So we now have our first draft of the post-Parcells area in the books, and things are very murky. It started with a bang yesterday with wheelin' and dealin' from Jerry with a net result of giving up this year's 3rd and 5th for Cleveland's 1st in 2008. There's a chance that will be a top 5 pick. Add a nice OLB prospect in Anthony Spencer, and we were off to a bang.
However, it seems that someone forgot to tell Jerry and Co. that there were six more rounds in the NFL draft! Let's see, they got an "athlete" who insists that he will be an NFL quarterback. Two project corners, a shaky field goal kicker, and a couple of mediocre OTs. Yikes!
We may be proven wrong, but it looks like Jerry needs to have someone like Bill or Jimmy in the room to avert a total disaster.
Until next time...
PH
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Scattershooting 4/28/2007
This post will really fit with the theme of my blog. I don't have any single topic for today so here's a hodgepodge of ramblings...
I was on the treadmill at the gym this morning, and the TV happened to be tuned to a fishing show. Let's go ahead and take it as a given that the need for fishing shows is questionable. Beyond that, when did fishing become so high tech? With all of the digital fish finders and tricked up bait, where is the sport? Seems like shooting fish in a barrel.
It is really difficult for bands to sustain success these days. One of the recent bands that I had really liked was Evanescence. While not an "official" Christian band, you can hear the influence in their songs. While their debut CD in 2003 was really good, changes in the band resulted in a very spotty follow up in October of last year. Too bad.
Weddings are fun. We are going to a wedding for one of the folks on my team this evening. Most of my friends are married now, so we don't get a lot of chances to go. It is nice to look back nostalgically on my own wedding day attending other weddings. Friday, May 4, is five years for Christy and me.
That's it for today.
Until next time...
PH
I was on the treadmill at the gym this morning, and the TV happened to be tuned to a fishing show. Let's go ahead and take it as a given that the need for fishing shows is questionable. Beyond that, when did fishing become so high tech? With all of the digital fish finders and tricked up bait, where is the sport? Seems like shooting fish in a barrel.
It is really difficult for bands to sustain success these days. One of the recent bands that I had really liked was Evanescence. While not an "official" Christian band, you can hear the influence in their songs. While their debut CD in 2003 was really good, changes in the band resulted in a very spotty follow up in October of last year. Too bad.
Weddings are fun. We are going to a wedding for one of the folks on my team this evening. Most of my friends are married now, so we don't get a lot of chances to go. It is nice to look back nostalgically on my own wedding day attending other weddings. Friday, May 4, is five years for Christy and me.
That's it for today.
Until next time...
PH
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Microsoft Is Evil!
I'm sure you've never heard that before. ;-) So what exactly has caused me to restate the obvious? I have a Dell Axim X51v - a Windows based PDA, and I was trying to sync my MP3s from my computer to my X51v. Well, Windows Media Player never detected the device. It turns out that if you install or updated Windows Media Player after you install ActiveSync (the program that transfers files back and forth between the PDA and PC), ActiveSync gets corrupted and has to be repaired through the control panel. What a pain! At least Google helped me find the answer.
Until next time...
PH
Until next time...
PH
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Big Weather in Houston
Our trip down for the PROS Conference ended on an interesting note. Christy will tell you that I would sleep through a nuclear bomb, but not so last night. There was thunder of a high enough order to rouse me from my slumber at 4:30 this morning. It wasn't bad long enough to keep me awake though. I watched the weather from the treadmill before breakfast, and it seems like it there were some pretty bad storms in the area last night. There were additional storms this morning, but there weren't too bad where we were.
My traveling party had a caucus during the morning break, and we decided that we would leave after the 10:15 presentation to try to get out while the getting was good. The early afternoon flights on Southwest weren't delayed, and the storm was supposed to be through the area by 11ish. So at 11:00 we hopped in a cab and away we went.
We actually got on the 12:00 flight to come home, but we didn't get there in time for our bags to make that flight. So we had lunch at Chili's in the lobby while we waited. That was an interesting experience. There were as many food servers on duty as there were customers, but we wound up being waited on by the manager on duty. I've never seen a group of employees in a restaurant just standing around like that before. The next bad sign was the sliver of carrot that was on one of my companion's fork that the manager brought out. Then the fact that we had one coke and one diet coke caused mass confusion. Next, my chicken caesar wrap came out, and there were a lot of things that I didn't expect in it such as tomatoes and american cheese along with the side of salsa. The manager/waiter was confused by that, but then we realized that he had not brought out what I had ordered. The final kicker was the separate checks. Of the four, I was the only credit card so I got out unscathed. Among the remaining three, there was mass chaos as our waitress (yes, the manager finally handed us off) gave two of the others the wrong ticket with the wrong change. This individual seemed deficient in the good ol' three R's - well, we technically only observed two of them...
So after that, we grab our bags about 3:2o and went on our merry ways to rest from the rigors of travel. It was a fun and interesting trip, but it will also be good to return to "normal" life.
Until next time...
PH
My traveling party had a caucus during the morning break, and we decided that we would leave after the 10:15 presentation to try to get out while the getting was good. The early afternoon flights on Southwest weren't delayed, and the storm was supposed to be through the area by 11ish. So at 11:00 we hopped in a cab and away we went.
We actually got on the 12:00 flight to come home, but we didn't get there in time for our bags to make that flight. So we had lunch at Chili's in the lobby while we waited. That was an interesting experience. There were as many food servers on duty as there were customers, but we wound up being waited on by the manager on duty. I've never seen a group of employees in a restaurant just standing around like that before. The next bad sign was the sliver of carrot that was on one of my companion's fork that the manager brought out. Then the fact that we had one coke and one diet coke caused mass confusion. Next, my chicken caesar wrap came out, and there were a lot of things that I didn't expect in it such as tomatoes and american cheese along with the side of salsa. The manager/waiter was confused by that, but then we realized that he had not brought out what I had ordered. The final kicker was the separate checks. Of the four, I was the only credit card so I got out unscathed. Among the remaining three, there was mass chaos as our waitress (yes, the manager finally handed us off) gave two of the others the wrong ticket with the wrong change. This individual seemed deficient in the good ol' three R's - well, we technically only observed two of them...
So after that, we grab our bags about 3:2o and went on our merry ways to rest from the rigors of travel. It was a fun and interesting trip, but it will also be good to return to "normal" life.
Until next time...
PH
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Meeting Room Chairs
Whether it is in the training facilities, large meeting rooms at work, or large meeting rooms in a hotel, they all have one thing in common. They are places where people are supposed to spend extended amounts of time, but the chairs that you find are tolerable for about 10-15 minutes before you start to squirm. I have always found this to be somewhat of a paradox. I'm supposed to be in here for hours upon hours, but standing up is often the best choice.
I know that there are two reasons that drive why things are the way that they are. For starters, the people who own these meeting facilities are looking to keep costs down. When you have hundreds (or thousands) of these chairs, even $2 a chair adds up. Then there is the matter of needing chairs that are easy to move, store, and cram together in tight seating arrangements. It would seem that these factors win out over client comfort the vast majority of the time.
Now you know why you see those adds before the movies start about hosting your meeting or event in one of their auditoriums...
Until next time...
PH
I know that there are two reasons that drive why things are the way that they are. For starters, the people who own these meeting facilities are looking to keep costs down. When you have hundreds (or thousands) of these chairs, even $2 a chair adds up. Then there is the matter of needing chairs that are easy to move, store, and cram together in tight seating arrangements. It would seem that these factors win out over client comfort the vast majority of the time.
Now you know why you see those adds before the movies start about hosting your meeting or event in one of their auditoriums...
Until next time...
PH
Monday, April 23, 2007
The Joys of Traveling
So I had a pretty uneventful flight down to Houston yesterday. It was after I walked out of the airport that I began to realize why I am glad to not have to travel on a frequent basis for business.
Thirty minutes in a cab that smells of cheap cigarettes and pipe smoke is something that I wouldn't wish on anyone. At least the cab driver didn't smoke while we were in route.
We had a little over an hour before the opening reception when we arrived at the hotel. I spent about 30 minutes helping the close that I packed recover from being packed in a suitcase and tossed about in two airports and one airplane. My invention idea: a suitcase that prevents wrinkles!
It seems that alarm clocks are becoming more and more sophisticated, and I'm not really sure why this is necessary. It took me about 10 minutes to get the thing set last night and that was with an instruction sheet! The good news is that I got it set correctly and woke up on time. However, it did take me two tries to get it turned off this morning. I'm sure my next door neighbor loved that at 5:15 this morning!
Have you ever experienced the total disorientation at a hotel? For example, I'm lucky that I didn't rip the shower control right off the wall this morning. It looked like one of those that you pull up and rotate to adjust the temperature. I figured out that it was a simple rotation before I caused any damage, though. ;-)
The hotel is pretty nice. The conference is at the Houston Intercontinental Hotel. I made it down to the exercise room at 6:00 this morning - I can't really account for all of the 45 minutes between then and when I woke up. See the previous comment about disorientation at hotels.
The food is pretty good, but it is hard to make healthy choices. There's no shortage of fried food. I went with the tortilla soup, a chicken fajita, and Caesar salad. Last, but certainly not least, the coffee is outstanding!
Until next time...
PH
Thirty minutes in a cab that smells of cheap cigarettes and pipe smoke is something that I wouldn't wish on anyone. At least the cab driver didn't smoke while we were in route.
We had a little over an hour before the opening reception when we arrived at the hotel. I spent about 30 minutes helping the close that I packed recover from being packed in a suitcase and tossed about in two airports and one airplane. My invention idea: a suitcase that prevents wrinkles!
It seems that alarm clocks are becoming more and more sophisticated, and I'm not really sure why this is necessary. It took me about 10 minutes to get the thing set last night and that was with an instruction sheet! The good news is that I got it set correctly and woke up on time. However, it did take me two tries to get it turned off this morning. I'm sure my next door neighbor loved that at 5:15 this morning!
Have you ever experienced the total disorientation at a hotel? For example, I'm lucky that I didn't rip the shower control right off the wall this morning. It looked like one of those that you pull up and rotate to adjust the temperature. I figured out that it was a simple rotation before I caused any damage, though. ;-)
The hotel is pretty nice. The conference is at the Houston Intercontinental Hotel. I made it down to the exercise room at 6:00 this morning - I can't really account for all of the 45 minutes between then and when I woke up. See the previous comment about disorientation at hotels.
The food is pretty good, but it is hard to make healthy choices. There's no shortage of fried food. I went with the tortilla soup, a chicken fajita, and Caesar salad. Last, but certainly not least, the coffee is outstanding!
Until next time...
PH
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Off to Houston
I am about to go catch a flight to Houston for the PROS Revenue Management Conference. My IT team supports the Revenue Management Department at Southwest Airlines. This will be my first time to go to the conference because it had already past when I joined the team last summer.
I may be out of touch for a few days depending on how much free time I have and whether or not I have internet access in my hotel room.
Thank goodness for coffee. It goes well with travel.
Until next time...
PH
I may be out of touch for a few days depending on how much free time I have and whether or not I have internet access in my hotel room.
Thank goodness for coffee. It goes well with travel.
Until next time...
PH
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Buying a House Is a Big Deal
Add this one to the category of "live and learn". Many of you know that we have had our house on the market for over a year. We bought our house in Hurst/Ft. Worth almost four years ago now, and this is one that I would like to have back. We didn't know a lot about our neighborhood beyond the fact that it had a house that we thought was the right size that we could afford.
Now that we have decided that it is time to move on, we face quite a dilemma in trying to get it sold after over 13 months on the market now. We are priced just above our tax value, but there is new development in our area just a couple of blocks away. Mix in a buyer's market, and you get 13 months with a sign in the yard with zero offers.
I was reading Amy's blog entry yesterday, and she described the simple pleasure of having trees in her backyard. We didn't really give a lot of thought to that back when we bought, but we wish we had.
To the first time home buyer, I would offer this. Make sure you know what is important and that any house you are considering doesn't have any potential deal breakers down the road. One thing is certain; selling a house is not like waiting out a lease on a house or apartment. If the right buyer doesn't come along, your wait to move on is not bounded. Buying a house seems like the second most durable relationship that you will enter after marriage. Don't enter it lightly.
Until next time...
PH
Now that we have decided that it is time to move on, we face quite a dilemma in trying to get it sold after over 13 months on the market now. We are priced just above our tax value, but there is new development in our area just a couple of blocks away. Mix in a buyer's market, and you get 13 months with a sign in the yard with zero offers.
I was reading Amy's blog entry yesterday, and she described the simple pleasure of having trees in her backyard. We didn't really give a lot of thought to that back when we bought, but we wish we had.
To the first time home buyer, I would offer this. Make sure you know what is important and that any house you are considering doesn't have any potential deal breakers down the road. One thing is certain; selling a house is not like waiting out a lease on a house or apartment. If the right buyer doesn't come along, your wait to move on is not bounded. Buying a house seems like the second most durable relationship that you will enter after marriage. Don't enter it lightly.
Until next time...
PH
Friday, April 20, 2007
Time for the NBA Playoffs!!
While hockey is dead, basketball is very much alive! I hope that you have enjoyed the Mavericks regular season run (67-15) as much as I did. Now it is time to take care of unfinished business. We remember all to well how the Mavericks had the NBA Finals under control for about 2.75 games, and then experienced a meltdown of the highest order. That is the sort of thing that can just as likely induce a 67-15 effort or a continuation of the demise. The beginning of the season certainly looked like the Mavericks were dead with the 0-4 start (making 67-15 that much more impressive).
I like this team for a number of reasons. First, they play great basketball. While they are not at the level of the 72-10 Bulls of the mid 90s, they're still an elite team. It all starts with the tall German who creates match up headaches for every team they face. The list of salty characters goes on for a bit before you get to someone that the opposing team doesn't give careful consideration to. The bigger factor that makes me like this team, though, is that they are just well coached. As I've mentioned before, I think that Avery Johnson is a great leader. He has the kind of approach that gets results, and this year he has all of his players on board to carry out his plans.
What of the Mavericks first round opponent? There has been a great deal of talk on the radio and in the newspaper about Golden State because of the problems they have given the Mavericks in the regular season. Does Don Nelson know the Mavericks too well? Please. As much as I like Nelly as a person, he is a regular season coach who produces regular season teams. He has never produced a winner in the post season, but he has not changed one thing about his approach to the game. The lack of defense will result in a one and done trip for the Golden State Warriors.
Prediction: Mavericks 4-1
Other Western Conference series: Spurs 4-2 over Denver, Suns 4-3 over the Lakers, and Houston 4-2 over Utah.
In the second round: Mavericks 4-2 over Houston and Spurs 4-3 over the Suns
Western Finals: Mavericks 4-2 over Spurs
NBA Finals: Mavericks 4-2 over the Pistons
We'll see if I'm any good at prognostication.
Until next time...
PH
I like this team for a number of reasons. First, they play great basketball. While they are not at the level of the 72-10 Bulls of the mid 90s, they're still an elite team. It all starts with the tall German who creates match up headaches for every team they face. The list of salty characters goes on for a bit before you get to someone that the opposing team doesn't give careful consideration to. The bigger factor that makes me like this team, though, is that they are just well coached. As I've mentioned before, I think that Avery Johnson is a great leader. He has the kind of approach that gets results, and this year he has all of his players on board to carry out his plans.
What of the Mavericks first round opponent? There has been a great deal of talk on the radio and in the newspaper about Golden State because of the problems they have given the Mavericks in the regular season. Does Don Nelson know the Mavericks too well? Please. As much as I like Nelly as a person, he is a regular season coach who produces regular season teams. He has never produced a winner in the post season, but he has not changed one thing about his approach to the game. The lack of defense will result in a one and done trip for the Golden State Warriors.
Prediction: Mavericks 4-1
Other Western Conference series: Spurs 4-2 over Denver, Suns 4-3 over the Lakers, and Houston 4-2 over Utah.
In the second round: Mavericks 4-2 over Houston and Spurs 4-3 over the Suns
Western Finals: Mavericks 4-2 over Spurs
NBA Finals: Mavericks 4-2 over the Pistons
We'll see if I'm any good at prognostication.
Until next time...
PH
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Coffee, Coffee, Coffee
The other day Amy was extolling the virtues of waking up to coffee over on the Crawford Family Blog. I have to agree that it is one of the little blessings of the world, but I have not always thought this way. It wasn't until my second year of college that I started to dabble in drinking coffee, and it certainly was with a different caliber of product.
Over the years, I have become a pretty big fan of Starbucks. Over the weekend, I picked up some of their Brazil Ipanema Bourbon roast, and it has turned out to be a very pleasant morning starter. It has a bright, but not overpowering flavor to it, and it gently lifts the mental fog that is so common at 5:15 a.m. I am also a big fan of the Light Note roast. It is probably the tamest offering that Starbucks has, but again it still snaps me out of the haze without knocking me back down in the process.
Later in the morning or afternoon, I like something a little more robust. That may still be regular coffee such as the Verona roast, or it could even be an espresso based drink such as an Americano or Cappuccino. While I could never get my lovely wife to believe me on this, the espresso drinks have sweet, nutty undertones to them.
While Starbucks is usually my "drug of choice", I am also a fan of Seattle's Best. If you are flying out of Love Field, it makes a nice second option - since it is all that they have to offer! You'll also come across their fine work at your local Border's store.
So join me as you raise your cup of joe this morning. "To coffee!"
Until next time...
PH
Over the years, I have become a pretty big fan of Starbucks. Over the weekend, I picked up some of their Brazil Ipanema Bourbon roast, and it has turned out to be a very pleasant morning starter. It has a bright, but not overpowering flavor to it, and it gently lifts the mental fog that is so common at 5:15 a.m. I am also a big fan of the Light Note roast. It is probably the tamest offering that Starbucks has, but again it still snaps me out of the haze without knocking me back down in the process.
Later in the morning or afternoon, I like something a little more robust. That may still be regular coffee such as the Verona roast, or it could even be an espresso based drink such as an Americano or Cappuccino. While I could never get my lovely wife to believe me on this, the espresso drinks have sweet, nutty undertones to them.
While Starbucks is usually my "drug of choice", I am also a fan of Seattle's Best. If you are flying out of Love Field, it makes a nice second option - since it is all that they have to offer! You'll also come across their fine work at your local Border's store.
So join me as you raise your cup of joe this morning. "To coffee!"
Until next time...
PH
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Hockey Is Dead, and the Salary Cap Is to Blame
While the NHL has tried mightily to resurrect hockey after missing the 2004-2005 season, it just hasn't worked. They've tried tricked up rules to make the game more entertaining, but the negatives have just been too great. Losing ESPN as the flagship network has been a significant blow, but the make up of the teams is a much larger issue.
I have taken considerable flack over the last 10+ years for my being a fan of the Colorado Avalanche. I started watching hockey in 1996 during the playoffs when they won their first championship. I've followed them ever since, and they won again in 2001. However, part of the Armageddon of 2004-05 was a hard salary cap that made it impossible to keep highly paid teams together. While this might seem great to the Edmontons of the world, it absolutely killed my dear Avs. Here's a look at where some of the players are who were on one or both of those championship teams:
Stephan Yelle - Calgary Flames
Alex Tanguay - Calgary Flames
Jon Klemm - Dallas Stars
Rob Blake - L.A. Kings
Peter Forseberg - Nashville Predators
Mike Ricci - Phoenix Coyotes
Greg de Vries - Atlanta Thrashers
Chris Drury - Buffalo Sabres
Adam Foote - Columbus Blue Jackets
Stephen Reinprecht - Phoenix Coyotes
Dan Hinote - Saint Louis Blues
It's hard to overcome this when you also include the following retirements:
Patrick Roy - Goalie
Ray Bourque - Defenseman
Adam Deadmarsh - Right Wing
Scott Young - Right Wing
Eric Messier - Left Wing
Shjon Podein - Left Wing
Mike Keane - Left Wing
That's just too much for a team to absorb and stay at a highly competitive level. While the Avs fought valiantly in 2005-2006 and still made the playoffs, they missed the post season this year. When the salary cap killed my team, it essentially killed hockey for me in general. While I have a passing interest if Forseberg gets another championship in Nashville, I won't be glued to the TV trying to watch every game.
That's why I think salary caps are a bad thing in general. Think about how many Super Bowls the Cowboys could have won if they had been able to keep their team together. You may wonder if I still watch football based on my thoughts on hockey. The answer is yes, I do. I think the difference is that I've watched football about 20 years longer than I have hockey. I guess some things just wind up being more entrenched.
Are you still watching hockey? Did you ever?
Until next time...
PH
I have taken considerable flack over the last 10+ years for my being a fan of the Colorado Avalanche. I started watching hockey in 1996 during the playoffs when they won their first championship. I've followed them ever since, and they won again in 2001. However, part of the Armageddon of 2004-05 was a hard salary cap that made it impossible to keep highly paid teams together. While this might seem great to the Edmontons of the world, it absolutely killed my dear Avs. Here's a look at where some of the players are who were on one or both of those championship teams:
Stephan Yelle - Calgary Flames
Alex Tanguay - Calgary Flames
Jon Klemm - Dallas Stars
Rob Blake - L.A. Kings
Peter Forseberg - Nashville Predators
Mike Ricci - Phoenix Coyotes
Greg de Vries - Atlanta Thrashers
Chris Drury - Buffalo Sabres
Adam Foote - Columbus Blue Jackets
Stephen Reinprecht - Phoenix Coyotes
Dan Hinote - Saint Louis Blues
It's hard to overcome this when you also include the following retirements:
Patrick Roy - Goalie
Ray Bourque - Defenseman
Adam Deadmarsh - Right Wing
Scott Young - Right Wing
Eric Messier - Left Wing
Shjon Podein - Left Wing
Mike Keane - Left Wing
That's just too much for a team to absorb and stay at a highly competitive level. While the Avs fought valiantly in 2005-2006 and still made the playoffs, they missed the post season this year. When the salary cap killed my team, it essentially killed hockey for me in general. While I have a passing interest if Forseberg gets another championship in Nashville, I won't be glued to the TV trying to watch every game.
That's why I think salary caps are a bad thing in general. Think about how many Super Bowls the Cowboys could have won if they had been able to keep their team together. You may wonder if I still watch football based on my thoughts on hockey. The answer is yes, I do. I think the difference is that I've watched football about 20 years longer than I have hockey. I guess some things just wind up being more entrenched.
Are you still watching hockey? Did you ever?
Until next time...
PH
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Tolkien Lives On
I was casually looking through my book recommendations at Amazon this morning when I came across something new from J. R. R. Tolkien - with a publication date of today! The *new* offering is titled The Children of Hurin. It is set during the time of The Silmarillion, and a shorter version of the story in this new book can be found here in Chapter XXI.
I was curious about the story because the info at Amazon was pretty brief so good old Google turned up an entry on Wikipedia related to The Children of Hurin. Between the two sites I got a pretty good overview of the story, and it sounds like it is worth reading. I most curious when I found a like for a trailer at the bottom of the Wikipedia page. I thought it was an interesting concept for a book to have a trailer so I checked it out. It was probably less telling that most movie trailers, but I'm not sure that it could be any different.
Until next time...
PH
Monday, April 16, 2007
Survivor: Reality or Not?
While at Starbucks yesterday afternoon, I was reading The Leadership Challenge. Under the heading of "Facilitate Positive Interdependence", the authors chose an interesting counterexample: the hit reality TV show Survivor. While the "real world" requires teamwork and egoless contribution from each person, Survivor models the exact opposite of this. You may see people form "alliances" and "work together", but it is for the sole purpose of furthering their individual odds of being the winner.
In order to have a truly functional team (and ultimately be successful), individual goals must be in line with the team/department/company goals, or they must be yielded. While I'm sure you can find examples of selfish people who achieved great things, I would contend that they have done so in spite of their dysfunction.
Going back to my favorite source of examples, let's consider the LA Lakers. They won three championships when Shaq and Kobe were together on the team. However, Kobe didn't like all of the attention that was going to Shaq, and Shaq got traded to Miami a couple of years ago. Since then, Miami has gone on to win their own championship while the Lakers have been mired in mediocrity. Kobe regularly scores 40+ points a night, but his team is in the lower seeds for the playoffs right now and primed for an early exit. Shaq on the other hand has deflected the spotlight to rising star Dwayne Wade. The attitudes and results speak for themselves.
Until next time...
PH
In order to have a truly functional team (and ultimately be successful), individual goals must be in line with the team/department/company goals, or they must be yielded. While I'm sure you can find examples of selfish people who achieved great things, I would contend that they have done so in spite of their dysfunction.
Going back to my favorite source of examples, let's consider the LA Lakers. They won three championships when Shaq and Kobe were together on the team. However, Kobe didn't like all of the attention that was going to Shaq, and Shaq got traded to Miami a couple of years ago. Since then, Miami has gone on to win their own championship while the Lakers have been mired in mediocrity. Kobe regularly scores 40+ points a night, but his team is in the lower seeds for the playoffs right now and primed for an early exit. Shaq on the other hand has deflected the spotlight to rising star Dwayne Wade. The attitudes and results speak for themselves.
Until next time...
PH
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Sports and Leadership II
Yesterday we looked at a quote from Avery Johnson. Today's offering comes to us from the University of North Texas Head Football Coach, Todd Dodge. In the most recent alumni newsletter, he had this to say about his initial talk with the team, "When I first sat down with the players I told them that I assumed everyone in here wants to be a part of a championship team. If the don't, then we need to sit down individually and see what it is they're here for."
While the corporate world does not have championships per se, the theme of being the best is still applicable. I put forth the goal for my teams to be World Class Software Development Teams. Being "world class" is something that you see everywhere. I was at Tuxedo Junction yesterday getting measured for an upcoming black tie event. While I was waiting on the attendant to enter all of my information into the computer, I glanced at the wall and found their mission statement. They strive to "provide World Class service" to their customers. It really comes down to a couple of things: strive to do your best and continuously look for ways to improve.
Just like Coach Dodge, I assume that the people on my team want to be a part of a World Class Software Development Team. In the airline industry, there is no time to waste. The landscape is fraught with high competition and slim margins (and these are being eaten away by the rising cost of jet fuel). You may be familiar with the DING! desktop product from Southwest. I can remember during the initial project to bring DING! to life, we had a high sense of urgency in completing the work because when it comes to the desktop, Ricky Bobby said it best, "If you ain't first, you're last."
There was no room for people who were looking to coast until retirement or enjoy a country club type atmosphere where having fun takes precedence over getting work done. It was a large team effort, and everyone had to be committed to seeing the project through to completion. That's what it means to "be a part of a championship team".
So you may be thinking that it's great for a coach or manager to aspire to such things, but why should their teams buy in to their vision? Coach Dodge is certainly qualified to speak this way with the 79-1 record that he posted over the last five years at Southlake Carroll High School. In addition, the Mean Green has won their conference championship in 2001-2004. It definitely helps if at least one side or the other has experienced success. That's not to say that if neither has done it before that you are doomed. It is a steeper hill to climb though.
Until next time...
PH
While the corporate world does not have championships per se, the theme of being the best is still applicable. I put forth the goal for my teams to be World Class Software Development Teams. Being "world class" is something that you see everywhere. I was at Tuxedo Junction yesterday getting measured for an upcoming black tie event. While I was waiting on the attendant to enter all of my information into the computer, I glanced at the wall and found their mission statement. They strive to "provide World Class service" to their customers. It really comes down to a couple of things: strive to do your best and continuously look for ways to improve.
Just like Coach Dodge, I assume that the people on my team want to be a part of a World Class Software Development Team. In the airline industry, there is no time to waste. The landscape is fraught with high competition and slim margins (and these are being eaten away by the rising cost of jet fuel). You may be familiar with the DING! desktop product from Southwest. I can remember during the initial project to bring DING! to life, we had a high sense of urgency in completing the work because when it comes to the desktop, Ricky Bobby said it best, "If you ain't first, you're last."
There was no room for people who were looking to coast until retirement or enjoy a country club type atmosphere where having fun takes precedence over getting work done. It was a large team effort, and everyone had to be committed to seeing the project through to completion. That's what it means to "be a part of a championship team".
So you may be thinking that it's great for a coach or manager to aspire to such things, but why should their teams buy in to their vision? Coach Dodge is certainly qualified to speak this way with the 79-1 record that he posted over the last five years at Southlake Carroll High School. In addition, the Mean Green has won their conference championship in 2001-2004. It definitely helps if at least one side or the other has experienced success. That's not to say that if neither has done it before that you are doomed. It is a steeper hill to climb though.
Until next time...
PH
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Sports and Leadership
As a senior manager, I look for leadership examples in various realms, and the world of sports often provides some good examples. There an example recently that I found really transcended sports. Here goes...
After a game a while back, Dallas Mavericks Head Coach, Avery Johnson had this to say, "It's one thing to have a system and a philosophy. But if you don't have the right kind of players on your team it is all smoke and mirrors." You see this play out quite often when a new coach comes to a team - especially if he has had other stops in the same league. You saw Bill Parcells bring in some key players from his previous teams when he came to the Dallas Cowboys. He also cut ties with some long time players from the glory days such as Emmit Smith. A coach needs to have players in the trenches who support his philosophy.
In the corporate world, the same principle applies, but it does not work quite the same way. People rarely become "free agents" looking for a new team. Managers also seldom have the flexibility to make drastic changes to a staff that they inherit on new assignments. Since people move around much less, what is a manager to do to ensure that his philosophy and system take hold? In essence it comes down to leading change, and it happens slowly in most cases. It is critical to gain an understanding of the current staff and their practices in order to see where there is the greatest gap. The gaps may be closed in three ways: the team adapts to the manager, the manager adapts to the team, or they work together to find a new, third way of doing things. I have experienced all three of these in my working career.
Along the way, a manager will have a very limited set of changes that he can make to his team. Unlike the sports world where changes are largely driven by money or championships, these work best when managers work with people to move on or off of the team to further the individual's career development. People need to see different parts of their company in order to keep a healthy exchange of ideas flowing. There is one caution to consider, though. Much like the sports world, too much change at one time can result in a decline in the team's performance. It takes time for people to build rapport with new teammates and learn the local culture. Like most other things, it works well in moderation.
Next time, we'll consider something that I found from the University of North Texas Head Coach, Todd Dodge.
PH
After a game a while back, Dallas Mavericks Head Coach, Avery Johnson had this to say, "It's one thing to have a system and a philosophy. But if you don't have the right kind of players on your team it is all smoke and mirrors." You see this play out quite often when a new coach comes to a team - especially if he has had other stops in the same league. You saw Bill Parcells bring in some key players from his previous teams when he came to the Dallas Cowboys. He also cut ties with some long time players from the glory days such as Emmit Smith. A coach needs to have players in the trenches who support his philosophy.
In the corporate world, the same principle applies, but it does not work quite the same way. People rarely become "free agents" looking for a new team. Managers also seldom have the flexibility to make drastic changes to a staff that they inherit on new assignments. Since people move around much less, what is a manager to do to ensure that his philosophy and system take hold? In essence it comes down to leading change, and it happens slowly in most cases. It is critical to gain an understanding of the current staff and their practices in order to see where there is the greatest gap. The gaps may be closed in three ways: the team adapts to the manager, the manager adapts to the team, or they work together to find a new, third way of doing things. I have experienced all three of these in my working career.
Along the way, a manager will have a very limited set of changes that he can make to his team. Unlike the sports world where changes are largely driven by money or championships, these work best when managers work with people to move on or off of the team to further the individual's career development. People need to see different parts of their company in order to keep a healthy exchange of ideas flowing. There is one caution to consider, though. Much like the sports world, too much change at one time can result in a decline in the team's performance. It takes time for people to build rapport with new teammates and learn the local culture. Like most other things, it works well in moderation.
Next time, we'll consider something that I found from the University of North Texas Head Coach, Todd Dodge.
PH
Friday, April 13, 2007
Let's get this thing rolling!
Google has made blogging so easy that I couldn't resist any longer. I haven't really done anything like this before, but I like trying new things. So, why not? As I mention at the top of the page, you will never know what the subject(s) de jour will be. About the only thing you can really be guaranteed of is that I find it interesting in some shape or fashion.
For the first random thought, let us turn to the world of sports. When I was driving home earlier this week, I heard that Drew Bledsoe had retired. It made me think back to his press conference when he signed here, and how he said that his and Bill Parcell's legacy would now be joined together. Oops! Both are now gone with very little to show for their time here. Where have you gone Jimmy Johnson?
In other news, I mentioned being a Senior Manager in the Technology Department for Southwest Airlines. One of the biggest challenges in being a manager is when, for whatever reason, you find yourself in the position of having to hire Software Developers from the outside world. Are there any Java folks left out there? I've been trying to find someone for about 6 months now with very little luck.
Finally, as many of you know, we are trying to sell our house. It's been on the market for over a year now, and we are beginning to wonder if it will ever sell! If you need a gently used house in the Hurst/Ft. Worth area...
Well, I hope this has met your expectations of randomness. If you are still reading, it must have. Let's have some fun!
PH
For the first random thought, let us turn to the world of sports. When I was driving home earlier this week, I heard that Drew Bledsoe had retired. It made me think back to his press conference when he signed here, and how he said that his and Bill Parcell's legacy would now be joined together. Oops! Both are now gone with very little to show for their time here. Where have you gone Jimmy Johnson?
In other news, I mentioned being a Senior Manager in the Technology Department for Southwest Airlines. One of the biggest challenges in being a manager is when, for whatever reason, you find yourself in the position of having to hire Software Developers from the outside world. Are there any Java folks left out there? I've been trying to find someone for about 6 months now with very little luck.
Finally, as many of you know, we are trying to sell our house. It's been on the market for over a year now, and we are beginning to wonder if it will ever sell! If you need a gently used house in the Hurst/Ft. Worth area...
Well, I hope this has met your expectations of randomness. If you are still reading, it must have. Let's have some fun!
PH
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