Tim Phelan's Tech in Perspective

Tech in Perspective - Living a Balanced Life

Tim Phelan

Living Life Out Loud…. Well, Sort Of

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Why do our teens tend to focus their social media efforts in “hit and run” apps that do not seem to say anything such as Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, etc.? I mean my boys are all about making a statement and individuality. Yet, their electronic broadcasts are typically a picture or some meaningless phrase which do not communicate much of anything. On the other hand, I tend to blog, share moments with context on Facebook or Instagram, and tweet ideas that I find interesting, inspiring, ironic, or just plain silly. Who is really “living life out loud?”

This is a topic that has stumped me. It just never clicked with me—until 5AM this morning lying in bed. As I was thinking through my day, the phrase “living life out loud” came to mind. I really did not have a context, but thought it sounded cool and may be something fun to write about (file that one to examine later). The trash needs to go out; meeting at 10:30 I need to prep for; did I get all of the information into our systems from last week for work…all of those fun “real life” thoughts started. Then out of nowhere came the thought “Mark 6:2-4.” Interesting…I read the Bible from time to time, but have never really memorized any of it. I would consider myself fairly familiar with the Bible. But like a visitor to France trying to find the library in Paris, I am not able to identify where things are in the Bible or what books certain events take place. This was a first for me. So, I did what any other person that may of just had a brush with divine inspiration would do, I made a quick note in my phone and went back to sleep with no idea what those verses said.

After a cup of coffee, I found that the essence of these verses in my opinion is that Jesus preached in the synagogue of his home town, and those who heard him (I am going to assume who also probably knew him pretty well) took offense and scoffed, “Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James. Joseph, Judas and Simon?” (NIV Life Application Mark 6:3).

OK, I get it now! Thanks God! Our teens put in all of that electronic effort because they do want to be heard and seen, they want to be thought provoking and provocative, and to put their stance and stamp on the world. Note: for the purposes of this piece, I specifically mean pre-college teens. Our “babies” may at times even have great wisdom and ideas to bring to the world, electronically or otherwise. Our children have learned that just as “…many who heard him were amazed” (6:2), airing their still-formulating beliefs and ideas will open them up to questions and possibly ridicule. Teens can be brutal and that time of life is when we acquired many of the callouses that supported us in being ourselves later in our lives. It is not something any of us cherished or had to go looking for to get regularly as a teen.

I have asked my teens why that picture, or that quip, or that little comment and get the standard “I dunno” (visualize a put-on sullen attitude to go with, of course). It is BRILLIANT. Instagram, Snapchat, group texts, emoji, for example are the perfect mediums to throw out “clues” or “hints.” It is the ultimate flirt—it puts out just enough of themselves to spark interest from like-minded teens that could lead to more substantive dialogue. Yet, it is obscure enough to not garner a ton of attention. It makes perfect sense. And to think all along I thought these social media outlets were conspiracies designed so our teens could be sneaky, or plan some gruesome anarchy.

Our teens will “live out loud” when they are ready, when they have the self-confidence to handle the potential of criticism and rejection. Until then, they will hopefully form some supportive friendships from others that pick up on their “clues” and they will do their best to “keep it real.”

5 Tips for Getting the Most out of Your Business Intelligence (BI) Initiative

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Gartner stated that over a third of business intelligence initiatives fail. Implementing a BI tool properly can deliver actionable information out of the seemingly endless amounts of data enabling organizations to be more agile, get to market quicker, and to save time by managing by exception. This can become a competitive edge, particularly in industries that are fast-changing.  BI is not an expensive undertaking though, and the better prepared you are the more likely success will come on time and in budget.  Here are 5 tips that can make the difference between competitive edge and failure:

  1. Be clear on the desired results – Too often entrepreneurs and executives get bogged down in the power of the data sources, how wonderful it is going to be to have so many desperate data sets from different systems normalized and at their fingertips. While planning the data architecture is certainly important, it can quickly eat up the entire budget.  Think backwards from the finish: what information do you want and how do you want to see it?  With this information your internal IT Department or outside consulting firm can then best design the data structure to goal, not to be all encompassing of any goal you may ever have.
  2. Get references, good and bad – If you are using a professional services organization, rest assured they should be versed well enough in the technology to make it sound like your initiative is right in their wheelhouse at a technical level you may not be as knowledgeable. It is imperative that you have the ability to talk to other managers, executives, or business owners like yourself that have had success with the firm.  I stress managers/executives/business owners because talking to an IT professional can lead to an accurate and wondrous story of a data warehouse that provides absolutely no business value.  Be sure to speak with the person who benefits from the work.  Because technology by its nature is sometimes not as reliable as one would like, it is also important to speak with a client that faced major challenges in their implementation. Granted, nobody is going to give you a terrible reference.  At least though you will get a sense of how the firm deals with unanticipated challenges in time, budget, or expectation setting.  A quick word to the wise: unless you have a segment of your IT team dedicated to data administration, reporting and has implemented a BI solution many times before, outsource it.  The disruption from normal duties and potential of losing someone who otherwise is an excellent team member over perceived cost savings that may never materialize.
  3. Chose a flexible platform – There are thousands of BI platforms to choose from that are for small business, mid-sized business, enterprise, industry specific, etc.  Connectivity will largely depend on your current data sources: accounting, production, marketing, CRM, project costing, time & attendance, and so on.  Be sure to ascertain how the final information or dashboard will be delivered to you. Important questions include: Is it shareable (can I send a file to a colleague)? Is it device dependent (can I see it from my laptop and my iPhone)? Ultimately, how you and your teams work will determine what the best option is.  Beware of solution specific clients.  While sometimes unavoidable, it is always preferable to use non-proprietary viewers.
  4. Proof of Concept – If possible, a proof of concept is an excellent way to see what and how you are going to get on a small scale.  Often, you can negotiate a fixed price that will go towards the full deployment thereby not costing additional.  Even if it is an additional cost, it is a way for you to mitigate the risk of not being happy after a much larger investment.  This is also a viable option if your internal IT is leading the project. Find a small, quickly achievable key performance indicator (KPI) and run that piece as a mini project and upon approval you move forward with the larger project.
  5. Solid Project Management – Strong project management (ideally from the consulting firm and your organization) is be the best way to ensure that expectations are met and challenges overcome in a timely and mutually beneficial manner.  This includes sign off on scope, milestone targets, billing milestones, reporting and feedback procedures, and change of scope documentation and procedures.  Make sure that whether you are using an outside firm or tackling your BI project internally that you have a project lead who is responsible for monitoring and reporting back relevant details, issues and accomplishments.

BI transforms the way we think of information.  Executed properly, key information is put in the hands of those who can act on it quicker, interpret trends, and hopefully keep the organization a step ahead of competition.  Take your time before committing resources to the project.  Follow these guideline and find a good BI provider to partner with and you will be amazed that you ever waded through those seas of reports that monopolize so much time.  Good luck and make it a great day!

Facebook’s Impact On Teens

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Recently, I was blessed that one of my children had received two academic honors and was selected with a few other classmates to represent his school in the laying of the wreath ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. Almost instinctively I posted a picture and a short comment about it on Facebook. After all, what kind of uncaring parent would I be otherwise, right? Just another day in my cyber-life… Later that day, a high school friend of mine commented, “the Phelan’s really have it going on!” My stomach started to turn.

Facebook has become our journals, our place to share fun facts, and our place to connect with others. Unlike private journals, Facebook is a repository of only the milestones that we want to share, the good ones. The unreality it insinuates make for great stories and creates reason to interact with many that without Facebook, we would otherwise not. The fact that we share only the highlights (or mostly, and mind you I am not addressing the “town crier” who is always in online crisis) can be unhealthy and is something we need to talk directly about with our kids. As if I didn’t hear enough, “everybody likes Tommy because…” Facebook has become another layer of hormonal induced teenage angst in my house. Real life is messy—for everybody. In real life we get fired, dumped, audited, sick, and make stupid mistakes that we pray we learn from and we would just as soon nobody know about. This is not the stuff of happy headlines (insert the smiley face emoji of your choice here). It is important that as parents we clearly explain to our kids that Facebook is not reality and is merely a small slice of any given person’s real experiences.

Alice Walton describes this phenomena in her article New Study Links Facebook To Depression: But Now We Actually Understand Why.

The irony of Facebook is by now known to most. The “social” network has been linked to a surprising number of undesirable mental health consequences: Depression, low self-esteem, and bitter jealousy among them. Now, a new study in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology finds that not only do Facebook and depressive symptoms go hand-in-hand, but the mediating factor seems to be a well-established psychological phenomenon: “Social comparison.” That is, making comparisons, often between our most humdrum moments and our friends “highlight reels” – the vacation montages and cute baby pics – is what links Facebook time and depressive symptoms together.[i]

This is exponentially felt by teenagers who are told by every media outlet, report card grade, psat/sat/act, and by their naturally cruel peers that only perfection is above ridicule. I have yet to see the post, “I had a really tough day at work, feel guilty because I took it out on the kids, am having dreams about smothering my significant other if he or she talks about another DYI show, and I feel like a bad person because all I want to do is go postal or run away to a sunny beach somewhere.” You never get “the rest of the story.” For many adults and teens alike this can impact moods and self-image. Comparison rarely leads to healthy thought. Take the time to talk to your kids about this “unreality” as they need as much reassurance as we can provide.

I am not discount15731390865_bfde4e48b0_oing Facebook as a great way to catch up, nor am I saying we need to describe every detail of our lives and associated feelings. I am merely suggesting:

  1. Keeping what you see on Facebook in perspective and teaching your children how to do the same.
  2. If your teen is seemingly anxious or depressed, watch or limit social media activity
  3. Teaching your teen that we all need a little more celebrating and sunshine in our lives. Congratulating a friend is excellent, but not a measurement of their or your value.

In researching this, I was fascinated to find that this comparison-based depression is far more prevalent and deeper with males. I suppose that may have something to do with men’s drive to accomplish, compete, and win that is instilled at an early age. That may be a topic worthy of another post. In the meantime, happy and safe Facebooking to you. Oh and Dean: yes the Phelan’s really do have it and $%it going on… Make it a great day!

[i] Walton, Alice G. (April 8, 2015). New Study Links Facebook To Depression: But Now We Actually Understand Why., Forbes / Pharma & Healthcare. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2015/04/08/new-study-links-facebook-to-depression-but-now-we-actually-understand-why/#3a7d515d2e65

Engaging Technologies for Your Organization

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I have to admit my wildest dreams as a child have been passed like Jeff Gordon passing the Sunday driver. The thought of Captain Jim Kirk demanding Scottie to beam him up immediately by speaking into a hand-held gizmo expanded our imaginations. It’s 2016 and technology continues to make quantum leaps as we saw at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) recently. How does all of this technology empower us as workers, managers, business owners?

More importantly, how do we harness what can seem as impersonal technology to create greater engagement in our work? Sean Pomeroy (@VisSoft), Visibility Software’s “Top Dog” & CEO, develops and sells software designed to recruit and retain organizational talent states, “The biggest factor in keeping the best talent, even bigger than career path, is keeping the team engaged and we at Visibility make this an emphasis in everything we create and deploy.” Here are some employee-engaging technologies if deployed properly can keep your people engaged and your organization ahead of the competition.

Self-Service

Anyone that has renewed their driver’s license online, as opposed to going to the DMV, will agree with this wholeheartedly. With the adoption of online ordering and having information available at out fingertips with the assistance of Google, bing, or whatever your flavor is, we value speed more than ever. This phenomenon is going to increase exponentially as millennials continue to climb the corporate ladders. Give your team the ability to DYI their tasks at work: look up or change HR information (dependents, address, life-changes, benefits, time off, etc.…), retrieve the information they need to make decisions without having to put in an IT ticket, make purchases (within scope and restrictions) necessary to accomplish their jobs, and even “wikifying” (enabling team mates to contribute, alter and form) certain projects and initiatives. Employees that feel empowered feel good about their organization.

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)

Giving our teams the ability to work the way they work best with the technology that is already deeply ingrained in their lives increases their engagement because it is just easier. I have talked to many CIO’s who staunchly oppose this, citing potential security concerns. While valid, there are ways to make applications and functions that do not require the same level of security as Patient Identifiable Data (PID) in healthcare. Further, enterprise information security companies such as Trust Digital, MobileIron and Good can deliver solutions to address these concerns. At one company that I worked, one of the things the team looked forward to the most was the “Look What I Can Do with My Technology” after-hours pizza party.

Instant Messaging

The power of being able to ask a remote teammate a question while on the same conference call is invaluable. It also gives your team the ability to ask quick questions with less disruption. I caveat this technology with the assertion that you MUST publish and enforce corporate IM responsibilities and ensure that your team understands how to use the technology’s “Do Not Disturb” function.

Video Calls and Conferencing

This is not a new concept by any means. Yet, very few companies utilize this technology on a regular basis. As workforces continue to become more remote, video is an inexpensive and effective way to not lose that “personal touch.” Whether it is an enterprise-wide unified communications platform (Cisco Jabber, Microsoft Skype for Business—previously Lync, etc.…) or using FaceTime by apple or Skype for Android on individual cell phones, this technology can bring your team, partners and customers together in ways that will set you apart and create a feeling of belonging…engagement even.

Organizations today are battling for the best talent. Culture and morale are important parts of creating work environments that attract the best. I have seen at many companies the Xbox that the executive team put in the break room to boost morale, only for it to sit there unused – because if employees are going to play, they want to play somewhere else (not to mention being perceived as someone with not enough to do). Leverage technology to empower your employees by getting the more engaged and you will find your organization moving quicker, with creativity and, and with better attitude.