Thanks everybody for so many messages, calls and more. I am unquestionably a very lucky man having such wonderful and diverse group of friends.
My day started beautifully sunny, was able to wake up relatively early and go for an easy 5.6 Km run, went to work with really nice people, and even had some time at lunch time to have a Grande Dark Roast cup of coffee (part of it went to my shirt, but the rest has been gladly consumed). Getting back home I found myself replying to many voicemail, email, T and FB messages. So, despite my failed attempts to hide under the laptop, I have been found.
Later on I am enjoying my kids’ “surprise dinner” and handmade gifts.
So, your wishes have become true: I’m happy to be so healthy, so loved by my family, and counting on all of you around me. I am truly blessed.
I definitely can’t ask for more. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! (Salty ones in my eyes).
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Shooting oneself in the foot
I live in a so called “developed” country. However, in my city, geographical area and other zones; there are many unions that simply exist for the entertainment and make-a-living motive of their leaders. My business and many others, mostly all, are affected by such big unions.
The national postal service happens to be on strike. The members of their unions demand better pay, pensions, and everything related to money now and for the future for the workers of an industry that is slowly dying (see related article: The U.S. Postal Service Nears Collapse @ http://bx.businessweek.com/united-states-postal-service/view?url=http%3A%2F%2Fc.moreover.com%2Fclick%2Fhere.pl%3Fr4676038466%26f%3D9791).
New technologies have been pushing the need for paper traveling from A to B inappropriate, expensive, slow, irrelevant, not-green, etc. etc. etc.
So, these union leaders, in their infinite wisdom, demand that postal workers get ‘better’ working conditions, meaning money. They seem not to realize anybody who nowadays has a job is in excellent working conditions.
Consequently, with the strike, such organization has made most of us find workarounds, substitutes, new ways of doing business, and even realizations as to what can be delivered cheaper or not needed to be sent using such service. When the strike ends -it will end soon- even more postal workers will find themselves without a job. The ones that are able to keep their position for whatever reason will find that the volume has decreased, and then, only then, all involved will start realizing they have just shot themselves in the foot.
Too bad, too late.
The national postal service happens to be on strike. The members of their unions demand better pay, pensions, and everything related to money now and for the future for the workers of an industry that is slowly dying (see related article: The U.S. Postal Service Nears Collapse @ http://bx.businessweek.com/united-states-postal-service/view?url=http%3A%2F%2Fc.moreover.com%2Fclick%2Fhere.pl%3Fr4676038466%26f%3D9791).
New technologies have been pushing the need for paper traveling from A to B inappropriate, expensive, slow, irrelevant, not-green, etc. etc. etc.
So, these union leaders, in their infinite wisdom, demand that postal workers get ‘better’ working conditions, meaning money. They seem not to realize anybody who nowadays has a job is in excellent working conditions.
Consequently, with the strike, such organization has made most of us find workarounds, substitutes, new ways of doing business, and even realizations as to what can be delivered cheaper or not needed to be sent using such service. When the strike ends -it will end soon- even more postal workers will find themselves without a job. The ones that are able to keep their position for whatever reason will find that the volume has decreased, and then, only then, all involved will start realizing they have just shot themselves in the foot.
Too bad, too late.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Lots of flavours...
I am now accompanying my apples and blackberries with mango... waiting to see if anybody throws a pineapple or starfruit my way too.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Vendors and services
As of late my phone has been ringing displaying telephone numbers from many different area codes, some easily identifiable some others not. My email in-box has also supported a barrage of messages from many different and undoubtedly new vendors, offering their products arguing that those are the best in their class.
Some of those companies which we have had some kind of relationship in the past are coming back with new products, strategies and offerings, sot that we come back to support, offer, comment on, and recommend again.
As in your field, the IT landscape changes constantly, but the constant here is that it changes quickly, sometimes in unforeseen directions that catch us unprepared and makes us realize that the best predictions are those that belong in the short-term realm. Trying to plan for long-term trends in IT is just a dream.
Needless to say, as trusted business advisers, we have to be ever-observant of such changes in wind direction and adjust the sails appropriately. Products, services and technologies that were relevant just half a year ago, are now surpassed or replaced by new incumbents; and sometimes by some that have been there for years, only under the radar. Some have been so good that we only understand the concepts years after those have been crafted and brought to life.
From devices to telecommunication to Internet developments, there are always new and exciting tools our businesses should be taking advantages of.
So, although I have to be patient and polite to the junior salesperson trying to convince me about their products (she’s convinced theirs are the best in the world) simply because I approached their booth, visited their website or tried one of their services; I also have had very good conversations and experiences with senior representatives about how their offerings compare to the competition and such. One thing is certain; the number of new companies, new products and new services is only increasing.
Better to accept that fact and start clearing up the arena to have such competitors face off.
More vendors, more services, more new products. Vote now, and hang on.
Some of those companies which we have had some kind of relationship in the past are coming back with new products, strategies and offerings, sot that we come back to support, offer, comment on, and recommend again.
As in your field, the IT landscape changes constantly, but the constant here is that it changes quickly, sometimes in unforeseen directions that catch us unprepared and makes us realize that the best predictions are those that belong in the short-term realm. Trying to plan for long-term trends in IT is just a dream.
Needless to say, as trusted business advisers, we have to be ever-observant of such changes in wind direction and adjust the sails appropriately. Products, services and technologies that were relevant just half a year ago, are now surpassed or replaced by new incumbents; and sometimes by some that have been there for years, only under the radar. Some have been so good that we only understand the concepts years after those have been crafted and brought to life.
From devices to telecommunication to Internet developments, there are always new and exciting tools our businesses should be taking advantages of.
So, although I have to be patient and polite to the junior salesperson trying to convince me about their products (she’s convinced theirs are the best in the world) simply because I approached their booth, visited their website or tried one of their services; I also have had very good conversations and experiences with senior representatives about how their offerings compare to the competition and such. One thing is certain; the number of new companies, new products and new services is only increasing.
Better to accept that fact and start clearing up the arena to have such competitors face off.
More vendors, more services, more new products. Vote now, and hang on.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Proximity versus Productivity.
It perplexes me that Human Resources decision makers and departmental heads still base their hiring practices only on a few traits, such as years of experience, previous jobs, certifications, and studies in general.
Although not always the case, most SMEs are comprised of local talent that usually commute to work on a daily basis. People in the major cities of North America and Europe are so used to commuting for at least fifteen minutes each way, that they even think it is ‘normal’ to do so. In fact, some even consider themselves lucky not having to spend more than half an hour doing it, as that figure is below the average for most major cities.
With telecommuting and the current remote technologies we utilize now, commuting time averages have decreased for people whose job involves being in front of a computer most of the day. However, there are still many other functions that require physical presence at the work place.
Even if a person travels for only fifteen minutes each way for a year, minus holidays and vacation; such person still wastes 120 hours a year doing nothing.
Better rephrased: such person still spends 120 hours a year wasting resources, polluting, making everybody else spend even more time on the roads and, in brief, being counter-productive.
A 45 minute commute extinguishes 360 hours a year. That’s fifteen full days a year; if we include sleep time in the equation, that’s a whooping twenty two and a half days per year.
Then the well-rested not-stressed productivity factor needs to be taken into account:
Let’s suppose we have two people working in the same department doing very similar work. X is a worker whose qualifications, a combination of experience, education, smarts and all involved and required for the position, gives her a mark of 92. She works with another worker (Y) whose mark is 88.
X commute to work is 30 minutes. Y’s is 15.
Therefore, we can infer that Y is more relaxed than X. Y will also usually be more on time than X. When leaving, Y could very well take an extra 1 to 5 minutes before rushing out the door. For X, the sooner she leaves the better. X also spends more than double the amount of money needed to commute than Y does.
We could measure the productivity gains attained by a more rested worker in terms of emotional intelligence, mind freshness, focus on the tasks, etc. All these without even considering external and disruptive factors in the daily commute such as accidents, power failures, peak-hour fluctuations and such. We can conclude that Y will always be ‘closer’ to the job in every sense. So, let’s give X an 90 mark on proximity and timeliness, while Y receives a 95.
That would make X receive a total mark of 82.8, while Y makes 83.6.
Needless to say, Y will be way more productive than X. Even if the commuting factor is decreased by an extra point in opposite directions (91 for X, 94 for Y), that makes 83.72 vs. 82.72. This would make X be ahead in ideal scenarios (no disruptions in the daily commute), but in real terms both numbers would be even close, with the extra-work benefits from and for Y: less money spent on commuting, less time doing it; polluting way less than X, etc. In brief, lots of resources saved and a fresher element at work.
In terms of community, Y would feel she’s working in and for her community, being a happier person than X, whose day starts having to face the long commute to a place she doesn’t even feel she belongs to…
Get the picture?
So, why do we keep hiring based on non-community and non-proximity factors?
It is true that some key people need to travel more than others, also truth there are some that go to different places all the time, and perhaps have no other option but to do so once or twice per week, but daily?
Let’s reset the hiring machine. Local resources preferred.
Productivity + savings. What’s not to like?
Although not always the case, most SMEs are comprised of local talent that usually commute to work on a daily basis. People in the major cities of North America and Europe are so used to commuting for at least fifteen minutes each way, that they even think it is ‘normal’ to do so. In fact, some even consider themselves lucky not having to spend more than half an hour doing it, as that figure is below the average for most major cities.
With telecommuting and the current remote technologies we utilize now, commuting time averages have decreased for people whose job involves being in front of a computer most of the day. However, there are still many other functions that require physical presence at the work place.
Even if a person travels for only fifteen minutes each way for a year, minus holidays and vacation; such person still wastes 120 hours a year doing nothing.
Better rephrased: such person still spends 120 hours a year wasting resources, polluting, making everybody else spend even more time on the roads and, in brief, being counter-productive.
A 45 minute commute extinguishes 360 hours a year. That’s fifteen full days a year; if we include sleep time in the equation, that’s a whooping twenty two and a half days per year.
Then the well-rested not-stressed productivity factor needs to be taken into account:
Let’s suppose we have two people working in the same department doing very similar work. X is a worker whose qualifications, a combination of experience, education, smarts and all involved and required for the position, gives her a mark of 92. She works with another worker (Y) whose mark is 88.
X commute to work is 30 minutes. Y’s is 15.
Therefore, we can infer that Y is more relaxed than X. Y will also usually be more on time than X. When leaving, Y could very well take an extra 1 to 5 minutes before rushing out the door. For X, the sooner she leaves the better. X also spends more than double the amount of money needed to commute than Y does.
We could measure the productivity gains attained by a more rested worker in terms of emotional intelligence, mind freshness, focus on the tasks, etc. All these without even considering external and disruptive factors in the daily commute such as accidents, power failures, peak-hour fluctuations and such. We can conclude that Y will always be ‘closer’ to the job in every sense. So, let’s give X an 90 mark on proximity and timeliness, while Y receives a 95.
That would make X receive a total mark of 82.8, while Y makes 83.6.
Needless to say, Y will be way more productive than X. Even if the commuting factor is decreased by an extra point in opposite directions (91 for X, 94 for Y), that makes 83.72 vs. 82.72. This would make X be ahead in ideal scenarios (no disruptions in the daily commute), but in real terms both numbers would be even close, with the extra-work benefits from and for Y: less money spent on commuting, less time doing it; polluting way less than X, etc. In brief, lots of resources saved and a fresher element at work.
In terms of community, Y would feel she’s working in and for her community, being a happier person than X, whose day starts having to face the long commute to a place she doesn’t even feel she belongs to…
Get the picture?
So, why do we keep hiring based on non-community and non-proximity factors?
It is true that some key people need to travel more than others, also truth there are some that go to different places all the time, and perhaps have no other option but to do so once or twice per week, but daily?
Let’s reset the hiring machine. Local resources preferred.
Productivity + savings. What’s not to like?
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Even more Clouds on the Horizon
On September 10, 2010, I sent a link to Cloudy with a chance of more clouds* http://businerdss.blogspot.com/2010/09/cloudy-with-chance-of-more-clouds.html
This week’s Bloomberg Businessweek’s cover page (March 7 – March 13, 2011 | Businessweek.com) reads “Put your head in the cloud” http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_11/b4219052599182.htm
That previous years-old article (Internet years that is) is still valid: if I wanted to edit it to make it more current I would not change a single word.
If anything, I can only add that while lots of IT vendors are trying to scramble and reengineer their products to make them more “Cloud-friendly” the fact is that some don’t have a real strategy or even a good concept of what The Cloud is supposed to be.
Others however, have some great technology we could all benefit from.
Seems like the main deterrents for Cloud adoption are mainly the misunderstanding of subscription-based services instead of the feeling of technology “ownership”; and the perception that we will incur an expense instead of an investment when we port our systems to the The Cloud.
Both scenarios can be easily understood by simply applying due diligence, start reading about these trends. In any business and trendy magazine the concept is explained in plain language, and key indicators such as the “Projected market for cloud computing in 2014 is USD$149b, Gartner” bring attention to how big Cloud Computing is and will be.
Even consumers and SoHos are adopting the Cloud, some in a faster pace than companies. They start with the easy to understand services such as on-line data backup, and then when they see the advantages they start switching email, accounting packages, and CRM systems to the cloud too.
Is your company already planning to jump on this wagon? What are your thoughts about the so many changes in such a short period of time? With regards to cost vs. benefit? How easy it is to grasp the Cloud concept?
Better get your umbrella now.
* http://businerdss.blogspot.com/2010/09/cloudy-with-chance-of-more-clouds.html
This week’s Bloomberg Businessweek’s cover page (March 7 – March 13, 2011 | Businessweek.com) reads “Put your head in the cloud” http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_11/b4219052599182.htm
That previous years-old article (Internet years that is) is still valid: if I wanted to edit it to make it more current I would not change a single word.
If anything, I can only add that while lots of IT vendors are trying to scramble and reengineer their products to make them more “Cloud-friendly” the fact is that some don’t have a real strategy or even a good concept of what The Cloud is supposed to be.
Others however, have some great technology we could all benefit from.
Seems like the main deterrents for Cloud adoption are mainly the misunderstanding of subscription-based services instead of the feeling of technology “ownership”; and the perception that we will incur an expense instead of an investment when we port our systems to the The Cloud.
Both scenarios can be easily understood by simply applying due diligence, start reading about these trends. In any business and trendy magazine the concept is explained in plain language, and key indicators such as the “Projected market for cloud computing in 2014 is USD$149b, Gartner” bring attention to how big Cloud Computing is and will be.
Even consumers and SoHos are adopting the Cloud, some in a faster pace than companies. They start with the easy to understand services such as on-line data backup, and then when they see the advantages they start switching email, accounting packages, and CRM systems to the cloud too.
Is your company already planning to jump on this wagon? What are your thoughts about the so many changes in such a short period of time? With regards to cost vs. benefit? How easy it is to grasp the Cloud concept?
Better get your umbrella now.
* http://businerdss.blogspot.com/2010/09/cloudy-with-chance-of-more-clouds.html
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