Lately, we are seeing green-this and eco-that everywhere. I would applaud this momentum the green initiatives are picking up, outside of the fact many companies are using it as their me-too-marketing-in-a-box.

I know I sound like a cynic, but come one folks…

Do companies sleep better at night knowing that they are doing their small part to save the environment, while making a little extra green-in-their-pockets is simply a bi-product?

Does anyone think it ironic that a local (print) paper had a headline reading,

Plants going extinct at an alarming rate!

So the paper-pulp you printed that on came from … ?

Here’s a hint – it’s tall and it is green.

The List Goes On.

What about a post I wrote a while back on an EDM company, Laserfiche^®, declaring they had helped 25,000 organizations save over 17 million trees – get this – by digitizing company documents.

So, the logic goes, “We scan a bunch of paper and save trees.” Wow – how about preventing these documents from being produced in the first place?

I know, that comes next, right?

I do really wonder if that would help, but that question is above my pay grade to answer.

… And Today,

off all things, I wanted a glass of water. We use hand-me-down cups people bring in for coffee, tea, etc. I grab one (pictured above), with the phrase,

Our earth, Our tomorrow

On the reverse side is the logo of a company we do business with, and I instantly come to the conclusion this is a little swag handed out for PR, no doubt. It is a fairly cheap, plastic cup – but very functional. It seems a little funny to create a green-friendly piece of swag out of plastic, but I think nothing else of it.

I go about my day, drinking my water. As the day wears on, and I continue to stare at the cup. I begin to wonder, is that cup recycled or recyclable?

I flip it over, and what do I see? Well, nothing… A stamp indicating place of manufacture, but sadly enough – this cup is not made of recycled goods – NOR is it even able to be recycled…

This comes from an organization with tens of billions of dollars in annual revenue globally. I wonder how many they handed out as gifts or prizes? Good intentions I’m sure, but as they say, “The road to hell is paved with ‘em.”

Ken Stewart’s blog, ChangeForge.com, focuses on the collision between the constantly changing worlds of business and technology. Ken is also the Director of Technology at Kearns Business Solutions.

Its Friday @ 4:30 just about the time the giddiness of the weekends starts to sprinkle into the minds of your co-workers, when your desk phone rings.

Hmmm…usually this is not a good sign its gotta be either the wife wanting to know what time you are going to be home or a customer wanting to make sure you are not going home until you resolve their problem.

But what’s this? It’s an intra-office call from your manager. You guess he is not calling you to wish you a good weekend nor calling to congratulate you on that deal you finally inked.

One ring…two rings…suck it up pick up the phone.

“Its another great day @ DCS how can I help you,” that last word hangs in the air hoping it will be chased away with a chuckle from your manager.

“Marco can you please come down to my office we need to talk.”

Last time I heard the “we need to talk” line was issued from my Dad back in 6^th grade when I raided the neighbor’s blackberry bushes. The walk down the hall feels like a walk through the valley of death.

“May you close the door” May you close the door? May you? If he is that nervous…

“I am going to talk for a few moments and I just want you to listen,” is how it starts; for the rest of the conversation I only see his lips move but can’t focus enough to hear what they are saying. Finally my trance is broken by a white envelope with a plastic window being slid across the desk.

Think it won’t happen to you? Think it can’t happen to you?

Think about a Plan B.

As the rules of business change, thinking must change as well. For us sales professionals, I believe antiquated thinking will only lead to frustration, unhappy clients and a dwarfed income. The purpose of my blogs is to provoke a deeper level of thought about achievement in business and to challenge the comfort zone in order to provide a new level of selling and lifestyle.

Max always welcomes questions and comments. Visit Max on LinkedIn.com

What is it that drives you? Do you sit back and let life live you, or are you living life?

You don’t have to go sky diving or on fancy trips to Europe to really live. All you need is to continually ask yourself clarifying questions. This ensures you find your unique purpose in life.

Not so easy, though. I will be the first to admit that – and there is no one path to enlightenment here, my valued readers.

Soaking It In:

I’ve been reading a lot lately… Oddly enough, it’s been a lot about prioritizing and asking clarifying questions – or at least that’s what I’m getting out of it. Here’s a few of the titles I’ve been gnawing on:

1. The Last Lecture – Randy Pausch
2. One Month to Live – Kerry & Chris Shook
3. More Than A Carpenter – Josh McDowell
4. Getting Things Done – David Allen

Some pretty deep stuff - no doubt.

I don’t know if you are like me, but I am constantly searching for answers to questions – a proverbial and perpetual student of life. What is it that drives me to find answers, to seek truth – both inside and outside myself?

Just as with our life-partners and professions, we find the best in ourselves when we are aligned with things complementary to our soul, our spirit.

Stress Less and Live More:

Leo of Zen Habits just posted a great article on 10 ways to reduce stress. It’s worth a read (as always), and encourages you to take your life into your own hands.

I could sum it up no better than Kerry and Chris Shook did in One Month to Live:

Death is certainty; life is an option. Just like a roller coaster, the ride of life is full of ups and downs, twists and turns. It moves at a fast pace, and before we know it, it’s over. … Each day we have to choose to live.

Wow, we have to choose to live! What a powerful statement.

- What is your choice when you walk into the office in the morning?

- What is your choice when you walk in the door in the evening as your little girl runs up to you?

- What is your choice Saturday morning when you wake up?

Do you choose to live your life, or is your life in auto-pilot? – Is your life living you?

Image Credit: FLICKRSOUP FOR THE SOUL

Ken Stewart’s blog, ChangeForge.com, focuses on the collision between the constantly changing worlds of business and technology. Ken is also the Director of Technology at Kearns Business Solutions.

Penned by computer scientist, Alan Kay famously said,

The best way to predict the future is to invent it.

Invent the future? Wow, I’m not entirely sure whether that is pompous or prophetic! However, it was just what I needed to hear.

Have you ever been searching for an answer and stumbled across a chorus in a song, a letter from a friend, or a verse of scripture that caused a light-bulb moment? Well, that just happened to me as I was browsing through my feeds on FriendFeed when I happened across a small post that I almost scrolled past by Louis Gray on the democratization of data over at Google’s Blog.

As I stare down the barrel of some personal adversity and unexpected changes within my own life, this statement spoke to me like few others I have come across in the recent past. While I no longer hold with the notion that I can create my own destiny, perhaps another quote by Randy Pausch sums up my outlook:

Be prepared. Luck is truly where preparation meets opportunity.

Be prepared.

Notice that small statement ends with a period - not a comma, hyphen or exclamation point. It is a binary statement, as you either are or are not. There is no middle ground here, folks!

I have been warned… and now, so have you. Always be vigilant and do not allow yourself the luxury of complacency.

It’s an election year, the government is bailing out mortgage and insurance markets alike, and acquisitions proceed at a break neck pace within the document industries. With jobs in jeopardy, a shaky economy, and foreign affairs tumultuous it stands to reason the average Joe might  be experiencing just a little anxiousness. I know when I look at my 401k, it makes me a bit nervous…

Change, as a dynamic to life, is something we all count on happening, but we often allow ourselves to become complacent. “The change will be gradual enough that I will have time to adjust,” is the line we sell ourselves. “I’ll always have tomorrow to get that certification, talk to that client, or spend time with my daughter,” is what we console ourselves with.

There are 4 distinct ways in which we might choose to deal with a major upheaval in our lives:

1. Deny It.

We weren’t ready for it, don’t want to believe it could happen to us, or can’t admit it was coming. Regardless of how we get hit with the news, shock and denial are often the first reactions (maybe besides physical nausea) that we experience when confronted with a major disruption to our comfortable routine.

If you allow yourself the luxury of wallowing in it, this is the equivalent to finding yourself a nice dark corner, sticking your thumb in your mouth, and crying about it.

2. Fear It.

Generally speaking, fear is one of the next steps we go through. Think about this: You’ve just been handed your pink slip and told to pack up your things. How do you not get a little weak in the knees?

A good idea is to simply distill your fear and find out exactly what it is you are afraid of. Are you worried about where your next meal will come from, who will pay for those doctor’s bills, or how long it might take to find another job? Those are all very legitimate fears, so your next course of action is to construct a game plan on how you are going to achieve your goals.

Just like you would turn on the lights in a dark room, it is important to apply knowledge in situations where fear runs rampant. By doing so, you will quickly ascertain the truth of the matter.

3. Fight It.

As we learn in school, the fight or flight instincts in us come out when confronted with matters of survival. A common aspect of dealing with change is to attempt to fight back the coming tide. This can often be viewed as noble, and there are most certainly times where continuing the fight is exactly what needs to occur.

If you are rational about where you make your stands, and keep focused upon your long term goals, fighting can be exactly what you need. However, do not mistake ego with chivalry as it will not only damage you, but those you hold dear as well.

4. Embrace It.

Generally speaking, this is the final aspect of change management - acceptance of the facts as they stand. By embracing change, you agree to view the world as it stands, and not how you choose to see it. This allows you to make decisions clearly and concisely.

The Wrap-Up.

The majority of how you deal with far-reaching change is your perception of the change itself, as well as whether you feel prepared to weather the proverbial storm. No sage wisdom here folks. Remember, be honest with yourself - allow your mind to find its way to the truth of the matter; the quicker your mind embraces the truth, the better you will be able to adapt to this bold new world and ensure you are still a viable part of it.

Ken Stewart’s blog, ChangeForge.com, focuses on the collision between the constantly changing worlds of business and technology. Ken is also the Director of Technology at Kearns Business Solutions.

As a sales manager for a document output distributor, I spend much of my time evaluating prospective sales to plan our pricing, equipment configuration, and service strategy with the salesperson. The process is valuable because it gives both the salesperson and I a chance to ‘think out loud’ about the deal. We explore potential objections, consider the best pricing model to fit the customer’s needs, and discuss the deal overall. It normally ends with an ‘ah-ha’ moment where we both realize that the best way to approach the next meeting with the customer, and how best to position our solution.

Although every customer is different, each sale has several common elements. I realized this the other day that despite these commonalities, I had been handling these meetings differently with each salesperson. More specifically, when evaluating costs some sales people would write out their customer’s details on a nice worksheet, while others would scribble it on a post-it note. It occurred to me that I had been doing this strategery for a long time, but had never reviewed it or thought through how I could standardize it to ensure that we were covering all our bases when evaluating a deal. At a minimum, I could create a spreadsheet that would automatically calculate costs so that we were not relying on our chicken-scratch & calculator.

So in my own private ‘ah-ha’ moment, I realized that I had to review what I was doing periodically. I resolved to evaluate this process and others in hopes to make them more effective. I would start by creating a template to evaluate deals that leveraged the tools we have at our disposal. As encouragement to you, take a minute to think about what you do each day. Review it and see if you can streamline it, make it better, or simply make it more accurate.

Jeff Pitney is a long time veteran of the document imaging industry and has worked in both sales and sales management capacities for manufacturers and independent dealers alike. Jeff also runs Pitney Application Design, building websites and custom integrations for web-based solutions.

If it weren’t for the fact that everyone loves seeing my happy and smiling face at work I think I could really get into telecommuting - well except for the fact that my daughter seems to think the world lives to give her attention…

That aside, where else can you work in PJ’s, wear bedroom slippers, and sip on a latte while relaxing from your arm chair? I don’t have bedroom slippers, so I suppose I would have to expense those. But other than that - I got this gig down:

I have remote software on all of the servers, remote software to access any desktop or notebook I need, a VoIP handset to talk, e-mail for managing the tasks, instant messenger (IM) to chat, and a BlackBerry for errands. I’m all set.

Seeing is Believing:

People don’t see me, and what most people don’t see they don’t believe. Sure, many of us ‘technologists’ get it. We are mobile professionals on the road - and we judge performance based upon the results - right!?

Do the Benefits Outweigh the Perception?

Many organizations, including government, has turned to telecommuting as a cost-friendly way to maintain increasing demand for results. The benefits of telecommuting are wonderful:

1. Higher productivity: More relaxed attitude and less office distractions.
2. Lower overhead: lower expenses related to facilities costs.
3. Other perks: lower fuel costs for the employees can equate to a raise for a creative manager.
4. The list goes on…

The perception, however, can be a much different thing.

Perception is Reality:

I would venture a guess that most of you reading this blog are technologically - well, shall we say - progressive. You thirst for knowledge, to connect, to create… Sadly, you make up a smaller percentage of the workforce.

Thus toots the train of thought many executives travel upon.

“It is not the spoon that bends …

… but you that bends around the spoon,” as the quote goes. In essence, you have to see your way around the wall that is common misperception regarding telecommuters: that is they are hard to manage, hard to communicate with, and can be lazy.

I like to think of myself as a progressive leader, and make no mistake, that is what it takes to buy into a modern day vision of the mobile worker. However, I was recently bitten by a telecommuter for a SharePoint project I am working on that had the makings of a nightmare.

At the outset of the project, I had spent over a week trying to connect, but due to schedules it took us quite some time. Then there was the business of setting access and signing contracts. After these items were settled in, it took us another few days to connect - and to my dismay we only connected via IM - well after business hours?

Well, we discussed this and that, and this developer had a seemingly wonderful grasp upon some of the nuances of SharePoint development. I was promised a statement/estimate of work, and thus we were off.

Then a week came and went - no statement of work - no visible results. Then another week began to pass, and I initiated contact only to find no response, no work, nothing.

So it is that I, the progressively-minded leader, was bitten. I should’ve heard the alarm-bells, no the sirens, of project mismanagement missteps across the board - but I allowed myself to deviate from my standard management practices - all in the name of telecommuting.

So, there is a lesson somewhere inside, or else I will just feel miserable having wasted 4 weeks of my project portfolio’s time.

Telecommuting; the Brutal Truth:

What was my mistake? Not remembering that telecommuting is no different than comparing wired to wireless networks. Both have their places, but telecommuting is simply a medium of transport. Have some faith in the fact that belief does not have to be determined by sight alone.

The one consistent thing in life is change. If that is the case, and we know it, why do we resist change so?

The “forge” portion of my blogs name came from the realization several years ago that you have to commit to change and “break on through to the other side” (to quote Jim Morrison). Often through what feels like fire nipping at your heels, whipping at your face, and eating at your gut, you must fight your way through our primal instinct to resist change!

Change is not easy, but it is expected and can be managed.

So it is change, my friends, that helps us interact with one another. Without change, there would be no need for community, no need to interact with one another. Change, indeed, is the catalyst by which we are forced to react, to interact and decide a direction. This ripples out into an eventual realization that all things are finite, and must be replenished.

In this way, change becomes a compelling force bringing us together.

Build Community

Our lives can be akin to a piece of thread - by itself it really has very little value. Sure it has some use, but ultimately there is no strength or greater purpose to it. No two pieces of thread are exactly the same in length, density, or composition… yet in finding a way to mold them through careful exercise into a functional whole - a blanket of community is born.

This collection of threads creates a useful and beautiful whole; not organs alone does a body make, but the sum of its parts with such wonderful form and function do we celebrate.

With these threads as a metaphor to our individual existences, each place we overlap another thread represents a point of impact in another’s life. Some will be large and some will be small, but it is these cross-patterns, these overlays in the knitting, if you will, that are so wonderful - that you must relish.

The Lesson

So it is that we learn from each other, by depending upon one another; it is at these “touch-points” where interaction and stimulation occur. A synergy of thoughts or actions coming together as a collective whole.

We are touched each and every day by those around us, and must decide how to act, react, and interact. We take away from each experience a lesson: that lesson, however is ours to decide. It is up to you how you perceive change when it is all around you. It is up to you whether you will step through the fire of change or allow your spirit to wither in its intensity.

image credit: Lee Towndrow

With the prevalence of the mobile phone market domestically and abroad, I think it is safe to say we are a media hungry world. With MP3’s for ring tones, e-mail and text messaging blitzing in and out of your phone, and real-time video streaming to and from that little gadget in your hand - mobile media (media accessible through handheld devices) is now the rule, not the exception.

At what point do we see the commercial space cross over into the realm of enterprise? In decades past, it has been the enterprise that has paved the way for mass consumption of many things electronic - even the lucrative commercial offerings mobile phone providers now tout had their origins in Corporate America. Maybe it is time the commercial / retail space gave a little back.

Mobile media’s place in the enterprise is under discussion in many offices across the U.S. Arguably, there are key areas in the company which may be dramatically impacted through mobile media, but many executives still contend this medium of delivery as largely youth driven.

While mobile-media isn’t a favorite topic of those in the corner office, mobile media has really caught the eye of corporate IT, whose key responsibilities are generally keeping the network operational and ensuring overall security. Quite frankly, mobile media potentially threatens both.

With corporations overly-crowded ‘tubes’, companies are pushing more bandwidth down their pipes than ever. Sure server space and network speeds are to be had at a cheaper rate, but toss in the CFO’s command to control costs, and now you have a genuine recipe for a witch-hunt on your hands -with IT hold the pitch-forks and torches.

From personal experience in managing a mid-sized, privately held company’s infrastructure, it is a tough road to walk. Well, if you are in IT - you may think it very cut and dry, but how to you reconcile the bleeding-effect occurring between knowledge workers’ work and personal life?

Many times, today’s workers’ are working towards and being measured on results, not hours worked. These workers seek a streamlined life as well as consistent and constant access to data. In other words, they want always on connections that synchronize amongst themselves - digital on-ramps and off-ramps, and a key one of these being a handheld device.

Richer user experiences will continue to be a demand touted by skilled workers, and employers will have to find a way to deal with the expectations of fringe benefits such as a corporate handheld device that also doubles as a personal MP3 player - as in the case of the illustrious iPhone. If you think this is a fad, I would suggest not; it is a trend that appears to be increasing in frequency.

1. What challenges have you and your company run into with regards to mobile media?
2. Do you allow your mobile workforce to blur the lines between work and personal content?

Photo credit: Sanja Gjenero

We all love making exceptions to our processes. Sure we know there are going to be exceptions to our rules, but to work in a role supporting a high-touch organization might be so much so that I might liken it to an exercise in continually asking asking someone to stop kicking you in the backside only to find out after the 20th time you’ve been sporting a “Kick Me I’m Stupid!” sign on your back.

Wow, that was a bit harsh… but let me draw a parallel here from the industry within which I work: Does it not strike you that just about every sales person in the copier industry is wildly egotistical - at least the good ones are, don’t you think? It’s not like they are mean people, nor are they out to get everyone. No, it is just a simple matter of forgetting the sun, moon, and stars don’t really revolve around them - or did the rest of us just miss something?

A Moment of Truth:

I tried my hand at sales many years ago, selling timeshares with the Marriott of all things. Not only was I not enamored with my product and felt about as slimy as a slug in the dead of summer, but I found out I couldn’t stomach all of the “No’s”. You know, it wasn’t even all of the “No’s” either - it was the vitriol that spewed out of people’s mouths… like some busted pipe of venom. It was not a fun job and I knew that industry and sales was not for me.

So it takes a certain bravado, I suppose, to get through all of the objections customers may try and throw at you. I give you that.

But what I don’t get is how a simple process that has been proven to make your sale go smoother, make the the customer happy, and keep everyone sane can prove to be such dramatic show-stopper month-in-and-month-out?

Do you live in a high-touch environment where you service customers that are high-touch? It might not be sales people - it might be lawyers, doctors, or Ph. D.’s at a university. In other words, do you work in a place where “the talent” has to be coddled and pampered to maintain a certain order of things?

Balanced Chaos:

There has to be balance. In my previous post, Meet Me at the Intersection of Passion and Process, I waxed poetically about the fact that organizations need both passion and process. I used to believe only process was needed, but found that the coin of business had 2 sides.

It can be a death knell for a company to have all process and no passion. This leads to the company becoming disconnected to its lifeblood - the customer.

What is arguably more dangerous is to allow passion to override logic and a proven process and forge ahead on bravado and testosterone alone. The all too familiar syndrome of “over-promising and under-delivering” is the hallmark of this corporate culture.

In a high-touch environment, exceptions are the norm. However, you must have a system in place to allow for certain deviations from the critical path, but not allowing for wild variations that might cause the company, customer, or associates harm.

In other words, exceptions can be allowed to become the rule only when there is a culture of understanding when passion is warranted and when it must be reigned in, when process is needed and when it becomes stifling.

What are some of your thoughts on exception handling? How do you and your company deal with exceptions?