February 2011
73 posts
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Book Review: Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand →
I don’t feel I’ve spread my genre wings enough in recent years’ reading choices, purposely choosing to study business non-fiction instead, but 2011 is a year I wish to change my habits. Fiction is very pleasantly surprising me again: I have underestimated its inspiration power.
Also in this post: More about using Goodreads.com and how Julien Smith was able to read 50 books in 2010, roughly a book...
Digital mystery
Admit it: We were all this client once upon a time!
clientsfromhell:
Client: “My site is down. What did you do?”
Me: “Well, I haven’t done anything in a while. Can you get to Google.com?
Client: “No. Why did you take Google down too?”
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Come to Expect - A story of service (or not) →
I bet that mini stories like this one from Dave Rothacker, play out a million times a day. In fact, I’d bet a billion or more.
It is such an easy thing for we in business to change this in a hugely positive way, and yet we don’t - we settle for hoping for lower expectations, and we know it is PURE YUCK to do that, so why don’t we change this?
Let’s bring Ho‘okipa (our...
January 2011
86 posts
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Are You An Armchair Creative? :: Mark McGuinness... →
I’m finding this works for me too:
The armchair takes me into a different space, where my mind can drift and I can see the big picture of the projects I’m working on, notice the patterns that emerge and my gut feeling about the best way forward. When I get up from the armchair, everything is clearer and sharper. My body feels lighter, and more energized. And I get a hell of a lot...
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There’s no refrigerator space for inspiration →
Here’s a new habit to groom for 2011, our year of better habits:
Make space for inspiration, and not in your refrigerator.
Add it to your language of intention.
It’s become my way to remember something I originally heard from Jason Fried of 37signals, when I heard him say in a podcast that “inspiration is perishable.”
You can’t bottle up inspiration. You can’t put it in a ziplock, toss it in...
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Goodreads Blog: Will 2011 Be the Year of the... →
In my quest to read more books in 2011 (36 is my target number, just 3 a month) I have returned to use my Goodreads.com account more as well ~ it’s kind of a webby encourager for me, a toy to graph your updates, and a push to finish a book well by writing a short review. I’m also finding the community has grown and flourished there since I first signed up back in 2007, with Goodreads...
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The 10 Most Overlooked Tax Deductions →
Getting to be that time again.
From Turbo Tax and updated for Tax Year 2010
Don’t overpay taxes by overlooking tax deductions. See the most common errors taxpayers make on their tax returns, so you don’t make the same mistakes.
#2 for example, was something I never thought about before.
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When Good Service Goes Bad →
Simon Sinek makes a good distinction here: Talk about it in your next Ho‘okipa huddle.
Good customer service is not always saying yes and is not promising the customer whatever he or she wants simply because they ask. Good customer service is being honest, never promising what you personally can’t deliver and then going out of your way to provide the best possible option.
What makes good...
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How to Organize an International Adventure →
Looks like a lot of value given here, designed to be accessible through the cloud:
Let me start by saying that what follows is not your typical daily blog post. At more than 7,000 words, it’s intended to be more of a reference guide for anyone trying to plan an exciting international adventure. You’ll have the best experience by bookmarking this page …so that you can come back when you...
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Forever Stamps Forever →
This is one of the best ideas the US Post office ever had. I just bought a sheet commemorating Chinese New Years… one of those things we Says do to celebrate the lunar new year. A bit disappointing though, to get a pair of oranges (tangerines?) instead of the rabbit I’d expected. (Update: They’re kumquats.)
The United States Postal Service announced this week that all future...
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Top 10 Peace & Projects Posts of 2010 →
Saturday morning reading: Getting a bloggy introduction to Melissa Gorzelanczyk, who says she “quit my corporate day job to live a simpler life by my own rules.”
If you click in for this posting too, download the free ebook she offers on her sidebar called How to Make Sparks, a Guide to Inspiration. It’s nicely done - the short (less than 10 pages) glossy photo kind of ebook.
Pū‘olo Mea Maika‘i: Playlists →
Archive dipping, with the weekend coming up :)
Pū‘olo mea maika‘i is ‘a bundle of good things’ you return home with. Things you feel are gifts. Noun or verb? Depends on your kaona… you can decide :-) Add this post to our hau‘oli‘oli listing of weekend diversions…
More on Talking Story.
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Managing well is better than Leading →
At least it is for me. As Oscar Wilde said, “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.” It’s advice I’ve taken to heart, because I know myself. I know I’m a manager first, and leader second.
However… there eventually gets to be a point of managing well, where to be great at it, you have to try leading. You have to get braver, and bigger, and more vocal. They seem to be times you’ve got to go...
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Introducing Kindle Singles--Compelling Ideas... →
Wonderful… more goodness for reading, and for writing and publishing.
Interesting too, seeing how pricing for e-publishing is getting established: These range from $0.99 to $2.99
Typically between 5,000 and 30,000 words, each Kindle Single is intended to allow a single killer idea—well researched, well argued and well illustrated—to be expressed at its natural length.
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Books Come to You at Least Twice →
On Talking Story:
Books have repeat delivery systems: that’s just one of the reasons books are such a bargain.
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Phone Cameras May Raise New Copyright Questions →
shares this story at the New York Times:
MY wife and I sat cross-legged on the floor of a local Barnes & Noble store recently, surrounded by several large piles of books. We were searching for interior design ideas for a new home that we are planning to buy.
As we lobbed the books back and forth, sharing kitchen layouts and hardwood floor textures, we snapped a dozen pictures of book...
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“One pleasure of the cook is that now and then you learn all over again.”
– ~ Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun
This learning all over again is a pleasure for the manager too. Mayes was talking about how her cooking had changed during the winter she first spent in Tuscany, because she had to adjust to what ingredients could, and could not be found in the local markets....
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Accomplishments when Lifestyle is Sweet →
This has long been a favorite quote, for I agree with him completely. Emerson is talking about ALL of us, kākou: “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
However we usually say our greatest accomplishments are other things, don’t we. More at Talking Story…
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The 10 Keys to Genius Level Leadership « Robin... →
A 40-minute podcast guaranteed to get you thinking about your own leadership in some way… I suggest you plan for a listen just before you do your next Weekly Review. From the intro:
Here is some of the best content on leadership/success/living a world-class life that I have to give ~ Robin Sharma
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What’s been your Maker’s learning sweet spot? →
Shannon asked me, “What’s the most useful thing you’ve learned since starting your own business?”
That’s a hard question. It’s easy to make a list, but to narrow it down to just one thing as the most useful on the list? That’s difficult, and I’m still thinking about it.
But then she got impatient, waiting for me to answer… continued at Talking Story.
How would you answer the question?
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Delegate or die: the self-employed trap. | Derek... →
A must-read for all managers, not only the self-employed. His story reminds me of how my weekly huddles with the Hualalai department heads often saved my sanity.
And in case you missed these Say “Alaka‘i” classics:
Good Delegation Can Happen in Every Conversation
How to Stop Micromanaging: Part One
How to Stop Micromanaging: Part Two
Why Emotion, Not Knowledge, Is the Catalyst for... →
Forget dry statistics, say Dan Heath and Chip Heath. Real change comes from real feelings.
It takes emotion to bring knowledge to a boil.
Too Much Miscommunication at Work? A Simple Fix. |... →
Heidi Grant Halvorson points out why we need MWA’s The Daily Five Minutes as much as we do.
You know what they say about assumptions…
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“In his poem ‘Words from a Totem Animal,’ W. S. Merwin cuts to the core:
Send...”
– Frances Mayes writes of sense of place in Under a Tuscan Sun
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Lessons Learned from Bill Gates →
Written by one of his employees, JD Meier in his signature way: JD writes resource-packed posts and there is a lot here.
When I think back to why I joined Microsoft, a very big reason was Bill Gates. Here was a guy with all the money in the world, yet he showed up every day to change the world.
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water, water, everywhere… : The Calm Space →
We hear from Káren Wallace on the Queensland flooding in Australia. The two words she shares with us? Grace and serenity. wow.
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Don't confuse your goals with your dreams →
Good distinction, as shared by Tim Sanders about Apolo Anton Ohno.
His message, based on his new book (Zero Regrets) was simple: Create goals you have the total power to achieve.
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Rands In Repose: Managing Nerds →
This makes me think of the Shakespeare quote, “To thy own self be true.”
It’s another example of why I love just about everything Rands writes in his management category.
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The Easiest Cookies Ever. So Easy, They Aren’t... →
And here I thought Rolo (like Reese’s peanut butter cups) were already perfect.
I’ve got to try this with macadamia nuts.
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Top 10 Ways to See San Francisco Like a Local |... →
Don’t you wish there was a blog post like this for every city and town and neighborhood you want to visit? I do.
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On my Best Habit List: Play Tourist →
Talking Story:
In keeping with my theme for 2011 as The Year of Better Habits, I am definitely continuing with something I started in earnest during 2010: I’m reaping the joy of playing tourist.
Photos!
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Hawaiian Plants and Tropical Flowers - A Guide to... →
Stumbled across this site today and wanted to share it with you: FABULOUS for those who will take photos of our beautiful flora here in the islands, and then say, “I wonder what this is?”
The frustration in searching on the internet is that you have to know at least part of the scientific name. However on this site you can scroll through categories organized by flower color and other...
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Conversation “is a pain” →
I have a lot on my blog about The Daily Five Minutes, and I’ve come to know that the people who enjoy those articles most, bookmarking resources and printing them, are those who are already doing it. Now they’re tweaking their practice, mixing it up and having fun with it: They’re ‘zooming’ as Seth Godin calls it (in Survival is Not Enough, Zooming, Evolution, and the Future of Your Company - an...
Whoa!!! Larry Page To Take Over As Google CEO -... →
More news of leadership shift in the tech world.
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“In Hawaii, the way most locals call wave heights is using the “Hawaiian...”
– Why do surfers normally measure wave heights from the back, and not the wave front/face?
Update: (to this tumble) Organizers have said The Eddie is a no-go today. The surf is big-to-huge, but erratic: the sets are not consistent enough to have the contest, wherein the 28 invited big wave surfers...
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Alisa Burke: Creative make believe →
Speaking of creative souls, Alisa Burke is one of my favorite photo-bloggers, and I love this post, which includes just one line of text:
You are never too old for a little make believe.
If you are a crafter, her blog will prove to be a double whammy of subscription goodness for you.
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Free Ebook: Freedom, Money, Time – and the Key to... →
Creativity coach Mark McGuinness is offering a free ebook covering the “three things a person needs to be happy:”
Freedom – to do what you want, when you want and how you want it. Not just in holidays and spare time – but also doing meaningful work, in your own way.
Money – to maintain your independence and fund your creative projects. Of course you want a nice place to live, but...
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Eddie Aikau: Sponsors Hopeful Big Waves Come For... →
Much of Hawaii is up early this morning, watching the waves, and wondering if “The Eddie will go!” It has only been possible 8 times in the last 26 years. As pro surfer Tom Carroll has said
I love that everyone [in Hawai‘i] calls this a ‘surf meet’ for that’s really what it’s all about, getting everyone together on this day and this beach.
More here:...
Kindle Daily Post (US Customers) →
My newest blog subscription: Great way to add to your reading menu, experiment with new genres.
“You know what I’ve learned? A person only flails around in regards to their rig...”
– Frank Chimero - The Setup
So is your gear a match for your work? Or in the language of intention within Managing with Aloha, is your gear a match for your Ho‘ohana?
Take the link for the digital goodness of his article, for I would align this with 2011 as our Year of Better Habits, but keep the...
Michael Port with Michael Bungay Stanier | Great... →
A podcast which is a bit over a half hour or so. Overview from Stanier:
We caught up in part because [Michael Port]’s got a new edition of Book Yourself Solid out now, with 90 pages of new material (and 50 pages cut from the old version). I was curious to see what had changed in five years, not least because now we’ve got a recession and social media on our hands. We cover a bunch of...
So you want a MWA jumpstart. Do the Daily Five... →
Never fails. January has become the month where people get much braver about telling me things like, “Now I’m ready. This will be my year for a no holds barred Managing with Aloha makeover on my management style.”
I guess it’s the whole new year’s resolution thing. Even people who say “I don’t do them” (meaning resolutions) are making fresh commitments, or trying a new self-coaching. Or like me,...
