In Search of Information and Advice, Who Do You Trust?

Talk is Cheap, Wisdom is Priceless

As a technology professional who enjoys teaching and writing, I often search for topics to write about. I search for commonly asked questions, and look for articles that answer the questions. It is sad to find so many articles that contain no valuable information, are very misleading, and do not even answer the questions that are raised in the title.

In This Internet Age of Blogs and Forums, Everyone Is Giving Advice.

I read the following comments online, and I just wish I could find the person making the remark so I could deliver a whack up side their head, "I've never used the product, but what I believe is ..."

In the first half of the sentence they are stating they have no first hand experience in the matter, but in the second half of the sentence they are giving their opinion.

Even having an opinion of something, you can still try to state a case for your opinion based on many personal experiences on the topic. How can you claim to be a technology professional, and give an opinion on something you have no first hand experience?

Quoting someone's blog as a reference to make your case for any argument, with out knowing the blogger, is simply foolish. If you don't believe me get a second opinion from someone else who knows something about being foolish.

Don't Trust an Expert

Will Rogers described an expert as "a man fifty miles from home with a briefcase."
It drives me crazy when I read a web bio like, "an expert in areas of computer technology" or "an expert in search engine optimization and Web promotion" and there are no specifics to support the claim.

If you have published dozens of books on technology, then state that. If you have worked with several Fortune 500 companies on search engine optimization and Web promotion, then state that. State what you have done, state your body of work. But claiming to be an expert at anything is so subjective, to the point where the above statements are worthless.

Who Do You Trust?

Working in many areas of the technology industry for over 30 years, as well teaching for various community colleges in numerous settings, I have many years of material in my head as far as technology tips for small business people, as well as questions commonly asked by students on technology topics.

I believe in karma, and the concept of pay it forward. I have learned many lessons in life, and have many experiences to share. If there is a quick tip or trick on a given topic I can share, I try my best to communicate it.

I recently walked away from a writing opportunity because the company was more interested in my education and writing experience, than they were about my experience in technology.

The best business books I have read were written by entrepreneur's who have started and managed businesses. The best trainers I have had were field engineers who were also good teachers.

Writing is a lot like teaching, you can be a professional writer, or teacher, without being a professional in the field you are writing or teaching. I prefer to read something written by someone who is sharing first hand personal experience, not someone who is just writing for the sake of writing.

Thoughts to Remember

If nothing else I have ever said is ever remembered, I hope the next few sentences are remembered.  When asking questions, you want an answer based on experience, not speculation. When asking for directions, first ask if the person giving the directions has ever been there themselves.

Talk is cheap, wisdom is priceless.

Why Do Technology Projects Fail?

The Perils of Project Management by Committee

In a recent forum post regarding a major system upgrade I read the comment from one of the end users that the changes made were probably because of those "IT types that want something new to tinker with."

As someone who has been in the technology field for many years, I will tell you point blank, seasoned IT professionals do NOT want something new to tinker with when it comes to a production network or system, and will almost always err on the side of caution when it comes to adding something new or changing anything. We understand that change, any kind of change that has an impact on end users, will create headaches.

It is really frustrating to see remarks like that. For many IT Managers, there too many cooks in the kitchen telling you what kind of soup to cook. How would you like to be responsible for cooking the soup, and not even being allowed to shop for your own ingredients?

The unfortunate thing in technology, and I speak from many years of experience in the field, is that most technology decisions are made for reasons other than technology.
"IT types" usually have some say in how things are implemented, but rarely have the ultimate say in what gets implemented and when. In many cases choices are made by some form of committee, or at least influenced by other non technical departments.

As the old joke goes, if a camel were designed by a committee it would have 12 humps.

Don't Waste Your Money on Technology

I heard a joke on a morning radio talk show that really illustrates how some people use technology simply for the sake of technology. The speaker stated for all he used his home computer, he basically paid $1000 for a deck of cards. Sad but true.

For some folks a home computer is nothing more than something to play solitaire, and if you really push the envelope, something to compose an occasional e-mail. Ok, so you use it for word processing as well. Does that really justify the $1000 investment?

People still don't get it. If you are buying a computer simply because it is the thing to do, if you are upgrading your old computer simply because your current one is too old, what are you accomplishing? Buying technology simply for the sake of technology.

Technology is a Tool, Just Like Any Other.

Do you use a tool for the sake of using the tool? Or do you use a tool for what it produces for you?

If you were a carpenter, you wouldn't buy a tool box simply for the sake of buying a tool box, instead you would buy a hammer, a saw, and whatever other tools you needed to build a house. You would buy these tools based on your knowledge on how to use them, as well as your knowledge of what the tools were used to produce.

While the tool box of a carpenter might look the same on the outside as the tool box of an auto mechanic, inside the tools would be quite different. Instead of a hammer and saw, you would find a vast collection of wrenches. An experience mechanic would know what common sizes of wrenches are needed, what sizes are most used for foreign cars, or domestic cars, and stock his tool box accordingly.

Even the size of the tool box itself is dependent on the tools they contain. The jeweler would carry a set of small delicate tools in a small size tool box, while a plumber with his large pipe wrenches would carry a much different set of tools in a much larger tool box.

Too often people buy computers, and software, without any vision of what these tools will produce. They buy a box of tools simply for the sake of buying it. Buying new tools when people still don't know how to use the old tools isn't cost effective.

It All Comes Down to Vision.

What is the vision that will be fulfilled by the use of the technology? What product will be produced, what process will be improved, what task will be done more effectively?

As an individual, spending $1000 for a game machine and word processor is a little bit easier to swallow when the computer is in use for many years, and you realize than many folks spend these same amounts for other types of home entertainment such as stereos and home theater. But when a business spends that kind of money, the results could be devastating. When an educational institution spends that kind of money on a computer without proper planning, it is a waste of money.

Technology Management and the Gilligan's Island Syndrome

Worried About Making the Right Technology Decision?

Some people are always looking for the right time to buy technology, and for them, now is never the right time. They worry that price drops are just around the corner. They worry that new technology will make their new tools obsolete too soon.

Technology is a fast paced business, price drops are always around the corner, and new tools that make your purchase obsolete are inevitable. Don't  let fear of making a bad decision slow you down, or prevent you from making a decision.

The Gilligan's Island Syndrome

The premise of the 1960's television sitcom "Gilligan's Island" is a charter boat is on a "three-hour tour" and runs into a tropical storm and gets shipwrecked on an uncharted island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. What was meant to be a "three-hour tour" turns into a life long adventure.

In the business world many companies suffer from "The Gilligan's Island Syndrome." That is when a decision that should take three hours, turns into a life long adventure. The "Gilligan's Island" television sitcom was a funny show, and was of course, fictional. For many businesses, "The Gilligan's Island Syndrome" is very real, and very sad.

Paralysis by Analysis

A mental affliction which sometimes develops in an individual after prolonged exposure to the "The Gilligan's Island Syndrome" is "Paralysis by Analysis." This affliction is characterized by the constant need for information in any and all decision making.

Sadly enough "Paralysis by Analysis" becomes the negative mechanism for justifying no action being taken, under the misguided philosophy that you can't make a wrong decision if you make no decision.

There's a big difference between going with the flow and being too paralyzed to go anywhere. It is fine to gather information, but true leadership is about being decisive, coming up with a firm decision and sticking with it.

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." — Albert Einstein

Business Success: Understand Your Customers Point of View

Communications Skills Are Critical

Depending on who you ask you will find the number of words in the English language estimated at anywhere from a few hundred thousand words, to around  a million words. What is even more amazing about our language is that many people have a vocabulary that is only a small fraction of that amount with estimates of an adult vocabulary ranging any where from a few thousand to tens of thousands.

When it comes to understanding success, the two words that follow are critical.

Sympathy or Empathy?

You may not remember the difference from in these two words from English class, but don't forget the difference as it applies to business!

Sympathy is a sharing of sorrow or trouble. Also associated with pity, an emotion aroused by the distress of another.

Empathy means to identify with a person, entering fully into another person's feelings.

We feel sympathy for a person who is ill, or who has experienced a loss. We feel empathy for clients or customers with a problem that we understand. To be successful in business, you need to fully identify with the needs and feelings of your clients or customers.

The most important tool you have is your ability to ask a question. Ask successful people selling a similar product in a similar marketplace, what is common for your industry. Ask people who are successful in a field you are interested in, if they could help you set a realistic goal for yourself.

When asking questions of friends, or "experts", make sure the answers are based on the same marketplace conditions as your own. More importantly, ask yourself if the person answering the questions is the person you want to become.

What is in it for me?

Years ago sales courses taught the concept of FAB, an acronym for - Features - Advantages - Benefits, to identify the key points of salesmanship.

Marketing today has reduced that down to one key point: Benefits!

If you can not answer the question, "What is in it for me?" in the mind of the client, you will not sell your product.

When devising and asking questions, understand the difference between empathy and sympathy. The key to successful communications, and ultimately selling your product to your customer, is your ability to truly understand something from the customers point of view. All questions should build to the most powerful question of, "What is in it for me?"

In order to answer the question of what benefit is expected, you must understand the point of view of the client. If your clients feel sorry for you they may be feeling sympathy for you because you lack empathy for them.