Enabling Trust in the Organization
We’ve all been there. You’ve got a great idea that you wish you could find a way to share with the appropriate team at your company. You’re not able to, because you’re not part of that team. Or that department. Heck, it’s not even a field you’ve specialized in or worked in much, but you’ve got that idea – a good one – and you’re sure that it’ll help in some way. How do you share that idea? How do you get a chance to talk to folks on that team or present that idea without someone saying “gee...
Read MoreGetting Along with the IT Gatekeeper
I’ve been an IT guy for a darn long time, and as I’ve said before, it was a great career. I’m sure I’ll revisit it from time to time – I’m too much a tech-geek to abandon it completely. One thing I know from experience is that IT is many times a bigger bottleneck than we tend to admit. So as I move into new areas as an advocate for and a professional in social media I understand the issues from both sides of the fence. Some folks scoff at how IT always seems to pull the security card on attempts to do new, inventive, creative...
Read MoreChange And The Generational Gap
We had an interesting discussion around the lunch table the other day regarding many aspects of the current economy. From the mounting job purges of too many large companies and what it all means to us the average person. Really the discussion came around to how the traditional exercise of searching for a job is changing. There were three of us at lunch today and, not surprisingly, there were three different perspectives and understanding of the process in an environment that we all find ourselves in. Here is where the differences in age come into play. Among the three of...
Read MoreRight Now
What are you doing right now? Are you moving forward, stagnating or slipping backward? Why wait to launch your biz, your idea, your brand? Why wait to spend time with your family or call your parents back? There’s no better time than the present to do something. Right now you could be: Building something new Spending time with your kids Finishing a project Outside Helping a friend in need Building a website Mowing the grass Working on a community project Reaching out to someone Stimulating the economy Supporting your local charities Practicing your golf swing Taking...
Read MoreFire Drill Projects & Ownership
Have you had the pleasure of participating in a “fire drill” project? You know the kind, the ones that are rushed into being with such a flourish as to miss many (heck, most) of the components that make a successful project. I only mention this because I’m in the middle of such a project (again), and continue to marvel at how often it happens to any size company. That is not to say that fire drill projects are always a mess, or always a failure, or don’t meet there objectives within budget or timeframe. Often, their outcomes are successful, mostly due to the...
Read MoreThe Art of Listening
Sometimes it’s good to just sit back and listen to the conversation around you. There are many voices out there, and many stories to be told by those voices. One of the best skills to have is the ability to listen. It’s a hard skill to learn too. How often do we jump into a conversation, with the intent to add our experiences and perspectives? Its human nature to share, to participate, to interact. So it’s important to make sure that you take the time to listen to what people are saying. The benefits of becoming a better listener are not simply limited to hearing what...
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About Me
Rick Mahn is the Founder of SMBMSP, Principal of Rick Mahn & Associates, and a Sr. Information Technologies Architect with Experis. With over two decades in Information Technologies Architecture and Social Media, Rick connects people & organizations by embracing new technologies and open standards.Learn more about Rick.
