I think I am entitled to some answers...So here we are, Friends. The New Year is finally upon us!Instead of doing the typical "predictions" type intro or "my resolutions" preamble, I thought I would put a different spin on it.This year, I am sharing 20 questions (some serious, some not so serious, but all extremely important to me) that are on my mind as we head into 2020. Check them out -- you might find that some of these could apply to you too.Here we go (in no particular order):20. Will this be the year that I crack the code and finally figure out how to ensure that I get HOT coffee with every mobile order? Even in August? Or will I just succumb to societal pressure and be able to quietly accept the Iced Dark Roast when the harried but friendly barista leaves it for me in the mobile pickup tray? 19. Is this the year that companies start to understand that effective marketing strategy isn't just communications and branding, but something that requires intricate alignment with sales, product, business development, HR and finance and woven into their overall COMMERCIAL GROWTH strategy? If not, how can I do a better job of evangelizing this?18. How can I expand the Friends of Dave community and make it a more valuable business and networking asset to everyone (including me)?17. We've been rocking the Instant Pot since we got it a year ago (pulled chicken/pork is a go to) -- what is the next, never fail Instant Pot meal for a family of five we can make? 16. Between all of the personal data gathering, fake news, false narratives and annoying, hypocritical overly political, angry neighbors/friends/old people on the platform, is this the year I finally quit Facebook altogether? And is Twitter next?15. Where can I find completely unbiased, reliable news these days?14. I know I have been talking about them here for a while, but have the concepts of mindfulness and honest meditation actually jumped the shark? 13. I know I have dabbled in this in the past, but should I be making a more concerted effort to establish podcasting as a bigger part of my personal brand building? Is it the next evolution of the email newsletter or the LinkedIn profile or is it a passing fad? 12. What will it take for Generation X (my generation) to finally get pissed off enough to tell Millennials and Boomers to stop all of the BS and shut the f**k up? Or are we destined to be the good middle children forever?11. Is it possible for a goldfish to be a complete, ungrateful a**hole? My 9 year old son won a goldfish at a carnival in June (he named him "Matt"), and I have been feeding it, changing its water, and googling how to properly care for it since. I even got him a filtered tank for Christmas. Now Matt ignores me and swims around acting all entitled in his new luxurious habitat..I'm pretty sure I caught him rolling his eyes at me...I don't know, maybe its just the influence of the teenagers in the house.....10. When will all the Privacy Policy Update emails stop? And do I care about why I am getting them from websites I have not visited in over 5 years? Or should I be going all in on figuring out how I can monetize all of the personal data that my family and I create?9. Can I make it through another year on the planet without drinking a White Claw?8. At what point this year will Grace in Boston make her comeback?7. Should I finally get my sh*t together, take the plunge and write a book?6. Who are the smart, interesting, accomplished people at cool companies that I don't currently know but I should absolutely be networking with right now? And I don't mean the "LinkedIn Influencers" who think they are smart, interesting and accomplished....5. How do I make Alexa transcend being simply a flatulence machine for a third grader, a weather reporter, a kitchen timer and a sleep sound machine (as in "Alexa, Space Deck") and do more useful, value added things in my house? Or is this pretty much all it is going to be?4. My 16 year old son just got his learner's permit to drive. Is it more important for him to learn how to operate a vehicle or learn how to fix a flat tire and know what to do when a vehicle that is driving him breaks down? And do I currently own the last cars I will ever have that won't have self driving as built in standard feature?3. What role will wellness and mental health management be playing in the workplace in the future? Will coaching and "corporate therapy" be increasingly something in which companies feel they need to invest as a key component of their overall human capital management strategy (not just for senior executives)? 2. At this stage in my career, where can I make the most impact on an organization? Is it possible to find and join a team that will embrace my personality, talents, my strengths AND my weaknesses as a full time contributor? Can I/should I adapt my style in order to be able to achieve more stability and balance? Or am I more effective as an outside, contracted/fractional consultant and advisor? 1 . How can I help you and/or your company or your colleagues achieve the goals and objectives that have been set in 2020?These are some of the burning questions I will be working to answer this coming year. If you have any insights, thoughts, opinions or reactions, I'd love to hear from you. Please pass them along!In the meantime, we are back in the swing of things with the articles, Friends. Some great stuff below -- I especially recommend checking out the Tedium blog post in the Last Word if you have some time. Enjoy!XOXODave
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Friends of Dave Issue #158: 20 Questions for…
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I think I am entitled to some answers...So here we are, Friends. The New Year is finally upon us!Instead of doing the typical "predictions" type intro or "my resolutions" preamble, I thought I would put a different spin on it.This year, I am sharing 20 questions (some serious, some not so serious, but all extremely important to me) that are on my mind as we head into 2020. Check them out -- you might find that some of these could apply to you too.Here we go (in no particular order):20. Will this be the year that I crack the code and finally figure out how to ensure that I get HOT coffee with every mobile order? Even in August? Or will I just succumb to societal pressure and be able to quietly accept the Iced Dark Roast when the harried but friendly barista leaves it for me in the mobile pickup tray? 19. Is this the year that companies start to understand that effective marketing strategy isn't just communications and branding, but something that requires intricate alignment with sales, product, business development, HR and finance and woven into their overall COMMERCIAL GROWTH strategy? If not, how can I do a better job of evangelizing this?18. How can I expand the Friends of Dave community and make it a more valuable business and networking asset to everyone (including me)?17. We've been rocking the Instant Pot since we got it a year ago (pulled chicken/pork is a go to) -- what is the next, never fail Instant Pot meal for a family of five we can make? 16. Between all of the personal data gathering, fake news, false narratives and annoying, hypocritical overly political, angry neighbors/friends/old people on the platform, is this the year I finally quit Facebook altogether? And is Twitter next?15. Where can I find completely unbiased, reliable news these days?14. I know I have been talking about them here for a while, but have the concepts of mindfulness and honest meditation actually jumped the shark? 13. I know I have dabbled in this in the past, but should I be making a more concerted effort to establish podcasting as a bigger part of my personal brand building? Is it the next evolution of the email newsletter or the LinkedIn profile or is it a passing fad? 12. What will it take for Generation X (my generation) to finally get pissed off enough to tell Millennials and Boomers to stop all of the BS and shut the f**k up? Or are we destined to be the good middle children forever?11. Is it possible for a goldfish to be a complete, ungrateful a**hole? My 9 year old son won a goldfish at a carnival in June (he named him "Matt"), and I have been feeding it, changing its water, and googling how to properly care for it since. I even got him a filtered tank for Christmas. Now Matt ignores me and swims around acting all entitled in his new luxurious habitat..I'm pretty sure I caught him rolling his eyes at me...I don't know, maybe its just the influence of the teenagers in the house.....10. When will all the Privacy Policy Update emails stop? And do I care about why I am getting them from websites I have not visited in over 5 years? Or should I be going all in on figuring out how I can monetize all of the personal data that my family and I create?9. Can I make it through another year on the planet without drinking a White Claw?8. At what point this year will Grace in Boston make her comeback?7. Should I finally get my sh*t together, take the plunge and write a book?6. Who are the smart, interesting, accomplished people at cool companies that I don't currently know but I should absolutely be networking with right now? And I don't mean the "LinkedIn Influencers" who think they are smart, interesting and accomplished....5. How do I make Alexa transcend being simply a flatulence machine for a third grader, a weather reporter, a kitchen timer and a sleep sound machine (as in "Alexa, Space Deck") and do more useful, value added things in my house? Or is this pretty much all it is going to be?4. My 16 year old son just got his learner's permit to drive. Is it more important for him to learn how to operate a vehicle or learn how to fix a flat tire and know what to do when a vehicle that is driving him breaks down? And do I currently own the last cars I will ever have that won't have self driving as built in standard feature?3. What role will wellness and mental health management be playing in the workplace in the future? Will coaching and "corporate therapy" be increasingly something in which companies feel they need to invest as a key component of their overall human capital management strategy (not just for senior executives)? 2. At this stage in my career, where can I make the most impact on an organization? Is it possible to find and join a team that will embrace my personality, talents, my strengths AND my weaknesses as a full time contributor? Can I/should I adapt my style in order to be able to achieve more stability and balance? Or am I more effective as an outside, contracted/fractional consultant and advisor? 1 . How can I help you and/or your company or your colleagues achieve the goals and objectives that have been set in 2020?These are some of the burning questions I will be working to answer this coming year. If you have any insights, thoughts, opinions or reactions, I'd love to hear from you. Please pass them along!In the meantime, we are back in the swing of things with the articles, Friends. Some great stuff below -- I especially recommend checking out the Tedium blog post in the Last Word if you have some time. Enjoy!XOXODave