Categories
Opinion

Planning Isn’t So Bad Once You Get Used To It

It’s always interesting to me how a theme can find its way into every part of my life all at the same time. Right now, that theme is planning. As a natural INFP, planning isn’t something that comes naturally to me. In a lot of ways, I prefer to go with the flow of the situation and see where life takes me. Yet at the same time, I’ve been thrust into roles in my life that require it of me. I also find age and “adulthood” forces me to think a few steps ahead and figure out what I need to do before it happens.

One area this is showing itself more than ever is in my job. Now, as an IT Director, planning has always been part of my job and working on timelines and considering what if scenarios isn’t anything new. Though in the last few months I’ve learned I need to do better with it, especially when it comes to teaching it to those I supervise. While it’s become more natural to me over the years from my work experience, that doesn’t mean it always does for others. So often a good plan makes the job so much better. I can recall thinking early on after college that having all these meetings and talking about stuff vs. just doing whatever needed to be done was a waste of time. Only after years of real life experience do I now see that spending some time up front can really save you a lot of grief later.

The other came to me as I met with a personal trainer last week to discuss what I should be doing to prepare for events like the Shamrock Shuffle in late March. What he continued to drill into my head the whole hour we met was that once you determined your goal, whether it’s running a 5K or 50 mile ultra marathon is that you have to lay out a plan for yourself and stick to it. You can’t expect yourself to be ready for an ultra marathon without putting in some serious prep work. As he talked (and I ran on the treadmill), this is seemed so obvious. Yet why hadn’t I put the pieces together before?

Goals, whether successful completion of a project at work or running a race, requires forethought, planning, and hard work. I daresay one of my 2012 themes will be planning. I’ll be doing more of it at work. I’m already planning an 8K (the aforementioned Shamrock Shuffle). Perhaps the most fun thing so far this year? Planning my best friend’s bachelor party! See, this planning thing isn’t so bad all the time.

Categories
Random

My (Re)Focus on Being a Leader

I originally started this post to focus on the topic of working to be your best and how that isn’t always the easiest thing to do. A number of events in the past couple months have reminded me that I haven’t always been at my best; I haven’t always put in 100% in everything I do. While I don’t see or feel the effects of that in the near future, the result of every action or inaction is evident.

For many years, starting back in college and if I really think about it part of high school, I’ve found myself in positions of leadership. When I’ve been completely devoted and focused on that task and role, I have excelled and it shows in the results of my work and can be seen in the fruits of the organizations and groups I’ve been part of. Though if I give myself an honest assessment of my overall life performance lately, I haven’t always been the best at it nor given my all to people I’m called to lead, direct and teach. I’m not sure why I’ve let myself get so lazy with this. Time to change that.

Starting now, I’m going to refocus my energy to be a better, more focused, more intentional leader. That will entail thinking more about the big picture and the future, training and educating those I lead to be equipped, and keeping myself sharp. Tonight I grabbed my copy of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell which I haven’t read in quite a while. Expect to start seeing some thoughts and reflections on leadership with some direct quotes and insight from Mr. Maxwell.

 

Categories
Musings

Taking Time to Create Something Good: Now Support It

In my first blog post on this topic, I gave some background on my own views of creating things and shared that we should slow down a bit more to make sure we do it right the first time. So now that we’ve created something good, what do we do with it?

“Which product are you talking about? Oh, we stopped making that version yesterday.”

The consumer electronics industry is the biggest offender of creating products, some that are quite amazing in their own right, only to let them drift into the background sometimes only a few months later. Cell phones are replaced with new models that only have incremental improvements. TV’s are released in a dizzying array of options that are only slightly different from each other, again with specs that barely improve upon the previous edition. Computers, especially laptops, have so many build configuration options you don’t know how to tell one apart from the other.

What’s the problem with this? Support. I empathize with the people needing to know and react to questions. “Which model of laptop do you have? The 3000NX -3 or 3100DX-3? Oh, do you have the TV model with a 45″ screen and 4 HDMI inputs or the 46″ version with 3 HDMI inputs but WiFi built in? Oh, what is your phone OS? 2.2, 2.3, or 2.3.3?” I can only imagine what the hardware supply chain must look like for these manufacturers. Trying to figure how many of each type of part to keep on hand must be an incredibly time consuming job for someone.

Then there’s the side of figuring out how long to keep people on a team to support a product. I’ll pick on smartphones and Samsung in particular, though others are certainly guilty as well. Samsung is notorious for releasing many, many iterations of devices with the slightest of variations and most ridiculous of names to differentiate them in the market. (Seriously, the “Fascinate” or “Mesmerize”? My phone doesn’t need to do either of these for me. And don’t get me started on car model names.) Then 8 months later they release the new version of the phone and completely fail to say or do much of anything when it comes to software upgrades and support for the original device. Wouldn’t it be more affordable for you to keep supporting existing hardware with new software updates instead of continuously manufacturing new stuff, along with new software that’s just different enough from the original? I will say Apple has done well here with limited product lines and mostly longer support on the software side.

It’s like consumer electronics companies have commitment issues.

OK, I get it. Technology moves too fast for our own good. What’s the point of all this?

I’m glad you asked. I see the lack of support of products by companies as 1) their way of getting us to keep buying new stuff and upgrade often and 2) symptomatic of our culture’s inability to sit still and be content with what we have. We’re jumpy and move from one shiny thing to another before the first shiny thing even had a chance to go dull. Once that initial luster is gone, we grow bored and want to move on. This mentality burns us out in all aspects of our lives. Once we find that phone “outdated” even though it does everything you need it to, we start to look around. That friendship that once so easily brought laughs and enjoyment now seems to require more effort simply because life has changed where you are? We start wondering if that person is worth expending energy on. That group you’re in, doesn’t bring that “new shiny” joy it did when you first joined or started it? You wonder if “it’s for you” anymore.

I gravitate towards people and organizations that have proven or are committing to standing behind who they are or what they create. If I buy this TV, I want to know that company will be there if I need support for it. If I buy a phone, I want to know I’ll get software updates for that 2 year contract US carriers push us to sign. I want to know that if I invest myself into a friendship, they are willing to do the same in return. My friends know that if I’m investing my time and life into theirs, I’m in it for the long haul. I am choosy about my closer friends because I know it takes effort and I don’t take friendships lightly.

OK, I’ll ask again: what’s the point?

When you create something, 1) make it good and 2) be ready to support it for a while. Anything worth making should be worth putting your name and reputation behind it. I want to commit to this more regularly in what I do. Who’s with me?

Categories
Opinion

Taking Time to Create Something Good: Go Slow

(Can someone find the level to check this? Eh, it’s good enough.)

As someone who found his calling early on in childhood coming up with new structures and objects out of Legos or Lincoln Logs to build thriving cities in games like Sim City 2000. 3000, and 4, I still find myself enjoying that creative process as an adult but in different outlets. Sadly, the days of playing with Legos is in the past. Though if the opportunity of time and space to build was available, I’d jump at the chance without a second thought and the spend the day coming up with something amazing.

I continue to create, but at a slower pace and with greater focus and an intentional purpose behind it. I am very aware that my time, energy, and attention are all limited resources. Even the time I spend writing here on the blog is less frequent but purposeful when posted. It’s important to me to be picky in what I invest in, so that I give my best.

Living in the programming/tech world, part of my job is to create and support things and help my team do the same. Websites, networks, phone systems, databases, whatever is deemed necessary or requested by a paying client. The goal is to plan projects out carefully and build properly the first time around so that whatever we make will last and stands up to scrutiny and a good beating from end users. If you don’t invest some time and effort in up front, that type of project doesn’t hold up too well in the long run and you end up looking bad in the process for not making a better product in the first place.

Recent events combined with shifts in culture surrounding the idea of creating things has consumed my thoughts for some time. I will expand on this in future posts, but the theme remains the same: slow down. In many ways, this theme has been permeating my life starting some months ago leading up to my sabbatical trip then planting deep roots while I traveled. It’s clear there’s something to this I need to dig into. Who wants to grab a shovel and join me to see what we find?

 

Categories
Musings

The Need to Rely on Others

Steady….. steady….. can we take the picture now?!

Something I thought about as I prepared to leave for Europe and while I was out roaming the streets of cities was that I was not able to take the trip based only on my own efforts. There were many people who helped me go without worrying about my normal responsibilities. I think of my roommates who watched the house, kept it clean, and cut the grass; of my mom who kept in touch with me and checked my mail to let me know about bills I (still) needed to pay; of my coworkers who had to really step it up in my absence and sit in more meetings than they imagined (I’ve heard there may be a greater appreciation for my role now); of people at church who covered for my role there as well.

Without so many hands supporting me back home, going away for a month may have never happened or have been as refreshing to my soul. Which brings me to a larger topic. Whether or not I want to admit it, I need to rely on others to live my life. No matter how independent I think I am or want to be, I will never be able to do everything by myself. This important fact became very obvious to me while away. I admit that I need others for all sorts of things including life advice, help moving heavy furniture, determining what color shade something is, or simply someone to hang out with and talk to once in a while.

As I mentioned in a previous post about depth of relationship, not having the ability to communicate with those around me illuminated how being connected to my fellow man (or not due to language barriers) can make you feel isolated. Even for this introverted writer, my independence and time separated from people I know has its useful limits. How I find the right mix of staying connected and forging stronger relationships while not overwhelming my introverted self is something I’m working on. Let’s hope I can stay on the balance beam most of the time.

Categories
Musings

It’s Time to Come Home

What a month it’s been being away from everything. Today is my last full day in Prague and while there’s a bit of sadness to leave the life of international travel, seeing new places, and trying new things, my heart knows that it’s time to go back home. As I’ve mentioned before in a previous post, I know that I will have taken away more from this experience than will be immediately apparent. Perhaps it will be months or years before certain things reveal themselves to me. Though I certainly have some immediate take aways and areas to focus on once I’m home.

And before everyone asks, “How was your trip? What was your favorite part?”, let me stop you now and request you try not to ask me. Of course there are highlights, but immediately upon getting back I will have little time to process everything and will be unlikely to have an answer for you in the near future. It was months, if not years, after my 2006 trip that my stand out moments came to me (a long, relaxing dinner at an outdoor cafe in Salzburg, Austria and being at Mont St. Michel in France). I encourage you to read through the blog (again) and note what I deemed worthwhile to share. We can start the conversation there. Besides, I want to know what’s going on with you beyond what you share on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, blogs, etc.

It will be good to be back home in a land where just about everybody speaks English I can understand and signs make sense again. It would not be an understatement to say I will not quickly forget my time here and think of it frequency with fondness. Simply thinking of my sabbatical will continue to shape how I think, see, and process the world for years to come. Thanks for following along here on the blog. Stick around for more WUGO blog goodness in the weeks, months, and maybe years to come.

Categories
Photos

Karlstejn Castle

Today I left the city of Prague to city a town called Karlstejn that has one Karlstejn Castle. Charles IV once lived here (he was once also the Holy Roman Emporer.) It was a 40 minute train ride outside of Prague. Have I mentioned how much I love trains? They go everywhere and are so affordable here. Anyway, I can only share photos from the outside, as this was another location where photos indoors were not allowed. However, they have done a great job keeping the castle frozen in time as much as possible, with some relics and paintings dating back to the 14th century.

Enjoy the photos. As with any of them, full resolution versions available upon request.

Categories
Photos Random

The John Lennon Wall in Prague

Per the Wikipedia article,

The Lennon Wall is a wall in Prague, Czech Republic. Once a normal wall, since the 1980s it has been filled with John Lennon-inspired graffiti and pieces of lyrics from Beatles songs.

During my meanderings around Prague yesterday afternoon, I finally found it, though by accident. Most of the original Lennon art is gone and covered up by other things with a fair amount of Beatles related graffiti.