All posts by steve@kerrzone.com

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

You are what you do

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Classic solo keyboardist Lee Michaels was a classic rocker active during the late sixties and early nineteen seventies.  Hailing for the San-Francisco hippie/ flower child generation he is known for his eclectic tunes.

Surprisingly he had many popular hit songs although his music style (very keyboard and drum focused) and lyrics was not typical mainstream pop or rock of the time (although a blues-based offshoot).

Simple but Accurate

I am a long time fan of Lee Michaels.  One of his seminal hits was played on Sirius XM radio the other day and it got me into a philosophical mindset.

The songs title and chorus is a simple but accurate phrase “You are what you do”  A sentiment well worth embracing.

I have long believed our actions defined us.  This is not a unique perspective it is largely intuitive.  It is easy to perceive that from others perspective clearly “You are what you

Self Awareness

A key to effect self awareness is consciously managing your own behaviour.  Your behaviour is not just affecting how others view you but also how you view yourself.

We judge ourselves based on what we do, not what others do to us.  External actions can influence us for sure but what we undertake ourselves defines us.

In the Moment

Exercising control over your actions requires you to always be present.  Unconscious behaviours are out of your control although they are attributed to you.

You may well regret those things you do on auto pilot, my recommendation is to stay in the moment all the time.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Improving Your Brand

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When people hear your name what is their reaction.  From positive to negative and everything in between, even lack of awareness is your personal brand.

Whether you are well known (e.g., the prime minister of Canada) or lesser known their are people that know you and react to your name.

That’s Not my Name

Of course more t(an one person might have your name and this can be confusing to your brand identity.  In most cases both the name and context link peoples reactions to the correct brand.

My namesake, Stephen Kerr is well known and very accomplished basket ball player and coach.  He has a well established personal brand through social media, press, sports fans, etc.

When people are referring to me it is always clear from the context that it’s not about the basketball player.  The reaction is about my brand identity even if it is a “ I don’t know him”

Your Personal Brand can become Viral

Even people who don’t know you but know of you can react to your brand.  For example, “Steve Kerr, I have heard he is meticulous”.  This person might not have met you personally or even ever interacted with you.

Your brand reputation spreads like wild fire.  This highlights how critical it is to ensure those you interact with directly and indirectly are getting the message you desire them to have.

That is, own your brand.  Treat it like the most important thing about you.  Don’t let others sully you.  This means be of good character at all times.  Your personal brand is always on display.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

International Peace day

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The United Nations has declared Sep 21st (tomorrow) as the international day of peace.  It would be nice to celebrate another year of peace on Sept 21 each year but sadly world wide peace continues to elude us.

Sometimes peace in the bar down the street, the neighbourhood market or local school eludes us.  This is a sad state of affairs.  Peace is only logical.

On September 21st the United Nations recognizes those  who have tried to keep the peace during the previous year.

A Show of Force

Although the human race excels at innovation and continuous improvement of quality of life and cultural openness, on the whole, there are disturbing pockets of illogical unpeaceful behaviour.

How can an intelligent species like humans (we consider ourselves to be at the top of the intelligence curve) believe the best approach to peace is a show of force.

The United Nations has a peace keeping force.  The sovereign nation of Japan does not have an army but rather a self defence force.  However you label it, using aggression to ensure freedom from disturbance,  that is a state of tranquility, seems a bit of misguided approach.

Peace is Good

Strangely to me, humanity has not yet adopted a universal value embracing a state of perpetual peace.  Peace is the only acceptable condition for co- habiting members of the human race and it should be inviolate.

Peace is good, great, extraordinary.  Peace is the only way.  Protecting the peace with aggression is illogical.  Aggression has no place in a peaceful society.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Inappropriate Behaviour

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Social norms are dictated by the group.  This may be through a group  hierarchy, for example at the town, city, province, state, country-level with the higher-level groups influencing the lower ones.

On the whole, the social group (ranging from student associates in a class to the population of the country) have great power influencing and directing individual behavior.

Changing Norms

In my life I have seen enormous change in our societies beliefs, this has been worldwide but most significant in democratic countries.  Racial prejudices and sexual preference laws have clearly changed to focus on multicultural  and individual freedoms.

These changes have been rapid in the last fifty years and behaviour that was accepted in the 1960’s is definitely  considered inappropriate today.

Great strides have been made decreasing sexual abuse and the basic tenant that all people are equal is continuously becoming more entrenched in our day to day actions.

Social groups have great power and group think is a powerful underlying driver of social change.  The groups power of censure and disdain can be more effective than guns and bombs (less destructive too ).

Punishing Past Misdeeds

This leads me to my main point of todays post.  Canada’s prime minister is currently being shamed for inappropriate behaviour he practiced over 18 years ago. That is inappropriate by todays standards not back then.

Respect for everyone should be timeless so I don’t condone the prime ministers behaviour in anyway but in truth back at the time he dresses in black face few would have considered it to be inappropriate.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Agile or Waterfall

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Getting things done in a specific order of completion, commonly referred to as the waterfall approach is relatively simple.  Basically the instructions are, do this then do that.

Sometimes things are done in parallel or a staggered sequence but typically the tasks have a relationship to each other.  Working this way is simple to do, just organize and monitor.

Waterfall Approach

Following the sequential approach, often called waterfall, the focus is on milestone objectives each a building block to the overall goal.

One  common challenge with this approach  is it may take some time to achieve worthwhile results.  Milestones achievements along the way may be significant but on their own meaningless.

People often say we done a lot, “what are the results”.   Being patient and waiting is not an behaviour many of us are comfortable with. Show me now.

Adding Complexity

More complex strategies involve an iterative approach to planning and guiding the work.  The process becomes a series of interrelated questions and analysis,  like if I do this, then that occurs, otherwise this.

The flow is not step by step.  As a result outcomes are actually practical and useable from completion of the first iteration. This method of getting things done is known as the agile method.

Over time each iteration improves on the previous, ultimately the same finished overall goal as in waterfall approach will be achieved.  You just get to use parts or iterations earlier on.

Of course, both methods for sequencing of work have some value but typically the agile approach requires more skill to manage effectively.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Low Interest

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Considering the basic principle of supply and demand, lack of interest is indicative of low demand.  Not wanting to know or learn more about something or someone (i.e., paying attention or focus) leads to disinterest.

In financial terms interest is money paid regularly at a particular rate for the use of money lent.  Your indebtedness creates interest both that which you have pay (financial) and attention (focus).

That is to say the debt has your focus, it worries you and requires attention.   This leads to a focus or interest in the rate of interest. Low rates (and high rates) can grab your attention.

Financial Interest Rates

In an interesting twist of the word, for me anyway,  low interest rates in fact have a high demand, people are interested in them .  I would be far more interested in borrowing at a low rate than a high one.

Our current financial interest rate environment is historically low and has been for some time.  This situation has become more of a norm than anything else.

High Rates

In the 1980’s, when we bought our first home interest mortgage rates were around 20% compared with less than 3% today, in some cases .

We survived through high and low interest ups and downs but over the last 20 years low rates have been the norm and interest in having a loan has been high.

These has resulted in the current world wide economic dilemma.   Economies and employment rates are typical of those associated with high interest rates but Governments fear raising them will cause a debt implosion, which it well might.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Project Management / Business Analysis

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For me, the role of project management (PM) is intricately tied with that of business analysis.    The PM leads a team focused on achieving a specific outcome in a specified time frame.

The business analyst role is a key component of the project.  For a project to complete successfully the expected outcome must be crystal clear. Business analysis is about providing that clarity.

What are we doing?

A project can start with a high-level statement of the goal.  For example, build a house or host a wedding.  This statement of what we are doing only draws a loose boundary.

Houses can widely vary in size and quality and although not specifically part of the build, location matters a lot.  The same applies to a wedding.

In fact, most project goals start with a broad statement of intent.  Moving to a detailed level of specificity (the scope of the initiative) is always a key step in the project.

Filtering the Wheat from the Chaf

A wide variety of stakeholders can contribution information, ideas and desires toward advancing the objectives of the project and ultimately contributing to the overall goal.

The business analysis function is to gather, process, structure and present evidence and recommendations for the project scope.  The scope can be determined collaboratively by consensus with full buy-in.

This is the most efficient and streamlined approach to achieve the project goal, although figuring it out as you go along could work it just is not an optimal approach.

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Working Smarter not Harder

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My favorite catchphrase (not) came up in a discussion the other day.  The topic was getting more things done at a lower cost.  Typically salary costs are the greatest expense whether its a contractor you hire or employees of your business or organization.

Charitable organizations get around this cost somewhat by using volunteers but many still have a lot of paid employees which inflate the ongoing operational expenses of the organization.

Do more with less

For a vibrant organization (or even just from a personal or family perspective) if you can get more or even the same at less cost, well, go for it.

Doing less should cost less but cutting product quality or services does have negative impacts.  Hence the catch phrase, everybody needs to work smarter not harder.

Sneaky eh.  Basically the theme is we will reduce our resources so we have less to work with  but because you are smart you will be able to do more without increased effort.

Really! It is a bit insulting to think I am not smart yet nor have been smart in the way I work.  Due to cost  cutting I will suddenly become smart enough to do more with less.   What does that say about my work right now, ouch.

Overspending comes home

In the case of governments spending cuts often are tied to service reduction.  For other organizations who need to balance budgets to survive working smarter not harder becomes a mantra.

Squeezing the lemon for everything is the approach.  Unfortunately cost cutting usually is heightened in times of recession and high unemployment so we workers just put up with the squeezing.

We work harder all the time being told we are just being smarter.

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Personal Accountability

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Nobody’s fault but mine.  I heard this song by Led Zeppelin today.  The  Zep were a top tier classic rock act founded in the late nineteen sixties, who broke up in the early 1980’s when their drummer died.

It occurred to me the song title was actually a fabulous mantra for personal accountability.  The sentiment is much easier to voice or sing than to actually practice, but for me it really resonates.

You Made Me

One of my pet peeves is how easily we attribute cause to others.  I do this too although I try very hard not too.  In truth comments like “that driver makes me nuts” just are not true.

No one can make you feel crazy, frustrated, angry ,disappointed, etc. External factors can influence how you feel and behave however the fact is the choice is yours and yours alone.

If you experience road rage and choose to act on your feelings, it is absolutely your choice alone, it is nobody’s fault but yours.  In point of fact the other driver as annoying as they may be can not take control of your brain.

Recognize, you own it

One of the real benefits of being able to fully accept accountability is your actions are measured and far less likely to be precipitous.  Knowing all blame lies with you leads to second thoughts before acting in ways you will ultimately regret.

Believing you will not being able to absolve yourself using a scapegoat or an excuse, that is accepting full accountability results in exemplary personal behaviour.

Give it a try, people will admire you and you will feel good.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Freedom of Expression

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For residents of democratic nations, a key tenant is to enable everyone the freedom to discover, disseminate, and apply knowledge for the benefit of themselves and everyone else is freedom of expression.

This open exchange of ideas and concepts relies on enabling rigorous inquiry and the robust expression and discussion of ideas – within our local, provincial, national, and global communities.

Limitations

Unfortunately, unlimited ability to express any ideas leads to some challenges.  There will always be ideas considered by some,  or perhaps even everyone,  offensive, unwise, immoral, or misguided.

Our societies define these boundaries through democratically created laws.  We are thus limited by the law as to how far we can go.  We have freedom of expression but our elected officials are allowed to restrict it.

And there lies the rub.  Of course, it seems logical we should have some restrictions but in essence, these restrictions are censorship. Censorship intended for the good of all,  but still, censorship.

The suppression or prohibition of all or parts of information whether it be books, films, news,  speech because they are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security is unfortunately subjective.

A Walk Through History

Our societies moral perspective morphs over time.  For example in the United States circa 1950, swearing in public or discussing lewd topics (whatever that is) was considered the criminal subject to a fine or even jail time.

Today while swearing in public might still be frowned upon by some it certainly is not against the law.  In fact, the language in the entertainment industry is much less restricted than it was 50 to 60 years ago.

I applaud free expression and constantly question the boundaries, but recognize there are limits, it’s just not clear where they should be drawn.