Leadercast 2012 – Session 4

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Jamal
Leadercast 2012 – Session 4
Dan Cathy, President of Chick-fil-A, with Eric, head of Tim Tebow foundation.
  • Chick-fil-A purpose: Glorify God by being a faithful steward of everything God has untrusted us, and be a positive influence on the world.
  • Tim Tebow Foundation: Listed 5 initiatives.  Mission is about being good stewards.
  • Make decisions to live a life of significance.
Dr. Sheena Iyengar
  • Author, The Art of Choosing.  Blind woman.
  • Don’t you understand that you are standing before a man who can run you through without blinking an eye? – Military General
  • Don’t you understand that you are standing before a man who can be run through without blinking an eye? – Zen Master
  • Who is a leader?
    • If you define leadership through stiff heirarchy, a leader is a person with a big title or authority.
    • But, many great leaders were not people with titles or authority.
  • Fate? Chance? Choice?
  • Choice is the only one of these forces that puts choice in your hands.  It is the only one that allows you to go from who you are today to who you want to be tomorrow.  Therefore, it is the most powerful force.
  • Ultimately, we are all the sum of our choices.
  • Tip 1: Effective leaders empower themselves and those around them with choice.
  • How many choices?  (7 sodas)  In communist countries they saw these not as 7 choices but as 1 choice: Soda.  These choices are artificial.
  • We don’t all see choices the same.  What constitutes a good choices?
  • Study in San Francisco.  Kids, given choices.  Anglo kids performed best when given a self choice.  Asian kids performed best when given a mother’s choice.
  • American message: If a choice affects you, it is important that you are the one who makes the choice.
  • Asian message: If a choice affects you, it is important that you use the wisdom of your parents.
  • Tip 2: Effective leaders see choice through other’s eyes.
  • Study: Choice of 6 jams vs 24 jams.  More people sampled when there were more choices.  But, more people bought when given fewer choices.  Buying = 30% w 6 jams vs 4% with 24 jams.
  • Choice Overload: 3 negative consequences.  The more choices we have…
    • …the more we delay making a choice.  Procrastinate.
    • …the worse choices we make.
    • …the less satisfied we are.  As ourselves, What if?
  • Typical CEO.  Average 139 tasks.  Over 50% of decisions are made in 9 mins or less.  Only 12% spend 1 hr or more.
  • Be proactive rather than reactive to the choices that come your way.
  • http://www.sheenalyengar.com/all/choosingexercise
  • Effective leaders are choose about choosing.  They make sure that their time is spent on the choices that matter.
  • Choosing is an art.  A great leader is a dedicated practitioner in the art of choosing.  Control.  Limitations.
  • Columbia professor:
  • We all need a certain amount of choice to feel free.  The love of choice can become detrimental.
  • A leader is someone who can live with nothing, yet have everything.  A leader is not a dreamer with a plan.  Weather you ultimately get there, you can use choice to get you there.
  • Choose with wisdom and compassion towards other and you will be on your way to mastering the art of choosing.
http://Trippandtyler.tv - to access some of these video.
Patrick Lencioni
  • Author of 10 best selling books, over 3 million copies sold.
  • My Myers-Briggs type: I’m an ENFP.  Not good at focusing, remembering scripts, etc.  Easily distracted.
  • I fundamentally believe that the single biggest opportunity for competitive advantage or improvement is free, accessible to anyone who wants it, and is virtually untapped in most organizations.
  • With CEO of Southwest Airlines, Gary Kelly.  Gary, why don’t your competitors do this?  Honestly, I think they believe it is beneath them.
  • 3 biases:
    • Sophistication bias – not complicated enough.
    • Adrenaline bias – need quick fix, something I can apply tomorrow.
    • Quantification bias – because I can’t exactly quantify it, it can’t possibly work.
  • If we can just overcome those biases, we can watch our organizations transform.
  • Organizational health.  Any organization has to be good at two things:
    • It has to be smart.  Be smart about making decisions.  Objective, measurable, detached.  This half of the equation is easier.
    • It has to be healthy.  Minimal politics and confusion.  People are psyched to come to work and get things done.
  • Most CEO’s don’t know how to make their organizations healthy, even though they would give their left arm to be able to do so.
  • A healthy organization is what allows you to tap into the knowledge that you have.
  • Every organization has enough intelligence, experience and knowledge, but very few know how to make a healthy organization.
  • To build a healthy organization requires 4 disciplines:
    • 1. Build a Cohesive Leadership Team.
      • We have to be vulnerable.
      • Great leaders are vulnerable, and that inspires trust on a leadership team.
      • Vulnerability based trust makes a team great, not predictive trust.
      • It starts with the leader – If the leader of a team cannot be vulnerable first, they will not get vulnerability from the team.
      • You need to be transparent.
      • Don’t let them see you sweat?  If you let them see you sweat, people see that you are in touch with your humanity and they trust you.
    • 2. Create Clarity.  Ask these 6 questions:
      • Why do we exist?
      • How do we behave?
      • What do we do?
      • How are we going to succeed and be different?
      • What is the most important thing for us to do right now?
      • Who needs to do what for us to succeed?
    • 3. Over Communicate Clarity.
      • We can never get tired of repeating ourselves.
      • Reinforce clarity by how you hire, fire, make decisions, etc.
      • Institutionalize your culture without beauracratizing it.
    • 4. Reinforce Clarity
      • Be intolerant about those two or three things that make your organization what they are.  Those things revolve around your core values.
        • What do you think it would take for Chick-fil-A to be open on Sundays?  An apocalypse.  It is a core value.
        • Southwest Airlines – humor is a core value.  A customer wrote in about it.  CEO response: We’ll miss you.
  • What is most important to you?  Work or family?
    • Where do you spend most of your time planning, strategizing, focusing?
    • You are the leaders of your family.
  • Hopefully you won’t believe that any of these important things are beneath you.
Graham Colton – closing song performance.

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Leadercast 2012 – Session 3

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Jamal
Leadercast 2012 – Session 3
 
Pentagon - story of 9-11.
 
The Silhouettes - runners up on America’s Got Talent – performance.  Very beautiful and inspiring.
 
John Maxwell, best-selling author, leadership genius
  • John Holt – intro, breakfast in Ohio with John Maxwell and Kirk Cantmeyer
    • The choices we make dictate the lives that we lead.  It is true in many areas, including our leadership path.  It is true in John Maxwell’s life.
    • What is your personal growth life plan?  This was the question asked to John Maxwell that started his quest into leadership.
    • The leader born through transformation must happen before the leadership can affect a nation.
    • John Maxwell decided that he would develop himself to become that transformed leader who could develop others.
  • We make a decision and then spend the rest of our life managing that decision.
  • Your life can be changed with a thought and a decision. – John Maxwell
  • The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – the reason they work is that they are laws.  The laws don’t care if you like them or agree with them.
  • The 15 Laws of Personal Growth – new book coming out in October.
  • Rule 1 – The Law of Intentionality: Growth Doesn’t Just Happen.
    • If we want to grow, we have to grow on purpose.  It doesn’t just happen.  Growth is not an automatic process.
    • You don’t automatically get better.  The only thing automatic in your life is death.
    • John Wooden: There is a choice you have to make in everything you do, so keep in mind, in the end, the choice you make, makes you.
    • Growing up, we did not get paid an allowance, but we were paid to read good books.
    • By the time you were born, you already owed your mother for 9 months of room and board. – John Maxwell’s father
    • I will put my money where my values are, and my values are in you reading good books.
    • James Allen – As a man thinketh.  It is interesting how people are always wanting to change their circumstances, but they are not interested in changing their lives.
    • Everything gets better when we get better.
    • How do you grow a leader?  By personal growth and development.  It is a process.
    • The key of this intentionality law: The secret of growing intentionally is to do it every day.
    • The secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda.  What you do every day is either making or breaking you.
    • The secret is being intentional each day.  Your plan must be simple, and something you can do every today.
    • Law of Diminishing Returns: The longer we don’t do something we know we should do, the less likely we will ever do it.
    • The road to success is uphill all the way.
    • The greatest investment you will ever make is the investment in yourself.
    • Make a decision to life a lifestyle of intentionality.
  • Rule 2 – The law of Awareness: We Must Know Ourselves to Grow Ourselves
    • There is a relationship between me knowing me and me growing me.
    • If you are leading others, you must know them to grow them.
    • 3 R’s:
      • Requirement – What is required of me?  What do I need to do?
      • Return – What gives me the greatest return?  What do I do well?  Marcus Buckingham says find out what you do well and work on your strengths, don’t work on your weaknesses.
      • Put your personal growth efforts to your strengths.  Play in your strength zones.  In matters of choices, work on your weaknesses (such as attitudes), but in put your efforts in growing into your areas of strength.
      • Rewarding – What is rewarding to me?  What do you love doing?  What is your passion?  Whatever rewards us is what we migrate to keep on doing.
      • I like what I do and I do what I like.  I can’t distinguish the difference between work and play.  Some people think this is work, but I like it.  I’m not a workaholic, I’m a workafrolic.
    • Passion = the phenomenal energizer of people.  When the 3 R’s line up, you get passion.
  • Rule 3 – The Law of Environment: Growth Thrives in Conducive Surroundings.
    • We grow when we get around the right people and the right environment that is conducive for our growth.  Many of us are not in a good growth environment.
    • If you are not in an organization or a circle of friends that is good for your growth, make a change.
    • When I was 27, I wrote this down: What is a growth environment?  You need to create your own growth environment.
      • A growth environment is a place where others are ahead of me.  I want to be in a place where I’m not the head of the class, so I can grow from others.
      • A growth environment is a place where I am continually challenged.
      • A growth environment is a place where my focus is forward – totally forward.  Yesterday happened.  But, yesterday ended last night – get over it!  A growth environment is not where I was, it is where I am heading.
      • A growth environment is an atmosphere that is affirming.
      • A growth environment is a place where I am often out of my comfort zone.  I am over my head.  I can’t swim.  It doesn’t matter how deep it is.  You always want to be out of your comfort zone, because it causes you to stretch.  You never want to be out of your gift zone, because then you will sink.
      • A growth environment is a place where you are excited.  You look forward to getting up in the morning.
      • A growth environment is a place where failure is not an option.  You are going to mess up.  Fail forward.
      • A growth environment is a place where everyone is growing.
      • A growth environment is a place where people desire change.  They want to learn an change.
      • A growth environment is a place where growth is modeled.  It is expected of me to develop and grow.
    • Mentor: If you want to create a growth environment for yourself, visit great places.
  • Take the keys, unlock the cell, and become all you can be.
Soledad O’Brien - journalist and documentary producer.
  • True leadership happens in uncomfortable conversation.
  • If you can give a voice to everyone, it is not only critical, but it is a good thing.
  • My mother was black and my father was white.  They used to be turned away at restaurants when they were dating.  In 1958 inter-racial marriage was illegal in Maryland.  So, they drove to Washington DC.
  • Documentary: Words That Change A Nation.  An examination of Dr. King’s papers, including his markups, words he crossed out, highlighted, etc.
  • Dr. King – His writings were inspired by a moment.  He was a regular man who decided he could go great things.
  • After one has discovered what he is called for, he should set out to do it with all the passion he has… (missed the rest of the Dr. King quote).
  • Dr. King – chosen because he was non-controversial and everyone liked him.  He became the person who would articulate the philosophy of a movement.
  • Ultimately, leadership is about taking a stand for justice… for people who’s voices would not otherwise be heard.
  • Digging into fairness and justice can make us all very uncomfortable.  Dr. King did that.
  • True leadership is about departing from the script as you know it.  It is about taking a different path.  Going off-script, blunt conversation.  History making change takes time, but it comes.
  • We have an obligation if we truly want to be leaders: To listen to others.
  • We cannot shut out the people we disagree with.  That is not being a leader, it is being an obstacle.
  • Ultimately a true leader is not a searcher of consensus, but a molder of consensus. – Dr. King.
  • Leaders take a position because conscience says it is right.
  • Find a way together to do what is both right and just.
Dr. Roland Fryer, economist, Harvard University
  • I feel guilty.  In my neighborhood growing up, 8 out of 10 kids have been to prison and 4 of them are dead.
  • Got involved in education reform 10 years ago.
  • Choice #1: Should I get involved in Education?
    • Many of my colleagues went on to Wall Street.
    • Harvard slogan: You can’t eat prestige.
    • We spend the 4th most on education, but our performance is ranked about 20th in the world.
    • Economic gap – $500 billion per year could be put back into the economy if we could close the gap.
  • Choice #2: Where do I get started?
    • Take a look at the data and go where it tells you.
    • We’ve done all the things politicians have told us we need to do.  More educated teachers, spend more money, smaller class sizes.  The data tells us this is not making a difference.  Performance has remained flat.
    • Something worked at a small school.  Performance gap was closed and even reversed in 4 years.
  • Choice #3: Inventor or Engineer?
    • Ascend on these schools that are closing the racial education gap and find out what they are doing.
    • Went to 100 charter schools in NYC.  What makes some of them amazing, and some of them awful?  The average charter school is no better than a public school.  But some are doing incredible things every week.
    • What did we find?  The best charter schools:
      • 1. Spend more time in school.
      • 2. Who the teachers are – they are the most precious resources.
      • 3. Use data to alter the pace of instruction – test regularly, take time to catch students up.
      • 4. Figure out how to tutor students in small groups.
      • 5. Very high expectations and a culture of absolutely no excuses.  E.g. Female headed households: 80%.  Parents not involved.
    • Students will live down or up to whatever expectations we have of them.
    • Implemented the 5 things above in Houston, TX.  Been 20 months.  100% of kids in those 4, formerly worst high schools in Houston, TX, got into a college.  These results out-performed the best charter schools in NYC, at average public schools in TX.
    • If it is so obvious, why are we not doing it?
    • If we want to have a shot as a country, we are going to have to figure out how to educate our kids that are the most vulnerable.
    • Our very way of living is at stake.  This is uncomfortable and unpopular.
    • Do we have the leadership and the courage to get it done?  You decide.
  • In politics sometimes we erect these artificial barriers.  We need to get rid of those and be for a solution that is based on the data.
  • We need to hold our leaders accountable.
  • How do you change a culture of low expectations?  Show them what is possible.  Tough love.  Hold kids accountable – they will rise to our expectations.
  • For the schools that are doing really great, test the data less often.  For the schools that are struggling, test very frequently and make adjustments.

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Leadercast 2012 – Session 2

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Jamal
Leadercast 2012 – Session 2
 
Bernard Marcus - CEO & Co-Founder, Home Depot
  • If you are sincere about helping your customers, you can succeed and make a difference.
  • Mantra: We take care of our customers.  We take care of our associates.
Angela Ahrendts, CEO, Burberry
  • John Maxwell – interview Angela Ahrendts, CEO, Burberry.
  • Early leadership decisions
    • Trust, Culture, Intuition & instincts
    • Embed modern values into the company
    • Rediscover our core
    • Reinforce our “Britishness”
    • Be the most democratic luxury brand
    • Those early choices are the company we’ve become
    • We are the oldest, young company around
  • Our vision each day is enforced by our values.
  • As a leader, it begins with people.  Our job is to put the right people in the right place at the right time.
  • Use technology as our greatest differentiator.  Team creative with technology to lead the organization.
  • Strategic Innovation Council – monthly meeting with the youngest employees to capture new ideas.
  • Executive Council – use experience and wisdom to execute the ideas of the younger generation.
  • Culture trumps vision, culture trumps everything. – John Maxwell
  • Burberry culture
    • We have no greater responsibility than to create the greatest culture that we can.
    • We will put the brand first.  Always ask yourself, what is best for the brand?  This removed egos and self from the equation.
    • We have a brand that is 150 years old.  In 9 months we re-launched our brand.  It was the greatest uniter of our business.
  • Natural leaders are intuitive in the area of leadership. – John Maxwell
  • Intuition has shaped Burberry significantly.  Intuition is the greatest output of trust in our culture.
  • We value feeling over knowing.
  • Life is moving.  Technology is forcing everything to move so fast.  How do we make sure we stay relevant?
  • If Social is the language of the next generation, we need to speak Social and embrace that language.
  • We don’t want to be just a great brand, we want to be a great company.
  • The true measure of our success will be how many lives around the world will be touched by our performance. – Angela Ahrendts
  • Don’t get intimidated by how fast things are moving.  It doesn’t matter how fast the world is moving if you keep to your core values and create a culture of trust.
  • Our values are: Protect, Explore, Inspire.  We use intuition to help those drive us.
  • We empower and trust our people.
  • Trust empowers good people.  That is what leadership is all about. – John Maxwell
Jeremie Kubicek, CEO, Giant Impact
Marcus Buckingham
  • Now Discover Your Strengths – popular book.
  • Worked for the Gallup organization, then wrote a book, then started a leadership development company.
  • Each of the decisions in my life that make up my story felt authentic.
  • Authenticity is your most precious commodity. – Marcus Buckingham
  • Leadership Development in the Age of the Algorithm – article written for June publication.  This presentation is a preview of that article.
  • Every content developer is trying to figure out “who are you?”  What is the algorithm to reach you?  Facebook is doing tons of business because they are figuring out “who are you?”
  • Netflix and New York Times – both delivering custom front pages on their website designed for you.
  • Amazon, Spotify, Slacker Radio, Twitter – What is the algorithm of You?
  • Most leadership development programs are not based on an algorithmic approach, but a formulaic approach.
  • Do any search for “competency model” and you will get ton’s of complex, formulaic models.
  • We know that there is no leader out there that has everything in the model.  Further, the techniques of different leaders do not work the same way for other leaders.
  • Concept: Best prospects are among our current customers.
  • The techniques of one leader are really hard to transfer to another.  Leadership is ideosyncratic.
  • We need a way of developing leaders at scale, yet we need a way that is individualized enough to recognize that every leader is different.
  • Algorithm: Stand out – what is your edge (comparative advantage)?  Use techniques from leaders that have the same edge as you.
  • Different Edges – “Standout” tool
    • Advisor – What is the best thing to do?
    • Connector – Connect us to people and ideas.
    • Creators – What don’t I understand?  Need time to process.  Best conversations I have is with myself.
    • Equalizer – What is the right thing to do?  I want accountability, responsibility.
    • Influencer – Every conversation with you is a sale.  Move you to my agenda.  You are annoying, but you move us to action.
    • Pioneer – What is new?  Move us to a different place.
    • Provider – No person gets left behind.  Are you o.k.?  Create an environment of trust and innovation, creativity.
    • Stimulator – How can I raise the energy in this room, in the world.  Feel responsibility for the emotion in the room.  Invigorate us.
    • Teacher – Allow people to grow.  How can each of us learn?  People are a work in progress.
  • Situational Judgment Test – what would you do?
  • There is no perfect leadership profile.  There are only perfect practices that fit each profile.  We need to help you find practices that help you maintain your authenticity.
  • Steve Jobs – was fired from his own company.  Then came back to Apple later as an improved version of himself.
  • The challenge and choice as a leader: Take what is unique about you and figure out some way to make it useful.

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Leadercast 2012 – Session 1

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Jamal
Leadercast 2012 – Session 1
 

Choices

  • Are you defined by the choices you’ve made, or those that you didn’t?
 
Jeff Foxworthy, comedian – Introduction.
 
Tripp Crosby, comedian – Host.
  • 125,000 people watching this simulcast today.
  • Twitter – @cfaleadercast
  • Send photos to photos@chick-fil-a…
 
Andy Stanley
  • Open leadership (confession) is good for the soul.
    • I may be in charge, but I don’t know what to do.
    • I may be in charge, but I don’t have all the answers.
    • I’m not the smartest person around here, I’m just the leader.
  • You may be in a position of leadership for a variety of different reasons, but that doesn’t mean you know all the answers.
  • Leaders and leadership is important because of what we hate the most: Uncertainty.
  • One of the most important things you do as a leader is make decisions.
  • Uncertainty underscores the need for leadership.  It is uncertainty that makes leaders leaders.
  • You have to make the decision.  You have to make choices.  The fact that you are in leadership means you are not intimidated by the choices you need to make.
  • Three questions to ask when making decisions:
    • What would my replacement do?
      • This question brings objectivity to the decision making environment.
      • The longer you are in a leadership role, the more comfortable you get in your decision making rhythms / patterns.
      • Only the Paranoid Survive - Andy Grove.  Found themselves with an unsustainable business model (Intel).
        • If we got kicked out, and the board brought in a new CEO, what do you think he would do?
        • This question brings immediate objectivity to the decision making process.  Suddenly there is clarity.
        • Why don’t we do what we know the new guy would do… without the history, baggage, patterns, etc.
    • What would a great leader do?
      • If I were _________, what would I do?
      • We need to stop worrying about getting bigger and focus on getting better.
      • “If we get better, customers will demand we get bigger.” – Truett Cathy
      • Threatening question to make you a great leader: What would a selfless, Level 5, not in it for me, what is best for the company and the people in the company, not concerned about anything else leader do?
    • What story do I want to tell?
      • Every decision you ever make is at some point going to be nothing more than a story that you tell.
      • When this is simply a story that I tell, what story will it be?
      • Don’t every make a choice that will make you a liar for life.  What parts of your story will you skip over?  Exaggerate?  Not tell the truth?  Make the decisions that tell a story that you will be proud to tell.
      • Money comes, money goes, but your story is with you forever.
      • What are you working on BIG? – Charlie
      • I will never sacrifice my family for the sake of my career.  I don’t want that to be a part of my story.
      • You are writing your own story.  What story do you want to tell?
      • Let’s all continue to become leaders worth following.
  • Andy Stanley, recent book: When Work and Family Collide.
Coach Urban Meyer
  • My issues were health related and impacted my job and family.
  • I didn’t want to be one of those guys who said I put my family on the back burner.
  • 3rd year at Notre Dame – lost consciousness, had a migraine.  Found out I had a cyst in my brain.
  • Moved on to Bolling Green, then University of Utah.  There I had my 2nd scare.  Lost consciousness again.  Had a brain tumor.
  • 2007 began to have chest pains.  Got real bad in 2008.  I was starting to become the guy that I never wanted to become.
  • Had a Family Night every Thursday, and date nights with my daughters ever week.
  • Had my 3rd health scare and ended up in the hospital.  Was driven beyond the point of recovery.  Left the best job in the country.  Had to make a hard choice based on health and family priorities.
  • You have to be very disciplined about maintaining balance in your life.
  • Had a chance to coach Tim Tebow.  One of the most competitive athletes I’ve met.  Has used his platform for good.  He came back to University of Florida because he felt his platform would be better there.
  • Force yourself to look inward and evaluate yourself.  Sometimes you don’t like what you see.
  • Tim Tebow believes his mission, platform is to brighten someone’s day.
Soledad O’Brien, Tim Tebow & coach Urban Meyer - Interview
  • Tim Tebow: Heisman Trophy winner, Player of the Year.
  • A lot of what it means to be a leader is about motivating your peers.
  • When you are willing to put it all on the line, people will respect you and follow you.
  • Leadership is the ability to influence someone else. – Tim Tebow.
  • Someone is watching you and their life is going to be different because of you.
  • Leaders are made in adversity.
  • We lost because we didn’t have the highest character.  Character is when you do everything with all you’ve got.
  • Things that make a leader: Selfless, Work Ethic, Put others above yourself, Ultimate competitor. – Urban Meyer.
  • If you can raise the level of play, effort, performance, integrity of those around you, you are officially a leader. – Urban Meyer.
  • You consistently try to work hard, and when your number is called, be ready and willing to go perform.
  • Don’t worry about what you can’t control.  Worry about what we can control.  There are a few things that we can control – our attitude, effort, how we treat our team members.
  • What is “Tebowing”?  I’ve been doing that for many years.  I’m getting on my knees and praying.  All of a sudden, people are giving it a name.  That is kind of cool.
  • To waste energy trying to control what you can’t control is a waste of time.
  • When you are hearing negative things or having a bad day, just let it go through one ear and out the other.  Focus on what you can control.
  • When I got to the point where I could let it go, I stopped worrying and felt peace and renewed focus.
  • I care a lot about winning, but at the end of the day, it is just a game.  My goal is to use my platform to make a difference in people’s lives.
  • I’m not a role model… yes, you are… you’re just not a very good one. – Tim Tebow.
  • I’m not here to be the best football player, I’m here to be a good role model. – Tim Tebow.
  • I don’t worry about my brand, I just try to be authentic and be the best I can be.
  • I want to bring my foundation to New York and the rest of the world, and continue to build it.  My Lord is my foundation. – Tim Tebow.
  • Every day people wake up and say I can’t wait for this day to be over.  That is the wrong outlook.  Wake up every day and say I want to be a better person today, I want to make a difference in people’s lives today.  That is the right attitude.
  • Pick your passion and focus on that, without distraction. – Soledad O’Brien.
  • How to be a great leader:  Love what you do.  Have a passion for it.  Passion comes from down deep.  If you are passionate about something you’ll do it even when you don’t feel like it.  Are you willing to sacrifice?
  • Tim Tebow’s W15H (“Wish 15″) program – makes a difference in the lives of children.

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Chick-fil-A Leadercast 2012

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Jamal

I had the opportunity to attend the Chick-fil-A Leadercast 2012 simulcast today.  Thank to Karen Dee at Silver Leaf Lending for giving away a couple tickets, my wife, Nicole, for winning them, and my employer, Onyx M.D. for supporting my attendance.

I’m excited about this because I’ve always had a passion for leadership and leadership development.

I’ll be posting my notes from each session for the rest of the world to share in the learning.

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An impressive short film

Posted on May 15, 2008 by Jamal

This is a pretty impressive piece of work.  It must have taken months to paint all those animated frames on public walls.


MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

The new short film by Blu
an ambiguous animation painted on public walls.
Made in Buenos Aires and in Baden (fantoche)

blublu.org/
blublu.org/sito/video/muto.htm

music by Andrea Martignoni, produced by Mercurio Film, assistant: Sibe

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Speaking at Internet Retailer Conference

Posted on April 17, 2008 by Jamal

Internet Retailer 2008 - Chicago
After attending PubCon I was convinced that I had the background and experience to speak with some authority on topics of interest at similar conferences. As circumstance would have it, one of our vendors, YourAmigo, invited me to join them as a speaker at Internet Retailer 2008 in Chicago June 9-12.

Session Title: Mixing Web 2.0 & Organic Search: Ensuring You Can be Found in the New World of 2.0
Session Date and Time: Tuesday, June 10, 2008, 2:30-3:15
Co-Presenter(s): Rahmon Coupe, CEO, Your Amigo (view profile)
Jamal Pilger, CIO-CTO, Galasource Inc. (view profile)

I’ll be telling the “Galasource success story” and sharing some information about how we achieved an astounding 63% of our web traffic from [free] organic sources. That’s pretty impressive for a competitive B2B e-commerce site. We’ll also be discussing the barriers to implementing Web 2.0 technologies and a case study that YourAmigo and Galasource did related to optimization of Product Reviews.

Filed under: E-Marketing, PubCon 2007, SEO, Speaking Engagements | 1 Comment »

PubCon’s Top 50 Blogs

Posted on December 28, 2007 by Jamal

At PubCon 2007 in Las Vegas, the following list of “top” sites was released. From the looks of the list, they’re certainly not all blog sites. Perhaps these sites were the top most blogged about?

  1. Wikipedia.com
  2. Digg.com
  3. Stumbleupon.com
  4. MySpace.com
  5. MyBlogLog.com
  6. Technorati.com
  7. SlideShare.net
  8. YouTube.com
  9. Amazon.com
  10. DeviantArt.com
  11. LinkedIn.com
  12. BookClubs.com
  13. Del.icio.us
  14. Epinions.com
  15. Yelp.com
  16. Last.FM
  17. IMDB.com
  18. Blogger.com
  19. Tribe.net
  20. Stylehive.com
  21. Flickr.com
  22. Care2.com
  23. Dfinitive.com
  24. AdultSwim.com
  25. FanPop.com
  26. Sphinn.com
  27. DNHour.com
  28. Hugg.com
  29. Sk-rt.com
  30. MemoryLane.com
  31. Tweako.com
  32. Mixx.com
  33. BlogGoggle.com
  34. CouchSurfing.com
  35. CoMagz.com
  36. BallHype.com
  37. QoolSqool.com
  38. 23HQ.com
  39. VideoSift.com
  40. Babblz.com
  41. Pixelgroovy.com
  42. PlugIM.com
  43. SmallBusinessBrief.com
  44. BuzzFlash.net
  45. Scoreguru.com
  46. Chipin.com
  47. Blogs4God.com
  48. Fark.com
  49. Slashdot.org
  50. AskMen.com
  51. CSSVault.com
  52. Newswire.com
  53. BoingBoing.net

Filed under: E-Marketing, PubCon 2007, SEO | Leave a Comment »

Jumping in, finally!

Posted on December 1, 2007 by Jamal

Jamal PilgerWoah, can you believe it? I’ve been an Internet professional since 1994 and this is my first personal blog. Why? I’m not really sure, to be honest. My tendency is to fly under the radar, perhaps, until I’m completely comfortable with a new technology and ready to fully embrace it. No doubt, blogs are here to stay. So, here goes… stay tuned for future updates on… well, anything I choose to write about. Hey, this could be fun! ;-)

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