Month: January 2009

When I Grow Up

Along the path to adulthood I knew I was making progress when I gave up certain habits. Like the day Pop Rocks and Fun Dip stopped being a part of my regular diet. Or the first winter I went without tossing snowballs at the school bus. image

You know, signs along the path of life that make one feel like a grown-up.

Occasionally I wonder if I’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere because I can’t stop at a gas station without buying beef jerky.

There’s something about beef jerky that makes me feel like a kid again. I’ve got a number of excuses ready if the clerk ever asks, “Is that for you?”

But it was expensive. I’d save a few bucks by mowing lawns in the summer or shoveling walks in the winter that I’d have enough to buy the long skinny jerky sticks at George’s Market off 36th Street in Ogden.

When I started playing baseball I graduated to Jerky Stuff. It came in what looked like a tin of chewing tobacco but was filled with 97% fat free goodness. I’d place a pinch in my lip till the flavor was drained or I accidentally swallowed it. Usually the latter.

I can’t imagine the money I’ve spent on beef jerky over the years. Probably enough to buy a cow or two.

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Skip With Us

Luca held my left hand while Anna held my right . We were making our way through the mall looking for something to eat we could all agree on.

Mission impossible.

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In one ear I hear Luca chatting.

The other ear was getting a work out from Anna. 

“DAD! Nintendo. Pizza. DAD! Pants. Game. DAD! Pink. Candy”

It all starts to blend together.

But then we get to a section where the area is clear. No shoppers, strollers or kiosks selling blinking phone accessories.

That’s when I feel both my arms yanked forward in a violent motion.

“Skip with us, Dad! Come on!”

So the three of us skipped hand-in-hand through the mall last night.

That’s how I’d like to remember it anyway. Because if anyone saw us it probably looked like an an out-of-shape dad getting dragged through the food court by two cute little girls.

The 80/20 Rule

The first time I heard about the 80/20 rule I was taking a economics course at the University of Utah. I don’t recall the context of the discussion but it seemed reasonable.

80/20 Rule = 20% of your efforts produce 80% of the results

You may have heard it expressed as:

People wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time

80% of income is distributed to wealthiest 20%

20% of your sales force produces 80% of sales

Users spend 80% of their time using 20% of a product’s features

The first time I recognized this rule in action was the time I was in charge of the Microsoft Project partner program. I spent months analyzing over 150 partners who built add-ons or complimentary products to Project. What I found was that of those 150 partners, about 15 were responsible for driving over 80% of partner related revenue.

I decided to cut back the number of partners in the program to 90 and focus my efforts on the top 15. In theory this seemed like the right thing to do, but in practice, I only had time to work closely with 5 partners. wire

Lately I’ve wondered if the 80/20 rule can be applied to my group of technicians. I think back 6 years to how I managed 40 people and it’s easy to see where I failed. Of those 40, maybe 10 were top performers, 25 were good techs, and 5 were subpar performers. I assumed the top 5 could manage themselves and didn’t need much guidance to succeed. This freed up time to spend elsewhere.

As their manager I felt it was my responsibility to fix the problems. As a result I spent 80% of my time with bottom feeder 5. I don’t believe I was a total failure in this approach but I didn’t have much success helping them move into the middle tier, and not one ever raised his game to join the top tier.

Fast forward to today where I manage the same group of technicians. The group is half the size as before due to how we’ve structured our teams. This time around I’ve taken a different approach. I now spend 80% of my time working with my top 5 techs.

But I’ve found that my best technicians look for ways to improve our company. They are the most confident and thus willing to challenge my suggestions. They listen to our customers and want to improve our products. They drive at least 80% of the new business opportunities. They can manage themselves but still need someone who can push ideas through the organization.

The biggest benefit I’ve noticed from this approach is the top 5 set the example for rest of the group. If the bar is set high, the group will police itself. I still spend time with those who need daily guidance but not at the expense of my most valuable techs.

At the end of each week I ask myself: Did I spend more time managing problem techs or more time leading the best ones?

I still fall short. But my goal is to move from spending the greater part of the week solving problems to leading the top performing members of the team. The less time I spend fixing problems, they more time I can devote to growing our business.

Photo by Betsy Martian

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Late Night Scrambled Eggs

“One of my best friends moved to California”

One look at her face and I knew she’d had a tough day at school. Luca had followed me into the kitchen and I wasn’t sure what to tell a 7 year old who bid her best friend goodbye for the last time this afternoon.

I picked her up and placed her on the kitchen counter. As curious as I was to hear about her day, I didn’t want for her to walk through the painful memory again. So I asked if she wanted a late night snack.

lucabelle

She nodded.

I figured she’d ask for strawberry milk, Pirates Booty, or a slice of bread with just the right amount of butter.

“Will you make some scrambled eggs? I know how to crack them”

So I stirred while she cracked ten eggs. It was almost midnight before we sat next to each other at the table trying to figure out how salt makes eggs taste better.

“I know why your eggs cook faster than moms”

“Why is that?” I asked.

“Because you turn the stove to eight and mom only turns it up to five”

As I sat there next to my daughter I told myself that I must keep my mouth shut and listen. She grabbed the salt and shook it over her plate. More questions followed such as, “Is pepper the opposite of salt?”

And then she began to tell me about her day. I know where this leads. Her raspy voice touches my heart.

She tells me about her other friends. She tells me how much she likes her teacher and how excited she is to give her report on Germany at the end of the month. She asks if I’ll help her choose a treat to share with her class.

And then she stops talking and puts her fork down.

She’s trying as hard as she can to hide the tears, but a couple escape down her cheek and onto the table.

I wish her friend had been able to stay through the school year. I wish I could tell her she’ll see her friend again soon. But I don’t have the magic words to make everything better. The best I can do is be there to listen. Sometimes that’s all I can do.

She helped me pickup the dishes before brushing her teeth for the second time. As she gave me a hug she whispered, “I’m going to pray that Rebekah visits me in the summer”.

“Maybe Rebekah will do the same”, I replied.

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Almost Ready to Roll

Doesn’t seem long ago when Kim and I wanted to take off for an afternoon in the city or a quick trip to Vancouver, we’d grab our Rollerblades and be on our way in minutes. The biggest challenge was figuring out where to go.

I miss those days.

Figure out where to go is the easy part now. Adding 4 kids to the mix adds much complexity to the travel preparation. To say that it takes us a lot longer to get on the road is an understatement. Here’s what it took to get moving today:

  1. Located kids shoes.
  2. Untied Anna’s shoes and put them on the right feet.
  3. Searched for three Nintendo DS systems.
  4. Broke up fight about who gets to use the black DS.
  5. Located DS games.
  6. Located coloring books.
  7. Reminded Anna she doesn’t need to bring 6 stuffed animals.
  8. Filled sippy cups.
  9. Reminded kids to grab jackets
  10. Stuffed forgotten jackets in oversized Timbuk 2 bag
  11. Strapped kids into car seats.
  12. Tossed stroller in back of van.
  13. Closed doors to van and pulled out of driveway.

Just in time to hear one of the kids say, “I need to go to the bathroom”.

That’s when Kim and look at each other. We know exactly what the other is thinking: “Is this worth it?”

A good rule of thumb in helping to determine that is to ask yourself if the outing will take more time than than the preparation.

And make sure to factor in the time it takes to get the kids and their gear out of the car when you return home. It always feels like we brought back twice the amount we left with.

My Rollerblades never argued, sang, whistled, stuffed Cheerios in the seats or took bathroom breaks.

But it’s fun to get out as a family. The kids enjoy the journey. Kim and I enjoy the few minutes we can hear each other talk.

If we’re lucky the kids will fall asleep.

As I pull into the driveway.

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How I Use Microsoft Mesh

Before Microsoft Live Mesh arrived on the scene I used Groove to move files from my home to my work computer. And before Groove I used a product called Hamachi until Microsoft IT threatened to remove my machine from the network unless I shut it down. Something about it acting as an unauthorized node. That’s not a battle I’ll win so I began looking for a similar product when Mesh came to the rescue.

Mesh, Groove and Hamachi differ in many respects. But the one thing they all did was allow me to share files over multiple computers, even those behind a firewall. Mesh and Hamachi came with remote access as well.

Hamachi was buggy and slow. Groove was a beast to setup and keep running. Mesh is the best of the three. In fact, it’s a huge improvement over the others because it’s easy to setup and works in the background while the others require more babysitting.

I’m not going to cover all the features of Mesh. My needs are simple and I primarily use it for sharing and remote access. Simplicity is its virtue.

Folder Sharing

Once I’ve signed into Mesh I’m presented with a virtual desktop. From here I can add devices from which I’d like to share files. Only Vista and XP machines are currently supported with Mac access in limited preview. Microsoft reps have said wider device support is on the way including iPhone and Windows Mobile. Below you’ll see I’ve added Brett Home which and TSG Computer which are are my home and work computers respectively. I had to to install a small piece of software on each machine I’ve added to Mesh. But it runs in the system tray and stays out of the way.

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Mesh also includes a virtual desktop as shown below. Create a folder on your virtual desktop (TSG Work for example) and Mesh creates an identical folder on the desktop of each computer you’ve added. So now that I have a TSG Work folder on my home and work computer I can add files to it and create subfolders which sync up between computers and my virtual desktop. Mesh syncs in the background. The only indications it’s running is the spinning blue circle in the system tray. Microsoft currently allows you to store 5 gigs worth of content on the virtual desktop.

screen_2009-01-18 00.57.34

Mesh doesn’t allow me to upload more than one file at a time to the virtual desktop. But I don’t use the virtual desktop very much. I’ll drag files and folders into my TSG Work folder at work and allow Mesh to sync and organize them on my virtual desktop and home PC. I only login to the virtual desktop when I need to add another folder or device to sync.

Remote Access

But what if I need to access a file on my work computer I’m not sharing but I’m on my home PC? Mesh allows me access my work computer via remote access. I’ve used a number of remote access products and Mesh is the easiest I’ve used. I wish it allowed me to drag and drop files between my desktop and remote machine, but that’s not a deal killer. When I remote into my work computer it’s usually to access a network share I can’t do from home. Below, I’ve connected to my work computer (black wallpaper) in a separate window.

Even the performance is quite good. There’s very little lag moving my mouse around the remote computer.

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I’m adding Mesh to my list of favorite Microsoft products that includes Windows Live Photo Gallery and Windows Live Writer.  I suspect Microsoft will continue adding native support for more devices including the Xbox and more phone models. Maybe even the Zune.

I would pay for this service although I’m glad it’s free. At least for now. Down the road I imagine Microsoft could offer more than 5 gigs of storage for a small annual fee.

Update: An Microsoft employee told me that native Windows Mobile support for Mesh is available when you login from this link. You must be running Windows Mobile 6.0 or 6.1.

Nothing

The Friday commute home is shorter than other days. Maybe it just feels shorter because I’m more relaxed. Less anxious. My phone is tucked deep into my jacket pocket with the ringer on “silent”. I’m done with email and meetings for a couple of days. If I’m lucky, I’ll have saved a good podcast for the drive home. The BS Report or TWIT will do.

The best weekends have nothing planned.

No church activities.

No soccer.

No yard work.

Nothing.

Except maybe chasing the kids around the couch. Or getting trounced at a game of Wii bowling. Or having my son show me the skyscraper he built with wooden blocks. I know he’s built something noteworthy when he takes me by the hand and leads me to his creation. As if I’d get lost on the way.

hula

As I walked on the treadmill tonight I laughed as I watched Kim swinging her hips side to side as she made her way through the hula hoop exercise on our new Wii Fit. Our three oldest children had climbed of out bed and were standing behind her making similar but more animated motions.

Kim didn’t seem to mind the company until Lincoln described her Mii avatar as “puffy”. I worked off more calories chasing them back to bed than I did walking at my leisurely pace on the treadmill.

“We’re bored”, was the excuse they’d settled on tonight.

“Read a book”, I said.

“I’ve read all the books in the universe”, replied Luca.

I kissed each of them on the cheek and forehead, pulled the blankets up tight and made sure none were following me down the stairs.

Maybe nothing turned into something.

Photo by Shelly Rich

Stripes and Solids

The only rule we followed was never play anyone who brought their own cue stick. Otherwise, we had no problem taking money from students at Weber State College. All winnings went straight into the jukebox or the Space Invaders pinball machine. You know, the one with 4 flippers and extra wide lanes. Back when games were a quarter, 500k secured a position on the High Scores board and free games were easy to come by. 2221804368_b46e238063

My next door neighbor was cool. He even had a cool name: Guy.

Guy had his own paper route. I filled in for him one week and he gave me five bucks and a Guinness Book of World Records paperback. I would have done it for the book. Who can forget the guy with the longest fingernails? I thumbed through the book until the pages fell out.

Guy was going to be an architect. So, of course, I wanted to be an architect although I had no idea what one did.

I don’t recall how we got started hustling students, but I remember Guy telling me it was easier than landing papers on porches from the sidewalk on his Schwinn Stingray. The key was to select the right hits, and jocks were an easy target. They couldn’t back down from an 8-ball challenge. And we certainly didn’t look like a couple of pool sharks. The tables were located near the bowling alley. The perfect hit was a jock who could bowl a 225 or better.  Then we knew he had little time between studies and bowling for a little “stripes and solids”.

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That was our brilliant line of reasoning.

We didn’t lose very often. I’m surprised we were able to find students willing to play us through the summer. I suspect many were embarrassed they got hustled by a couple of teenagers and decided it was best to keep it on the low.

No more than few dollar changed hands, but that was enough to keep the jukebox going. Any 6 songs for a buck. If we had a few quarters left over for pinball even better.

We couldn’t play pool without queuing up tunes on the jukebox. Bennie and the Jets was always part of the mix. Those first few piano bars Elton laid down were magical. We had no idea what the lyrics meant. It was the music that grabbed us. It was impossible to listen to and not imagine myself pounding the keys while the crowd clapped and whistled.

When the jukebox stopped, it was time to jump on our bikes and race each other home. As we crossed Harrison Boulevard it was all I could do to keep up with Guy. Occasionally I’d catch him along the curve bordering the hospital parking lot. Nearing the home stretch, we’d be neck and neck until I slammed on my breaks at the stop sign just yards from my house. Guy never stopped. He celebrated each win by doing a wheelie in front of my house.

He wasn’t just cool. He was lucky.

Photo 1 by Sean Wakefield
Photo 2 by Thomas Hawk

A Look Back

My brother-in-law shook his head when I asked him if he had an email address. “Why would I need that?” he replied.

This was back in 1993.

Those were fun times. I enjoyed telling my friends and family about the internet and what they could do online. Like downloading drivers and searching for stuff on Yahoo. The high point of this period for me was the discovery I could stream Beavis and Butthead videos from MTV.com.

At work, of course.

By the time blogging came around most of my friends were using the internet although few had any idea what a blog was, and they certainly didn’t read the one I started. I didn’t give much thought to what I wrote back then because I was the only person reading it.

A few months later I checked my log files and noticed a few dozen people were visiting my blog each week. Yet few of them were friends or coworkers so I didn’t change anything. I figured I could write about whatever I wanted because I still felt anonymous.

It wasn’t until I applied for a job in 2005 that I knew my employer was aware of my blog. During the interview process my future manager asked me for a writing sample and I gave him my blog address. I figured he’d gauge how I write and maybe learn something about me.

One afternoon at church my Sunday School teacher mentioned he’d come across my blog. Several coworkers began reading it as well along with a number of friends and family. Each week I read emails from people across the globe who found my blog. Most of them enjoy what I write and some disagree with my views. I encourage them to start a blog and publish their thoughts.

I still enjoy writing, but I’m aware that what I write can impact my relationships and even my job. Nobody wants to offend a friend. And although it’s worked out well for Heather Armstrong, nobody wants to get dooced.

I’m going to continue encouraging my friends to blog. This past year I finally got my mother-in-law to blog. Although many of my friends have started blogging few have continued more than a couple of months. If they can’t dedicate the time to maintain a blog I’ll tell them about Twitter.

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