Busy wrapping up a project so posting will be (has been) a bit light for the next couple days.

Doomed economy = war on terror?

I consider myself pretty widely read but I'm not even sure what it is we are doing to our country with the massive spending and grandiose government plans.  In the past, our elected leaders on both sides have shown us they will take any opportunity to further their agendas. 

I couldn't help but think that all the doom and gloom talk (crisis, catastrophe, etc.) and the hysteria it created to rush through spending legislation felt an awful lot like the fear and discomfort in the days, weeks, and months following the 9/11 attacks and the significant legislation that was passed.  In both cases, the population agreed we needed to do whatever necessary to fix the situation and trusted our elected officials to do so.

I would like to think that both Presidents were/are acting in the best interest of the country and the citizens but I can't help but feeling a bit suspicious of the elements to the far right or far left who saw these as opportunities to push an ideology or pet project.  Politics, after all, is about compromise and sound bites can be used masterfully to drive an agenda in today's 24 hour, real-time 'news' cycle that has to fill the void between actual news with noise.

This has gotten a bit of attention including a direct attack from White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. 

Here's Santelli's response to Gibbs:

Beautiful morning here in Seattle today.  Here's my dog Riley looking at me the way he always does when the sun is out and I grab the leash.  We had a great walk and enjoyed an almost warm day.

Great to see friend Sean Dwyer joining the team at LoopFuse as CEO and closing a round of funding.  I think marketing automation is an interesting space especially given the changes to how marketing is being done in an on-line and connected world.

I look forward to learning more about the company and plan on connecting with Sean when I am in Atlanta at the end of the month.

January 20th, 2009 marks one of the most amazing events in the modern world.  No, not just the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America but the peaceful transition of power from one President to the next in the world's most powerful country.  No tanks in the streets, no riots, no (real) drama.  This in itself is truly amazing.  Obama's election and ascendancy to President demonstrates all that is good and hopeful about America and it is indeed a proud moment for us all.

President Obama is OUR President.  Regardless of who you voted for, wanted to see win, or campaigned for, we now have a new President of the United States of America.  We get to decide again in four years whether or not we like the job he has done.

We are exiting a presidency that built resentment and contempt across the board but also managed to strengthen the Office of the President, go on the offensive against those who seek to harm us (right or wrong), and govern based on the long view vs. popularity polls.  History really will judge whether or not the last eight years were truly as bad as the common belief holds. 

I tend to try to look at things in a historical context and that extreme positions of one President are then moderated by the next – regardless of party or person.

So why the title of the post?  Yes, I read this book some time ago and believe it is truly what the world, not just America, has for President Obama.  For that, I am truly concerned as it dramatically increases the already heavy burdens of the office.

If you have ever had to manage expectations or reset them, you know how difficult and draining the process can be.  Our modern political process is  a game of marketing, branding, and messaging with the hope that the most qualified and competent person is victorious.  What is said to win is not always put into practice while governing.

You are already seeing expectations being managed and policies that seemed draconian and tyrannical according to colorful journalism are now being embraced by this Administration.  Are they all being reviewed and reconsidered?  Absolutely.  But what we will see are more similarities than differences on major policy positions and a slow moderation of many of the extreme positions taken over the past eight years. 

The same people that hate our way of life today will hate our way of life tomorrow.  Hugo Chavez has already begun to shift his rhetoric from Bush to Obama.  Even everyone's favorite cave dwelling terrorist Osama bin Laden had to weigh in that he still hated us every bit as much.

I look forward to the future and truly hope the hater class here at home looks inward and realizes that it is much easier to criticize than to act.  We have a great number of challenges as a country and there is a surge of optimism that must be tapped.  Hesitate and we will miss a once in a generation opportunity.

Leadership is a lonely road and there are no harder decisions to make that those as President of the United States. 

Congratulations Mr. President.  Now, let's get to work

I had the chance to hear David Allen speak yesterday at a luncheon put on by the Seattle Chamber of Commerce.  This was both my first Chamber event here in Seattle as well as my first real introduction to David Allen and his "Getting Things Done (GTD)" approach to life. 

Yes, this fits into the 7 habits, personal productivity, etc. category and you could listen to what he says and think to yourself you knew all this already.  Fair enough, but we all benefit from a 3rd party weighing in on the habits (good and bad) that we have developed and thinking about (not obsessing about) our current approach to productivity.

A few things struck me during his presentation that I'll share in a few follow up posts including the 2 minute rule for email.  If you can resolve it in two minutes or less, do it when you read it.  Any longer than that and prioritize it accordingly.

I thought he was a great speaker as he entertained but methodically walked through his approach and some things to think about.  I also received a copy of his new book Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and Business of Life
along with my lunch.  All in all, time well spent.

I have used this phrase for many years to describe things that are half-baked or amateur in nature.  For the sake of posterity, I thought I'd do a post on it and share with all of you this handy phrase which you can feel free to use liberally.

Urban dictionary defines it nicely and points to another one of my favorite phrases to help define it – 'Amateur Hour.'  At the risk of incurring the wrath of auto racing fans, it also describes the minor league baseball of racing.  NASCAR is the show while the Busch Series was (it appears to now be sponsored by Nationwide – I don't keep up) the next level down.

My point is to know what you know, know what you don't know, and don't pretend you know everything.  If you do, this label or one like it will find you eventually.

I got a healthy dose of this today in a meeting and thought the experience worthy of sharing.  No doubt things are not as good as they have been although that "good" period is suspect based on the leverage and borrowing that was at play.

It is true that growth will revert to the mean over time..it always does.  That means sluggish growth or even contraction in the short term.  I do not, however, believe that it is the end of times.

I find it hugely annoying when people make broad-based generalizations in an attempt to project expertise about a subject without real expertise or supporting data.  These people follow the herd vs. lead so maybe this in itself is a sign of good things to come.

Rather than do a post on predictions for the new year or one on resolutions that I will do my best to keep but mostly break, I thought I would share a key theme instead.  I believe these wise words will get us all off to a great start in 2009: