Please check out my new RobDKelly.com blog for all these postings and much, much more. Thanks, Rob Kelly
Visionary Ray Kurzweil’s Data Points & Insights
June 22nd, 2010 — Leadership
I read a great interview with Ray Kurzweil in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Kurzweil is a visionary (reading machines for the blind, text to speech technology, music synthesizers, a bunch of artificial intelligence stuff) and he had a few nuggets of valuable insights/data points in the interview.
I encourage you to read the entire article, but here were my favorites:
..."technologies will be another billion times more powerful per dollar in 25 years and 100,000 times smaller in size."
"We'll reach a tipping point in about 15 years where we will be adding more than a year each year to your remaining life expectancy."
"There has been 18 percent annual growth in every form of information technology for the past half century as measured in constant dollars, despite the… Continue reading
3 Easy Steps To Using Google Analytics
June 21st, 2010 — Analytics, Blogging
I got asked today how you track links on your blog or Web site.
The simplest way to track your Web site/blog usage is to use Google Analytics.
I like it because it's free and it gives you massive amounts of data in fairly easy to use interface.
3 Easy Steps To Tracking Web Site Usage Through Google Analytics
Step 1: Sign Up For Gmail
You'll need a Gmail email address to get started. This is free and you can create one from here: https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccountStep 2: Install Google Analytics Code On Your Web Site/Blog
Next, you want to install Google Analytics. Again, this is free and here's a great tutorial on setting up Google Analytics. You will have to wait about 24 hours for Google Analytics to… Continue readingHow To Give Feedback: The Simple 3-Step Sandwich Method
June 20th, 2010 — Communication
If you lead a person or team, have peers you work with or even are managed by someone else (with no team that you're managing), the Sandwich Method of Feedback is an effective communication tool.
I was reminded about the Sandwich Method in my Toastmasters public speaking class the other day.
Every speech in Toastmasters is evaluated and the delivery of criticism needs to be done delicately -- I and others use the Sandwich Technique on a regular basis.
The Sandwich Method (or Sandwich Technique or Hamburger Method) is so named because the pieces of bread represent positive feedback/compliments while the meat of the sandwich (or innards if you're vegetarian) represents constructive criticism.
I… Continue reading
The Sandwich Method (or Sandwich Technique or Hamburger Method) is so named because the pieces of bread represent positive feedback/compliments while the meat of the sandwich (or innards if you're vegetarian) represents constructive criticism.
I… Continue reading How To “Recharge” Yourself To Make It Through Life (Happy)
June 17th, 2010 — Health
I was discussing 'recharging' with some friends over pizza in the Italian North Beach neighborhood of San Franciso the other night.
The concept of recharging caught my eye when I read the amazing book: The Power Of Full Engagement by Tony Schwartz & Jim Loehr.
I was captivated by the stories that Tony & Jim told of how they studied professional tennis players.
I must have lent my copy of the book out so I'm going by memory here...as I recall, Tony & Jim studied two groups of tennis pros:
I was captivated by the stories that Tony & Jim told of how they studied professional tennis players.
I must have lent my copy of the book out so I'm going by memory here...as I recall, Tony & Jim studied two groups of tennis pros:
- Group A: The Top 10 Tennis Pros (e.g. 1 to 10) (who make millions per year) and
- Group B: The Lower-Ranked Tennis Pros (e.g. ranked 100 to 500) (who just scratch their way by career-wise)
A Few Simple Tips On How To Approach An Employer Who Has A Job You Want
June 15th, 2010 — Networking
You may periodically see or hear about a job you'd love to have -- so what do you do next?
I believe that the best way to approach a job you want is to get the senior most person at the target-employer to refer you so that you get on the fast track for the interview process (with the hiring manager).
If you're interested in that, here's some advice I gave a colleague recently on how to do that through LinkedIn: