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Genuine Curiosity

Author Dwayne Melancon is always on the lookout for new things to learn. An ecclectic collection of postings on personal productivity, travel, good books, gadgets, leadership & management, and many other things.

 

Wiki, wiki. Smooth and sticky.

Just read Bren’s post on wikis and, as usual, it fit in well with discussions I’ve been having with customers recently (Bren and I tend to hear similar siren songs at the same time, it seems). 
I have been recommending the use of wikis for internal projects and cross-functional collaboration within IT operations teams, and had just read the same article Bren did on Lifehacker about using wikis for business.

If you are a wiki fan, check out Bren’s post for some good ideas on preventing obsolete or stale information.

If you are unfamiliar with what a “wiki” is, it’s a web-based platform for dynamic, open collaboration.  People can invent new topics, add to / mark up / correct other people’s topics, and do all sorts of cool things to share information.

Where I work, we use it for a lot of things, but the highest leverage we get is to share information about the software we create.  This includes everything from feature discussions, design collaboration, sharing of customer use cases, collecting information about products and platforms we integrate with, and a whole mess of other topics.

We also use it to track development cycles and product release status, so that everyone can have a unified view of the successes and challenges at every step of the way.  Pretty cool (and empowering) stuff.

As Bren mentions, wikis can seem pretty arcane (I sometimes hear descriptions like ugly, clunky, geeky, or Spartan).  When you first jump in, it can feel like the wild, wild west.  The goal of the wiki is not prettiness – it’s to offer an efficient, effective way of presenting, sharing, and interacting with information in a multi-user environment.

That said, wikis can be pretty, too. If you want to see some good examples of wiki done right, check out:
• Wikipedia
• GTD Wiki

If you're considering using a wiki for your business, PC Magazine has a great feature on "Working Together With Wikis" that is worth a read.

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[Updated] Review: "Danger - Quicksand - Have A Nice Day

[Note: Update is at the end of the review]

I've just finished reading David St. Lawrence's book "Danger Quicksand - Have A Nice Day." After reviewing David's blog, Ripples, I found out he'd published the book and I ordered it. After I placed the order, I read the cautionary post on the Bent Crow Press site. I began to brace myself as the book came to me via the US Postal service.

I'm very happy with my job and company at the moment, so I tried to read it with the lens of someone in a job that's sucking the life out of them and negatively impacting work/life balance (yes, I have those memories and can draw on them vividly when I choose).

To me, the book felt like a journey seen through David's eyes. The book begins with a primer on how to determine whether your job truly is a pit of despair. During this portion of the book, I was a bit unnerved by David's cynical tone - perhaps the old feelings were becoming too vivid... He calls them like he sees them, and his unvarnished observations were eerily close to some of the experiences I've had.

Suddenly I realized, "Wait - this is Quicksand. Don't fight it, you'll only make it worse." I pressed on - and I'm glad I did. The cold sweats were worth it. I feel I got a glimpse of the pain and frustration David experienced while trying to be effective in dysfunctional environments.

The book then moves in to the "OK, so do something about it." phase. The next several chapters deal with creating your exit strategy so you can move out of bad situations with as much dignity as possible. There are also pointers on how to recognize when your employer has flipped the bozo bit on you, in which case it's time to start updating your resume' - and fast.

Once you get out of the pit (regardless of how you leave), the book talks about how to get to the next phase of your life. In this section, the positive side of David's philosophy really comes through. These chapters are all about what to do next, how to take responsibility for your post-Corporate existence, and how to create a new reality in which you can work with integrity, fulfillment, and life satisfaction.

If you (or a friend) are working in a dysfunctional environment, this book can help you move on to a better situation. If you are having a tough time finding a new job after leaving you old job, the last 1/3 of this book provides great methods to lift your spirits, design and define your 'dream job.'

There is also an interesting section on how to start a "micro business" and some terrific insight on working for yourself.

In summary, I liked it. This book is unique blend of dry wit, cynicism, and practical advice. If you work in a dysfunctional company, or have unexpectedly lost your job, I recommend this book. David's hard-won lessons may be what you need to get up the gumption to move on sooner rather than later.

Update: July 10, 2005

This past week, I recommended David's book to a guy I met who feels like he is either a) being set up to fail, or b) hung out to dry in his current job. I think there are some great techniques to help him in these pages.

Like Bren at Slacker Manager, I yearn for an index so I could just point people at specific topics. Also like Bren, I think this book works better when you're having less-than-ideal work experiences. If your job sucks, this book could be just what you need to get yourself out of the pit of despair.

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Tinkering in the garage of my mind

You've probably seen those tinkering types who accumulate a garage full of miscellaneous spare parts (motors, belts, pulleys, etc.).  Then, one day they'll get an idea, go out to the garage, and make something out of all those spare parts.

I'm a bit like that, but not with parts.  I accumulate ideas, thoughts, concepts, and goofy ideas.  Then, they sometimes come together in the form of new ideas, lessons, and observations.  Here's an example.

Ingredients:

  • Blog posts from David Allen, Steve Pavlina
  • Lisa Haneberg's 2w2aB program

As I was catching up on my blog reading this weekend, I noticed a few posts from David Allen on conversations he's had with his seat mates on airplanes (like this one about being spread too thin at the top).  He's had a number of posts like that since launching his revamped blog, and I've been thinking about how few such chats I have on the plane, even though I fly a lot.

In just about every case I can recall, when I had a conversation like that with a stranger on a plane, it was initiated by the other person. I've mentioned in previous posts that I'm an Introvert and that makes me more likely to sit and think (or read, or listen to audiobooks, or work on my computer) than to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger sitting next to me.

However, as I read about David's conversations, I can't help but think I might be missing out on some good discussion (and even more new ideas) by being so solitary in these situations.

This is further amplified by the positive experience I had when going through Lisa Haneberg's "2 Weeks 2 A Breakthrough" process in which I was encouraged to talk about my goals with everyone I encountered, and even enlist their help. That was way out of my comfort zone, but yielded powerful (indeed, "breakthrough") results.

I've decided I want to force myself to engage in these sorts of conversations more often, to see what happens. What better way than to use Steve Pavlina's idea about personal quotas?

I've decided to give myself a quota of having a productive conversation with at least one person for every two flights I take.  I define productive to mean that I find out a little about what the other person does and one significant goal or project they are working on (personally or professionally).

I wonder what I'll find out? I know one thing - I'll probably expand my comfort zone.

What about you - are you a conversation starter, or a mind-your-own business sort of traveler?

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No your enemy

Ran across an article on To-Done today that provides some helpful tips on how to say "No" when you need to.  At first glance, this seems kind of like the anti-matter version of the book  "Getting To Yes," but it's actually very complementary.

The core of this is taking responsibility for your commitments - before you make them.  I'm sometimes guilty of taking on too much, of saying "Yes" a bit too quickly, and of avoiding "No" just to keep the peace.  I usually realize it soon after I've dug my hole a little deeper, and then recovery can be a pain.

The list of ideas provided is great - now, if I can just get them to be more of a habit...

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Copyright 2005-2015 Dwayne A. Melancon, all rights reserved. Licensed under Creative Commons - see the "About the Author" page for details.