Methodology

In a recent poll, 77 percent of Japanese workers said they expected their boss to have the answer to any of their questions, problems, and concerns that come up at work. That figure implies a work environment driven by facts and figures, with centralized decision making, little power for entry-level positions, and lots of bureaucracy. Conversely, 13 percent of Americans expected their boss to know it all.  <p class="wp-caption-text"> Photo provided by: Marco Bellucci http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcobellucci/ </p> What's that figure mean for us in the U.S.? It means we don’t expect our boss to have all the answers. It means the big kahuna isn’t always the most qualified to attack a problem. It means he or she won’t necessarily the best path to follow when there is a fork in the road. ...

My friend and local Athens celebrity Caleb Troop facetiously told me he’d only follow me on Twitter if I’d provide value to him. He told me, “I want to learn something.” He’s totally right, but it doesn’t stop with tweets.  <p class="wp-caption-text"> Photo provided by *clairity* http://www.flickr.com/photos/clairity/ </p> Shouldn't every interaction you have with someone be about learning something? When you meet someone for coffee, run into an old friend, or read a blog post, it's all about learning. ...

Roughly one-fifth of Americans are smokers. Every time you walk behind one, enter a building where one is lighting up outside, or sit next to one on a bus, you notice. You smell them. They stand out. You can’t miss them. You can’t ignore them. They are unmistakable. It’s impossible for them to pass by without you noticing them.  Photo provided by saneboy http://flickr.com/photos/saneboy So why don’t you start smoking? ...

I want to go get a job in a profession I’m not really crazy about, suffer for eight to 10 years, and then I want to start my own business and do something I really love when I’m in a more difficult position to take chances, most likely when I have a spouse and kids. I ask a lot of people what they want to do with their lives. Most of the people I know who are planning on pursuing a career in the business field give me a response like the one above (at least that’s what I hear). ...

Just tell me what to do. Give me the exact instructions, details and ideas you have, and then I'll do it. Give me a map, trace your finger on the route, tell me when to start, when to stop, and then I'll make sure it's done (unless I have more questions). How often do you make those demands? Do you even realize what you're doing? When you ask a professor how many pages, what font, what they're looking for exactly, how many appendices, how to cite your work, and where's the best place to start for a paper, you're asking for a map. When you ask your boss how the project should be done, who to talk to, how to present it, how long the presentation should be, and where he'll be when you have more questions, you're asking for a map. Here's the problem with asking for a map. You're going to simply follow it as closely as you can. Map followers can never be successful. Anyone can follow a map. Anyone can ask to be steered down a path, so you become just another cog in the wheel of mediocrity. Why do we want the map? So someone else has to shoulder the blame when we screw up. But you told me this is what you wanted. I followed the exact path you told me to take. If you want to start making a difference, stop asking for a map. When something is ambiguous, view it as an opportunity. When you know what needs to be done but not how to do it, blaze a trail, take a chance, knock some socks off and do things without a map.

I’ve never had a perfect blog post. When I post something, I assume it’s perfect. Then I re-read it, scoff at the glaring errors, and hack away at it like I’m a rainforest tour guide. Reword. Re-edit. Follow up. And then it’s done. Until I find another error. Rinse and repeat.  Photo provided by cauchisavona: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheekyneedle/ That’s what’s great about something dynamic like a blog—you can change it whenever you need to fix something. ...

Do you love everything you do each day? I hope you do, but it’s unlikely. Now, if you don’t love what you’re doing, why don’t you change it?  Photo provided by 00hCaffiene http://www.flickr.com/photos/unmundane/ You’ve only got 24 hours to make things happen each day, so why waste your time doing something you’re not passionate about? Is it because there’s an end in mind? If you hate school, do you suck it up because you think you need an education to get a “good” job (one that you might dislike even more than school, but that you go to because all the cool kids are doing it)? Or is it because someone told you the choice isn’t yours? ...

…when it comes to social media. Twitter is not __about your lunch. YouTube wasn’t designed to make you famous. LinkedIn isn’t for you to get a job. Are they used like that? Sure. You can also use books as paperweights, email for spamming, and food for overeating. But that’s not the intended purpose. In reality, however, when it comes to social media, it’s about everyone but you. In business it’s about… Connecting with your customers Listening to their concerns Providing an outlet for more information Linking your fans together ...

You have a ton of things to do today. You’ve got post-it notes up to your eyeballs. You have a prison tattoo of reminders all the way up your arm, and you’re losing track of what you tied the ribbons around your fingers for. I’ve been there. So, while it’s totally unlike me to do something so organized, I’ve become a list maker.  Photo provided by Ali Nassiri: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alinassiri/ ...

People lined the streets.Cheerleaders. Grandparents. Local celebrities. Average Joes. Outfits ranging from Santa hats to rockstars. Some knew racers. Most didn’t. But you couldn’t tell who was who because they were all going crazy.  Photo Provided by Competitor Group: http://arizona.competitor.com/photos/ “You can do it! Come on! You're doing great! Lookin' good! Only a few more miles to go! You're killing it!” Outside of the goodness of God, the spectators were the biggest reason I finished the 26.2 mile trek. ...