The Regenerate Web

With my recent ordeal, I'm now driving a rental vehicle (which I like so much, it's actually made my final four selection for new cars).  The only problem is that I picked it up in KC and have to drop it off in Des Moines.  This means a drop off fee, which the insurance company doesn't cover (note to everybody out there negotiating auto insurance... make the insurance company cover drop off fees between cities).

This whole issue of logistics has been weighing on my mind recently, as I've contemplated every configuration to avoid paying the fee... not on affordability but more on principle.  But then again, it's had me applying those same thoughts to the workplace.  I've worked on many projects where there have been multiple geographic sites involved (some spread internationally).  One of the key issues in projects is communication - many would argue communication IS the key issue.  When you have a geographically dispersed workplace, how do you get information from point A to point B without undue stress and burden?

Communicating across a geographicaly dispersed project team does not have to be challenging:

• Bring them together - on one large program for a major financial services institution, executives paid to bring the project team together once a quarter.  It was a very expensive investment but well worth it.  While we were able to give face-to-face accounts to each other on our project process, the more important thing was the ability to have some face-to-face time.

• Just in Time - If you do bring people together physically, make sure there's a purpose and it happens at a strategic time for the project.  Bringing in an engineer when requirements planning is occurring or an executive for a key decision-making presentation are good examples of this principle.

• Build relationships - some small talk is OK over the conference calls as you wait for the invariable stragglers to join.  Learning about the weather, major news, or family activities of other team members strengthens the bonds.

• Create accountability - since you are dealing with people without seeing them, make sure your project tasks have been well defined and you can share with a high degree of confidence what constitutes "done" with your project activity.  Nothing kills credibility like somebody taking advantage of the geographic distance to hide their own lack of progress.

• Visit - while you may not be able to get the whole project team together, almost everyone can find it in their budget to send one or two people to visit various sites on occasion.

• Use technology - phone and video conferencing systems have come down in price.  For that matter, you can now do a lot right on your laptop.  Take advantage of these tools for those who are "visual learners" and need to see things rather than just hear them.

Now if anybody can figure out how to get a Nissan Altima from Des Moines to Kansas City (and get me from Kansas City to Des Moines) without inconveniencing too many other people, please let me know.

Another week of blogospheric silence... what gives?

Well, to be honest, I've been a little preoccupied.  You see, I had a boo-boo.  More appropriately my car, Gerald, had a boo-boo.  Specifically, the Ford Escape was not engineered to smooch a utility pole.  So the car is now totaled... gone to that great parking lot in the sky.

How did it happen?  Well, funny you should ask.  There was another driver... an evil Missouri driver... also heading south on the same rain-soaked street last week.  He decided he would rather be in my lane than his, so he made a rather rapid switch immediately.  Then he also decided that he was going too fast in his efforts to get around me, so after he made his lane change, he proceeded to slam on his brakes before eventually speeding back up, leaving me to take evasive measures to avoid rear-ending him.  My evasive maneuvers led me right into the nearest parking lot where the Kansas City public works department decided a utility pole should be strategically placed.  Meanwhile, he was merrily on his way, unaware he had caused anything.  Enough said.

Amazingly, even Missourians criticize themselves when it comes to driving.  The people at my client site have made worse comments about their fellow drivers than my inside voice could ever conjure up.

Office politics sometimes work like that other driver.  People changing lanes, slamming on brakes, performing tactics on wet pavement... not very happy for the rest of us.  So how do we practice DEFENSIVE DRIVING in an office setting?

• Lane Changers - look for people who change their decisions and positions quickly and often.  Get things in writing from them and hold them publicly accountable.
• Jerks and Stops - beware of those who pull the "hurry up and wait" game on you.  Validate urgencies and deadlines before work begins.  Make everyone aware of the consequences of starting and stopping tasks frequently.
• Wet Conditions - what is your business environment right now?  With the current economic crisis, "slippery when wet" probably doesn't even begin to cut it.  Be extra careful when playing politics if there are bigger business issues to address.
• Immovable Objects - if you find yourself having to take evasive action when dealing with office politics, make sure the avoidance won't cause even more trouble (i.e., utility poles) than actively engaging the other poor drivers.

These are just a few of the lessons I learned last week.  All in all, I have much to be thankful for.  Outside of a banged up knee, I wasn't injured.  The car was insured.  Nobody else was hurt.  The pole was replaceable.  And it's a great time to be car shopping.  And I've re-learned the importance of defensive driving... on and off the road.

Returning from the paradise splendor of O'ahu, I found a thick blanket of leaves on my back lawn.  Well, it is autumn, after all.  Still, I find myself groaning this time of year (and have every November since we moved into this house).  I'm not groaning because of the need to mulch and bag the leaves with my mower; I'm groaning because it is a weekly lesson in futility.

It seems like I no more than have all of the leaves collected in my yard over the weekend and out to the curb to be recycled as mulch on Monday morning, than the yard looks exactly the way it did before I touched a single leaf... usually within 48 hours.  Mowing up the leaves is a huge lesson in futility.  And it takes every ounce of motivation to tackle this task week after week for about five consecutive weeks.  (And for all of my environmental friends out there, please do not lecture me on using my mower to rake.  I'll reduce my carbon footprint in other ways, thank you.  If it still bothers you, you're more than welcome to hold a weekly raking party at my house whenever you want.)

We have high maintenance lawns at our work places, too.  They are called "co-workers who don't get it."  You can lecture them, coach them, threaten them, praise them, cajole them, and train them.  They always seem to go back to their old ways within 48 hours after a feedback event.  Some of you are in union shops where firing is almost unheard of.  Some of you are in companies where HR functions are non-existent.  Some of you just have wimpy bosses who won't take action.

Unlike my lawn (where the trees do EVENTUALLY run out of leaves), these co-workers seem to hang on forever.  How do I deal with them?

1. Document - write down the specifics of their behavior and what was done to correct it.  This is the number one reason why people are unable to remove the poorly behaving coworkers... no paper trail.
2. Demonstrate - you may be the reason for the bad behavior.  If they are a tactile learner and all you've done is tell them how to do something, they still may not get it because they need to do it first.  Make sure your approach matches their learning style.
3. Detail - be very clear about your expectations and what the end result looks like.  Often, we provide ambiguous terms and wonder why the outcome isn't what we really wanted.
4. Direct - sometimes people aren't following because you aren't there to lead.  Get out of your cubicle and be around to provide meaningful feedback.
5. Design - one reason for lack of follow-through is the co-worker wasn't allowed a say in the solution.  Let them help design the solution and you might be surprised how well they follow through... as opposed to just being told to do something.

Of course, it may be that they are just utterly clueless, a classic W.U.H.O.T. in a land of functioning human beings.  In that case, reassign them to something harmless and keep them out of the way of productive people until you can get rid of them.

When you're having this much fun presenting at a conference...

And when the view from the room where you are presenting looks like this...

...It's not too hard to keep your presentation mojo flowing.  It was A TON of fun in Hawaii.  I was able to hear Andrea Ames of IBM talk about career management, listen to Elizabeth Larson of Watermark Learning compare "The Italian Job" to good project management skills, and learn from Bernard and Vivian Aschwanden about selecting a translation vendor.  I found out how great Hawaiian love songs sound as mediocre Karaoke.  I ate more pineapple and other fresh fruit than any Midwesterner has a right to devour in November.   Old friendships were solidified.  New friendships were forged.  And I won't rub it in by talking about the morning walks along Waikiki Beach.

So it's not really surprising that I was a little melancholy on the flight home yesterday.  As the pilot announced that it was 39 degrees in Des Moines, I reached into the seat pocket in front of me and found a bookmark a prior passenger had left behind.  Written on it was just the message I needed:  "Look back with pride on all you've accomplished.  Look forward with excitement to all the adventures ahead.  And just enjoy yourself - you've earned it!"

Thanks to the folks from LavaCon and the Honolulu PMI chapter for an awesome experience!

(Originally posted on Iowabiz.com yesterday) As of writing this, I do not know if I'm addressing John McCain or Barack Obama. My message is the same, regardless of which one of you wins. First of all, congratulations on winning one... Timothy Johnson

I'll be out of pocket for a few days. I'm going to speak at LavaCon '08 in Honolulu. It's a tough sacrifice, but I'm willing to "take one for the team." I've heard they're predicting snow in Iowa by the... Timothy Johnson

I'm always amused by the things that come across my inbox and/or browser on Halloween. For example Techrepublic is running a special article on their blog about how to build lethal weapons with basic office supplies. I suppose that would... Timothy Johnson

OK, I'll try to make this my parting shot on the presidential campaign. For all of you caught up in the emotional sweep of Obama-ism, you're not going to like this. An ABC reporter catches Joe Biden off-guard, makes him... Timothy Johnson

My wife has turned me into a Henry David Thoreau fan. It's probably my own fault for encouraging her to go to Walden Pond for a week of Transcendentalist Geeking Out, but what I've read of Thoreau so far, he's... Timothy Johnson

About five years ago, I had a spectacular group of students in my graduate organizational management class. It was a relatively large class for an MBA course (45 students), but this particular group meshed very well, and it never really... Timothy Johnson

It seems that "real" politics these days give us a great reflection of their office counterpart. I've been fascinated by story after story in the papers and on the web that - less than two weeks before the election -... Timothy Johnson

(Originally posted on Iowabiz.com yesterday)

As of writing this, I do not know if I'm addressing John McCain or Barack Obama.  My message is the same, regardless of which one of you wins.

First of all, congratulations on winning one of the most epic and historic elections ever.  As one who loves the art and science of office politics, I've been riveted to the dramatic twists and turns the past 10 months have provided.

Now, however, it's time to get down to business.  And I have but one request for your performance as "Leader of the Free World":  it's time to quit acting like a politician and start acting like a project manager.  Since you're a Washington Insider, I'll explain in simple terms and try to use small words:

1. Prioritize - As a project manager, it's impossible to do everything to make everybody happy.  Our profession is blocked in by the triple constraint.  You'd better learn this principle quickly.  You have a few things that are the top of everybody's minds:  Economy, environment, education and enforcement being among them.  Special interests and party politics will need to take a back seat.
2. Define - once you've established your priorities, you will need to figure out what your project solution will look like.  You're going to get battered around quite a bit, but you're the leader we elected, so we'll expect you to have the diplomatic backbone to sell your solutions across party lines and also make all of the Joe-The-Plumbers and Joe-Six-Packs content.  Along with this, don't forget to create some metrics so you can prove to your nay-sayers you were successful.
3. Plan - create a timeline for the tasks needed to make your solution.  Get the right resources in place to make them a reality.  Make a budget.  Identify and strategize your risks.  Set the expectations of your stakeholders.  Don't get distracted by all of the special interests who will want to add to your plans.  It's called "pork" and we're sick of it.  (In project terms, we call it "scope creep."  Either way, it's bad.)
4. Lead - protect the project priorities, stay focused on the key things, execute your plans, remove obstacles for your project resources and keep us informed.  Work with us... ALL of us... Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Federal employees, State employees, Local employees and regular citizens who know how to think and solve and articulate and get things done.

Regardless of which of you wins the election, my wish, my hope and my prayers are the same, Mr. President-Elect: Act more like a project manager than a politician and figure out how to Carpe Factum.

I'll be out of pocket for a few days.  I'm going to speak at LavaCon '08 in Honolulu.  It's a tough sacrifice, but I'm willing to "take one for the team."  I've heard they're predicting snow in Iowa by the end of the week.  The forecast is pretty consistent on Waikiki Beach for the next several days.  (I think I'm more excited that I'll be on a plane all day tomorrow and won't have the opportunity to listen to the talking heads dissecting Election Day coverage.)

Now where did I leave my Hawaiian floral print shirts???

I'm always amused by the things that come across my inbox and/or browser on Halloween.  For example Techrepublic is running a special article on their blog about how to build lethal weapons with basic office supplies.  I suppose that would kill boredom, as well as a few annoying co-workers.  I'd be curious how it would be "sold" during performance review objectives time.

Personally, I love the "prank" aspect of this holiday.  I led my students on a discussion of office practical jokes one time (yes, it had academic relevance; we were discussing the elements of corporate culture).  The all-time best practical joke a student shared made me laugh so hard I was almost crying.  He said that a co-worker "tinkered with" the auto-correct feature in Microsoft Word on the computer of a technologically illiterate colleague.  Every time this colleague would type the word "the" Microsoft would automatically change the text to "BITE ME!"  Try sharing this problem with tech support.

Really, your only goal for office trickery is to keep it off your performance appraisal and under the radar of HR.  Otherwise, loosen up and have a little fun today.

OK, I'll try to make this my parting shot on the presidential campaign.  For all of you caught up in the emotional sweep of Obama-ism, you're not going to like this.  An ABC reporter catches Joe Biden off-guard, makes him look like a fool (not too hard to do to Mr. "Gird your Loins"), and the Obama camp "punishes" ABC?  OK, let's step back here a second.  I'd say the same thing if the McCain camp pulled a stunt like this.  The candidate gives a bad answer, and it's the media's fault?  The same media darlings who have been treating Obama like the messiah he thinks he is and have been biasing the campaign against McCain is now being punished because Foot-In-Mouth Biden makes a gaffe?  Can you imagine an Obama Whitehouse Press Conference?  There won't only be gag rules, there will be bound-and-gagged-and-tied-up-and-body-dumped-where-nobody-will-find-them rules.

But because I try to keep this in the arena of organizational behavior, let's bring this back to cubicle-land for a minute.  How many of our executives and managers do the same thing?  Somebody gives a bad answer, and they are pigeon-holed as incompetent.  An employee asks a question at a public forum, and all of a sudden they are shunned as a trouble maker.  We cringe at these behaviors, the same ones that got AIG and Enron and other giants in trouble, the same behaviors that Obama is criticizing as corporate greed and malfeasance.  And yet we'd be willing to tolerate a shoot-the-messenger mentality from the most powerful man in the world?  Obama has touted himself as the anti-Bush, which is moderately wise branding given how unpopular "W" is right now.  But then he turns around and exhibits the same brand of bullying which got the Bush Administration to where they are now.

Maybe I'm missing something.  Maybe Obama isn't really a naked emperor.  Maybe it's all a big misunderstanding.  After all, the only true Messiah was misunderstood as well.

But then again... maybe Joe Biden is right.  Gird your loins, folks.

My wife has turned me into a Henry David Thoreau fan.  It's probably my own fault for encouraging her to go to Walden Pond for a week of Transcendentalist Geeking Out, but what I've read of Thoreau so far, he's every bit as relevant now as he was 150 years ago, maybe more so.

In looking at his life and times, he was all about balance, about living with purpose, about talking through the big issues and taking action to make the solutions a reality.  His peers were an amazing think tank of personalities.  My wife was thrilled that I asked for a copy of Walden for my birthday, and I've been savoring about every page.

But that line of thinking didn't end 150 years ago.  There's a new brand of transcendentalist; they're called bloggers.  And I am so grateful that the think tank of living a purposeful life is seeing a rebirth.  Part of this "Thoreauvian Renaissance" is released today in the form of The Age of Conversation 2!  I can't wait to get my copy to see what my fellow authors have contributed.  The theme of the book is dissecting why people don't get it (and "it" takes a lot of different forms) and how we can get them to the point of getting it.  My own essay covers the transition of getting people from conversation to action... a bridge we must all cross to make a difference in our world.

Here's a bigger motivation to purchase a copy:  ALL of the proceeds go to Children's Charities.  Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton want to raise $15,000.  I'd like to challenge my readers to leave that estimate in the dust (personally, I'd love to see a six figure donation before it's all said and done).  Talk about changing the world.

And finally a nod to all of my co-contributors.  I can't wait to see your contribution to our "Virtual Walden":

A   Adrian Ho, Aki Spicer, Alex Henault, Amy Jussel, Andrew Odom, Andy Nulman, Andy Sernovitz, Andy Whitlock, Angela Maiers, Ann Handley, Anna Farmery, Armando Alves, Arun Rajagopal, Asi Sharabi

B   Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Bernie Scheffler, Bill Gammell, Bob LeDrew, Brad Shorr, Brandon Murphy, Branislav Peric, Brent Dixon, Brett Macfarlane, Brian Reich

C   C.C. Chapman, Cam Beck, Casper Willer, Cathleen Rittereiser, Cathryn Hrudicka, Cedric Giorgi, Charles Sipe, Chris Kieff, Chris Cree, Chris Wilson, Christina Kerley (CK), C.B. Whittemore, Chris Brown, Connie Bensen, Connie Reece, Corentin Monot, Craig Wilson

D   Daniel Honigman, Dan Schawbel, Dan Sitter, Daria Radota Rasmussen, Darren Herman, Dave Davison, David Armano, David Berkowitz, David Koopmans, David Meerman Scott, David Petherick, David Reich, David Weinfeld, David Zinger, Deanna Gernert, Deborah Brown, Dennis Price, Derrick Kwa, Dino Demopoulos, Doug Haslam, Doug Meacham, Doug Mitchell, Douglas Hanna, Douglas Karr, Drew McLellan, Duane Brown, Dustin Jacobsen, Dylan Viner

E   Ed Brenegar, Ed Cotton, Efrain Mendicuti, Ellen Weber, Eric Peterson, Eric Nehrlich, Ernie Mosteller

F   Faris Yakob, Fernanda Romano, Francis Anderson

G   Gareth Kay, Gary Cohen, Gaurav Mishra, Gavin Heaton, Geert Desager, George Jenkins, G.L. Hoffman, Gianandrea Facchini, Gordon Whitehead, Greg Verdino, Gretel Going & Kathryn Fleming

H   Hillel Cooperman, Hugh Weber

J   J. Erik Potter, James Gordon-Macintosh, Jamey Shiels, Jasmin Tragas, Jason Oke, Jay Ehret, Jeanne Dininni, Jeff De Cagna, Jeff Gwynne & Todd Cabral, Jeff Noble, Jeff Wallace, Jennifer Warwick, Jenny Meade, Jeremy Fuksa, Jeremy Heilpern, Jeroen Verkroost, Jessica Hagy, Joanna Young, Joe Pulizzi, John Herrington, John Moore, John Rosen, John Todor, Jon Burg, Jon Swanson, Jonathan Trenn, Jordan Behan, Julie Fleischer, Justin Foster

K   Karl Turley, Kate Trgovac, Katie Chatfield, Katie Konrath, Kenny Lauer, Keri Willenborg, Kevin Jessop, Kristin Gorski

L   Lewis Green, Lois Kelly, Lori Magno, Louise Manning, Luc Debaisieux

M   Mario Vellandi, Mark Blair, Mark Earls, Mark Goren, Mark Hancock, Mark Lewis, Mark McGuinness, Matt Dickman, Matt J. McDonald, Matt Moore, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Michelle Lamar, Mike Arauz, Mike McAllen, Mike Sansone, Mitch Joel

N   Neil Perkin, Nettie Hartsock, Nick Rice

O   Oleksandr Skorokhod, Ozgur Alaz

P   Paul Chaney, Paul Hebert, Paul Isakson, Paul McEnany, Paul Tedesco, Paul Williams, Pet Campbell, Pete Deutschman, Peter Corbett, Phil Gerbyshak, Phil Lewis, Phil Soden, Piet Wulleman

R   Rachel Steiner, Reginald Adkins, Richard Huntington, Rishi Desai, Robert Hruzek, Roberta Rosenberg, Robyn McMaster, Roger von Oech, Rohit Bhargava, Ron Shevlin, Ryan Barrett, Ryan Karpeles, Ryan Rasmussen

S   Sam Huleatt, Sandy Renshaw, Scott Goodson, Scott Monty, Scott Townsend, Scott White, Sean Howard, Sean Scott, Seni Thomas, Seth Gaffney, Shama Hyder, Sheila Scarborough, Sheryl Steadman, Simon Payn, Sonia Simone, Spike Jones, Sreeraj Menon, Stanley Johnson, Stephen Collins, Stephen Landau, Stephen Smith, Steve Bannister, Steve Hardy, Steve Portigal, Steve Roesler, Steven Verbruggen, Steve Woodruff, Sue Edworthy, Susan Bird, Susan Gunelius, Susan Heywood

T   Tammy Lenski, Terrell Meek, Thomas Clifford, Thomas Knoll, Tim Brunelle, Tim Connor, Tim Jackson, Tim Mannveille, Tim Tyler, Timothy Johnson, Tinu Abayomi-Paul, Toby Bloomberg, Todd Andrlik, Troy Rutter, Troy Worman

U   Uwe Hook

V   Valeria Maltoni, Vandana Ahuja, Vanessa DiMauro, Veronique Rabuteau

W   Wayne Buckhanan, William Azaroff

Y   Yves Van Landeghem

About five years ago, I had a spectacular group of students in my graduate organizational management class.  It was a relatively large class for an MBA course (45 students), but this particular group meshed very well, and it never really seemed like teaching.  I would go in, throw out a few "thought grenades" and these students carried the discussion.  Three hours every week for 15 weeks.  It was amazing and energizing.  I've only had one other section of students who collectively fell in that UBER-WOW category since.  It's a rare phenomenon when a class fires on ALL cylinders ALL the time, and a professor knows when it happens.

Anyway, back to five years ago, I had just given the mid-term exam, which was primarily essay.  The grades were really good, and I provided each student with the appropriate feedback.  After class, I had one student linger after longer than she usually did.  When most of the students had cleared out, she came up to me holding her exam, and she had tears in her eyes.  I thought this was strange, because out of a class of 45, I remembered her exam specifically.  Her writing was BEAUTIFUL, and I've had few students who have rivaled her expressiveness and descriptions.  As a matter of fact, I commented that she should consider writing professionally on her exam.

Being the concerned professor, I asked her if anything was wrong or if she had a question.  She choked back the tears as she explained what my comments had meant to her.  She told me that her own husband always criticized her writing and was constantly telling her how bad it was.  The problem was that she believed him.  She heard his negative input too many times, and she had started to accept it as reality.  And one honest comment from a well-meaning professor had completely changed her mindset.  I lost track of that student over the years (darn it).  I'd love to find out what happened to her and her career.  For me, it was just genuine exam feedback.  For her, it was the world.  I look back over my teaching career and there are more blurs now than I care to admit.  But there are moments that shine brighter than any star.  This was one of them.

What about the people around you?  What messages have they been receiving from bad bosses, mean-spirited co-workers, and harsh customers?  And what message are they waiting to hear from you which could erase all of the negative messages?  Sometimes our greatest accomplishment of the moment can be the simple "atta boy" or "good job" we give to others.

It seems that "real" politics these days give us a great reflection of their office counterpart.

I've been fascinated by story after story in the papers and on the web that - less than two weeks before the election - the polls may not really reflect a true Obama lead.  One AP Poll had them as close as one point as of Wednesday.  Some polls still predict an Obama landslide, while others are severely pulling back their predictions, a few saying the election is too close to call.

What happened to the commanding lead Obama held a couple of weeks ago?  Is the "liberal elite media" learning their lesson from the 2004 Election Day?  Are the polls really reflecting what's going on?  In this mixed up election year drama, I'd say anything is possible.  It just seems odd that the story is changing so quickly when it appeared a slam dunk.  Were the earlier leads just spin?  Is McCain really going to pull off an upset?  Is the "race card" a factor?  Are the recent gap closures meant to scare people into voting for Obama?  Did Joe Biden scare people with his doomsday scenario that will "test Obama"?  Are Sarah Palin and Tina Fey really separated at birth?  So many questions!

In office politics, we have to watch out for changing stories all the time as well.  Somebody will commit something one day and pretend they never met you the next.  People will say they'll have it done by Friday, only to look surprised when they exclaim, "Oh, you meant THIS Friday?!"  Executives will want something "as soon as possible" only to be shocked when it is shoved to the bottom of the priority pile because it wasn't yet as soon as possible in the underling's schedule.

How can you prevent a blindside when stories change a the last minute?  Here are a few techniques I've used:

• Be clear - don't ask for it by Wednesday.  "I need it by noon CDT on Wednesday, October 29, 2008."  This will leave a lot less ambiguity.  This heightens the visibility and accountability of the task.
• Create checkpoints - rather than waiting until the end just to find out it didn't get done, ask for updates (along with documentation and tangible evidence) a week in advance, 48 hours in advance, 24 hours in advance, and the morning of the due date.  Annoying?  Only if the person is shunning accountability.
• Identify "done" - let them know up front what the criteria to complete the task looks like.  This will prevent the "oh, it's technically done... we just have a little tweaking to do."  A check mark is earned, not given.
• Provide rewards and consequences - if it's a major milestone, I start with positive rewards which should motivate the team.  If I perceive there may be political slackers, I try to make sure there are clear consequences.
• Mitigate - have a Plan B.  "If we miss this milestone, we will have to..."  This prevents a mere communication blindside from becoming a major disaster.

So how do you handle the potential "poll dancing" of public opinion on your projects?

My friend, Adam, likes to be right. And for good reason. He's a very sharp executive who knows the IT arena inside and out. Plus he has a gregarious personality that would put almost anybody at ease. And he's a... Timothy Johnson

My friend, Adam, likes to be right.  And for good reason.  He's a very sharp executive who knows the IT arena inside and out.  Plus he has a gregarious personality that would put almost anybody at ease.  And he's a very critical analytical thinker who can easily sum up both sides of an argument before making his decision.

Why am I telling you all this?

Well, Adam has nominated this blog in two categories for the Bloggers Choice Awards '09.  And since he likes to be right (and he generally is, from the short time I've known him), I think we should all just cut to the chase and take his side of the argument and cast your votes for my blog.  When you get to the site, just enter "carpefactum.typepad.com" in the search field, log in, and cast your votes.

Then Adam can be right.  And we'll all sleep better.

And for my friends in Chicago, vote early and often.  I accept votes from deceased bloggers as well.