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Quote of the Day: Mark Cuban

Found a great article that had a few gems from Mark Cuban the other day and wanted to share what I felt was his best quote…

“Work like there is someone working 24 hours a day to take it away from you.”

What I love about this quote is that it demands us to be proactive, throw away any complacency, and act with a sense of urgency.  I think a lot of times we get comfortable in our roles or companies, and we get stuck in the cycle of pressing the “easy button” too often.  In reality, if we all elevated our “game”, and worked like someone was gunning for us at all times, not only would all of our companies soar much higher – we’d all get more enjoyment and accomplishment out of work.  I understand there are many external factors to consider (i.e. if you have children, physical limitations, or other constraints), but do think we all probably have a bit to learn from someone as dedicated and driven as Mark Cuban.  Well said, sir!

Til Next Time,

Michael

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Never Forget

Today marks the 13th anniversary of the horrific events of 9/11/01.  This day always serves as a much-needed reminder for those of us in America to honor and respect the service men and women (and first responders or members of public service outlets such as police, paramedics, and firefighters) that we depend on for safety, strength, and a sense of security.

To all those who lost life or have loved ones who lost life on that day, please know that they will never be forgotten.  And we thank them for fighting to keep liberty and justice for all.

Til Next Time,

Michael

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The Case For: Data Science

For all of the (mildly, jokingly) unflattering things I’ve ever said about data science, I really do respect it and think they people that pursue that as their trade are supremely intelligent.  Which is why, when I caught this article on Tech Crunch today, I figured I had to share it and weigh in.

Marking the difference between queries and algorithms is, in my opinion, the most poignant piece of the article.  Put simply, a query is a “one-way” function that will return exactly one result.  Algorithms, alternately, mold to the data set which is fed to it.  They have the capacity to “learn” or adapt to different sets of data.  Hence – they are much more powerful than queries (short nod of apologies to all my friends who live for SQL code).  I know a lot of people that think anything can be solved with a query.  And – in their defense – this is the type of education that permeates a lot of traditional information science degree programs (especially abroad).  But if we’ve learned anything in recent history, it’s that we are far from traditional in this new age of technology.

So that would be my challenge to everyone (including myself at times) that bangs on data scientists.  First off, we have to arrive at a mutual understanding of what it really means.  Then, we really need to start embracing it.  Because one day soon, the guy or gal that can master data science will rule the world.

Til Next Time,

Michael

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Charity – The Next Social Experiment?

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For those of you who know me on other social outlets, you’ll know that I participated a couple weeks back in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.  I likewise made a donation to ALS research through the national ALS organization as well as a personal charitable cause dedicated to a couple friends who are battling the disease every day.

In the interest of fair disclosure, I did not donate because I felt compelled or obligated to out of fulfillment of the “social obligation” presented by “being challenged”.  I did not donate because I think ALS is the “worst” disease imaginable or because I think it’s responsible for the most amount of deaths annually in this country.  I didn’t even donate because I think it’s a cause that is wildly under publicized.  To be honest?  I’m not quite sure why I donated.  I do know that I do not donate nearly as much as I probably should from a relative percentage of disposable income standpoint.  I do not do nearly as much reflection as I should in terms of what causes I am an adamant supporter of (though I promise there are causes to which I donate with a regular frequency – so it’s not like I’m a completely heartless or passionless person!).

It all raises an interesting socioeconomic debate or forum though…  What has the social age and new ways to add gamification to something as age-old as donating to charity really done for the total charity landscape?

I found a great infographic related to recent social (and/or specific, targeted event-based) campaigns and the amount of money they’ve raised versus, conversely, the number of deaths annually.  This of course doesn’t take into account a number of factors (how much money has been spent historically on research, how “close” we may be to cures or remedies, etc), but does present a fascinating side-by-side for a couple major diseases.

What do you think?  Have the Susan G Komen foundation and other similar social/event-based pushes helped or hurt the overall cause?  While they undoubtedly have probably raised overall donations – are they taking away from a fair distribution across other diseases that aren’t “marketed” (awful term when talking about this – but I fear it may be the “new norm”) as well?

Til Next Time,

Michael

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Happy Labor Day

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To me, this day is a great time to take a step back and consider the social and economic achievements of the American worker.  I still firmly believe in the American Dream and am doing everything I can to make sure we are enabling all of our fellow Americans the opportunity to participate and prosper.  I would challenge you to do the same.  And if we all work together – through enough ingenuity and innovation – America will continue to prosper and lead the world into whatever tomorrow may bring!

Happy Labor Day!

Til Next Time,

Michael

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The Case Against: Professional Services

Ok, I get it.  I was a bit easy on professional services as a whole in my last piece.  Many of you who have worked in or around the industry for a while would likely tell me that I was giving way too much credit and that I completely ignored some of the horror stories.  Well, that’s why we’re here right now – to shed some of the negative light on the topic in the interest of fair and equal reporting.

Professional services firms and contractors are not always worth their weight in gold.  To briefly review some of the cons:

  •  They can be hopelessly tied to “scope” which makes it tough to make them think outside the box or be agile when course/direction/plans change
  • They have an extremely wide talent range (especially the larger “big four” firms – quality control is just extremely difficult when it’s all a numbers/margin game and you’re trying to employ/deploy several hundred thousand people)
  • They are very costly, with many typical bill rates falling in the $150/hr range for general/basic services (which, annualized at a roughly 2000 hour working year, is a whopping $300k!)
  • They typically like to push “cookie cutter” templates as a solution to any defined business problem out of ease of create/adaptation (which, most of the time, take more rework to retrofit to your needs than you would have invested simply starting from scratch)
  • They can be generally arrogant since they are (allegedly) in a position of “knowledge” or “subject matter expertise” (in other words, they think they’re smarter than you because you’d be hopelessly lost without them and are generally ignorant on whatever topic you’ve retained them for)
  • They can (and do usually) fabricate false qualifications in order to “win the work” and may often times “oversell” or “underdeliver” based on a misunderstanding in the work that is to be completed from the buyer’s, seller’s, and deliverer’s standpoint (never a good thing when those three opinions are not closely aligned!)

Some people love them, some hate them.  Either way – we all need them to get by from time to time.  So here’s to making the best of it!  Perhaps I will soon divulge some more information on “how to optimize” the work/results you get from your professional services providers.  Especially, you know, since I’ve now been on both sides of the desk and I might be in a decent position to weigh in on that?  Hmmm…

Til Next Time,

Michael

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The Case For: Professional Services

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the concept of professional services, contractors, and staff augmentation.  I think there are definite benefits as well as drawbacks to relying on this type of labor in your organization.  I’ll start off today by analyzing some of the pros.  I do promise to come back in a few days though and review “the case against” as well though.

Professional services firms and workers are largely very capable, talented, and respectful individuals who serve a great purpose in their part of the organization (or at least in the area of the business that has retained/hired them to perform a particular function).

In short, here is a list of pro’s I have for professional services:

  • They can be specialized in very specific areas to add value to very detailed functions immediately (e.g. a specific technology, industry, location, function)
  • They are flexible and can often show up on a moment’s notice (sometimes even same-day)
  • They can and will travel in case you need them deployed to a different location (or locations) that is not their “home base”
  • They do not bear many of the costs an internal employee would bear (e.g. health care, retirement contribution matches, training)
  • They can be negotiated to relatively affordable rates, especially when you can have different firms/groups bidding on the same work
  • They have contracts that are generally tied to specific time frames so you are not stuck employing them indefinitely even if their function or role is no longer needed
  • They are completely expendable and can often be terminated on extremely short notice (in the event there has been something happen that requires this)

It’s not always a match made in heaven though.  Again, stay tuned for my “case against” professional services in the near future.

Til Next Time,

Michael

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Maximizing Vacation

Wednesday’s article on vacation made me really start to consider vacation a bit more…  Figured I should craft something on how to maximize vacation since I clearly overanalyze vacation to wit’s end.

Some people are the type that like to take extravagant vacations and totally disconnect themselves from reality. No work email, no phones, no connectivity, no distractions. I really respect those people. I’m certainly not one of them though.

The way I see it, I would much rather stay somewhat connected and take more frequent expeditions that are shorter in nature and cheaper (so I can afford more of them). As long as I can stay relatively up to date on work email and other areas that could get behind, I’m typically able to reconnect and pick back up where I left off without missing a beat (aside from the couple days I was “gone”).

Said another way – if I were to tell you that in any given year, you get 25 days of vacation, how would you most like to spend them? Many people I know are of the opinion that you should take off longer periods of time (say, 3 weeks at Christmas, a week in the summer, and another week perhaps over spring break, especially if you have kids). Some people, though, see 25 days off as the ability to take every other Friday off. And there’s something to be said for that. Every other week is a 4 day week in that scenario. True – you don’t get to take off much time around the holidays – but you can surely isolate ways to prepare for that and still enjoy the family time (and, let’s be honest, some of us only need a few days with our family at a time before it starts to stress us out more than work itself).

It’s all an exercise in marginal utility. The person that takes one small trip every month will inevitably have slightly less enjoyment, but they won’t have to wait as long between trips. The person that has a blowout every 6 to 12 months is sure to have more “fun”, but how quickly does that wear off before you’re anxiously counting down until the next one?

Maybe I’m a simple man, but sign me up for the more frequent, less grandiose vacations so that I have a good cadence of always having something nice to look forward to in the not-so-distant future?

What about you?

Til Next Time,

Michael

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Use Your Vacation!

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I came across a great article today on the topic of making sure you use your vacation.  I’ve been a horrible offender of lost vacation in the past.  It’s something I really try to work on.  I always worry that my time away from the office will put me at an inherent disadvantage when I return though (i.e. if I’m gone for a certain time and nobody really misses me – doesn’t that render me totally replaceable?).  All worrying aside, the article is a good read and I wanted to pass along for you to consider!

Perhaps the most hilarious/my favorite line from the author: “If you’re lucky they will fire you and you can sue them.”

Til Next Time,

Michael

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SPG + Robot Butlers

 

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TechCruch published an article today informing the world of SPG’s intent to deploy robot butlers to selected hotels as a trial.  Being a big fan of SPG and of butler services, I was naturally intrigued.  I think the idea of using butlers to perform overly manual tasks (i.e. bring me a toothbrush from the inventory closet when I call down to the front desk to let them know I forgot mine) is a great idea and has a ton of splash factor for a forward-thinking brand.

The article itself has been met with substantive backlash though over social media.  Apparently some people are of the opinion that this is just the first step on some long road to robots ruling the world.  I find that concept asinine and would challenge those opponents to take SPG for their word that this isn’t a “cost cutting” measure – but rather a way to add a high tech component to an otherwise boring task and also free up their human capital to provide more focus on a differentiated customer experience.

What are your thoughts?  Any issues with a “BOT-LR” (get it?) bringing you a toiletry you forgot?

Til Next Time,

Michael