model, Office 12 will be greeted with the response it deserves from the basic consumers and IT professionals alike: WHO CARES?
OFFICE 12 LINK-O-RAMA!
Office 12 to ease lines of communication | CNET News.com
Office 12 and the New World of Work
Office 12 release confirmed for next year
Office 12 release confirmed for next year
Update: Microsoft reveals more details on ‘Office 12’

Sarah Adams submitted the first listerner contributed essay to the NPR series, This I Believe. Be Cool to the Pizza Dude captures a very considered, zen-like appreciation for life, wrapped around the idea that basic human respect and dignity arises from being good, and doing good, to all people.
Thanks Sarah.
Via Moleskinerie

Skip Angel has taken and expanded Marcus Buckingham’s 12 Questions on measuring success at work. [here]
Many of these were eye-openers for me. I have marked it as unread to re-visit again.

1. Do I know what is expected of me at work? (This will check to see if the person’s roles and responsibilities have been clearly communicated.)
2. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right? (This will get to the roadblock with tools that the individual is using so the manager can resolve.)
3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day? (This question determines if the job is taking advantage of the individual’s strengths or desires.)
4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work? (When I saw this question, it was an eye opener and a reminder to give recognition and praise more often. Not to assume that “no news is good news”.)
5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person? (Another eye opener, does the individual believe that they are getting my attention and I care about how they are doing?)
6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development? (This will provide information on the individual’s mentors as well as for you to see some of the leaders in your organization.)
7. At work, do my opinions seem to count? (This is a great question and will deal with issues where an individual is feeling shut out of decisions.)
8. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important? (Like the first question, this question really tests the employees on what has been communicated — in this case, the company vision and strategy.)
9. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work? (This question helps to see how this individual relates to others and their contribution to the team.)
10. Do I have a best friend at work? (Work is a community as sorts, so this is an interesting question to ask and get responses to see where there are tighter relationships between individuals.)
11. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress? (Just like the recognition question, this is a gentle reminder to a manager to keep up with the progress of people on their team.)
12. This last year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow? (This question sets the stage on aligning personal goals to opportunities either within or outside of the organization. It also tells the individual that you care about them wanted to learn and grow.)

Merlin at 43Folders hits for six with this post that, in summary, says

 
GTD: What are you doing to make it happen in YOUR life? 

In the world of GTD, having a Moleskine and a HipsterPDA doesn’t cut it folks. It’s hard. It requires discipline. It requires dedication.
It’s mental exercise.
Having failed at several physical exercise program over the years, I can offer some suggestions.

1. Don’t do it alone. Having a GTD buddy will help everyone stay focused
2. Set aside time EVERY DAY to do GTD
3. Post the GTD Flowchart somewhere where you are ALWAYS reminded of it. Here’s a good one to use; it’s my desktop image
4. You will stumble. Get up, and review your cards, inbox, and notes. What can you DO, DELEGATE, or DEFER?

You can do it.
Teach. Share. Learn.
Live GTD.

Dick Gordon. Stuart McLean. The Connection from WBUR: 11AM-12PM EDT
Two old friends hamming it up. Should be fun.

This is a great idea! Where do I sign up?
So far I have avoided the plague of CEC (read the article); I hope that I will continue this pattern for many more years. Or until we get a cool place for parents to hang out while the kids party.
WiFi, coffee, O’Douls, and comfy chairs…I can see it now! I think that Katherine has hit on Starbuck’s next expansion opportunity.

Jeffrey Phillips of Thinking Faster has a great post on why loyalty is still vital in the age where job security no longer exists.
If you have lost the loyalty of your employees or you pigeon-hole your excited and inventive digital generation employees into narrow and rigid job functions, how up-to-date is your resume?
Or maybe you enjoy working for the a government agency.

Johnnie Moore posts a great quote from Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, made in an interview with Wired.

A piece of art is not a loaf of bread. When someone steals a loaf of bread from the store, that’s it. The loaf of bread is gone. When someone downloads a piece of music, it’s just data until the listener puts that music back together with their own ears, their mind, their subjective experience. How they perceive your work changes your work.
Treating your audience like thieves is absurd. Anyone who chooses to listen to our music becomes a collaborator.
People who look at music as commerce don’t understand that. They are talking about pieces of plastic they want to sell, packages of intellectual property.
I’m not interested in selling pieces of plastic.

A really big message here. JM asks if you treat your customers like collaborators. I ask the opposite question: Are you selling pieces of plastic? If you are, how up-to-date is your resume?