Content
The discovery, acceptance & management of life's gaps
Tuesday 31 August 2010
-
Filed under
gaps + mobile + Technology
Last week I was near DC meeting with a customer. After we had finished presenting to our client my colleague commented, “Just 6 months ago you were writing about what the iPad would do for business… who would have believed we would already be using an iPad to show our products and make our presentations”.
He was right, almost 6 months ago to the day I posted Countdown to iPad – Ultimate Sales Kit II (Use Case 25). What a difference a little time makes.
1 comment ::
Share or discuss
::
2010-08-31 ::
Russ Leseberg
Saturday 31 July 2010
-
Filed under
Communication + gaps + GTD + project management + Teams
GREAT Meetings happen when everyone understands what is expected of them and other team members. GREAT stands for Goals, Roles, Expectations, Accountability and Timing.
Goals – Knowledge of a project’s overarching goals provides the context for understanding the specific objectives/ tasks of individual team members. All team members should understand and be able to communicate the driving business needs and the project’s expected outcome. Those leading group interaction/ meetings should state the specific goals of the meeting, phone conference or other team communication. It’s everyones’ job to maintain focus on the goals of a particular meeting, thus respecting each others time.
Roles – Every team member needs to understand his/ her individual role and specific responsibilities. Teams are interdependent by design, heavily reliant on each member fulfilling their respective roles. Teams are intentionally comprised of individuals with unique skills, expertise and differing perspectives. As such, it is not possible for every team member to fully understand everyone’s role and responsibilities. However, members should have a basic comprehension of the duties and activities of others, especially where it directly impacts them.
Expectations – Communicating expectations is just as important within a project team as it is with the customer. Every team member not only has the right to know what is expected of them, but the personal obligation to find out. Once an individual learns he or she is assigned to a project, he or she inherits the responsibility of learning what is expected… not waiting to be told.
Accountability – Accountability is the backbone of teamwork and trust. Teams where each member meets his/ her personal project responsibilities enjoy a greater degree of mutual success than those who can’t count on each other to follow through.
Timing – In order to coordinate project activities and ensure milestones are met, team members must be personally committed to the team and deliver on their individual deadlines.
How to leverage the GREAT acronym…
Use the GREAT acronym, during meetings, phone/ video conferences, or other group discussions, to keep the focus on…
G. (Goals) … the goals of the particular discussion as well as the goals of the overall project.
R. (Roles) … the individual roles of team members.
E. (Expectations) … everyone understanding what is expected of them.
A. (Accountability) … what each team member is accountable for, the current status and ongoing progress reporting.
T. (Timing) … task deadlines and the individual commitment to their completion.
2 comments ::
Share or discuss
::
2010-07-31 ::
Russ Leseberg
Saturday 26 June 2010
-
Filed under
gaps + Technology + thoughts
I have heard it said you should never go grocery shopping when you are hungry. How about mower shopping after watching news clips about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill? Well, that is what I did and I ended up coming home with this little baby.
While I had other reasons for buying it, such as getting back in shape, the major influencer was the spill. If you are like me, watching oil spill out into the water and the subsequent damage to our environment and economy leaves you with an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
Mowing my lawn with a push mower by no means reverses any of the devastation to the Gulf. However, if this catastrophe motivates enough us to change our energy use and conservation habits, it will have an impact.
So rather than watching helplessly from your couch, get up, turn off your TV, and head next for the thermostat. Together, we can make a difference!
Please share your ideas for making a difference…
2 comments ::
Share or discuss
::
2010-06-26 ::
Russ Leseberg
Tuesday 22 June 2010
-
Filed under
gaps + mobile + Technology
Apple’s iPad has been “in the wild” for a mere 80 days, and in that short time it has changed the world of computing forever. Don’t believe me? Just ask some of the other people that have voted with their checkbooks. Apple announced today… “that it sold its three millionth iPad™ yesterday, just 80 days after its introduction in the US. iPad is a revolutionary and magical product that allows users to connect with their apps, content and the Internet in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before.”
So regardless of where you stand on the flash vs HTML5 debate, the netbook vs tablet debate, or the iOS vs Android debate… there is no debating that Apple has yet again changed the technology landscape forever.
::
Share or discuss
::
2010-06-22 ::
Russ Leseberg
Thursday 10 June 2010
-
Filed under
mobile + Technology
I was in my local Apple Store the other day and learned a neat trick… Want to see if you are eligible to upgrade to the new iPhone 4? All you have to do is type/key in *639# (*NEW#) and hit send/call on your iPhone.
Cool… Turns out I’m eligible for the new iPhone and AT&T will be waiving my $18 upgrade fee. I don’t know if this works on other carriers/countries.
Pic 1. Key in *639# (*NEW#)
Pic 2. Give it a minute
Pic 3. Dismiss the dialog
Pic 2. You get your answer
::
Share or discuss
::
2010-06-10 ::
Russ Leseberg
Monday 31 May 2010
-
Filed under
gaps + thoughts
During the last couple of months I have been off minding some very important life gaps. In the meantime, I let the gap between blog posts grow quite large. Hopefully this just means I had my priorities straight.
As my nose returns to the ‘blog stone’, I will be back to mixing things up a bit. Though I still love the iPad, it is time for me to revert to my eclectic roots. See you soon.
1 comment ::
Share or discuss
::
2010-05-31 ::
Russ Leseberg
Saturday 3 April 2010
-
Filed under
gaps + mobile + Technology
The twins have finally arrived. Let’s let them rest for a bit. We will fill you in later.
Almost asleep
6 comments ::
Share or discuss
::
2010-04-03 ::
Russ Leseberg
Friday 2 April 2010
-
Filed under
gaps + mobile + Teams
Ready… on spur of the moment you decide to get away for the weekend. Fire… you pack the car and leave the house without knowing exactly where you’re headed. Aim… all you need now is a destination… all you need is iPad.
While you drive, your co-pilot is free to check weather, hotels, points of interest, traffic reports, etc. … all en route. And iPad not only lets you make reservations and purchase tickets while speeding along, but even guides you into port using on-board GPS.
iPad - Planning on-the-road and on-the-fly.
iPad, the parallel planning tool... soon to be all the rage.
Countdown to iPad Series – There are countless articles and posts citing what the iPad isn’t or won’t be good at. We think they are wrong. Join us as we celebrate the countdown to iPad’s debut by posting a daily iPad use case.
Think of the possibilities!
We have many iPad use case scenarios queued up, but could always use more. Please comment and share your iPad ideas below.
iPad – Copyright © 2010 Apple Inc. (
www.apple.com)
::
Share or discuss
::
2010-04-02 ::
Russ Leseberg
Thursday 1 April 2010
-
Filed under
gaps + mobile + Teams + Technology
In Use Case 12: Countdown to iPad – Teammate, we introduced iPad as the “politically correct meeting tech.” And although iPad can benefit a single team member, when you outfit an entire workgroup it really gets interesting. When everyone follows along on their iPad, you…
…don’t need to wait for a conference room with a projector.
…eliminate the last minute rush/waste of printing and copying handouts.
…don’t turn out the lights for presentations, so no one sleeps.
…don’t have to send out for the one report everyone forgot.
The benefits of iPad meetings don’t stop in the room. Those joining by phone get the same handouts and see the same presentations.
iPad – out-of-the-office no longer means out-of-the-loop.
Getting on the same page
Countdown to iPad Series – There are countless articles and posts citing what the iPad isn’t or won’t be good at. We think they are wrong. Join us as we celebrate the countdown to iPad’s debut by posting a daily iPad use case.
Think of the possibilities!
We have many iPad use case scenarios queued up, but could always use more. Please comment and share your iPad ideas below.
iPad – Copyright © 2010 Apple Inc. (
www.apple.com)
::
Share or discuss
::
2010-04-01 ::
Russ Leseberg
Wednesday 31 March 2010
-
Filed under
gaps + mobile + Technology
Three geek cheers for iPortal, aka iPad! The power of Mac OS X, Linux and Windows is coming to the iPad. Through the use of VNC (Virtual Network Computing), iPads will be able to control desktops, laptops and servers.
Companies like MochaSoft already have VNC technology working successfully on the iPhone and iPad Touch… see Mocha VNC. Just think of what they’ll be able to do with iPad’s additional screen real estate. Soon computer guys and gals everywhere will be walking around with iPads in their hands and smiles on their faces.
What? Windows on an iPad?
iPad - portal to a whole new world of computing
Countdown to iPad Series – There are countless articles and posts citing what the iPad isn’t or won’t be good at. We think they are wrong. Join us as we celebrate the countdown to iPad’s debut by posting a daily iPad use case.
Think of the possibilities!
We have many iPad use case scenarios queued up, but could always use more. Please comment and share your iPad ideas below.
iPad – Copyright © 2010 Apple Inc. (
www.apple.com)
::
Share or discuss
::
2010-03-31 ::
Russ Leseberg