Press Go to Make Something Happen

You must know I have been remiss in posting. I hope everyone ever reading these posts understands how hard it is to continue to have anything meaningful to post on a presonal blog. All this being said, I post anyway.

My Dissertation Proposal is back in my hands and requires some large effort to bring it into shape. I am now thinking through all I will need to do to meet the requests of my doctoral committee. I now can endorse their value. As I have read through the comments I recognize several areas where my proposal needs work to make it really good. Some of the recommendations are simple enough to manage. I will need to rearrange some of the flow of the literature review. Not too difficult, but it may take a little time to think through a more relevant order of my background references to ensure the most relevant are addressed earlier than the material truly offering just background color to my study.

I still hold on to the plan to finish by the end around the of the year. I might run over into January or February of 2009. I will consider this a success even if I finish by February 15. Hey, I can cut me some slack. All things being equal early is best as I can then pursue some adjunct and distance learning jobs. This is important as I need to get this thing earning for my family.

LinkedIn is my latest toy. I am finding a lot of useful connections on LinkedIn I never was able to find from Facebook. Now, Facebook has value, but LinkedIn may just be more useful for those of us trying to build a network to help us advance our careers get a job. I also want to plug the social networking site named Plaxo. I found Plaxo good for those among us of a social nature. Plaxo addresses the relationship aspect of these sites. Speaking of jobs, it looks like I have a new one.

I am so glad of this as it was getting scarey to be working for me for all this time. I am not a great paymaster. In fact, I am probably not good at securing work … but, I expect to see this condition change as I build my network of connections at LinkedIn. If you do not have a linkedIn account, you really should consider signing up at no cost whatsoever. And you can meet loads of good people there, as well. And a great number of these connections are pretty significant folks. Great way to test your ability to sell yourself.

Ok, I am on my way to getting ready for my new job. I appreciate those out there who read my blog — even though you never comment.

I must first apologize for having been so remiss as to be gone all this time and not even passing a word to anyone, anywhere about why. Well, I have been really bent down pounding away on my draft Dissertation Proposal. Turned it in, and got it back approved later in the same day.

Hang in there, it is not over yet. I just enrolled in the next course, which is the formal Dissertation Proposal course. The difference is this time the proposal will weave through a maze of folks at the school, and the key is any of them can require changes. And, I expect to have a lot of recommendations to be attending to over the next month. I am prayerful they will only make me re-submit once (I believe, I believe).

I am still glad to be doing this course of study, and I strongly believe the degree will be worth it all (effort, sweat, and tears blood whining). Anyway, the thing is, I see the end of this journey clearly now. I am shooting for finishing around Christmas (would this not be a great Christmas present!), or early in the first quarter of 2009. Believe with, and for me, I covet your good wishes.

I am also starting to feel better about my online business, I mean it is not where I want, but I now can sense the steps required to get there. I also believe I can do what needs doing to get it going in a right direction. Again, I covet your good wishes.

Finally, I have finished another article or two since last I wrote. I have another two I am drafting covertly now for publishing within a few days, and you can be the first to read those, and comment on them for me. They are published here, and as always I would ask for your comments. Look to see them, and would enjoy reading them.

Well, I have been very busy closing out the last course and getting started on the next one. I finished all the Ethics readings, and did the quizzes. What a nuisance. But, now that it is done, I am so glad I got through the 3 requirements safely. Could have been embarrassing to have gotten this far only to be tripped up by some short readings and some multiple choice quizzes. Then a short paper exploring whether I found any ethical concerns in my plan and how to modify the plan to remedy them was done this week.

As you might guess the next big thing is the draft dissertation proposal, which I will begin right away. No procrastinating on this piece. It is the piece that will later become the first three chapters of my six chapter dissertation. And it has to be reviewed by the school review team, and my doctoral committee. I am going to use an editing service this time to avoid the misery I went through the last time I had a big requirement to finish. So all that means I have to move out with a purpose. No slacking on this one. It is absolutely one of those gotta git ‘er dun things.

We have been discussing something called advancement to candidacy lately in our group of NCU Learners on Yahoo. What happens is at the point where the comprehensives, the research courses, and the draft dissertation proposal are complete the university will send a Learner a letter advising the advancement to candidacy. It is one of those rite of passage deals. At this point the Learner is officially a Doctoral Candidate and other academicians that have a doctorate recognize the candidate as a colleague. You can also put the identifying letters PhD (ABD) after your name on official writings. I am not kidding it is a big deal, you also will be called “Dr. Whosit” at that point. Notice I did not put my name there, because I am not a candidate as yet. I have to complete the draft dissertation proposal first. Soon, very soon, I will be there.

Another thing of interest, I believe the approaching sound we hear is the crowd my wife and kids at the finish line applauding my impending completion of this degree plan. I plan to mention them prominently in my appreciation paragraph for letting me plug along at this so long, and spend all this money to do this. It was important to me, and so I will be thanking them profusely.

I am already changing my professional direction as I get near the completion of this degree. I went today and applied to be an instructor at the local community college. I need the experience for my curriculum vita (fancy kind of resume), so that when I start trying for those professorial positions I can have the experience of teaching to tout. I believe I may find an adjunct position to start, at least that is kinda what the folks at the community college mentioned. Hardly any pay, but at least it is paid, and is real.

Well, I will march away and get back to the business of looking for a paying position to make sure the mortgage is cared for, and we have food on the table. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs lays it all out so well. One has to have shelter, food, and warmth first. Everything else is secondary to that, eh?

Well, another month, and I gotta tell you I wish the economy would pick up a bit. It is still not as vibrant as the economists are saying. Wonder who is paying them to say things are really picking up, and that we are not actually in a Recession? Fact is, it sure feels like a Recession.

I know the politicians are afraid of the big “R” word. But, friends, if we are in one, I should think we should just own up to it, and then get busy figuring how to get past it. But, I reckon folks that are needing to come back to their home districts and get re-elected are scared to have to face the folks down home with the message that we are in a Recession, but we are going to come out of it … real soon. I think the problem is … that don’t pay the mortgage.

School is going fine. I finished that last course (the one with 9 papers) and I am now getting ready to write my Dissertation Proposal. Kind of frightening, but I am certainly committed now. I would not be able to quit now regardless of the consequences. I have paid good money for all these courses and suffered through all this work to this point … I am charging ahead.

The online business is slow in developing, but I am still gathering information, so I can build it as solid as is possible. I am purposefully avoiding quick stuff. I get tons of guru stuff trying to sell me on the latest big program. I have now just stopped reading and listening if I see one scarcity tactic. I will delete it that moment, regardless of who the guru happens to be. I have read enough now, learned enough now, and heard enough horror stories now to know the most of these self-styled gurus just want to get your check, card info, or paypal info so they can register a sale. They seldom deliver much more than a small eBook worth nothing filled with the same stuff the last one was filled with. So, I am outta that business.

I am considering going into an online eCommerce store. I think that is more suited to my nature and abilities. I am looking. I am studying. I will let you know what I find out about this kind of opportunity.

I was reading an article the other day (and if I find it again I will cite it for you), which referred to a survey of 1000 business executives and gathered their feelings and beliefs about what abilities are critically important for leaders to be successful. I was impressed with the data and the short analytical piece that the authors included. They listed the top eight abilities of successful Leaders (really applies to managers as well, sort of).

I will walk through the findings for you because I really think they uncovered some interesting data from these leaders. I hope you will find this post instructive and useful. I will try to give a little back-fill on each of the abilities they identified as important, and I will review them in rank order (highest to lowest).

It is interesting that 89% of the leaders surveyed found the ability to lead as the most important thing a leader needs to be successful. If you think about it this one is pretty much a no-brainer (at least on the surface), and you would be correct to think that. Every team wants to have a leader that they believe has the ability to lead them through the rough patches that occur too often.

Next 81% of these surveyed leaders reported that resourcefulness is a necessary ability if a leader would be successful. If the leader is running into a spot of trouble the team surely wants a creative and resourceful approach. The leader must have the ability to figure out how to get the resources, both stuff and people, necessary to complete the job at hand.

Having been on a few teams where the leader seems to be wallowing in indecision (as have too many of us) it is good to see that 75% of the surveyed leaders felt that decisiveness is a critical skill for a leader. Most team members would stand behind and support a leader that might err sometimes in the decision-making department if that leader is truly decisive.

Since change is known to be a constant in most work environments it stands to reason that 69% of these surveyed leaders felt managing change was an important ability for a leader. This is not causing change … it’s seeing the change and making the best plan to deal with, and effect it so the team is feeling proactive, not reactive. That is really managing change.

Another identified ability of leaders is straightforwardness and composure, which 68% of the surveyed leaders agreed upon as critically important. Certainly most team members would find the ability of their leader to remain steady and sure during stressful times is a good thing, and that coupled with being able to speak the unvarnished truth means the team members can rest assured what they see and hear is what they actually have.

For those of us in the contracting business this next ability is an absolute must have, and that is building and mending relationships, which 67% of the surveyed leaders identified as a necessary ability for successful leaders. Nothing can ruin a job faster that failed relationships with team members, suppliers, and sponsors. And, if a relationship gets busted, the leader better be able to mend it with all due speed. Anything else is tanamount to a pink slip.

Most of us that are leaders believe we would go out and do our job on a continuing basis, but 67% of the surveyed leaders felt a real leader must be able to do whatever it takes to be a success on the job. Now this has to certainly stop short of illegal and unethical moves by a leader and team, but short of that they must be willing to go the extra step. Too many teams and their leaders miss deadlines, and fail to deliver because they just would not step out and get the job done, regardless of the circumstances.

Finally, 64% of the surveyed leaders felt that to be a real success a leader must employ a participative management style. Some folks might think they are participative, but a checklist might prove them wrong. Not even a hint of the old “my way or the highway” thinking by the leader can exist if the team is to be truly participative in approaching the job at hand.

Well, there you have it. Now, in trying to briefly address each of these critical abilities for successful leaders the post has run a bit longish. But, the fact is often these simple findings are lost in the attempt to install the latest management fad, when truth be told, it is actually the simple things that are quite often the most valuable. Remember to take a few moments today to reflect on your approach to leading. If you are not seeing these abilities in your leadership practices, you might want to drop back a step and start your 21-day habit formulation program to get these value-adding abilities added to your skill set. 

All right, the last several days have been interesting. I cannot tell you just how much so, but Oh well, I will try anyway.

First off, I finished the final paper for the Statistics and Design Course I have been enrolled in for the last four months 16 weeks. It was a great feeling to get the final requirements written, submitted, graded, and the post course survey taken. You know, there is something, an almost criminal feeling to have worked hard and do excellent work meet the requirements, only to have the end result be an “S.” I know, I know, I ought to be pleased to satisfactorily complete a course at this level, but dang-it, I like a scaled letter grade so I know the outcome against a metric. Feels so condescending to get a satisfactory … . Do you understand the angst?

Anyway, I am now on to the next big deal … the draft dissertation proposal. This document, when it is written, reviewed, and approved becomes the first three chapters of the dissertation. So, I reckon there will be a few well chosen words in this one. This writing will bring a professional editor into my space, for the first time. I am wondering how I will feel when this person takes the editorial red pen to my work. Hope I can maintain balance, and just get through it all as smoothly as a bruised ego can stand. (That would be a joke, I have been edited before, and taken it without whimpering one time.) (Ok, maybe once.)

As to my online endeavors, they are moving a bit slowly, and I am Ok with that. I want to take a considered approach to this part of my life. I know if I build it right, and thoughtfully, they will come. (Aaarrgghh … a movie flashback.) Anyway, hold good thoughts for me in this deal. I would like to think in a year it will be making returns to me. (Or, at least not just costing me host charges.)

Tomorrow I will draft another article (or two) for publishing on the Ezine Articles website. Whatever I post there will be available in 48 hours, or so. (The “or so” is a caveat about my possibly messing it up, and having to re-write, yes, they actually do that. I read their statistics the other day so I could answer this … they kickback for re-work about 25% of the articles submitted. That was an eye-opener.) So far I have not had one kicked back. Hope that run continues indefinitely.

I keep trying to think clearly about the process of success. You did know it was a process, did you not? Well, it is. And I believe it is a learned process. Much like the term born leader is not, in my opinion, a reality, so too is the belief that success just happens.

Time to time we have an unexpected outcome that is better than we expected, but it is not that outcome I am trying to address here tonight. I am talking about realizing something really important. And something that alters your course in life. Example; you enroll in a college class and you do well, so you endeavor to keep taking classes. One day you graduate. Is that a successful outcome? Of course it is. And it is a process you went through. You don’t just wake up and find you have a college degree, you went through a process that included such things as applying to the university, getting enrolled, paying money for classes, buying books, taking classes, doing homework, taking/passing tests, and then attending a graduation ceremony after you had completed enough credit hours to meet the standards set by the university for the award of a degree. Now, I am sure all you college graduates out there will want to add some activities to the list … but you get the point, I am sure.

Well, every process that one goes through and reaches a success is important for another reason, and that is the effect it produces within us. When you succeed you build a success mentality, which is a belief in your ability to accomplish a successful outcome. And the more you undertake and succeed, why, the greater your levels of confidence in yourself.

The main thing is to keep building this success pattern. As you build one success on another you eventually come to understand the process of success. That is critical for any leader to learn as that engenders the ability to lead. The thing is to see that it is a process, isn’t it? You can learn the pattern and become the leader you would want your team to follow.

Probably the next article I publish at Ezine Articles I will take a run at this same subject … but maybe a bit more structured. So give me some comments so I can learn what you all are interested in, and maybe how I can improve my writing.

First off, I must report that the folks at EzineArticles.com have notified me that I should keep writing, and I thank them for the endorsement. I was elevated to platinum author status, and that is a good thing. I celebrated the accomplishment by writing an article on communication planning. It ought to appear in about 48 hours I am advised. Along with the status ugrade comes a speedier review process, now that is cool.

I have been discovered by a classmate tonight. He will hopefully be giving me the feedback I so need to really get this blog up where it ought to be. I have not really taken the time to advise personal friends of this effort. Guess I was hoping for a natural search (ahem, that is a funny).

The next mission this weekend is to finish the last paper I will ever write as a doctoral student. Not the last writing, there is that thing called the Dissertation looming, rather the last paper of the 7 to 10 page variety. This one will describe a statistical simulation, software to manage statistics, and an evaluation of the simulated analysis results. I have my work cut out as I am running my study as a qualitative design. Little statistical involvement in it, mostly interviews, questionnaires, and secondary data research. Oh well, as is often said, it is what it is, so go get it done. The next great thing is I will write the Draft Dissertation Proposal. Now, when that is approved, and I am off and running on the dissertation process I will have reached the milestone of “All But Dissertation.” That means I can start looking for teaching jobs where they will accept a PhD (ABD). I understand some of the smaller colleges will allow those folks at this level to do adjunct and online teaching. Now, that is cool, I have always wanted to teach, maybe soon I can start that ball rolling.

Remember to check out those articles on EzineArticles.com by searching my name and you will find the 10 I have currently available for reading. Another on communication planning is soon to be available. Leave me some comments so I can improve what I am doing. And thanks for your support as I grow and learn.

Wow, I just got confirmation that my 10th article was published on EzineArticles.com, and what a rush that gives. I know it is a way anybody can get articles published on the Internet, but so many folks probably never do this thing that I kinda feel good about doing it … hope that makes some sense.

Unfortunately, there is always another gate that has to be gotten through in every endeavor a person opens. The EzineArticles.com process allows the first 10 articles to be posted (of course, they are reviewed and could be refused, or changes required), and then the author has to request an upgrade of status. Essentially, they get to decide whether they will continue to honor your submissions (you become a platinum author), or send you packing. I reckon that they can say something like, well, you can write, but the stuff is not something anybody cares about, so be off! Or, they could say, all right, you write well, and we can see value to our subscribers, so get back to the keyboard and keep going.

I have to say, it is really challenging to get the articles written, to edit them, and submit them. And oddly enough it is the submit button that is the biggest challenge. You know the material is written well, and you’ve edited it so the words are correctly spelled and in good form, and you’ve copied the article to the website, but then the submit button appears. It is time to press go, and let the process get started. Every time I step out and try to do anything, I find that go button facing me. If I press it, people will see what I have done. If I walk away, there will be no pain. But, conversely, no joy either.

I will take the risk, every time. I found the exhilarating rush of seeing my words up on the webpage was worth the risk. So far, nobody is laughing. Go here to see the latest work I have published on team building. Also, remember I have a completely free White Paper here. Go check this White Paper on Leadership and Team Building out and let me know what you think.

Today I was as busy as I could be. I read a bunch of source material for my Annotated Bibliography (a painful part of working toward a PhD). I have only one paper left to write and I will complete my final course that has ”papers.” After this, I am going to be writing (and cutting and pasting) the document that will end up being my dissertation. I offer thanks that the “light” at the end of the tunnel is growing brighter.

In my Internet Marketing business, things are still developing, but slower than I would like. I am learning to use Facebook to market a bit. At first I thought that was not a good idea, until I started looking around and realized many Facebookers are doing just that … marketing on the social networking sites. I moved in and am learning how to do this, I am committed to getting this thing going.

I will be writing some more articles to publish on EzineArticles.com, right away. If you have not gone there and read some of my work, you oughta. I think I have written some pretty good stuff. I will put a link here for you to go and read one of the latest about Risk Management.

All right. take a few moments to go by my website here and opt-in for my totally and absolutely no charge eReport on Leadership and Team Building. It has some good substance you can use to build on your leading and teamwork skills.