I just read another great article from Get Rich Slowly called a $6 Christmas. I can remember the first few years that Kathy and I spent together. Being young and just starting out, it seems the holidays were less complicated than they are today. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade a second of seeing our two boys (ages 11 and 7) bouncing down the steps on Christmas morning. Being a parent, the season's experience has definitely evolved - some good, some difficult. As the Christmas Holiday is about birth and renewal, to me, it's also about reflection of Christmas' past and how great they all were in their own ways. Merry Christmas to all. Hug your family and friends. It's not the things you buy but the time you share with those closest to you.

What really impressed me about

What really impressed me about the show last night was how customer focused the DPAC staff was. Great service. Great venue. I reccommend it.

My wife and I saw

My wife and I saw Harry Connick in concert last night the new Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC). Fabulous concert. Harry was witty and funny.

Taking in a hockey game

Go Canes!

Blasts from the past.

Compaq Portable III (1987)
Price : $4,999 (20MB HD)
$5,799 (40MB HD)

Drink of the month

John Daly recipe

For 10 servings (or one hole of golf for John Daly)

12.5 oz Absolut® Citron vodka
2.5 oz triple sec
fill with 1/2 lemonade
fill with 1/2 iced tea
ice cubes

Fill a collins glass with ice. Add absolute citron and triple sec. Fill glass with equal parts lemonade/iced tea. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

Drink in one gulp. Grip-it-and-rip-it

One foot in the past and one in the future

I read a great article in the N&O this morning about preserving Durham's history. Gary Keuber is documenting the architectural originality of Durham which peaked my interest. I am a firm believer in maintaining a connection to the past but while embracing the future. You can't live the past and you can't stop the future. Why not embrace both?

When I came down from Dunkirk, MD to attend NCSU in 1984 - I loved the atmosphere of Raleigh and the RTP area. Small town feel but with lots of activities around the universities and colleges. Ten minutes outside the beltline (the old one - not the new 540) and you were definitely in the country.

Obviously things have evolved. More people, more Dunkin Donuts, more Starbucks, yadda yadda yadda. It also seems harder and harder to find people who actually grew up in Wake County. Nevertheless I think RTP continues to offer a great mix of history and progress.

I carry that philosophy with Career Management as well. This is especially true when you are working in the technology field. Yesterday's hot thing or cutting-edge technology is tomorrow's joke-of-the-day. I went to a get together the other night and someone pulled out a mobile phone that still had an antennae that you "pull" out to get better reception. Wow! I look back and reminiscence about the day when you only had to worry about one email inbox or when forwarding your voicemail to others was a big deal. Today - it's all about social networking. Sometimes I wonder how people find the time to stay stay current on facebook, linked-in, blogging, twitter, second life, etc.

The fact of the matter is that our next generation of workers has grown up with this technology. Social networking is a way of life with them. It is second nature. If you plan to be in the technology business, you either stay up with these trends or move out of the way. At the same time, to maximize the impact of new technology, you need to leverage all the successes and failures of the past. It takes a combination of new ideas and old experiences for a technology to really add long-term value.

I'm going to the new Durham Performing Arts Center this week to see one of our favorite entertainers. I am looking forward to the concert and enjoying this new venue but do plan to stop and admire some of the historic buildings also. Durham has a rich history and a promising future. One foot in the past and one in the future.

As we get closer to the holidays, performance reviews start to loom. I found this very funny card that puts things in perspective. The best cartoons are the ones were no words are spoken. Far Side is the best!

I just turned on mobile blogging. It's amazing now how many ways you can keep people informed about all the different things you do. I can't wait to try it using my handy Q-Phone and camera.

Playing for Money

Leadership is like Texas Hold'em. It doesn't take long to learn the fundamentals of what it takes to be a great leader. However, learning the rules is one thing, applying them is quite another issue. I love to play Texas Hold'em on the computer. There's something about putting in all your money on a weak hand and hope for a great flop. Taking risks is easy when there's nothing at stake. I went to Vegas last month to play with real money - MY money. Quite a different feeling when someone goes all-in and your emotions take over making you flinch a little. If your opponent has some skill- your dead meat.

Now imagine yourself having to make a decision that could impact your team in a positive or nagative way. I've seen managers make these decisions with reckless abandon and little regard for their team. It's one thing to sit in MBA classes and discuss what a great leader would do and how past leaders did it. It's quite another to look your co-worker, your teammate, possibly your friend, in the eye and tell them a decision you made ended up in their job loss. You are playing with real money, real emotions, real people. Great leadership requires an equal mix of education, experience, and instincts. There is no magic formula - only the ability to learn from your successes and mistakes. You learn quickly that making big bets with your team can lead to big consequences. I always remember that when I'm playing for real money.