28 February 2013

117. Observation Of The Day for February 28, 2013

Do NOT talk about the opportunities that are before you. Talk about what you DID with those opportunities!

Thank you,
Dave Guerra

P.S. I do invite you to join the conversation and tell me what you are thinking.

As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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26 February 2013

116. Yahoo's NEW(?) Work-at-Work Standard (my two cents)

Recently, Yahoo's Chief Executive Officer, Marissa Mayer, issued a memo to all employees of the company.  The memo was directly targeted at the company's remote workers (the "work-from-home" crowd).  The memo clearly stated that all Yahoo employees will now work from the corporate office or they can opt by resigning their employment with the company.

My concern is that after so long from working from home or working at the office the change in this big will do nothing more than to kick morale right smack in the shins (both of them).  While, Yahoo is a "major" player in the Technology and Internet sectors it is not an up-and-comer, this company has been around for quite awhile. Heck, even at one point in their history they were at the top.

Therefore, their way of doing business has worked up until this point.  Then again, that may also be the reason they're not number one.  However, at this point in time they cannot compete with those organizations are on top. It is because of this fact that I can completely understand that something has to get done but dragging people out of their homes and back into the office is not going to solve the problem.

Yeah, their problems run much deeper.

Now, I am not going to pick and dissect all of the problems that Yahoo is currently facing.  What I will pick and dissect is the following:

How can any organization decide that now is a great time to change the entire day-to-day operating model of a major corporation?

I understand that a company needs to ensure that all its players are on the same sheet of music.  I also understand the need to keep track of all of the company's employees even to the point of justifying some of the management positions that may have been deleted had not everyone been brought back into the fold.

I do not understand why a set of employees that have been used to not buying gasoline to drive to work, not been buying lunches out, and that have not been purchasing new work attire are now being forced to!

Don't get me wrong, I too would love to work from home and once or twice a week drive to the office. I would love to just walk over to the refrigerator and eat some leftovers for lunch (I know I can take those leftovers to the office, which I do) and I would love to work at home in my PJs.  However, that's not my reality. Soon, those remote workers will have to say goodbye to their Work-at-Home reality and Hello to the corporate life.

Let us take a look at some of the "unforeseen" that will most certainly arise when everybody comes back to the corporate coop.  Increased spending in infrastructure such as office space, data cables, phone cables, electrical outlets, and so on.  Other things that will produce a "long tail" of expense are office furniture, PCs, printers and toner, increased load on the power grid, increased stress on the AC units and other equipment and let's not get into the nightmare of buying copy paper.

FYI, the "long tail" that I am referring to is those items that will be around long after the initial purchase.  The example that I love to use is that of the sign that your kids will obviously read even when you know they can't read. You know what I am talking about, the "Free Puppies" sign. As anyone that has ever acquired a "free puppy" knows is that there is no such thing as a free puppy. 

There is the mandatory visit to the Vet for the dog to be spayed or neutered, then the annual rabies shot, then the distemper and numerous other shots, along with the special diet food they need, then the scientifically designed regular dog food, and the leash and the collar. Then add to that the countless other things you will be required to purchase throughout the life of the dog (or your sanity).

Certainly, major corporations such as Yahoo have plans for the "long tail" of executing any plan. Right? Yeah, most certainly Yahoo has a plan on how they will cover the long tails!

Now let's turn this on its ear just a bit and ask: What about the small to medium size business? 

Let's say your company has a small office and employs several individuals that serve very specific functions within the company but cannot be housed in the main office (due to their location or lack of office space) and thus work from home.  Can you really decide to one day call everybody and tell them effective some day very soon everyone will be working from the main office?  Can it be done?

Think about it!  Just how much retooling, reshaping, and reorganizing can your company has to do in order to effectively accommodate everyone?  Can it be done it all?

Then once it's done what then? Do you realize that housing everyone what not the wisest decision? What happens if your company grows and needs to hire new people? What then? Build a new building to house the new hires or let them work from home???

Till Next Time,
Dave Guerra

P.S. I do invite you to join the conversation and tell me what you are thinking.

As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com 


Till Next Time,
Dave Guerra

P.S. I do invite you to join the conversation and tell me what you are thinking.

As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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14 February 2013

115. About Appreciating People

When was the last time that you appreciated someone for their thoughts, their words, or their deeds?

Give a good 360 degree look at the world around you. What do you see?

Do you see people that do nice things for you because they are EXPECTED TO?

Do you see people that say nice things to you because they are EXPECTED TO?

or do you see people that GENUINELY CARE about you?



Thank you,
Dave Guerra

As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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13 February 2013

114. About Plans: You Have Completed Your Plan, Now What? (Part 10)

You met your goals, You've met your objectives. Your Plan is complete. Now what?

You start again.

You can't rest on your laurels. Now is the time to formulate a new plan and execute. That's right now is the time to start all over again.

Let's say your plan was to write a book and you wrote it. Well, one book just won't do. Look at Stephen King he has published in excess of 50 books. Imagine what life would like if he just stopped at one? No Pet Sematary, No Salem's Lot, No Pennywise the Dancing Clown.

Pretty scary to think that all this would be missing from our lives. Lucky for all of us, Stephen King pressed on and continues to do so.

So keep on, keeping on. Start all over again. Hatch a new plan. Put it on paper. Work out the bugs. Launch Your Plan and Make it Happen, Again!



Thank you,
Dave Guerra

As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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11 February 2013

113. About 1,440

What does the number 1440 mean to you?

To me, it means the number of minutes in a day. To you it should also mean the number of minutes in a day.

Seriously, you and I have the same 1440 minutes every day.

Ideally, give or take 420 minutes should be spent sleeping. That leaves us with +/- 1020 minutes to do with what we will.

What do you do with that time? Do you use those remaining 1020 wisely or do you just waste them away doing stuff you know you should not be doing yet do anyway?

I am guilty of BOTH! I try to use my time efficiently and effectively. I even schedule things out to the minute and duration. However, if truth be told and GIVEN the opportunity I would most certainly be found wasting away the hours behind my PS3 controller shooting at the bad guys on Battlefield 3.

It's not that wasting time is a bad thing. Wasting time is the reason "down time" was invented. Everyone needs a down time every once in a while. The bad thing is when we waste time when we are supposed to be taking care of our bread and butter. You mess with that and before you know it you will have every one of those 1440 minutes to waste away.

Thank you,
Dave Guerra

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03 February 2013

112. About Plans: Cross Your I's and Dot Your T's! (Part 9)

When it comes to crossing your I's and dotting your T's (yes, I know that's backwards but it's intentional)

There is a need to look at your plan from all angles, even reading it backwards.

The distraction behind putting your plan into action comes from looking at it from a linear standpoint. This means we will limit ourselves to look at a plan that goes from Point A to Point B to Point C to Point X and there is nothing wrong with that.

However, there is a need to view your plan a different way. As you are on your journey take a moment and see what plan looks like from the perspective of how it goes from Point L to Point E or Point A to Point H to Point D to Point R to Point A and so on.

Look at your plan from as many angles and ways as you can. The view may astound you.

Thank you,
Dave Guerra


As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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01 February 2013

111. About Plans: Go Ahead...Redefine Your Plan! (Part 8)

Redefining Your Plan!

Now you've run through your plan and things are moving along, that is until...

Until you hit a stumbling block then what do you do?

What you do is take a moment to REDEFINE the plan. If the issue is with a supplier then you find a new and better supplier. If the issue is with a friend then is the relationship salvageable or was it never really a friendship?

It all comes down to this: LOOK at the plan, LOCATE the exact point where the stumbling occurred, DETERMINE what EXACTLY needs to be done, REDEFINE it, ACT on it, GET BACK ON TRACK with your plan!!!

Never let a stumble or a fall mean the end of executing your plan.


Thank you,
Dave Guerra

As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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