HL Arledge

Disruption

2008-11-04T06:59:41-08:00

I haven't posted lately due to technically difficulties. I hope to get these worked out ASAP.

I apologize for the inconvenience.

Thanks,
HL

A poor man's (or woman's) antibiotic...

2008-10-22T14:52:51-07:00

I’ve had several of my teammates leave sick already this week.

As the weather changes, the flu and cold season nears. With this in mind, I thought I would pass on this tip.

An old Louisiana country doctor once told me…

“If you’re too busy or too cheap to call me for antibiotics, take 3 vitamin C tablets and one B complex every four hours. This will help build up your immune system. If you do this early when you first think you’re getting sick, it may ward off the illness.”

Of course, that’s just food for thought.

I am not a practicing physician—nor do I play one on TV, so please don’t sue me if this doesn’t help you.

Where do Obama and McCain stand on Environmental Health?

2008-10-21T10:43:52-07:00

I don't like to get into politics in a company blog, but this one is a safe bet.

On the subject of Environmental Health, both candidates are in total agreement.

According to the group Science Debate 2008, both candidates support:

Offshore drilling
Refining clean coal
Using nuclear power
Adopting alternative fuels
Exploring renewable energy, such as wind and solar

Both candidates tout plans to use emission trading to roll back the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to below 1990 levels before the year 2050. These plans differ only in the degrees set as goals. Barack Obama is targeting a 80% reduction, whereas John McCain is shooting for a 60% rollback.

I don't really see this as any difference at all. With any goals, we may come close, or we may overshoot the mark. With these two goals, either effort should get us in the same ballpark.

Either measure may require Environmental Health regulators to track GHG levels, making the next four years a period of growth for EnvisionConnect.

12 Characteristics of a Remarkable Leader

2008-10-13T09:28:12-07:00

Here are the 12 characteristics of remarkable leadership according to author Kevin Eikenberry:

Champions Change
Communicates Powerfully
Builds Relationships
Develops Others
Focuses on "Customers"
Influences Impactfully
Thinks & Acts Innovatively
Values Collaboration & Teamwork
Solves Problems & Makes Decisions
Takes Responsibility & Accountability
Manages Projects & Processes
Sets Goals & Supports Goal Achievement

Does your management pass the test?

Read more about these in Kevin's book, Remarkable Leadership.

18 definitions that can make you a better leader

2008-10-03T07:28:44-07:00

When I first took this job, I started jotted down notes, regarding different ways to interpret words. I've come to believe that real leaders have a slightly different dictionary than managers, bosses, dictators, and elected officials.

Here are my top 10 definitions used by real leaders...

Attitude–A state of mind, an emotional and intellectual inclination and predisposition to actions based on what you convince yourself is the truth.

Communication–Refers to anything, verbal or nonverbal, that imparts information, thoughts, or feelings. It is a vehicle than enables leaders and followers to connect with each other and to learn about their respective worlds.

Defensive Culture–A world in which people are more concerned with their image than they are with solving problems.

Desires–Unexpected bonuses or other pleasant surprises. The items that complete a staff member's statement that begins with, "It sure would be nice if..."

Expectations—Refers to perceived entitlements, any deliverable or treatment staff considers essential to happily performing their jobs.

Fertile Workplace Culture—An environment that encourages individuals to grow, learn, and be as good as they can as employees and as people.

Harassment–Selfish behavior by someone who places more value on personal desires and interests than another's right to privacy or happiness.

Leader—A respectful and genuine person who motivates others and builds strong communication bridges by being sensitive and appropriately responsive to others' feelings and desires.

Managing–The ongoing process of developing mutually rewarding and productive relationships with staff.

Mentor–An effective teacher, counselor, or master gardener, helping others improve the quality and quantity of work.

Planned Spontaneity–Knowing in advance what you hope to gain, where you want to begin, and where you hope to end. This is followed by a patient, sensitive, flexible stream of questions and answers that leads from one goal to another.

Problem–A deviation between what is acceptable and what is occurring.

Problem-solving Culture–An environment where leaders trust followers to be responsible and worthy of respect, treating each accordingly and encouraging progress as appropriate.

Quiet Strength–Having a positive influence without making obvious one's methods: being clear about expectations and desires and then supporting staff when obstacles arise.

Risk–The potentially adverse consequences of any action.

Symptoms–Behavioral evidence of a potential problem.

Tone–Emphasis given to specific words or groups of words, created by changes in speed, volume, or pitch of speech.

Weed–A valueless, troublesome, or noxious plant growing wild, especially one that grows profusely or on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop, detracting from a garden's beauty and using both time and energy that could be spent cultivating those desired crops.

Weeds should always be removed as early as possible.

2008 Decade Conference a Resounding Success

2008-10-02T05:51:55-07:00

Tabulating the early results, it seems the 2008 Decade Software User Training Conference was a resounding success, and I especially want to thank Peter Lucas and Sandra Sanchez for making it that way.

Of the conference participants who turned-in their post-conference questionnaires, over 99% said that the classes they attended were structured well, included useful material, and were presented well.

In the written comments, many said that this was our best conference yet!

My favorite quote said...

“Class presenters were much more interesting and knowledgeable than in the past.”

This was important to hear, as everyone on staff was committed to making that happen this year, and we are proud to have made strides in that direction.

Were there complaints? Of course, there were. You can never please all of the people all of the time. Two-thirds of our open forum panelists canceled at the last minute, and the Radisson Hotel had a problem controlling their flies, but by far, the complements exceeded the complaints, and everyone walked away smiling.

Next week, I'll be spotlighting some of the conference presentation teams and discussing the specifics of those presentations, but today I wanted to take a moment and thank the unsung heroes of our conference.

IT Wiz and Documentation Guru Peter Lucas and the company president's right arm, Sandra Sanchez are the glue that hold these events together. Too often, we forget to tell them...

"Thank you!"

And on that note, I want to thank all of those who attended and provided their feedback. We certainly couldn't improve without your input.

Thanks a million!

Meanwhile, in a country called Scrum...

2008-10-01T10:45:45-07:00

In the country of Scrum, there is a backlog of bills to be addressed, and there is an impediment list of problems to be solved.

These lists are ordered by the Product Owner—and the Vice Product Owner if the Product Owner is assassinated.

The country of Scrum has two teams. Each team has a Scrum Master, who coordinates meetings to ensure that everyone does what is best for the team and the country.The Product Owner is available to answer any questions and provide any support the teams require.

The Product Owner(s) never interfere with the daily workings of the teams.

The goals of individual team members are rarely considered.

After both teams have delivered on their commitments, they come together, adapting and improving their processes, ultimately delivering a country that all stakeholders are proud of—and one that other country's envy.

I once lived in the country of Scrum, but during some quiet coo, I believe that my country was overthrown by the kingdom of Greed.

Preparing for the Decade User Training Conference

2008-09-25T07:44:06-07:00

Everyone, I apologize for not writing much these last few weeks, but everyone here has been preparing for our annual user conference, next Monday and Tuesday.

I will tell you all about it next week, but in the meantime, I thought I'd show you a picture of some of the staff ready to go for the conference.

I think one or two of them might be a bit nervous. What do you think?

Pictured (from left to right) are Nicki Bradford, Jerad Little, me, Cynthia Hill, Art Amezcua, Mark Harmon, and Patrick Glaspey.

Presentation are not about hyperboles or widgets

2008-09-17T07:37:39-07:00

Everyone, I want to apologize for not updating you as often as I usually do, but the office is extremely busy preparing for our user conference on the 29th and 30th.

More to come on that.

In the meantime—and considering the industry Tom comes from, this could be considered "presenting at a conference" related—PR Guru Tom Murphy has some words of wisdom I would like to pass on...

"[The Public Relations and Presentation industry] needs leadership, we need people to lead by being realistic, by reflecting the challenges we face such as how we can build a better understanding of our audiences and the tools we’ll use to reach them.
This is not about shiny objects, hyperbole or widgets. It’s about world class communication, based on insight into your audience and pragmatic investments in the channels that work."

Decade Software's best-kept is still a secret

2008-09-09T14:48:59-07:00

[You may recall the blog post below. It is from last year at this time. Tomorrow, I will try again to get Decade Software's best kept secret. Wish me luck!—and in the meantime, refresh your memory of how this went down last year.]

Every year, Kevin Delaney begins— weeks in advance—planning his Presidential Address for the opening of our annual EnvisionConnect Users Training and Conference—and every year, I drop by with some hint of something I think he should discuss, and every year—he hates my idea.

This year, I thought using the phone would be less intrusive, maybe catch him off guard, and he would be more receptive to my suggestion...

"Hi, Kevin. It's me, HL."

"No."

"You've haven't heard why I'm calling."

"No."

"Kevin, I think it would be great if you told everyone about our new customer portal."

"No."

"It seems to me that customers will be thrilled to know that we are testing a web-based tool that may allow them to open support incidents online, as-well-as review the status of new development and defects being addressed..."

"No."

"If all goes as we hope, it'll have the advanced search capabilities customers have always wanted. For example, I know Nick Reyes and Orange County have been waiting for..."

"No."

"Well, then, uh...Dang it—why not?"

"...because we can't predict the future."

"Huh?"

"Too many times, you technical guys come in here with some great idea. You get me all excited, then I tell our customers, and they get all excited—then some unforeseen obstacle arises beyond our control, and then we can't make it happen."

"Yea, but..."

"...then you guys move on to your next crazy idea, and I alone am left explaining to our customers why I lied to them. Nope—You're not doing it to me this time!"

So—like I said—you never heard this from me.

...and don't click on this link.

My team's success is built on Trust

2008-09-05T07:31:03-07:00

Michael Hopkin reported today is his blog "Lead on Purpose" that "Trust is essential to building a successful team"—something readers of this blog have seen proven time and time again.

Michael said...

"One of the best ways to gain trust is to be up front with the people you lead. Great leaders are not afraid to admit mistakes. At first blush it implies weakness; however, admitting mistakes actually helps leaders gain credibility because the people they lead see them as down-to-earth and genuine."

A recent article in Investors Business Daily discusses the importance of winning the trust of your team. Some leaders waste time trying to win acceptance—or even popularity—with their teams, rather than being vulnerable—open, honest, and transparent—about their strengths and weaknesses.

Trust is ultimately more important than popularity.

Patrick Lencioni, one of my favorite authors of wrote...

“Ironically, pretending you’re strong when you’re not is a sign of weakness. Trust is the most important thing a leader can have. People will walk through walls of fire for you if they know they can trust you. Without trust, nothing else matters to them.”

Leaders fulfilling promises and providing feedback—on both desired and undesired behaviors—will gain the trust of their teams and strengthen their organizations.

Truth, Trust, Transparency, and Toy Story

2008-09-02T12:24:43-07:00

For years, I have touted that management through truth, trust, and transparency is the fastest way to succeed. In an article in this month's Harvard Business Review, the founder of Pixar, Ed Catmull, says I am dead on.

"Talent is rare. Management’s job is not to prevent risk but to build the capability to recover when failures occur. It must be safe to tell the truth. And we must constantly challenge all of our assumptions and search for the flaws that could destroy our culture."

We've proven this works in just a few short years at Decade Software. Pixar has been following this credo for nearly 10 years.

Pixar is the only movie studio in history to rollout consecutive blockbusters and nothing else.