monitoring your reputation...

the internet has had a massive impact on the way people build reputations, some good and some bad. in addition, it's also had a large impact on how others can affect yours. this article on canada.com about dalhousie university and an animal rights group on facebook suggests it's very important to be diligent in knowing who and what people are saying about you online. everyone now have a very large and for the most part legally unobstructed mega phone that reaches the globe. however, i believe that it's only a matter of time before lawyers and law makers find ways to impact this issue.

there have been cases where this type of publicity has had devastating effects on peoples lives regardless of the content being true. the one thing it seems the internet cannot change, is poor human behavior and lack of character.

unplug and reset...

"if the 20th century was the century of bloodshed, then the 21st century must be the century of dialogue." Dalai Lama
from his book "How to See Yourself As You Really Are"

to put this statement in context, His Holiness was speaking about the fact that since the world is becoming so much smaller now and all nations are intertwined as one and so inflicting pain on one is like inflicting pain on ourselves. i'd like to think that also he was suggesting that with the invention of new technologies such as the ones i'm using at this very moment, we have a grand opportunity to reach out and communicate to all humankind about peace and happiness rather than engaging in war.

living in personal harmony cannot be established if one is overly focused on business or work, forgetting to take time to recharge their spirit and soul. by the same token we all must make a living so for me business is a method of doing this with the added benefit that i really enjoy it and it supports my life goals and endeavors. a question i have for many clients is does their business do the same or does it "own" them.

the Dalai Lama goes onto say that world peace may be achieved if every nation was willing to approach the idea of cooperation with a serious commitment to "giving" to their fellow human being. unfortunately the realist in me suggests that this is a pipe dream albeit a really great dream. now should that stop people like the Dalai Lama, you and i from promoting such an idea? of course not. i agree that we are so interconnected now that one nation of people simply cannot lift a finger without directly effecting many others and so the level of geopolitical complexity has risen considerably in recent years. yet, what the Dalai Lama speaks of is so simple a concept that it may be able to cut through this complexity like a hot knife through butter.

so how do these issues and ideas affect the small business owner? simple, first you're a human being and can choose to be a giving one or greedy self-centered one. choose "giving".

in addition, the world is small or if you're thomas friedman you would call it "flat" this is a massive advantage for the savvy business owner and so if you can for example leverage technology to reach a larger audience/market and do it in such a way so as to make yourself more effective that's a good thing in my mind.

however, simply leveraging technology to increase effectiveness isn't a direct answer to a happier life or more successful business results. strong behavioral changes must also take place when using technology to address the increase in knowledge transfer or "digital noise". for example, we're addicted to checking emails every few minutes, voicemail, taking meetings like crazy when out of control is a recipe for wasted time and inefficiency. With this in mind, i've witnessed that some people are operating under a falsehood which is "if i always look busy others will think that i must be important, successful and relevant" WRONG. so if my cell is always ringing, email pinging, meetings stacked up I'm a cool wheeler dealer (technical term). if this is you (and it's ok to be honest here as you're among friends) then you need to buy this book immediately. "the 4-hour work week" by timothy ferriss it's time to "unplug and reset". this is something i'm doing and so blogging daily isn't going to happen anymore. (it hasn't for awhile anyway).

i've incorporated what i'm calling "zen days" into my schedule, this is essentially time i take to reflect and define my life. i'm reducing the digital noise and ridding myself of the compulsion to check emails like a crazed lunatic...

then once those changes are in full effect and i am more at peace, i/we can all spend more time, effort and dialogue on more meaningful wholesome global pursuits such as world peace, the elimination of poverty, increased access to education and prosperity for all concerned. at home we can spend more time with family, friends, health, hobbies and our life long learning pursuits...for example, i'm learning the spanish language, walking more, eating better, taking more photographs and playing with my daughter daily along with regular date nights with my wife.

remember i'm not saying not to use email or tech, just use tech more wisely, outsource your life and spend more time focused on your ideal life purpose rather than simply waiting or driving the need for the next email, phone call, meeting or deal.

on the lookout for talent...

we continue to look for strong talented people to join the team...there have been some interesting submissions of resumes lately, however, i'm not sure we've found the right person/people "yet".

so this is more about me putting it out in the universe that we're looking for talent.

building the brand is really about building the right core of talent first...the fusedlogic brand is only as strong as the people behind it. so far i really like where we're going, this funky boutique consulting firm is into some pretty exciting projects globally and things are really ramping up.

fusedlogic is where you come to escape the blahs, have fun solving tough business problems and make money doing it... why not drop us a line and tell us how you think you could contribute to the team... fusedlogic

very boring blog, doughboy...

here is a well thought out and intelligent comment submitted about my blog recently by "yeah".

"Yeah, okay.... Whee.... Yawn.... Later, much. Now go ahed and delete this, since you're unlikely to put it on your very boring blog, doughboy."

i have to thank...the "anonymous" writer known only as "yeah" (quoted above, spelling error included) who sent it because truth be told i've been ignoring my blogging duties as of late...this summer has been very busy for fusedlogic and this little entry has prompted me to get back after it..."boring" as it might be.

those of you who have actually read my blog for any amount of time, first of all let me say "thank-you", you know that i write not for the likes of superficial mr. or ms. "yeah" but rather for a much more accomplished audience, one that has a soul and a deeper understanding of the world at large and who has an opinion as to how it ought to be.

unfortunately the world is filled with "yeah" types and you and i are burdened with the task of tolerating them and demonstrating patience while waiting for them to pass through adolescence...clearly the above comment is this person's best work...so to all of the "yeah" types who stumble across my boring blog, i, "doughboy" will speak to you in terms you can understand and say "later, much!"

if you want to be taken seriously, be brave, let us know who you are and offer up your blog for the same indepth analysis and level of scrutiny as you've shown mine. feel free to be as critical as you like...just do it with some intelligence and offer a reasonable argument on a point to which i can actually respond to.

and frankly, my blog may in spots be boring to some, however, one thing it's certainly not is cowardly...