Mike the Headless Chicken Weekend

He managed to live for 18 months after his head was totally cut off from his body. A quick check on this website and Wikipedia reveals that Mike the Headless Chicken Day/Weekend is "celebrated" every third weekend of May.

"Mike, Mike, where's your head? Even without it, you're not dead!"

"Mike's will to live remains an inspiration. It is a great comfort to know you can live a normal life, even after you have lost your mind."

 

(Not Quite) All I Really Need To Know...

(Picking up from my previous post. Sorry, I can't make the title of this post the same as that of the book's. It's like saying Windows 98 or ME or XP or Vista is the best operating system, ever. That title may have played a part in my buying the book though. Fool me once....)

I. All I Really Need to Know in Business I Learned at Microsoft

A. Setting Up To Play

1. Eat your own dog food but don't believe your own press releases.
2. Examine your mistakes.
3. Let people fail.
4. Sometimes tankers can look like speedboats.
5. Let your employees hear your customers.
6. Don't bet against your own team's creativity.
7. Tailor your message to your customer.
8. Every process can be improved.
9. Stay small.
10. Act like a leader.

B. Winning the Game

1. If you can't win - change the rules.
2. Think three moves ahead.
3. Him 'em where they ain't.
4. You can change your image.
5. Win-win deals: what they care about and what you care about.
6. Try it out in the real world.
7. Make big bets.
8. Big events make good deadlines.
9. Give your employees a piece of the pie.

II. All I Really Need to Know to Do My Job Weel I Learned at Microsoft

A. Becoming an Expert

1. The elevator test - Convincingly explain your product in 30 seconds.
2. Know who your customers are and who just isn't one yet.
3. The SWOT team - strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats for your company AND competitor.
4. Know the business inside and out.
5. Know the questions your boss is going to ask.
6. Make decisions as if you own the company.

B. Getting the Job Done

1. Work smart - not long.
2. "I don't know" is okay, especially coupled with "I'll find out"
3. Humor can get you out of sticky times.
4. Real employees do eat lunch - networking.
5. Creativity is not a one-man job.
6. If you're going to drop the ball, arrange for someone to catch it.
7. Their experience vs. your instinct.
8. Work faux pas - Murphy's law.

 

Journaling about a Book

Our local library holds quarterly book sales where they sell used books for 50 cents or a dollar each. One of the many books I bought back then was "All I Really Need to Know in Business I Learned at Microsoft" by Julie Bick, a former product manager for Microsoft Word and Office.

Microsoft has been in the news lately with their intent to acquire Yahoo! This acquisition is part of a larger strategy to surpass search-engine giant Google. Having broadened its base to a variety of markets (including gaming and music), Microsoft will still remain a force to be reckoned with the the years to come.

Say what you want about how it got its way to the top, but that it was able to grow into a multi-billion dollar business deserves, if begrudging, respect (but certainly not fear unless as a businessman/competitor, you want to set yourself up for failure).

Now I decided to pick up the book as my next reading, keeping in mind that this is a book about a company, or more specifically the ways of a company, written by someone from THAT company. The last time I read a book like this, I wasn't very much impressed with the content. And I'm pretty sure being in the middle of a 14-hour flight from LA to Taipei had nothing to do with my not liking it.

Since the book is organized into lessons in outline-bulleted style, I decided to allot a blog post for all those points just so I could refer to them. I'll update the post as I reach newer lessons.

 

I Wish More Interviews are Conducted Like These

Jon Stewart has to be the best interviewer on television. This video is just one example of why I think so:

Part 1:



Part 2:

I've always been impressed with how he asks tough questions that dig to the heart of the issues. A favorite of mine is when he had Alan Greenspan as a guest and asked big, intelligent questions. Taken from this website, here's what Stewart had for Greenspan:

The first question was, essentially, "if you're such a believer in free markets, why do we need a Federal Reserve to set interest rates at all?".

The second question... Look what happened when the Fed slashed rates, said Stewart: the stock market, where rich people keep their money, skyrocketed. Now most of us work for a living, and keep our money in the bank, and the Fed has just reduced the interest rates that banks pay while rewarding the speculators in the stock market. Isn't it essentially taking from the working stiff and giving to the rich?

Watch the interview here:

 

Time to Blog About My Company

From an article in CNNMoney.com:

QAS, a part of Experian® (LSE: EXPN) specializing in customer data quality software and services, and Full-Service Banking (FSB) Solutions, a leader in branch automation and lending origination products and a division of S1 Corporation (NASDAQ: SONE), today announced the immediate availability of QuickAddress for FSB Branch Automation (FSBA). QuickAddress for FSBA is an integrated solution that helps banks and credit unions speed account opening, improve customer communication and reduce operating costs. The product combines QAS Pro, a point-of-entry contact data quality product, with a suite of applications and modules that support full service bank branches, call centers and back-office operations.

About FSB Solutions

FSB Solutions is an industry leader in branch automation and lending origination products and a division of S1 Corporation (NASDAQ: SONE). FSB Solutions' products are currently installed in over 1,000 financial institutions at some 100,000+ workstations. FSB Solutions combines the strengths of two great product suites, FSB Branch Automation and FSB Lending Solutions, with a robust development, support, and services organization dedicated to superior customer care and the delivery of value-generating Branch Automation and Credit Origination solutions for the financial industry. Additional information about FSB Solutions is available at www.fsb-solutions.com or by phone at 818.577.2229.

 

From "Britain's Got Talent"

First I was impressed, then I was surprised. What a way to get the crowd to its feet.

 

Back to Regular Blogging

It's been quite a while (again) since I've posted a blog. Uber-laziness just got the better of me lately and I'm trying to gain some ground against it this time.

Last week, I was able to watch Ironman and I thought it was brilliant. Truth be told, I wasn't impressed with the trailers but was intrigued when a couple of my friends, who were also skeptical like me, ended up liking the movie.

Robert Downey Jr. is a genius. He owned the character. There is no one else who'll come remotely close to portraying Tony Stark.

As a Marvel fan, I'm delighted that most of the Marvel movies so far are really good. Spiderman trilogy, X-men trilogy, Ironman, Fantastic Four (OK, I haven't watched part 2 of the last one) - these were stories/characters that I was so crazy about as a kid. My only disappointment is that my favorite X-man wasn't in the movies but it seems he'll make an appearance in the upcoming Wolverine spin-off movie (2009, baby).

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Now that I drive to and from work, I feel more flexible with my time. I don't have to wake up very early to catch the bus. And I arrive home earlier than before. Having a laptop for work also adds to that flexibility. I sometimes do some work late at night when I feel that my mind is still sharp.

And having just said that I don't have to rise early, I will go against it and will try to wake up earlier. I just feel that I need some self-disciplining with regards to that.

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I feel so financially illiterate. I can't explain very well the difference between stocks and bonds. I haven't done the math to figure how much I should contribute to my 401(k) plan to get the most out of it. Etc., etc.

My goal by the end of the year is to have a working knowledge of these topics. To help me with it, I've subscribed to Money Magazine, SmartMoney, Businessweek, and Forbes. I also have some books I previously bought that should help. Right now, reading those papers is like reading a different language (sort of).

I work for a company that provides software for the financial services industry. That should help too.