Am I Crying Wolf?
After spending a couple hours downtown in my community today I was just vibrating with the thought, ” These poor business owners”. What do us Social Media Geeks see that traditional business owners don’t? I felt like standing on a box and screamming STOP IT! Stop what your doing and look up…pull your head out of that dark warm part of your anatomy and pay attention! It’s like a tidal wave is coming and these traditional business owners are looking the other way as if it wasn’t there. Is there something wrong with me, am I speaking to a brick wall, am I just crying wolf?
I couldn’t wait to get back to my office and write to you, it’s like venting I think but I’m wondering what it will take before everyone starts to actually pay attention. I look at how many people in Canada actually have Twitter accounts and I’m hard pressed to find many, with only 34 million people in the country you would think there are more than a few paying attention. I’m in Western Canada, ok Bristish Columbia, I live in a suburb east of Vancouver called Abbotsford. There’s not much out here if you are an executive like me, you have to commute to the bigger cities to find work, but that’s a problem too! Resume’s…do they even work anymore? Even these online job banks rarely work…why…because traditional thinkers don’t look there, they do look for referrals though.
Even the local Chamber of Commerce is looking the other way, they want traditional businesses (bricks & mortar) to buy memberships and insurance packages. My only chance is to try and influence through my online show, Owen Greaves LIVE! maybe. Maybe, just maybe, I can reach them and maybe you can help me. If you are a person who believe’s passionately our way of doing business is changing and care enough to get the message out, then contact me and I’ll invite you to share on my show. That’s the only way to get in front of them and get them to listen…on the Internet and that’s where I’m setting up shop, not downtown in a building. Thanks for reading and listening I guess, we will talk about this on Monday’s alot at 2PM EST / 11AM Pacific on Owen Greaves LIVE! Join me won’t you?
Owen Greaves LIVE!
I’m finally heeding the call, after countless Tweets, E-mails and posts suggesting I should start my own show, I’ve decided to take the plunge. I will go live on the Internet Monday May 18th, 2009 at 2PM EST….why… Because I love to help people and I want to help YOU. I want to hear your story, I want to help you figure out your passion,what technologies you should be using to deliver that passion. Also, I’ll introduce you to some very special people to keep an eye on in the Social Media circles, give you an opportunity to participate and give shape to the show. That’s right, I want you to tell me what you’re trying figure out, what do you want to know in this new world of business called Social Media. Now I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I promise you this, I will find out,invite, or direct you to those able to answer your questions.
I hope you will find value in the show because some of you asked for it, that’s tip #1…give your community what they want!
Come join me and we’ll walk together learning how to shape your passion, build your community, decide which technologies to use and hear from many about how they are using the Internet and Social Media. I’ll also rant a bit on what I like and dislike, share what trends are taking shape plus give you an opportunity to be apart of the wave I’m riding hear at Owen Greaves LIVE!
Many Blessings and I hope to meet you at http://live.owengreaves.com
If I Could Do Anything, What Would It Be?
I was asked that question this morning, I hated it because I had stop and take inventory once again. I’m going to share some thoughts with you, I only hope it makes sense and reaches the deepest part of you. I think a great many of us do work or do things we never thought we would have to do to pay the bills. There are times when it feels like the dream left and it isn’t coming back, discouragement is the biggest dream killer I know and it always comes from those who claim to love you.
So, back to the question, If you could do anything, what would it be? If you look back over the years (depending how old you are) try to recall what energized you and brought the most fulfillment and was most meaningful to you. A time and place where you felt this was what you could do for the rest of your life. I know, I know, many times we think we’ve found it and poof it’s gone for whatever reason.
Technology, no…society has changed, business has changed and some of us are struggling to change just so we can make the ends meet, to have some sense peace of what we are doing, then every once and while someone asks the dreaded question. The question that urks me most, If money were taken care of would you do it? DUH! Of course you would!
I have always felt people could be better than they are, get back on track and be in a better place…. why? Because we lost our dream, we lost the thing that made us want to learn new things, seek new challenges, build and create. We bought into the industrial age of JOB, we have been cooked like the frog in water and now we are discouraged, wondering how we got to where we are and thinking, this isn’t what I wanted.
Now that I got that of my chest, what to do? Firstly, write…get everything out, it might take a day or two and maybe even a week but write and figure out what it is, what’s the magnet pulling you, your deep down desire….your dream. I did this and I have recovered my dream….go figure something so simple could work! Now, you need be prepared, this dream will not be easy and you will have trials & tribulations once you have found your vision. You will need people around you that will help you so don’t kid yourself into thinking you can do it by yourself. I encourage you to find likeminded people, people that have a dream and desire to be more than they are, people who want to give something back to thier communities. Without people, there are no successes. God created us as relational beings, that means we need one another to acheive, to grow, to build, to create and to succeed together. Each one of us has a passion or two that makes us get out of bed in the morning, find it and live the life you were meant to live.
So What’s my Dream, what’s the If I could Do Anything, What Would It Be?
Stay tuned and be sure to follow me on Twitter, if you are a small company with less than 10 staff and you are not shy doing Radio & Television (Video), drop me a note.
Many Blessings on you.
Sharon Hayes-Tucci's FollowFriday RockStar's List
I had the good fortune of chatting with Sharon and getting to know her a bit this week and I have to say I just love her perspective and fun she likes to have on Twitter. Every Friday Sharon posts a list of people she considers RockStar’s on her site, people she considers contributors and you should get to know. Sharon has far more followers than she can chat with in a day so don’t be hurt if she doesn’t answer on your call for attention, but do follow her and get to know her at:
Musings of Sharon Hayes-Tucci, an Internet Entrepreneur
As Sharon put’s it on her site;
Each week I try and share with everyone some people on Twitter I think are worth following & getting to know better. I am doing it this way because I think that a simple 140 character recommendation isn’t enough. Like many others that use Twitter, I believe in quality over quantity. I hope that some quality contacts come from this. That you personally can find one or more people from this list that you can also become friends with, network with & maybe get to know a little bit better.
I just had to post and thank Sharon for putting me on one of her Rock Star lists, it is an honor to be consider as such, enjoy getting to know Sharon and all that she can do for your Twitter experience!
Until next time.
I.T. Strategic Planning – Two Key Ingredients
Two Key Ingredients To A Successful I.T. Strategic Plan
Before entering into an I.T. Strategic Planning session there are two key areas of your business you need to be well versed, it will make or break your plan. Prepare your team and arm them with the right information, they will develop a sound strategy that may only require minor corrections 3 – 5 years down the road. Every plan needs to be updated and adjusted as to ensure it is inline with the business needs.
I’m not going to go into great detail here but you will get the picture, there are many steps in developing a sound strategy and it’s up to you, The Leader, to ensure you equip your team with as much information as possible. Without the right tools & information the exercise will take twice as long and you will most likely never provide solutions for your organization, hence you may not be kept on for a second shot at it.
KEY #1
As a Leader in your organization you know what it means to be well informed and it’s no different for this team, in order for the strategic team to be successful you must be able to articulate the companies business plan in simple terms. Your team needs to understand the company objectives and how they originally planned to achieve them, otherwise there is no target, no way to know which direction to go, this business plan is a compass. If you do not know or someone on your I.T. Strategic Planning Team is not privy to this information, stop and get it, this information will set the tone of your plan. Get a strong understanding of this business plan at high level at the minimum, as it is must have information.
KEY #2
You must know ALL your organizations business processes. What are the processes that take place in one business day to get the job done for each department in your company. This is important to know because you’ll want an inventory of all processes so they can be reviewed to determine which ones can and can not be automated. This key is also critical in order to find the right ERP solution for your organization should that be identified as a project in your I.T. Plan for the next 3 – 5 years. Some call this the pulse of the business, it is the oil, the workflow that determines profitability or the lack of, you need to get a good handle on this item to ensure you are identifying, addressing and eliminating broken parts of your system or systems.
As you can see the above are preliminary but are essential if you want to be of value to your organizations future success. You also need to have a good understanding of these two keys for step one in designing your I.T. Strategic Plan, step one is the Vision / Mission of your I.T. Department. Without that understanding it will hamper your efforts to find your voice, to articulate your vision to those who are looking to you to solve and provide the best service possible to the whole organization.
Feel free to leave your comments and input, if you wish to hire Owen to help you develop an I.T. Strategic Plan simpy e-mail me at:
Until next time 🙂