I’ve been traveling more than ever lately, and wanted to share with you several products that really make a difference in how I use my iPad, in different environments, to consume the wide range of materials I read and watch. Keep reading for some other ideas, too.
Twelve South HoverBar | © 2013 Twelve South LLC. All Rights Reserved.
The HoverBar from Twelve South is a simple device that attaches to a computer stand, e.g., to the base of an iMac … or to a different workstation … or to a tabletop, kitchen counter, bookshelf or another surface. It uses a padded clamp that is adjustable up to 1″ wide, and can be purchased for any iPad model.
My wife makes fun of mine, suggesting that it looks like a table in a senior citizen center, but it’s a very convenient, hands-free way to suspend your iPad for easy reading on a table that you can bring up to your favorite chair or sofa.
It works great for me and I wouldn’t be without it … honey!
Another Twelve South product that I always carry but has been displaced with the HoverBar at home, is still an irreplaceable travel companion.
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Delegation isn’t just a handoff so you can walk away and do something else. It is a critical leadership skill that you must master if you want to expand your reach, take control of your time and achieve the work-life harmony you’re seeking.
Learn the 8 Principles of Effective Delegation.
How often have you wondered why a project went wrong, or why someone never finished the task you were counting on them to finish?
How many times have you complained about projects that you’re managing … missing their deadlines, going over budget (not under budget very often, huh?) and not getting done as you expected?
How did you feel when you were called on the carpet by YOUR boss wanting to know why the project you’re handling is stalled?
When we’ve delegated some or all of a project to someone else, we’re embarrassed … and probably a little teed off … but we’re also too often thinking about the wrong things like …, “damn that John, he just can’t be counted on” … or, “she doesn’t get it” … or something like, “they can’t ever seem to follow through” as we tick off all the reasons why the people on our team have let us down.
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For several years, I have visited the Smashing Magazine website every month to download their latest wallpaper images. I download the calendar versions if only to freshen up the look of my desktops.
The library is free and features designs from artists across the world. There are some terrific artists and graphic designers featured each month, with a wide variety of designs and motifs ranging from the earth’s beauty to whimsical and wise quotations and ideas.
You can download versions with a calendar or without a calendar, but I find that the calendars come in handy. Click on the Read this complete article button to get a simple set of instructions about how to do this in just a few minutes each month.
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On a recent morning, I headed to a favorite place just down the street to fetch a couple of lattes for my wife and me.
Our forebearers would have awakened in woolen underwear, stepped in the dark onto a cold dirt floor, and stumbled outside to chop some wood to start a fire in the cook stove balanced on the rocks outside.
They would have tossed some coffee grounds into a beat-up metal pot … grounds that had already been used for several days … filled the pot with water, boiled it … and at some point, would finally get that first bitter cup of java.
No coffee house down the road, no car to get there, certainly no latte or cappuccino. Eat what you kill, literally. If you ain’t got it, you ain’t gonna get it.
In many ways, we’re much less resourceful than our forefathers.
While we may have expanded the definition of community in many positive ways, using our physical and social media “mobility” to create unimagined connections, we’ve also become more dependent on external resources to get through our day.
In some ways it’s probably better that we’re co-dependent.
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Dad’s Christmas gift to me of an ornament he thought I’d like. The cow sings, too!
Among some of us dads, we often remark, “Dads never get any credit.” Dads teach their kids how to play ball, run, catch, dodge … but if they score a run, a touchdown or a basket … and the camera zooms in on them, don’t they always say, “Hi Mom!”
Have you ever heard the phrase, “… as good as Dad and apple pie?.” I doubt it. I never have. How about, “the father of all storms” … nope … I think you catch my point.
I’ve written several articles over the years, including a recent one about lessons I learned from my 94-year-old mom, but Dad deserves at least as much credit.
I lost my Dad on Nov. 16, 2001, and I still miss him every day. Perhaps my most striking memory is that he had the most unusual combination of careers of anyone I’ve ever known … a world-ranked professional boxer with a record of 82-5-0 who became a minister when he heeded the calling.
All his life, he loved boxing with great passion and practiced his ministry with great compassion.
He believed deeply that boxing’s demand for discipline, training and sacrifice was a way out for “street toughs,” a route through the gym and into a productive life that would be otherwise inaccessible.
He knew that every soul was worth saving and he never wavered from that commitment.
He had a great sense of humor, too, and it reflected his vision of life as a joyful journey. I’ve still got a copy of a parking ticket that I may have forgotten to pay while in college.
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Yes, I know Mom doesn’t look 94. (This picture is only 2 years old, so she was just 92 then. 
) Why do you think I don’t like to stand next to her among strangers? She looks so young they may think we’re the same age. That’s not possible, of course, but do they know that?
In our infancy, mom and dad made sure that our clothes were clean, that we were fed, that we got our vaccinations and regular checkups. They made sure our clothes were mended, our beds were made and we were as safe as possible.
Some 40 … maybe 50 years later, it’s our turn. We make sure our parents have clean clothes and linens, that they get to their doctors’ appointments and take their medications according to schedule. We make sure they’re safe and nourished and we visit regularly.
When this cycle makes its turn, we are reminded of life’s fragility as well as our own mortality, aren’t we?
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Over the next 7 Thursdays, I’ll describe 7 remarkably simple components of R.E.S.P.E.C.T. that you can apply to your everyday conduct. The ability to earn R.E.S.P.E.C.T. is a critical Leadership quality … and we have absolute control over the actions we take to earn it. Since it’s impossible to be an effective leader without it, let’s devote some time and energy to learn how to give it. Are you with me?
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It was one of those days when I was already behind plan. I got to the meeting destination on time but I didn’t get a chance to find the missing file I needed for a later meeting or grab the dog food I swore to my wife I would drop off at the vet.
I was already a little irritated by all that, particularly by forgetting the coffee I had carefully prepared for the drive … and now getting even more irritable …
… because the other party still wasn’t there after 20 minutes!
When he came bungling in, it was with that bit of insouciance that makes you want to pour cabbage soup down his jumpsuit … and then with the … “sorry, man, my other meeting ran late and I tried to call you but my cell battery was almost dead and I had to use the juice to call a client and I was rushing to get here” …. yeah, blah, yeah.
What are you and I thinking when this happens to us … other than channeling Carnac the Magnificent and hoping that an evil genie will plant splinters in his bathing suit?
We know that there are lots of excuses reasons why people are late … and at one time or another, we’ve all probably used them. But, do you know the universal reason why most people are late in the first place?
Answer? We think we’re actually going to get out the door at the time we’ve chosen to leave … but, here’s the problem. By the time you pack up, find the coat your wife took off the back of the chair and actually hung up, turn out the lights, let the dogs out one more time, locate that file you almost forgot, the vet food … you see where I’m going?
This is the first post in a weekly Leadership series, entitled R.E.S.P.E.C.T. How to earn it by showing it. “R” signifies “Right on time. Every time.“
Even though we’re smart enough to know when to leave … and might even allow a few extra minutes for unpredictable travel events … that’s not when we really leave.
We think departure time is when our car is backing out of the driveway … but it’s never backing out when we figured.
If you’re like my darling wife, you may also be checking to make sure the gas is off? … for the 2nd time … did I lock the back door? … did I leave my scarf in the trunk? … etc.
There’s a mind-numbingly simple cure for the curse of tardiness …
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Imagine that you are so remarkable that all the world stands in your honor, swinging and singing, tiny flashlights dancing across the ceiling, oblivious to the world around them? How do we achieve such an astounding level of recognition and praise for our own talents and accomplishments?
That’s what was going through my mind when I tuned in late last night to the Kennedy Center Honors featuring Paul McCartney. Yes, there were other honorees … Oprah Winfrey, Merle Haggard, Jerry Herman and Bill T. Jones … but there were goosebumps aplenty as I listened to some of McCartney’s and the Beatles’ memorable songs … sung by luminaries like James Taylor, Steven Tyler, Gwen Stefani and Mavis Staples. Members of every generation ravenously devoured his music. You can watch many of the performances here.
Wow! How can we do that, I wondered? How do we, as Steve Jobs said, “get rid of all the crappy stuff” and stay focused like a rocket heading to its target? How do we apply the unique characteristics that define and differentiate us to achieve excellence in our chosen field? How do we stay unshackled from the constraints of everyday living and get our star to shine like Sirius?
It’s easy to ponder McCartney’s accomplishments and overlook the turbulence that has surrounded his life … from the screaming crowds and adoration beginning in his early 20′s, to later encounters with drugs, the deaths of his wife and John Lennon, a more recent divorce …. Just a few of those distractions would overpower a weaker individual, and yet with all of it, he created an enduring musical catalog that lives in the hearts of billions of people across the world.
What are we doing to get there? What inspires you to sharpen your focus and accelerate your journey in 2011? Do you have the desired outcome and the next action steps clearly in mind?
Seriously? Isn’t this all about Exkalibur … really? Pretty cool, huh? Maybe somebody’s looking out for us? (BTW, I might have to “borrow” the image of that sword handle.)
How many of you know of The Teaching Company and their terrific Great Courses catalog? If you’re a lifelong learner … and you wouldn’t be here if you weren’t … it’s a great resource that provides access to the great teaching professors from prominent universities. They offer more than 350 titles … in innumerable subjects ranging from the fields of science, fine arts, history and archaeology, philosophy, wine, music, mathematics … there is nothing really outside of their realm. You should check them out. Their stuff is really good.
So, maybe there are even more lessons in store from the legend of King Arthur? I’ll take a look at the video and report back to you. If you get a chance to watch it, let me know what you think.
Welcome to Exkalibur. I’m Lary Kirchenbauer, President of Exkalibur Advisors, Inc. Please take advantage of our resources to help you build your business ... and let me know what more we can do to serve you.
Read my latest column from the NY Times affiliate, the North Bay Business Journal.
Lary has a remarkable ability to provide a clear and thoughtful analysis of the business drivers and potential outcomes facing private companies at each stage of development. His insight has provided a powerful framework for decision-making in many challenging situations.
Noah J. Rosenkrantz, CEO, GreenLine Systems
