Income Taxes--New Economy--American Middle Class?

The "American Middle Class" usually pay their taxes.  Their donations are not high compared to income and much of the tax base used by the Federal government comes from funds paid by members of the American Middle Class.

Who has been laid off in the new economy?  President Barack Obama has spoken about generating new jobs, though those jobs seem focused at what is called the "lower middle class" (skilled craftsmen and craftswomen).  If income has fallen, there will not be as much income to pay taxes on and the income expected will not be showing up.

Turbo Tax Makes Filing Taxes in the USA Less Taxing

This is tax season in the USA--nearing the time to file Income Tax returns at the Federal and State levels.  I've been using Intuit's TurboTax for years and have found it to be an invaluable aid--assuring accuracy, offering Audit Defense, and asking me relevant tax questions, then providing expert help as needed.

I file taxes for Meta Corp (of NV) as well as personal income tax returns for myself and my mother.  I purchase the Business and Home and Business versions of TurboTax and it covers all of my needs, including the state taxes for filing personal income tax in Illinois.

In 2009 I started a new business, DrM-Resources.  In preparing my tax returns I had to look at the two businesses I am running and to identify the relevant business codes for each--making sure that both were not sharing the same code.  Joelmonty.net, my consulting business, uses business code 541600 (Management and Technical Consulting Services).  DrM-Resources, largely an Internet publishing and Educational Support Services business, uses business code 611000 (Education Services--Education Support Services). 

Both services are interrelated, though the codes distinguish particulars.  The good news is that Turbo Tax helps me keep everything straight--along with the other components of my taxes.  My mother, at age 95, has tax issues related to retirement income and medical expenses.  TurboTax comes through for us there as well.

Lessons Learned about Live and Virtual Events

Earlier this week, courtesy of VirtualU and Virtual Edge,  I was a virtual participant in the Virtual Edge 2010 Summit.  One of the presentations on the final day of the summit was Secrets Revealed from "Cisco Systems' Virtual Global Sales Meeting - GSX."  The presenter was Angie Smith, from Cisco Systems, had a very engaging presentation including an "after-action" video describing the event and its success.  In 2008 the Global Sales Meeting was live and the cost per person attending was about $4,500.  In 2009 the Global Sales Experience (GSX) was virtual and the cost per person attending was about $385--a 90% savings.

Ratings for the 2008 event regarding the venue (on a scale of 5.0 being the highest rating) were 4.5.  For 2009, the ratings dropped to 2.9 though people reported taking away the information they needed from the event.

The 2009 GSX event required participants to be at their computers for hours at a time and there was significant feedback to compress the time and to have more live interaction.  (Blended events with some interactive virtual components happening asynchronously--before the actual event--can really enhance the potential for learning and applying new skills.  If the event can be designed over a longer time, with both face time and virtual time planned for in "digestible chunks," the events may be more productive.)

One of the most exciting things about GSX 2009 was the "Threshold" alternate reality game based on a summer blockbuster video in 2009.  The game was developed for Cisco and was wildly popular with leader boards, etc.   (After 9/11/2001 I took time off from consulting to be a classroom teacher and worked with KidsCollege--a series of games that allowed students to earn points and be on leader boards by answering questions and playing virtual sports games.  Students were wildly engaged in that work as well.)

For 2010, the event is being planned as a hybrid event (a combination of Virtual with live interaction at regional locations).  In 2009 most of the presentations from key Cisco speakers were recorded--to insure against problems with live streaming.  Feedback from participants has Cisco planning to do presentations in streaming mode in 2010.

Cisco has learned to emphasize what virtual can do and plans to merge both live and virtual to get the best of both.  Sales meetings are traditionally for recognizing high performers and motivating sales for the next year--as well as introducing changes and innovations in the organization.  Learning and training have not been a primary focus.

Planners for the 2010 GSX expect to have a "play book" for regional managers to use when convening the groups of people in their conference rooms to view the virtual events and a budget people can use locally to go to local restaurants, etc. for "motivating recognition dinners."

How this information helped me:

In earlier posts, I reported on ELACOMM98--a live, "hands-on learning" event I designed, developed, and delivered for 200 communications executives affiliated with a global consulting firm.  I had the role of learning architect/project manager for the event.  This was the second year I had replaced a Sales Meeting with a Learning Event for communications executives.  (The first year was in 1997 at an event also held in Cannes, France.)

Cisco's event was larger and was a "Sales Meeting" rather than a learning event.  At the same time, many of the challenges and goals and strategies were similar for the two events--with added insight from the virtual components.

As I begin planning Virtual Learning Events, I can take much of what I learned from designing, developing, and delivering the live events and add what has been learned from running Cisco's virtual experience.

Gaming is important and I need to learn much more about setting up an authentic, multilevel, alternative reality game that allows participants (learners) to apply what they are learning at the event to be more successful in the game--thereby making engagement with learning a key to successful performance in the game.

In designing learning events (live, virtual, hybrid, and blended), I have developed a strategy to follow that works well.

Information Retrieval in a "Green Economy"--Paper or Digital Data or Both?

I'm still working on taxes and, as usual, am finding more success looking for information I have stored on my computer than paper files that I have stored in containers.  Some paper is missing and I went online to the providers of the paper, only to find that the Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) versions of the missing files are not available online.  Instead they are mailing me paper copies.  Because their computer gave me some initial information, I was able to go to my own data files (a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet) and confirm the data I needed.

For many years I have found it easier to find and retrieve essential information stored digitally on the computer--with supporting external hard drives--than dealing with paper.  Google Desktop, a free program from Google, has made my life much easier by indexing all of my drives and external hard drives.  I can institute a Google Search of that Desktop Index and it displays the location of the files and, sometimes, a temporary copy of the file.  If I have rearranged or deleted the file in the mean time, it cannot help me.

While I realize that it is sometimes important to retain paper copies of things (tax returns for example), I also know that I can retrieve and share information much more effectively and quickly working with digital data files.

TurboTax, by Intuit, prints a .pdf version of my tax return that I keep on my computer.  It also keeps a version in TurboTax and allows me to submit my tax returns by e-filing directly to the state and federal government.

Reading Books on-screen)-Kindle for PC and Kindle for iPhone and iPod Touch

Yesterday I was attending the Virtual Edge Summit 2010 as a virtual participant using the Virtual Beginnings VirtualU 3D software.  Byron Reeves, one of the keynote speakers, mentioned a book he had co-authored--Total Engagement.

In the summer of 2008, I took five graduate courses from the University of Phoenix Online to qualify for some Illinois state approvals for my teaching certificate.  While working on those graduate courses, I became comfortable reading books on-screen.  All of the articles and textbooks used in these courses were available from the University of Phoenix library or other sources as downloads.  I worked with Adobe Acrobat Pro to highlight and to make annotations to all of the on-screen reading material.

Of course I went to Amazon.com to look for the book and found that it was available in a Kindle edition--for a better price than the hard cover edition.  I remembered my experiences with the reading for the University of Phoenix and looked to see if Kindle was available for the PC.  Amazon has a Kindle App for the PC and, via Apple's iTunes App Store, a Kindle App for the iPhone and iPod Touch.  (Amazon is building a Kindle App for the Mac.)  These Apps are free.  Once the Apps and the machines are registered with Amazon.com, customers can purchase the Kindle editions.  Even better, once the Kindle edition has been purchased, it can be read on both the iPhone/iPod Touch and the PC.  Amazon has built-in some annotation software so that I can make the same kinds of annotations I did using Adobe Acrobat Pro.

I downloaded and registered the Apps and purchased and downloaded the Kindle version of Total Engagement.  I started reading it on my iPod Touch last night.

The Apple iPad is coming and I did some research last year on eBook readers--Kindle, Sony, and BeBook,  a European competitor.  I was horrified to hear about the price of a data package for the iPad being marketed by AT&T.  I enjoy my iPod Touch and could see the iPad as an easier-to-read extension of the iPod Touch.  I don't pay AT&T anything directly for the iPod Touch--it's covered in my AT&T bundle of services for my home computer and mobile devices.

I am delighted to be able to read Kindle books on both my iPod Touch and PC.  I am already working with eAudiobooks from Audible.com (an Amazon company) and from the public library (using NetLibrary).  It's nice to add a new resource for the information I am looking for.

Designing a VirtualU Learning Event

For much of the day I was a virtual participant using VirtualU's 3D software and attending the Virtual Edge 2010 Summit.  My purpose in attending was to pull together my ideas for designing a VirtualU learning event.  VirtualU is sponsored by VirtualBeginnings and Digitell.

Many of my learning design ideas I have already published in this blog.  (See post 1, post 2, and post 3.)  In preparing for a Virtual University Learning Event, I want to incorporate the lessons learned from designing and delivering ELACOMM98--a 2.5-day learning event for 200 communications executives that was held in Cannes, France, in May, 1998.  That event was designed over 12 weeks with a team of subject matter experts and a few learning designers.  Strategy was developed to included learning goals, an integrated, hands-on-learning design, and a series of learning events in teams and in large groups created around workplace simulations that allowed participant to build and practice relevant skills in a very supportive context including practice and learning coaches.  Watch the video for a brief summary.

What I am learning from my virtual attendance at the Virtual Edge 2010 Summit and at three other VirtualU 3D conferences, is the importance of using what I learned from ELACOMM98 and integrating that with understanding of the 3D virtual world and its offerings.  I am an active social networker on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.  One concept from today will be to work with my contacts and groups on LinkedIn to ask what people want and to be sure to design that into the event I will be designing.  Based on the feedback from the panelists at the Virtual Edge 2010 Summit, I will be creating a community (group) on LinkedIn about the learning event and will be hosting some "Velvet Rope" communities (people who are willing to engage in helping develop some of the events before hand and who will have a closer interaction with key people connected with the event).  I have hosted Yahoo Groups for years and expect to do some of the work of developing this new learning event using Skype, Yahoo Groups, and possibly Google Groups, as well as the group and event resources on LinkedIn.

There's another day (tomorrow) to the Virtual Edge 2010 Summit and I expect to be adding more ideas to my plans for the development of the VirtualU Learning Event.  If you want to participate, leave a comment or send me an e-mail.

Learning and Change--Individual Considerations

This post is a continuation of the post from February 20, 2010 and from an earlier post on February 21, 2010.

Learning and change need to take place on an individual level--even when teams, groups, and organizations want change as well.  Two additional meta-models have been created to explain how individuals respond to the need for change (see slide 2) and what happens to individuals as they build the skills they need to change successfully (see slide 10).

(Click on the picture to see it separately and completely.)

(Click on the picture to see it separately and completely.)

 As stated in an earlier post, learning and change are not easy and are often resisted.  The Shame Affect Decision Model (slide 2) shows how most of us discover the need for change--when something we relied on ceases to produce the positive results we expected.  If we retreat into our pre-existing comfort zone, we have four possible responses:  attack others, attack self, avoid, and withdraw.  If we choose to move to positive change, this is our opportunity to learn.

As we begin to learn, we move through the Personal Performance Change Curve (slide 8). Comfort Zones Mapped to the Performance Change Curve (slide 10) show how our performance level and comfort drop before we begin to integrate the new knowledge and skill we are learning.

The Learning Outcome Grid (slide 7) shows some of the results of learning activity.

(Click on the picture to see it separately and completely.)

Learning and Change--Action Steps for Teams and Organizations

Teams and organizations are created for different purposes.  In general, they have goals and intend to work together somehow to achieve these goals.    This post is a continuation of yesterday's post on Learning and Change.  There is a follow-up post focusing on individual learning and change.

Sometimes teams are more successful than at other times in achieving their goals.  Over time meta-models have been created that help explain what is going on in the groups and teams that make some more successful that others.

The Team Tracking Tool (see slide 12) is reproduced below.  Notice the "Do Not Enter" sign at the top.  Many teams and organizations think they can go immediately from inputs to outputs without moving through the process steps required.  Almost 100% of the time this spells disaster and the team or organization has to undo or redo everything--as well as recover the lost trust that failure promotes.  Note the trust building elements of the tool.  Blake and Mouton developed a Managerial Grid explaining the different focuses of people and production in teams.  (A variation of that grid is reproduced below the Team Tracking Tool and a link to Blake and Mouton's model is also provided here.)

(Click on the picture to see it separately and completely.)

Blake and Mouton created a management grid to explain the relationship of people (maintenance) focus and production (task) focus.  The grid is reproduced on Wikipedia.

(Click on the picture to view it separately and completely.)

 Both task and maintenance functions are critical to the successful progress of teams and organizations.  Over emphasis on one or the other delays the development of trust and the effectiveness of teams.  In my early career in Change Management, I learned to make people my task--thus ensuring that both task and maintenance functions were completed.  Trust is the bonding that allows teams to function well and is a critical maintenance function.

(Click on the picture to see it separately and completely.) (See slide 11.)

 If trust is not allowed to develop, synergy--the energy that allows the output to be greater than what could be produced by the sum of its parts (people) will be missing.  As new people are added to a team, group, or organization and as the vision changes, building blocks of trust need to be revisited to allow for the group energy to move freely to the next area.

Challenge of Learning and Change--Shifting Comfort Zones

Learning and change are challenging.  Comfort zones need to shift and most of us are highly resistant to changing our comfort zones, especially with regard to things we think of as security.  See the post from February 16, 2010, on Change--Learning--Training--Innovation and the New Economy.

Several years ago I developed two meta-models to explain learning and change on the individual and organizational levels. The  Personal Performance Change Curve and the Organizational Performance Change Curve--See slides 8 and 9.  (I have reproduced them below to be part of this post.)

For years I have worked with people at levels in their organizations where they do not feel they can influence change.  We can change ourselves and our response to our surroundings.  Once we do that and adjust our own comfort zones accordingly, we may have more influence on those around us--even to the organizational level.

Awareness--Acceptance--Action are key requirements for change and are part of these two meta-models.  We need to go through those steps--frequently with someone who can assist us in the process--in order for learning and change to take place and anchor for something new to happen.

(Click on the pictures to see them separately and completely.)

(Click on the pictures to see them separately and completely.)

While these two meta-models go a long way to explain and guide change for individuals and organizations, they can usually be understood better if someone can walk people through the models with experiences from their own lives.

To help businesses focus on areas for improvement and change, I have made available a series of business survey tools on eBay.

On the DrM-Resources Services web page, check out these surveys: Business Snapshot-DrM, the Business Improvement Survey-DrM, and the Workforce Training Needs Survey-DrM.

This post is continued in the post on Learning and Change for February 21, 2010.

Making a Positive Difference--Leaving a Mark

Why are we here (on the planet)?  To learn from our experiences, to make a positive difference, to leave a mark that we made a contribution.

We revisit why we are here many times during our lives.  Sometimes our sense of purpose changes and sometimes it becomes better clarified.

Skype, Go to Meeting, Google--Video Conference Options

Video conferences--one-on-one, multiple users, with and without presentation graphics--there are many options available today, some free, some at a cost.

Skype is very interesting.  With today's built-in webcams, it is almost automatic once a user has downloaded and installed the free Skype software.  It is a little tricky to share presentations using Skype and it is certainly possible.  A chat (message) window can be open during video or audio chat on Skype.  Go to Meeting is another software which has a cost after a 30-day free trial period.  It supports video, graphics, and audio exchange.  Google has a new offering of video conferencing.

Internal and External Reference Points for Learning and Change

Each of us works with our own experience and thought in unique ways, though like noses, while each is different, there are many similarities.  Inductive and deductive reasoning serve to illustrate the point.  Deductive reasoning starts with something that exists and uses logic to break it down to its components.  Many mystery stories rely on deductive reasoning to solve the crimes.  Inductive reasoning starts with intuition and builds rather than breaking things down.  The connections need to be validated and inferences need to be checked out.

Some of us rely on external reference points to guide us.  We make the opinions of others a key factor in our own decisions and responses.  Others rely on internal reference points, "marching to the tune of our own drummer."

In the end, each of us is responsible for ourselves.  While we can make use of mirrors and feedback, we still need to make our own choices and deal with the consequences of these choices.

Change--Learning--Training--Innovation and the "New Economy"

Change requires learning and learning requires change.  It's one of the cycles that are intimately intertwined.  In "the new economy" many organizations (large and small) are not funding professional support for the changes and the learning they need to make to survive.

One of the approaches I have taken to support organizations with this problem is to create a series of business tools supporting change and making them available on eBay.  These tools can be self-help tools or can be the focus for a DrM-Resources Service.

Contract recruiters have been approaching me for support in utilizing social networking services as a support for both collaboration and knowledge management.  There are many ways to use these services to support sharing and knowledge management for organizations with all levels of numbers of employees and large and small budgets.

What characteristics of the "new economy" signal that most organizations need to learn and to change?  For starters, we have close to 10% unemployment across the USA.  Millions of jobs have been lost and President Obama, in speaking about job creation, has not focused on high end jobs which have been sacrificed when organizations have had to cut back on their employees.

As in previous times, companies need to do more with less.  What is not like previous times is that the customers and providers that companies have relied on are no longer there--or are no longer there with the same resources they once were.  How many companies do you know who are living on their reserves and waiting for the economy to "recover."  We have heard that we are experiencing a "jobless recovery" in our economy.  To be honest, I'm not really sure what that is supposed to mean.

Organizations and individuals and families need income to cover their expenses--now and for the future and the past (debt).  Jobs were the way most families generated the income.  Unemployment insurance and lower-paying jobs don't generate the income needed for expenses.  While social security payments did not go up this year, expenses have continued to climb.

Organizations, families, and individuals now need to "reinvent" themselves to succeed in the "new economy."  Reinvention requires learning and change.  We are back to the beginning of this post.  It is a cycle and organizations, families, and individuals can benefit from support while going through this cycle of learning and change.

(See the follow-up posts about Learning and Change from February 20, 2010, and February 21, 2010.)

President's Day

While President's Day (Washington's Birthday) is celebrated on the third Monday of February, his real birthday was on February 22.  The celebrations date back to 1885, though celebration on Mondays was tied to legislation passed in 1971.

All Federal offices are closed and the day is celebrated in many states.  The U.S. Post Office was closed as were banks.  UPS delivered today.

It is good to think of the contributions made by all U.S. Presidents on this day--starting with George Washington and moving through the line of Presidents to the present.  We have an amazing history and Presidents have had--and continue to have--real impact on our history and our lives.

Valentine's Day--More than a "Hallmark Moment"

Saint Valentine's Day--the day for intimate companions to acclaim their love for each other in the form of greeting cards and other gifts.  Hallmark loves the date.  There are cards for Mom's, sons, sisters, lovers, and more.

Saying "I love you" and bringing love present in relationships are both essential to bringing and maintaining love and joy in the relationship.

Families develop very different ways of saying "I love you."  In fact, sometimes the words don't come out very often and they need to.  A friend of mine says "I love you" by being a provider in many senses of the word--not just food and shelter (though that way too), also weather, guiding someone to get where they need to be, making sure that their day goes well.

One of my uncles was not used to getting hugs and hearing "I love you."  Because that was natural to me, I shared it with my uncle to his great surprise.  Shortly after that he began reintroducing that habit into his family as well.

"I love you" doesn't go without saying.  We need to feel it and to say it often--in words as well as in actions.  As we do, our own loving is more present and more accessible to us--and to the people we connect with in our daily lives.

Avatar Movie--Ideas for Innovation in Learning Event Design for Adults

In the world of technology visualized in the recent blockbuster, Avatar, it is amazing to see how much emphasis is still being placed on "talking heads" in learning and training environments.  People are excited to have a visual image of a person side-by-side with a PowerPoint Presentation, then add the possibility of text chat and/or voice-over conversation and people think they are experiencing a rich presentation.

The key to learning is engaging in positive learning activities, then in reflecting on these activities.  The avatar (cartoon images displayed in 3D in many 2D and 3D "virtual worlds") does not hold a candle to the avatar bodies shown in Avatar--and those were computer-generated graphics with lots of visual reference points gleaned from the real actors the graphic avatars were portraying.  A true avatar the incarnation of a deity changes in the consciousness of a culture.  Quetzalcoatl is an example of an avatar in the ancient legends of Mexico.

The point is this, technology needs to engage the learners, getting them involved in positive learning activities.  The 3D technology that was part of Avatar (the 2009 film) was intended to draw the viewer into the movie.  It does a good job of this.

We need to do the same kind of thing when designing learning events, especially for adults.  They need to be drawn into the action and to apply the skills and knowledge they are developing in the learning event to real challenges, then to reflect on how they're doing and be given time to improve. 

In the Avatar film, the characters make recordings into a video log (like a blog).  This is a reflective component that people need to do in an actual learning event.

Designing Virtual Learning Events

I participated in  a 3D Virtual University Webinar today on "Running a Hybrid Event" with live participants and virtual participants participating in the same conference.  Due to the snow storm in Washington, DC, this week, the live session was cancelled and all participants were virtual--including one person aboard a plane bound for New York.

While the technology exists and is being refined, the actual learning design is largely missing.  People are still used to "talking heads" and think it's great to have a PowerPoint presentation showing simultaneously with a speaker.

Between 1993 and 1998 I was involved in creating a variety of learning events around the world for different groups of adults.  The overall focus was learning to change performance.  Some of the events were goal-based learning, others were performance-focused learning.  In the Spring of 1998 I designed and delivered a 2.5-day "hands-on-learning" event held in Cannes, France.  The event was for 200 communication executives affiliated with Europe and Latin America and working for Accenture (Andersen Consulting).  The event was called ELACOMM98 (go to the ELA-Comm Workshop to read about this event).  You can watch an extract of the video made for this event.

This event was designed by a virtual team in approximately 12 weeks and was intended to accomplish a set of strategic goals for the Communications Market Unit of the global consulting firm.  The actual event was designed to simulate actual consulting engagements with participants working together in teams to accomplish a series of tasks, then going into large groups to hear from subject matter experts about topics which they would immediately use when they went back to their small teams.  The interaction was very real and dynamic in the 2.5 days in Cannes.  It was, in part, a hybrid event including participation by a guest speaker using a webcam and laptop computer from his home office in Los Angeles to address a group of 200 participants in Cannes.

What was learned in the design and delivery of ELACOMM98 can certainly be used to guide the creation of virtual learning events.  One of the first keys is to have the set of strategic performance goals for the organizers of the event.  Once the goals are set, a particular design process is followed to create the learning design, taking full advantage of the 3D-capabilities afforded by Digitell's VirtualU.

Innovation and Comfort Zones--Insight, Common Sense, Common Practice

Innovation is challenging for many reasons.  Amazingly enough, even though many people claim to want innovation, habits, comfort zones, and common practice all form an effective barrier to innovation.

Common practice is different from common sense (which may not be as common as the words indicate).  Common practice has people use elevators to get to the upper floors in high-rise buildings and to come back down.  In the event of an emergency (fire, explosion, etc.), the instructions are to use the stairs.  Common practice and habits often have the people waiting for the elevators as usual, even in emergencies.

Common sense may tell us not to use cell phones or text messaging while driving, especially in school zones and construction zones.  Common practice has us communicating all the time, often opposing common sense.

Innovation, at least in my experience, is frequently connected with insight.  As I approach a challenge--learning design, for example, insight lets me see into the process and to identify a different way of working that generates better results.  (See the Integrative Learning Design Jump-Start Workbook for an example.)  The Meta-Models I have created and posted on one of my websites all represent insight and innovation.

Getting others to accept these innovations and to work with them is a separate challenge.  When I began this blog, my intention was to begin to publish my work.  I felt that having the discipline to do a daily blog might give me a head start toward publishing.

I hope to publish this blog in book form soon.  If I wait for a year of entries, that might be too many pages in the book.  I'll have to think about that more to see what I have and what I need.

Illinois Earthquake--M3.8 --12 Miles Away from Me

At 3:59PM--my clock read 4:00AM (CST), I was awakened by a loud bang and what felt like a car or a snow plow slamming into my house.  I got up, went to the bathroom, then looked for damage.  When I realized that nothing had hit the house, I also realized that it had been an earthquake.  I turned on my iPod Touch and the IFeltThat application that tracks earthquakes.  It didn't show the earthquake for 35 minutes.  I couldn't go back to sleep and turned on the local ABC morning news at 4:30AM and heard about the earthquake.

The epicenter of the earthquake was at 42.053°N, 88.412°W, 2 km (1 miles) SSE (168°) from Pingree Grove, IL--roughly 11.9 miles from my house.

It was first thought to be a Magnitude 4.3 earthquake and was later downgraded to a M 3.8 earthquake, striking about 3.11 miles deep.  I lived in Los Angeles  (LA) for a number of years and, while there was an earthquake preparedness consultant.  I had experienced lots of earthquakes while in LA, though this one was louder than the ones I remembered.

The scale for earthquakes moves exponentially, so the higher numbers represent significantly greater earthquakes in terms of shaking and effect.  An M 3.8 earthquake was big enough.  It does give a reference point for the M 6.0 earthquake that first hit Haiti.  That area has since had more than 50 aftershocks, usually about 6.21 miles deep and measuring M 4.3 or higher on the Richter scale.  We had a M 3.8 with little or no damage.

The USGS was actively soliciting first-hand reports from people experiencing the earthquake.  You can report your experience by following this link.

While I know what to do to prepare for earthquakes, I can assure you that my home in Illinois is not so prepared.  We're lucky to have had so few of them lately.

Job-Hunting Strategies and Tips

A friend entering the job market asked me for some job-hunting strategies and tips.
Networking is sometimes the most effective way to hunt for jobs. 

Here's a link about conducting an effective job search from Career Builder.

Resume and Digital Portfolio

Having a good resume is important.  It's a building block.  Many recruiters want a Microsoft Word version--probably as a .doc rather than as a .docx.  I recommend getting help with the resume, through affordable help.  I worked with WordSharp.net to revise mine.  I started with a Microsoft Word template, then had the professionals at WordSharp fine-tune it to its present form.

A digital portfolio (a YouTube/TeacherTube video) promoting yourself is the latest step in "resumes."  It will be helpful to have one--find someone with the software to help.  You can see mine at this link. 

Job Hunting Websites

There are several websites to subscribe to.  All are free to job seekers, then most have fees for extra services.  Some of those extras are worthwhile and you'll have to check.

http://www.monster.com


http://www.jobfox.com

http://www.careerbuilder.com


http://www.myjobhunter.com

http://www.theladders.com 

Search Engines

You need to set-up search engines to look for likely jobs for you to apply to.  Each of these websites has its own search engine for you to use.  You can have these engines feed you the jobs they find on a daily or weekly basis.

Cover Letters

In many cases, you will need to create a cover letter for each application.  Remember to respond to the requirements of the job description in the cover letter to show how you are a match for what they are looking for.

Tracking Applications

It's a good idea to set-up a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (or a spreadsheet by another vendor) to track the detail of your applications.  I'm putting the headder data from my spreadsheet here.  I have a list of the different referral sources that I use and I make that a part of my spreadsheet.

Hints and Tips

Most of these websites offer hints and tips for your job search.  Be sure to read many and save the ones you like.

Some locations want lots of money to rewrite resumes or to publish them to lots of people.  Be selective.  More money invested doesn't necessarily lead to good results, especially in a down economy.

Be willing to volunteer for the experience, if you need it.

Social Networking Sites

While there are many social networking sites, LinkedIn seems to be especially focused for professionals.  Facebook and Twitter are also good sites, though some of the most practical business connections seem to come more consistently from LinkedIn.

Workforce Training Needs Survey

In his State of the Union address on January 27, 2010, President Barack Obama mentioned that he wants to revitalize the nation's Community College system.  Job creation and getting the unemployed back to work is a priority for President Obama's administration.  Community Colleges have long been working partners in community education, workforce development, and job training.

In July, 2009, I began a pilot project to administer a Workforce Training Needs Survey at the Kiswaukee Community College District in Northern Illinois.  I was not affiliated with any other organization in starting this project.  I earned my doctorate in adult education and human resource development from Florida International University in 1992 and have been involved in designing this type of needs survey and collecting and processing survey results for years.

I offered my services, free of charge, to several Chambers of Commerce and to city governments in the community college district and two people joined me in working on the first half of the survey.  After July, 2009, I no longer had the free time to support the project.  I continued to develop the survey and have now made it available for purchase on eBay.

Organizations which purchase and use the survey are entitled to preferred pricing on many of the DrM-Resources services I provide in support of this survey.

Lessons Learned from Watching the First Episode of Undercover Boss on CBS

The first episode of Undercover Boss aired tonight on CBS immediately after the Super Bowl.
One of the filters to use in looking for lessons learned is the "triple bottom line" (People, Planet, Profit).  In the 21st Century, all three are important.

Larry Odonnell, President and Chief Operating Officer of Waste Management, had a plan when he went undercover, posing as Randy, a construction worker exploring entry-level jobs at Waste Management and working with a camera crew for a documentary.  He had some corporate goals and wanted to see how they were being carried out on the ground--and if they were even reasonable throughout the organization.  In his approach it appears he is looking for impact only on profit.  In reality his company and his approach reflect the triple bottom line.

He decided to explore entry-level positions in several areas of his company, beginning with the recycling center. then at a land fill in Pompano Beach,  Florida, then at High Acres Landfill in upstate New York. His fourth "job" is cleaning "port-a-potties" at a Fair in Texas.  His fifth job is at a Trash Hauling Company in Rochester, New York.  Trash hauling is, according to Larry, "the face of the company."

Lesson One:

Larry is a compassionate man.  His personal family has been touched by tragedy and, as he moves through one day at each location, he sees how tragedy and the economy impacts his employees.  In one instance he takes immediate action to try to help an employee.  His follow-through on his experiences changed the lives of each of the employees he worked with while undercover.  He listened and applied what he was learning to his role as President and COO, changing policies and procedures in light of what he learned about and from the employees of his company.

Lesson Two:

The triple bottom line is important.  In team building, there is a distinction made between task and maintenance (people) focus.  A balance between the two is needed.  Too much focus on task (profit) and not enough on maintenance (people) leads to dysfunction.  Larry focused on making changes in the maintenance (people) function of Waste Management and has greatly increased trust and productivity.

Marketing Consulting Services and Tools--the eBay Connection

In today's economy, many organizations are looking for ways to reduce their expenses and to do more with less.  Embracing that idea, I'm creating a series of self-help tools for organizations to use to diagnose challenges and opportunities and to begin to plan how to overcome the challenges and to take advantage of the opportunities.

This isn't a "quick fix" situation--I need to work with the tools and to make sure that people can understand them.  As a working prototype is developed, I am marketing it on eBay.  I'm sure the marketplace will give me feedback on how to improve the tools--and the services that complement the tools for those who want more than self-help.

Selling the tools on an eBay auction seems to be a first step.  I shared the DrM-Business Improvement Survey yesterday and today have released the DrM-Business Snapshot tool.  The DrM-Workforce Training Needs Survey is now available.

I've had feedback from some professional friends that I need to change the vocabulary in my questions.  At the same time, I have been developing the tools based on 40 years of experience in working with organizations in the area of development and change.  Sometimes the tools are "just right" for certain circumstances.

CBS is starting a new "reality TV" series called Undercover Boss (on Sunday nights).  I would be interested to see how these bosses could use the tools I am creating to help their organizations after their "undercover" experiences.

Business Improvement Survey--a New Product

I just created a Business Improvement Survey using Adobe Acrobat.  It was a challenge to create, though it seems to have good functionality.  Working from a variety of client experiences dealing with organizational development and change, I developed a six-part survey to focus on core questions that need to be resolved for change to be successful and supported.

I decided to market this survey via an eBay auction to get people to try the survey.  The cost will be small and it can be used as a self-help survey by most organizations needing to deal with change.

Of course DrM-Resources will provide support for those people trying out the survey if they should wish extra support.  The survey will get clients preferred pricing on any of the other services offered by DrM-Resources.

This blog entry is more than a promotion for the survey (though that would be a good use of the entry, anyway).  This marks one of the first times DrM-Resources has partnered with eBay to help consumers get access to affordable tools they can use to help their businesses improve.  Not only can they get the tools on eBay, they will soon get preferred pricing on the other DrM-Resources services soon to be made available on eBay. 

DrM-Resources and Joelmonty.net already use PayPal for invoicing and payments, and Skype for webinars and other interactive events.  It is only natural to add eBay to the mix.

Is 3D to Home TVs What Color was to Black and White?

3D TV was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on January 7-10, 2010.  Panasonic and Samsung both had TV's available.  Some 3D TV's are being produced which do not require special glasses to see the effects.

I saw a good movie today with lots of special effects.  The last few movies I have seen were in 3D and I really noticed the difference today.  I am waiting to see Avatar in 2D--I've seen it three times in 3D.

We will have to see how the technology develops and evolves.  Is the 3D TV good for all programming--even 2D programming?  Will we need multiple TV's and special glasses for some movies or events?

Job Search Filtering and Requirements--A Fish Story

Competing recruiters try to fill job requirements from Fortune 500 firms.  These firms send job requirements electronically to the recruiting firms.  Electronic databases then convert the requirements into postings which are fed to other databases such as Monster.com.   Search parameters set by job hunters then find these postings and e-mail them to the job hunters who respond to the "blind" ("company confidential" or recruiting firm) ads.

Because the recruiters are often not clear on the full detail of the job requirements and because the actual firms looking for contractors or employees make their requirements extremely detailed, excellent candidates are frequently missed due to "glitches" in the overall process.

To make matters worse, if one of the Fortune 500 firms receives two resumes for the same candidate, many automatically eliminate that candidate from consideration.  This is a "lose-lose" situation.

What are the remedies?  Let me get to the fish story first.  Different kinds of tropical fish get their food in different ways.  Some look for the food on the bottom of their tank .  Their food is usually distributed in the form of pellets which the fish find in the sand.  Others need food floating in the water.  Their food is usually distributed in the form of flakes which float around the fish.  These fish will starve if they are provided fish food in a form they are not looking for.

The Fortune 500 companies, the recruiting firms, and the job seekers are often starving as well, because the packaging is not effective in matching the best candidates with available jobs.

Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day--Phil, the "nation's groundhog" saw his shadow today--six more weeks of winter.  The groundhog at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago didn't see his shadow--too much snow today.  That may mean an early Spring for Chicago.

I celebrate the day by watching the Groundhog Day movie.

Marketing on eBay--Products, Services, Combination

Exploring how to market my consulting services on eBay has led me to believe that it will be easier to divide the marketing into three components--products, services, and a combination of the two. 

Much of eBay is devoted to buying and selling products.  For this I need a quality product like an eBook or a questionnaire--something I would market and deliver electronically.  While consulting services are marketed on eBay, that is so far a very specialized market.  What may work best is a combination of an information product and an introductory service associated with the product.

I already have a PayPal account and am registered as a seller on eBay.  There is very little I need to change to get ready.  I am exploring a seven step process--answering questions for each of the seven steps--to get organizations ready to work with trusted advisors.  Now I have to determine how to convert the process into an information product which I can market on eBay and allow people to find out more about the consulting services I offer.