Courtesy and Respect--Slipping in the Times of Technology?

"Social graces" are often ways to demonstrate respect for one another.  One aspect of social graces in business is to respect the person you are contacting.  Today I had the experience of receiving a voice message from someone asked to contact me because of a posting on the Internet.  The person leaving the voice message did leave an almost unintelligible telephone number and a first name--and nothing more.  I don't know what business he represents or any details of why someone asked him to call me.  In speaking, he was out of breath when he left the phone number and I've relistened to the voice mail four times and am only missing one number.  I should find that tomorrow morning.

To respect me, the person calling needs to tell me what business name they work with and the purpose of their call. 

What does it take to write and publish a book?

In 2001, a public relations firm in Chicago advised me that they could promote me easily if I published a book.  I've been working on ideas for one or more books since 2001 and still haven't put everything together.  Perhaps I am being too much of a perfectionist--waiting for "just the right" book.

Devotion: Focusing on What's Important and Letting Go of What's Not

My 94-year-old mother has a life-long habit that works very well.  She pays attention to what she focuses on and lets into her consciousness, chosing to focus on what's important and letting go of what isn't important.  We watch a lot of romantic comedies on Turner Classic Movies and skip lots of news programs and the horror and reality shows.  Mom enjoys National Geographic, The Smithsonian, Reader's Digest, and reads some articles in Time.  She had developed age-related macular degeneration in both eyes and we recently subscribed to the National Library Service and receives these magazines in an audio format.

Last Sunday, in a meeting with some friends focused on making a positive difference in the world and in our lives, the idea came up that it is sometimes good to go on a "media fast"--doing without news programs and focusing on what is really important in our lives.  I am reminded that "news" was originally the compass points--North, East, West, and South--and referred to collecting information from all points of the compass so that readers would be well informed--at least as far as the people writing the information were concerned.

With the Internet and the advent of social networking sites like Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn, and others. News can be more personal, immediate, and even intimate--family members keeping each other posted about where they are to meet.  We do not have to read all the e-mails we receive or newspapers or TV programs, etc. 

Another word surfaced on Sunday, the word "devotion."  One way to look at the word is to break it out.  "De" often comes from the Latin word de which means from.  "Vot" comes from votary which refers to choose toward something.  Devotion is often connected with a spiritual significance.  The ion turns the word into a noun--a person, place, or thing.  Devotion can mean to turn away from distraction and to turn toward something else--a positive focus and direction (often spiritually inspired).

Focusing on what is important is a form of devotion.  Letting go of that is not important is the letting go of distraction concept associated with devotion.

Choosing to Making a Positive Difference

How and when can we choose to make a positive difference?  Part of this depends on understanding what needs to change and knowing what to change to.  The circle of concern has a role in this decision.  We can choose to make a positive difference in our circle of influence and our circle of control.  We need to move through the three phases of change--awareness, acceptance, and action (Slides 8 and 9)--before we can begin to take the action to bring about the change that will make a positive difference.

We have lots of freedom in our choices.  I have chosen to make a positive difference for clients and organizations I worked with as an organizational development and change management consultant.  More recently (on 9-11-2001), I decided to make a difference by being a classroom teacher for English language learners (ELLs). 

This year I am looking to make a positive difference in new ways--working with new clients and organizations and school systems.  In my earlier choices, I made lots of one-on-one differences.  Now it is more effective to make a difference by teaching others to duplicate these efforts.

In my volunteer work with the American Red Cross, I started as a water safety instructor, then became a first aid and CPR instructor.  After teaching classes for years, I became an instructor-trainer in each of those health and safety areas and eventually cross-trained in disaster services and became a leadership volunteer.  Many years later I made a positive difference with the American Red Cross by helping organize a "CPR-Sunday" event where volunteer instructors came together in facilities provided by the community and trained 800 people in CPR for free in one day.

Making a positive difference is habit forming and is a habit I thoroughly enjoy.

Families Keeping Up with the Speed of Technology

Today my 83-year-old cousin and his wife visited my 94-year-old mother in her retirement complex outside of Chicago.  Mom lives in a gated community and my cousin had not been in this area for more than seven years.  We spoke cell-phone to cell-phone to "guide them in" to the parking lot and up the stairs to Mom's apartment.  

They brought with them a scrapbook of my cousin-in-law's artwork spanning a 30-year career.  During our time together we spoke of an unpublished children's book that my cousin-in-law wrote and illustrated.  I am a registered electronic publisher even though I'm not presently publishing books.  They told me that they still have an electronic version of the book that we can probably bring up-to-date with technology, then submit for electronic publishing.  It would be great to give the public access to a book that has been waiting for publication for more than 20 years.

When they left to drive to their home several hours away, they left an important piece of paper that had been in the scrapbook.  Within 30 minutes of their leaving--long before they will have realized that the piece of paper had been left behind--I had scanned the paper and sent it off to them via e-mail, including links to several of the things we had talked about during the visit.

They'll get the e-mail when they get home, have the links to follow-up on our conversation, and can print a new copy of the important paper before they miss a beat.

The good news is that my 83-year-old cousin is active on e-mail and is staying up with all the technology.  That certainly makes communication at the speed of technology much more achievable.

Facebook is the social networking site used by many of my family members.  It's another way for us to keep in touch.

Networks and Priorities and Exceptions to Rules

Each of us has a system we use, consciously or unconsciously, to determine our priorities and choices--for our time, attention, value, commitment, money, and more.

I had a call this morning from a friend who knew someone who had had a family tragedy and needed some help.  During the course of that conversation, I became aware of some of the processes I use to determine those priorities and to make exceptions.  It is a normal priority for me to extend what support I can to friends who ask.  When a friend asks on behalf of another friend, I extend my priorities and exceptions to the friend-of-my-friend.

I've offered my support and don't know whether or not I'll be called upon to follow-through.  The experience has already lead to a "snap-shot-awareness" of how I work my processes for priorities and exceptions.  That's a good thing to know.

Any one of us could have a family emergency or tragedy without warning.  It's nice to have friends to connect to and to have those friends connect to people they know.  LinkedIn talks about networks and degrees of networks.   In my network, I have 55 friends;  2 degrees away (friends of friends) I can connect with their 7,600+ people; 3 degrees away (friends of friends of friends) I can connect with 747,800 people.  (Some of my family members are on FaceBook.

Want to join my network on LinkedIn?

Common Sense vs. Common Practice (Revisited)

Common sense seems hard to come by.  Common practice, on the other hand, we live with every day.  The Democratic and Republican parties seem to be polarizing their views on public issues rather than to use common sense and honor the public trust they hold as elected officials. 

I received a call today from someone claiming to represent the Republican Party.  She asked if I thought of myself as a Republican, a Democrat, or an Independent.  Regardless of what party affiliation I may claim for an election, I usually think for myself and vote for the person or issue I feel is the best.  That makes me an Independent in terms of responding to the call.  As soon as the word came out of my mouth, the caller hung up.  (Not a bad thing, anyway.  I'll have to remember that trick for the future.)

Group think is a concept that began being used in the 1960s and 1970s.  Media coverage can help polarize ideas and encourage group think.  Another factor that seems to influence the process is bias towards or against the person or party promoting an idea, rather than using a filter of common sense to look at the idea itself.

Creating Conditions for Quality and Value

There have been years of debates about “nature vs. nurture” with numerous points of view. To put this age-old debate into modern terms, each of us has gifts and talents which can come forward to be shared to benefit others with environmental conditions are right for the sharing of those gifts. Most of us have experienced frustration when we had something we thought was valuable to be shared and the environmental conditions either made the sharing less than effective or stopped it completely.

Teachers often have great lesson plans that never seem to be fulfilled because of the environmental influences of the school and the students and the teacher when he or she attempts to implement these lesson plans.
In business, a thought leader will have a wonderful idea for the organization—only to find that the environmental factors influencing the organization diminish or negate the value of the idea.

The phrase “an idea whose time has come” evokes a sense of enthusiasm and excitement over something new that is about to unfold. Often ideas come at times when they cannot be effectively implemented. When times change and become more favorable, those ideas are frequently no longer available.

Leaders need to be aware of this challenge and to go about creating conditions for quality and value--finding the talents and valuable contributions that can come from others and molding the environment to be supportive of the sharing.

We also need to look for environments where we can bring forward these same talents and valuable contributions. It is a rare organization that creates this type of environment on an ongoing basis that can accommodate the range of diverse talents and values of the people working with it.

Cubic Zirconias or Diamonds? What is the difference?

What is the difference between cubic zirconias and diamonds? While both look much alike, there are some subtle differences in appearance and hardness and some profound. One of the most profound differences is that cubic zirconias act as thermal insulators where as diamonds are among the most efficient thermal conductors.

Cubic zirconias are manufactured and are relatively low cost.  Diamonds are created over thousands of years in a natural process and are valued more highly.

While some people have a brilliant appearance, they, too, may act more like cubic zirconias or diamonds.  What is real and what is just for appearance?  These are challenges in the business world, in politics, and in the academic world.

Keeping in mind the difference between being a thermal insulator and a thermal conductor, some people seem to stop the flow of ideas and energy (acting as insulators) while others almost seem to be a catalyst that can speed them along and guide them (acting as conductors).

We may all have elements that act like cubic zirconias and others that act like diamonds.  We need to keep choosing to be conductors rather than insulators more of the time.

Finding Who Cares--An Idea Crucial for Change

“Finding who cares” is critical to making change happen. Caring motivates individuals and organizations to move through the awareness—acceptance—action phases of preparing for change (slides 8 and 9). More than that, caring can motivate individuals to move beyond “paradigm paralysis”—a locking in to a comfort zone of the old paradigm when a paradigm shift is beginning to happen. (Similar to the idea that “the sun revolves around the earth” rather than that “the earth revolves around the sun.” –The paradigm shift attributed to Copernicus.)

The USA economy of 2009 shows elements of both paradigm paralysis and an emerging paradigm shift. One way to see this in action is to look at the efforts of Team Earth. Team Earth created a new website today to encourage others to join with them (in the process of awareness—acceptance—and action) to preserve Planet Earth. Two other interconnected concepts relate to what is happening around us today.

Stephen Covey, in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, introduced the idea of “circle of concern.” The outermost circle is a broad circle of concern—the edge of awareness of the individual owning the circles. Inside the broad circle is a person’s circle of influence—an area where actions on the part of the individual can have an effect, direct or indirect. Inside the circle of influence is the circle of control—a much smaller circle where decisions and actions by the individual are largely under the control of the individual. When a person moves through awareness—acceptance—and action, most effective action takes place in the circle of control with less effective action in the circle of influence. The circle of concern is at a limit of awareness without consequence on the other two circles.

“What’s In It for Me (WIIFM)?” is second interconnected concept that is in play in today’s challenges for caring and change. True caring, accompanied by progress through the awareness—acceptance—action phases, (Slides 8 and 9) helps an individual make the personal decision and take the personal action that moves him or her beyond the limits of his or her comfort zone.

In schools, students who consistently read below-grade level frequently respond by engaging in off-task behavior, actively intervening to avoid difficult or unpleasant work. They are often successful, with the result that they do not learn what they need to learn in the classroom. In business, upper-level decision makers may not fully support a vision for change held by a few executives. In their resistance, they can actively sabotage the efforts toward change initiated by the senior executives. While successfully maintaining the “status quo” and their comfort zones, it may lead to the dissolution of the business. Some of these actions were part of the “melt-down” of the economy in the USA. Some executives whose comfort zones (and life styles) dictated that they needed high salaries regardless of the financial performance of their organizations worked to continue their executive pay-outs even when the organizations were bailed out by taxpayer dollars. Some organizations said that the money paid to executives came from the organization and that the federal dollars were used for other needs of the organization.

A few years ago Al Gore introduced a movie, An Inconvenient Truth, documenting the negative effects on Planet Earth caused by “global warming.” Evidence from observation—frequently in multimedia format accessed over the Internet—shows major changes on the planet. There is still debate regarding the cause. Whether or not global warming is the cause of what is happening to the planet, major changes are taking place on a daily basis. The feature story of National Geographic’s August, 2009, issue was on the super volcano located below Yellowstone National Park.

Team Earth and National Geographic are both looking for concerned individuals and organizations to care enough about Planet Earth to lobby for change—and to take other action. We all know how hard it is to make a personal change—such as moving to an ideal weight, becoming smoke-free, reading successfully, speaking another language fluently, engaging regularly in healthy exercise.

Actions to improve healthy lifestyle bring the focus to the health care system in the USA. Regardless of the changes proposed by President Barack Obama, many people and organizations are lobbying strongly for their personal WIIFM. The public at large needs affordable, comprehensive healthcare--that's a WIIFM for the public. How to meld an entire nation into a shared vision for positive change is a challenge for the Obama administration and for all U.S. citizens.

The American Red Cross is an organization that is part of a world-wide movement of people who care.  Caring can take many forms--from donations to volunteer service to the community and to the world community.

“Finding who cares” is an important pursuit. Our “wisdom models” need to be people who care. If we want to make a positive change in our lives, we need to care enough to make it happen. If we want to make a positive change in our families, our family needs to care enough to make it happen. If we want to make a positive change in our organizations, sufficient levels and numbers of people in the organization need to care enough to share the vision and to bring the change about. How do we know when we’ve found people who care?

That will be the subject of another post. It is important to keep asking ourselves that question. Perhaps one of the characteristics will be that what they care about will be reflected in their answer to WIIFM and not be limited to themselves.

Perspective--One of the Values of Experience

Perspective, in the context of wisdom, can come from having multiple and varied experiences and learning from them.  One of the values to be gained from experience is the perspective one develops over time.  Some people seem to have the same experience repeated for many years.  Others have multiple experiences throughout the same number of years.

When someone faces a challenge, finding someone who can share some perspective on the situation can be invaluable.  This is one of the benefits of working with a "wisdom model" (see an earlier post).

Peter Senge, in his work with the Fifth Discipline, refers to "systems thinking."  One way to look at systems thinking is to imagine a pebble in a pond and at all the things the ripples will touch.  What connects to what other thing?  Many times the changes being considered in response to a perceived challenge will produce consequences.  Part of systems thinking is to explore the potential consequences and to refine the decision to minimize negative consequences.  This is another of the benefits perspective can bring to a situation.

How do we find someone with that perspective and wisdom.  A first thing to do is to look for him or her.

"What's in it for me (WIIFM)?"--Theme song of education and business

"What's in it for me (WIIFM)?" is a theme of adult learning that also permeates K-12 education, business-to-business relationships, and business-to-consumer (and consumer-to-business) relationships.

Educators need to address the WIIFM concerns to get students ready to learn.  Business-to-business (B2B) sales must address those concerns as must business-to-consumer (B2C) sales.  President Obama faces these concerns in issues over health care (and everything else he is proposing.)  Members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives must address those issues for themselves and for their constituents (voters) in the votes they take "on the hill."

Is that so bad?  Abraham Maslow documented his "hierarchy of needs" (see slide 5) and talked about moving from survival to belonging to recognition to self-esteem to self-actualization.  WIIFM deals with levels one through four on this hierarchy.  Self-actualized people are seen as more altruistic--looking to add value to others.  We certainly need more people operating at these higher levels when the lower levels are met.

At the same time, when we want others to to connect with us or to become involved with us, we need to address the WIIFM concerns so that our target audience will find reasons to engage with us.  Our messages need to take these concerns into account.

Surfing Waves of Change

Moving from "paradigm paralysis" to "paradigm shift" is not easy.  Rather than resisting change (paradigm paralysis), it is more fun to embrace change (the paradigm shift).  Surfing conveys the image of embracing powerful currents and learning to move with them.

The economy in the USA is undergoing a variety of transformations.  People looking for work need to stay abreast of the technology being used to manage employment.  When someone completes an online application for work, it is good to recheck it a few weeks later to see if the software has changed.  Updates may mean the difference between being hired and being passed over for that employment.

Beyond the relatively simple challenge of using software to complete applications, the jobs themselves are changing.  More changes are on the way.  Research on education has indicated that many students in K-12 schools are reading below grade-level and that the trend is both continuing and growing.  Since 1995, millions of dollars have been invested and thousands of interventions have been implemented to change these outcomes and the outcomes are still with us. (For more information visit http://joelmonty.wikispaces.com/research.)

Jobs themselves are changing and many of the people who are unemployed are becoming underemployed because funds are not available--and jobs are not available at the moment--comparable to the jobs they have left.

Surfing is a skill that needs to be learned.  Surfing waves of change requires a variety of skills to understand the changes taking place and to take charge of what we can control in order to surf these powerful waves.

Wisdom Models--Finding Them and Using Them

A "wisdom model" can be thought of as someone or some organization who can act as a mentor for one or more people.  "Model" in this sense refers to examples of human behavior to be copied.  "Wisdom" refers to the recognized ability to organize learning, experience, insight, and other relevant inputs in order to make appropriate and effective decisions regarding behavior and values.  In short, a "wisdom model" is someone we choose to guide us in our learning and behavior for as long as we make that choice.

For infants, their wisdom models come from their environment--their immediate family or others who they interact with throughout their early life.  Much of the influence of these models is unconscious.  Unfortunately, infants may not be able to distinguish between positive and negative models in this stage of development.  The history of many abusers shows that they, themselves, were abused at an early age.

Children often choose teachers as wisdom models when they reach school.  As they become more independent, they may come to recognize some teachers as either positive or negative models.  Teenagers, as part of their growing development to make their own choices, may shift their focus of wisdom models to people expressing behaviors not endorsed by the mainstream--for example, "gangbangers" and "gangbanger-wannabe's" in grades six through twelve.

When we leave school we may move through a variety of wisdom models.  On a personal note, I have held some wisdom models in high esteem, then found that I did not want to do what they were successful at and I needed to change wisdom models to another that was more appropriate for me.

At certain stages in our lives, we can serve as wisdom models for our children and our friends and colleagues.  There may be an element that one person has that is worthwhile to copy.  Hopefully we become more descriminating as we move through our own stages of development.

Priorities in life will also impact who we choose as a wisdom model.  Adults at an early stage in their working life (which may involve multiple careers) may embrace work behaviors that include overbalancing their lives in favor of work.  At a later stage, they may want to move to a more evenly balanced lifestyle or even place more priority on family rather than earning and work.

Authors of many self-help books also serve as wisdom models--at least for their specific expertise if it is something we want to copy or to use.  More and more self-help books are being published daily--via the Internet as well as in paper and audio form.  We have a wide choice of wisdom models and may work with an abundance of them at any one time.

As we develop our own wisdom and expertise in working with wisdom models, we need to pay careful attention to the process we use to find them and then what we do with the examples and wisdom they provide.  How we use our wisdom models is important to our daily life experience.  Sometimes we may have them, then ignore their wisdom and exampleship.

Some key questions to ask ourselves:
Are we doing what we want to be doing in our lifes?  Who is (are) our wisdom model for our life right now?  How are we using the wisdom the model provides to our best advantage?

How do we communicate value in a way that invites trust and openness?

The media is communicating that "our economy is coming back."  At the same time there is still double-digit unemployment.  The percent of growth of consumer buying (especially in the "back to school" season) was very low and was still growth.

As we invite others to collaborate and share value, we are challenged in choosing the most effective ways to build trust and openness with these people.  This can be even more challenging for business leaders in that many do not want anyone else to be aware that they could use some outside help.  (Actually, we all can--at least to gain more perspective and wisdom on the issues we are dealing with.)

Digital portfolios may be one way to build a bridge to communication.  Two of these digital portfolios are available at the website the title is connected to.  Even so, people need to go beyond the digital portfolios to begin to find the value that may be present in working with the professional offering the portfolios. 

This is a topic for discussion.  Blogs also serve as ways to get people more engaged with us and can lead to an increase of both openness and trust. 

Let's see what's next.

Talent--Encouraging, Liberating, Mining, Developing, Managing, Guiding, Leading

"Chief of Staff, Talent and Human Capital Services"--"Talent," a new buzz-word for Human Resources?  Human Capital--the human assets of an organization.  In much of the world today the public is entranced by the concept of talent.  "The American Idol," "Dancing with the Stars," and many other programs around the world emphasize the discovery and promotion of talent. 

A few years ago we had such titles as "Chief Knowledge Officer" and "Chief Learning Officer" as senior executive positions in larger organizations.  Today, the Chief of Staff, Talent and Human Capital Services position commands a $100K+ salary (source: HRLadders.com).  Candidates for this position, must have prior experience in at least one of the following human resources related areas: Recruiting and talent acquisition; Staffing and talent management; Career guidance and counseling; or other human resources related experience.

What does this new terminology actually mean in terms of developing the people who either work for an organization or who are being considered for employment by an organization?  What talent is important in a job and how can it be "tapped," "released," "acquired," "managed," "taught," "developed?"

Does the "new" terminology reflect a significant change in the way people are valued by the organization?  In this age of layoffs and challenging economic conditions, there seems to be a disconnect between the vocabulary of these positions and the actual experience of the people employed (or seeking employment) in the companies who have officials with these titles.

What is your experience?

Public or Private? Which Makes Most Sense?

In creating some MP4 videos using TechSmith's Camtasia software, I decided to post some publically on YouTube--with back-ups on TeacherTube in case of firewall problems with YouTube. 

It is a real question--whether or not to give the public access to some of the information we may want to share with others.  How many others?  For what purpose?

One of my videos is of a presentation I made called Using Audio Books to Improve Reading and Academic Performance.  That's the video I was working on yesterday.  It's up today on my website at http://www.joelmonty.net/education/education.htm.  (My computer may have been multitasking while I was making the video, so I'll have to double check to make sure that the audio is well synchronized with the video throughout.)  I may try to put that video on TeacherTube later because I want as many teachers to access the presentation as possible.  The information is important.

That's a major key for me to keep in mind.  Who do I want to have access to material I make available and why?  What do I need to do to preserve my privacy and copyright on the materials I share?  Both of these are decisions to be made on a daily basis.

I have another research paper recently published that I need to turn into a presentation.  It is about working with "reluctant" English language learners (ELLs) and encouraging them to produce higher quality in the classroom.  I'd like for that to be a video on TeacherTube as well.

It's amazing how many hours are required to keep these things going and available for others to make use of.

Keeping Current with Communication Technology--Challenging

My friend converted a Microsoft PowerPoint Show from his 2007 Microsoft Office software to a You Tube video using TechSmith's "Camtasia Studio" software.  He had voice over and the You Tube video looks great.

I've been working all day to get a narrated presentation converted from Adobe Presenter or Microsoft PowerPoint to be copied and played effectively using Camtasia or Apple's QuickTime and Microsoft MovieMaker.

After more than a half-day of working at it, I have nothing more than partially completed draft projects.  The challenge at the moment is the audio.  (I have recorded it a few times and want to use what I already have in place rather than recording it again.)

I'll master this soon--and the practice has given me great ideas for the kinds of digital movies I want to create for clients and students.  TechSmith's trial software is full-featured during the 30-day trial period.  That should give me time to understand its value before I invest in the full package.

I had feedback from TechSmith--creators of Camtasia--with a "work around" for the sound.  (Just use a cable with two 3.5mm male connectors between the headphones and the microphone jack, then adjust the playback on the computer and the "mic" on Camtasia to make sure the signal is "mostly green.")

I tried it and have three videos up and running.  I've put two up on YouTube and on TeacherTube (for those who cannot access YouTube from school.)  Go to my web page at http://www.joelmonty.net/profile/profile.htm for links to all of these.

Keeping Current with Technology Changes--Challenges to Communication

Creating web sites to share information becomes a challenge when the software used to post the information changes without notice.  For example, I used Adobe Presenter to share a presentation on my website in May and the software has changed (improved).  The old presentation no longer worked and I needed to recreate it and to post a revised copy on the website--done today (http://www.joelmonty.net/information_links/information_links.htm).

We need to keep revisiting what we have created to make sure that it is still accessible, especially as people are using a variety of web browsers.  As I begin to build more and more presentations, webinars, podcasts, and teleconferences, I will be using all sorts of new technology to make these accessible to as many people as possible.

It is always a challenge to keep things current and active, both in terms of content and in terms of the technology used to access the content.  Books were recorded and became audiobooks.  Audiobooks have been digitized and become eAudiobooks available for download.  Along the way the players and the software keep changing--much more rapidly that the transition of home-based audio from vinyl record to  cassette tape and CD to digital fines available on MP3 players, iPods, computers, etc.

Another dimension is to keep the content interesting with interesting graphics.  "Black and white" are boring.  Oops, I'll have to change the format of this blog pretty soon.

Reflections--My Life since September 11, 2001

September 11, 2001--The events of the day were a wake-up call for me that has had profound impact on my life.  That morning I went to a water aerobics class at the wellness center associated with my local hospital.  As I came out of the shower I saw the news broadcast of a plane flying into the Twin Towers in New York.  Our first thought was that it must have been an awful accident.  In just a few minutes, the second plane hit and it became clear that it was no accident.  The day progressed in slow motion.  I was due for an annual physical at my doctor's office later in the morning and was there when I heard about the atack on the Pentagon.  While in the doctor's office, I was advised that I needed a biopsy because I had an elevated PSA level in my routine bloodwork.  The biopsy revealed that I had prostate cancer in six of the twelve cores they tested.

Attacks from without and from within--this was truly a wake-up call for me.  A few days later (once the flight ban had been lifted) I flew to New York City for a second opinion about my condition.  I decided to have my prostate completely removed and, once I was cancer free, I also decided that it was time for me to make a difference for K-12 students.  I delayed my surgery only long enough to freeze some sperm at the University of Illinois at Chicago sperm bank, then had my surgery in November.  It was completely successful. 

When I had recovered I went to the local Regional Office of Education in Kane County, Illinois (where I live) and offered my services.  I had a doctorate in education, though it was for teaching adults rather than children.  I was advised that, because I had a doctorate, I must also have a bachelors--the degree required to be a substitute teacher.  I mentioned that I also spoke Spanish and was advised that, if I could pass the Target Language Proficiency exam for Spanish, I could get a provisional bilingual teaching certificate (a T-29 certificate) which would allow me to be a full-time teacher of English language learners (ELLs) for six years--with a possible extension of two more years while I worked on getting my credentials to teach children.

I substitute taught until I could take and pass the Target Language Proficiency exam in Spanish.  My passing scores came back in November, 2002, and in December, 2002, I was invited to be a mid-year replacement bilingual (Spanish) teacher at Larkin High School in Elgin (school district U-46).  I began my teaching there and have since then earned a post-doctoral Master of Arts in Teaching and have earned Illinois certification to teach children from Kindergarden through ninth grade (K-9) (an Elementary Teaching Certificate with endorsements to teach in middle school in the areas of language arts and social studies.  Last summer I completed five three-graduate-hour courses at the University of Phoenix Online to add to some coursework completed with my doctorate degree.  At the conclusion of those courses the state of Illinois gave me approval as a bilingual (Spanish) teacher and as a teacher of English as a second language.  I am now fully certified to teach in Illinois through ninth grade.

Beginning at Larkin High School, I have now taught in two high schools, an elementary school, and two middle schools.  I am still cancer-free and, in the six years I have been teaching, it has become a high priority to be available to spend quality time each day with my now 94-year-old mother who lives nearby.

Visit the profile page on my website to access a multimedia version of my digital portfolio for education.  For a copy of the digital portfolio without narration, visit http://joelmonty.wikispaces.com/ and scroll down to the digital portfolio for education link.

On September 11, 2009, I am still cancer free.  I have learned much from my years of teaching English language learners (ELLs) and have built what I have learned into the framework I offer to schools and businesses.  Visit my business-related digital portfolio on the same pages listed above for the education version of the profile.

Network Marketing--Hype, Hope . . . Sometimes a little of both

For me, the terms "Network Marketing" bring lots of reflection on my experience.  While this type of business can most certainly be a legitimate enterprise offering value to customers/consumers and to the people who participate in the business, it can also be a scamming technique intending to overcharge, provide something of little value for high costs, and "rip-off" the last group of people investing in the scheme.

Another word for network marketing is "multilevel marketing."  In general, it means that you recruit people into one or more "legs" or "downlines" and receive commissions on what your downlines produce to whatever limit is set by the business model.  Some business models are legitimate and some are not.  Often the Attorneys General of states get involved to decide which models are legitimate.  Some (like Amway/QuickStar) have passed these tests over time.  Others fall by the wayside.

One "test" for legitimacy is that there has to be a product or service being sold--the "membership" in the business cannot be the only thing someone pays for.

I have been involved with perhaps 20 network marketing programs over the years.  One of my first was Amway--a legitimate business which has evolved into QuickStar and which has been around for years.  Since then I have explored businesses with a focus on training, health care, insurance and investments, and many more.

Robert Allen will be releasing a new book (sure to be a best seller) in about two months, telling how to use Network Marketing to build a solid source of passive, residual income.  (I received an e-mail today from Robert advising me about a webinar he will hold on the subject on Friday, 9/11.)  Check Robert Allen out on Amazon.com to see when his next book will be available.)

Years ago the information was published that more people become millionaires through direct marketing (of which most Network Marketing programs form a part) than through any other source of revenue generation.

I am interested in the concept, providing that the business is legitimate, the products or services have value and are offered at a value to the public, whether or not the public chooses to participate in the business part of the program.  Better programs do not require a heavy initial investment, nor do they require someone to purchase a lot of inventory or to make a certain amount (dollar or quantity) of "sales."

I remember that it is important to keep asking questions and not to make any logical "jumps" (into the fire).  The saying about "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't" is good advice when considering a network marketing opportunity.

I heard about a network marketing opportunity today that sounds very interesting.  I certainly need to check it out fully before I decide if it's "right" for me.  Many are excellent and just not something I have the time and passion to be involved in.

Gradual income based on growth and sales will probably be one indicator of a company not set on scamming the consumer.  A most significant requirement is the value of the product or service being provided--and its cost.  This is certainly a time when people would like to bring in more income and a time when "money-making" scams abound.

Robert's book, like his others, will have lots of great tips about Network Marketing.  I look forward to reading it.  While I'm waiting, I just purchased a book by Ray H. Duncan from Amazon.com called the MLM Binary PlanThe MLM Binary PlanThe MLM Binary Plan. 

I had a birthday yesterday and building steady streams of legal, residual income is certainly a priority for me at this stage in my life.  I'm looking forward to learning more about the state of network marketing today.

Digital Portfolios--A Better Way to Communicate?

Earlier posts talked about the challenge of resumes in today's multimedia environment.  A digital portfolio with voice-over capability seems to be a more engaging alternative--possibly backed-up with more traditional documentation.

SlideShare.net houses a variety of Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, including a few digital resumes.  The digital portfolio combines graphics and words to communicate ideas in a more concentrated form.  When someone wants more details, they can follow-up using links contained in the digital portfolios.

Take a look at my digital portfolio for business and at my digital portfolio for education.  (The Safari web browser doesn't want to open Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) files in the browser.  The link works with both Internet Explorer and Firefox.)   To see the entire site, go to http://joelmonty.wikispaces.com/.

The digital portfolios with voice-over are shared in Adobe Presenter and can be found on my website following this link.

What I do best---Reprise

Throughout this blog, I have mentioned what I do best in several posts.  Today I've been thinking about that.

What do I do best?  I make a positive difference in the world by helping people and organizations learn to  change to improve their quality of (business) life now and for the future.

I've been doing that since I began working 40+ years ago.

I do the work wherever I am in whatever job I take on--independently or for others.  It is an essential part of who I am and, over time, I have come to recognize it--as do the people who know me and who work with me.

I am very good at assimilating what is going on in context and channeling that context in ways that follow research-based best practices to come up with what needs to be learned to change to produce the improvements.  The good news for me is that I have learned to do that with children, adults, and organizations.  I've also learned to do it across cultures and languages.

In the course of doing what I do best, I have worked with people in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.  That's good because I enjoy meeting new people and cultures and practicing new languages.  I've provided these services in English, Spanish, Italian, and French and have picked-up some conversational fluency in other languages along the way if I've stayed in the country long enough.

I've worked for the federal government in the USA and Canada, public and private businesses, colleges and universities, K-12 school districts, and have owned my own businesses along the way.  I've worked with more than 100 organizations and more than 16 different industries and with thousands of people--children and adults.

I've grown and learned quite a bit along the way and enjoy sharing what I have learned and continue to learn with the people I work with day to day.

My challenge now is to tell this story in a multimedia format--probably starting with MicrosoftPowerPoint and moving on from there.  If you want to help, please let me know.

"Getting Help in Opening Doors to Change"--How do we do that today with the resources we know?

Most mornings I go to the grounds of my local hospital and do water aerobics at a "wellness" center.  Many of these mornings I engage in informal conversations with one or two colleagues concerning business--past, present, and future.  We have even more time for these conversations on Sunday mornings when we get together.

This has been a great way for me to get lots of new ideas--even today--and keeps me getting some valuable exercise the first thing every morning.

Yesterday's conversation was about informal advisory groups for CEOs.  Some of these are more formal--boards of directors.  Others can be as informal as membership in a discussion group (or a virtual think-tank).

The challenge is the same--some people have lots of expertise and experience to share.  Some CEOs could really benefit from that expertise and experience.  How can the two groups get together?

Beyond that, the people with expertise and experience still need income--though probably not as much as they used to get while they were acquiring their expertise and experience.  CEOs who could use the help may have limited funds (especially in today's economy) to pay for outside consultants or for a high-price-tag membership in an advisory group service.

Some Inner Dialogue
"If we do today what we did yesterday, we'll get more of the same results." (In today's economy, we may even get fewer results or lower quality results.)  What do we need to change?  What do we need to change to?  How can anyone else know my business?  How can I trust anyone to share that I don't know how to handle a challenge my business faces?

"What do I do best?"--I make a positive difference in the world by helping people and organizations learn to  change to improve their quality of (business) life now and for the future.  How can I open doors to be able to do this for more people and organizations?

In the course of my 40+ years of work, I have come across professional consulting groups where CEOs of moderate-sized companies pay a monthly fee and meet with other CEOs and a consultant on a monthly basis and other consulting firms who send in a business analysis to probe the needs of the company, then follow-up consultants to address the specific needs the company decides to work on.  These firms usually work with small to mid-sized companies.  The global consulting firms I have worked with normally have global clients and multimillion dollar consulting contracts.  Many of these have to do with implementing new information technology throughout the company, though some are smaller and focus on business processes and strategy improvement.  While executive teams make the "buying decision" for consultants and set overall direction, most work is supervised by upper management.  The large firms have a few seasoned professionals guiding teams of gifted and less experienced professionals who actually do the work for the client.

All of these models work, though, in today's society. We need something more or different.  Many companies--due to reduced income from multiple sources--are pushing out senior people and replacing them with more people with less experience that command lower salaries and have more room to grow with the company.  Requirements for specialized skills in the latest software are also influencing requirements for both consultants and employees.

Ultimately, the CEOs of the small to mid-sized companies still face the same challenges and have even fewer resources to find new and innovative solutions.  Most are faced with the problem that "It's hard to remember when you're up to your waist in alligators that your goal was to drain the swamp."

Back to my original question today, how can I get help to do what I do best by working with the resources I know today?  If anyone has any thoughts, please post a comment or contact me through my Wiki Projects page.

Careers in the 24th Century--Support Tools and Reality Checks

In this 21st Century, research has indicated that people can expect to change careers 12 times and have many more jobs.  Some of the same literature talks about the fact that jobs have not even been thought of yet while thousands are finishing bachelors and masters degrees to prepare them for jobs that are already obsolete.  Shift Happens 2008 (Did You Know 2?) is an eye-opening sequel to Shift Happens (Did You Know) first released in 2007.

Not only are traditional job search and recruiting tools obsolete, so, too are many of the career preparation tools.  One tool that I found useful in working with students in middle and high school is http://www.careercruising.com/.  If you are interested to see what I did with it, visit the Footprints Project page of my wiki space for middle schools.

I completed the career skills questionnaire my students would be expected to complete (117 career-skill-related questions) and Career Cruising came up with a list of 40 careers (jobs) my choices matched to.  I was doing this to test the validity of the software as a tool and was impressed that, of the 40 choices, in the course of my career I have worked in 14 of the jobs listed--and still I have always done the same thing (in a wide variety of ways).

What I do--I make a positive difference in the world by helping individuals and organizations learn to change to improve their quality of (business) life now and for the future.

It's amazing to me that I've done that in 14 jobs already, and sometimes more than once in any given job.  What's even more amazing is that I haven't had more employers in the course of 40+ years of working.
Reality Check:  The order of careers was based on my preferences and I was amazed by how my experience in these careers was reflected in the questionnaire.

Change is Upon Us

When I went back to graduate school in 1985, I wanted to get a doctorate that would let me work with adults and organizations who needed to learn how to change. My doctorate (which I completed in 1992) did prepare me to help adults and organizations learn to change and my post-doctoral Master of Arts in Teaching (completed in 2008) prepared me to extend this service to children as well. 

I invested about $200,000 in my doctorate degree in terms of tuition, books, and loss of income while a full-time students.  Much of what I learned was timeless.  I know this because in my dissertation research I tracked the origins of reflection on learning concepts to the time of Confucius--about 300BC. (For a full-text copy of the dissertation [ATT9229831] visit this link.)

Since earning my doctorate, I have worked with thousands of people and more than 60 organizations in helping each learn how to improve their quality of life.  My investment was worth every penny. 

My goal now is to find ways to share what I do with more people.  Can you help?  If so, contact me through my Wiki Project page.

Performance and Change Management Consulting for "Big 8-6-5-4" Firms

When I left the U.S. Army after a 10-year career, I was not aware of the "Big 8" Accounting and Consulting firms until I joined one as a Management Consultant in Los Angeles.  Coopers and Lybrand (now part of PriceWaterhouseCoopers) was one of the big firms and I was a management consultant in their Litigation Management practice.

I have been a professional performance and change management consultant for 40+ years.  I began learning how to do what I do so well as a volunteer instructor for the American Red Cross then built skills while on duty as an officer in the U.S. Army.  I continued this practice as a management consultant for my own and for other consulting firms until I went back to earn a doctorate degree to work with even more people and organizations.  After earning my doctorate, I worked again for a "Big 6" Consulting Firm--Andersen World Wide and Andersen Consulting (now Accenture).  Times had changed and I was able to utilize what I had learned in my doctorate degree while working with Andersen Consulting. 

I left Andersen Consulting in 1998 to join another consulting firm as a senior business consultant in change management.

Today there are only four or five major consulting firms like the ones I used to belong to.  Times are changing and one of the real challenges is that client needs are changing, too.

Large consulting firms have large staffs and command high fees.  Large corporations can afford those fees.  Small to mid-sized organizations cannot.  Who takes care of their needs?

There are a few consulting firms that target small to mid-sized businesses.  Beyond that there are lots of individual consultants offering a variety of services.  Unfortunately, the need for service greatly exceeds the availability of consultants.

One person can make a big difference by working at top-levels in a small organization.  That is a tremendous "value added benefit" to small to mid-sized companies seeking out the right consultants at the right time.

Teaching--Student Loans--Forgiveness for Teaching Service

President Barack Obama has generated a call to service in many sectors.  The federal government has had a program in place to "forgive" or "cancel" some or all of student loans taken out by techers if they work for a pre-set number of years in "at-risk" schools.

While this is an excellent way to build a cadre of qualified teachers working in "at-risk" schools to help students learn, it is of vital importance to these teachers, especially teachers who have entered teaching as a second (or later) career and who had to go back to school for another advanced degree to meet state teaching requirements.

Part of my day today was invested in contacting school districts where I used to work and going to the Human Resources department to have them complete an employment verification for the time I was a full-time teacher in an "at-risk" school in their district.  When I have all the signatures from the school districts and other relevant signatures, I can send the entire package to the bank holding my student loan for their consideration for forgiveness.

I am applying for the elimination of $5,000 worth of debt in return for five years of full-time teaching in at-risk schools.  Had I taught special populations in these at-risk schools or extremely important subject matter, I could be eligible for $17,500 worth of debt cancellation.

Reducing my student loan debt by as much as $5,000 is certainly a great way to invest the day before Labor Day.  In one Human Resources department I found everyone still working this afternoon and now have one more form completed.  Next week I'll go to a different district for another signature on a form.

It's also fun to reconnect with former employers and to see who I know who's still working where I used to work--or of the changes that have taken place in the intervening years.

Connections--Staying Connected--Friendships--Colleagues--Names and e-mail

Earlier this summer I started upgrading my Yahoo Contact List (started in 2002),  using it to invite people to my LinkedIn Network.  (See an earlier post about this.)

I found out during this "exercise" that many of my e-mails on my old Yahoo Contact List were out of date.  I was able to reconnect with some friends and have lost touch with others.  Telephones and addresses often change more frequently than e-mails.

LinkedIn offered a new feature, putting some names on the upper right of the "home page" that may be someone I might know.  One of the names was of a friend I worked with closely in the years 1999 and 2000 and whom I haven't seen since.  I was delighted to find a new e-mail and quickly invited him to my "network."

The e-mail "bounced" (the same experience I had been having with my Yahoo Contact list e-mail for this friend).  I then did a "search" on LinkedIn for my friend and found that there are at least two or three people (six entries) with the same name.  Which of these is my friend?  I don't really know--the names are identical and there is a logical reason why either of two addresses could be the right ones.
When I joined Facebook this summer I found many of my more "Internet savy" family members on Facebook.  LinkedIn seems to be more for friends and professional colleagues.  They are still close and also have at least one foot in the "business" world.

I know that, while I regard my own name as unique, at one time there were 12 people with my name with accounts at a bank I was using in the Chicago area.  A Google search on my name reveals lots of people I don't know and may rarely show anything connected with me.  While I don't have my home address widely around on the Internet, the contact page on my website offers several good ways to contact me.

Friendships and connections are important--to all of us.  If someone I have lost touch with happens upon this post, please use the contact information and send me an e-mail.  We often work closely with business colleagues and build friendships--then move to different activities and different people as we change what we do and where we do it.  For example, many of the people I knew in Action Learning or consulting I lost touch with in my six years of K-12 teaching.  Some of the colleagues I met in one school district I may lose touch with when I change buildings or districts.

Long ago (and, for some, still today) Christmas card lists were important ways to stay in touch.  For more and more of us--including myself--e-mail is my first channel for communication, including for cards.  Telephones are next, followed by "snail mail."

Staying connected really does require some work--on everyone's part.  There was something about a person I came to regard as a colleague or a friend that is an essential part of that person and I wouldn't want to lose touch with that person or that essential part.  I have some friendships that seem as close as yesterday, even if there have been years between our face-to-face meetings.

I'd also like to be able to bring talents and resources of some friends and colleagues to new projects I may encounter.  Hopefully more current contact lists and e-mails will allow me to do that.

Freedom, Choice, Priorities, and Streams of Income

As we age, we have opportunities for multiple experiences.  My birthday is coming up this month, in fact, it's one week from today.  This has been a great time for reflection.  Part of my reflection has been about "freedom."  The freedom I am referring to is more than the freedom we enjoy as citizens of the USA.  That's wonderful in itself.  This freedom is about the possibility of making choices and priorities regarding quality of life now and in the future.

Robert Allen has written a series of books dealing with the importance of streams of income.  He talks about "money mountains" and that streams of money flow from these mountains.  If everyone has three or four of these mountains, then, if the stream slows or drys up from any one, enough money is still coming in from the other mountains.  The economy in the USA in 2009 shows the importance of many of these ideas. 

Some of these mountains include our employment (jobs, businesses, farms, what we do to earn income).  There are several investment mountains (stocks and bonds, residential and commercial real estate to name two).  The Internet is another mountain which can add a variety of income generating opportunities.  Another area of need is the concept of residual income.  Robert Allen suggests that network marketing may be one way to begin to generate residual income, though it is not always easy to find legitimate network marketing opportunities that someone wants to engage in.

Freedom comes when we can make the choices and priorities we want in our lives and have sufficient income to support them. 

Birthdays are good times to think about retirement.  I know I won't stop working.  I love what I do too much.  What I want to have the opportunity to do is to choose whom I will work with and to be able to make my fees reasonable and affordable so that I can work with more people and organizations.

An axiom in investment is that high rewards come from high risks.  In employment, high salaries usually are associated with high demands and expectations--and less freedom.  Often people choose to invest time and energy in high paying jobs today for a better quality of life tomorrow.

As I grow older, my tomorrows are today.  I want more freedom in my life and am willing to work for that.  The resididual income I have in place from work and experience done "yesterday" and my lifestyle choices today help me balance my freedom to choose what I'll be doing with my life in terms of income.

I need to keep working the "multiple streams of income" ideas to keep my future quality of life as good as it can be.  Health care insurance is important to creating this sense of freedom.  No matter how much reserve we accumulate, health care needs in our future can consume everything we have.  With a good balance of health care insurance as part of our daily quality of life choices, we can preserve our freedom and quality of life in our futures for a much longer time.

Health Care--Baby Boomers--American Recovery Reinvestment Act--COBRA--Medicare

As a baby boomer with an aging parent, health care, Medicare, and the American Recovery Reinvestment Act are all important to me in many ways.

My mother, now 94, has full Medicare coverage (she worked for 45 years and earned it)--both parts A and B.  She also has the AARP Medicare Supplement Insurance and Aetna as her Medicare D (pharmacy-plan) provider.  She's paying premiums for all of these insurance coverages and, after paying her doctors her 2009 deductible of $135, most of her medical bills are paid for.  The pharmacy bills are different.  Aetna offered a good plan--I've had to change providers every year since they started the Medicare D program).  Mom has been averaging about $165 out of pocket per month since January for her medicines.  We've switched all we can to generics.  Coming up soon (perhaps this month) she will go into the "hole in the donut" of the plan.  The initial coverage will have been used up and she will have to pay for her medicines until she reaches a "catastrophic level" of out of pocket expenses.  When I looked into this last December, this may amount to as much as $450 more per month for September, October, November, and December.
As a baby boomer, I can expect higher costs for health care as I age.

I can certainly see that we do need better systems in place to provide quality healthcare to everyone--without anyone being "ripped-off" in the process (by scamming people, doctors, medical facilities, etc.).  I have also experienced some of the health care providers submitting bills to Medicare, then billing my mother for the same fee.   I have to stay on top of things to make sure that legitimate bills are paid by the appropriate organization or insurance and to remember not to write a check for every bill I receive in the mail from a healthcare provider.

There is much emotion and drama being reported in the media about people and their concerns for health care.  My local congressman wants to have a telephone "town meeting" to talk about health care this evening. It's important!!  (See my post about CCRCs last week.)  Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia have forms of "socialized medicine" that include both public and private doctors.  Various ideas have been proposed in the USA as to what kind of coverage is needed.  Many Senators are advocating the health care package provided to Senators and members of the House of Representatives as the model for everyone.  I don't know what their coverage provides.

I have Aetna's EPO plan with a dental supplement.  I had a marginally effective vision plan and, since I have my eyes examined at Sam's Club and Costco and get my glasses there when I need new ones, the Sam's Club and Costco prices are not so high that I absolutely need a vision plan.  I do need annual check-ups from an internal medicine physician, a dentist (twice a year), and an eye doctor.  These are to keep me in good shape and to make sure I don't have major problems not being tended to in a timely manner.

Individually and for families, getting and affording good health care is essential.  Not having it can cause permanent damage to health, family cohesion, and even death.

Keep working, Congress, to get all of us the best possible health care coverage from now on.  (I'm worried about the ongoing viability of Medicare and Social Security as we baby boomers continue to age and there are fewer workers to contribute to these funds.  Having a workable alternative that will be good for the next generations is important, too.)