Monday, February 15, 2010
Service Desk stuff at Pink Elephant’s 14th Annual Conference and Exhibition
Well next week is the 14th annual Pink Elephant Conference and Exhibition. As we have the past several years we are holding this monumental event in Las Vegas at the Bellagio Hotel. The first full day of the conference is Monday February 22nd, but for those of you coming to town the day before, there some events beginning Sunday including Primers and Conference Optimizers late in the afternoon from 4:15-5:15PM.
Now for the theme of my blog, there will be specific workshops devoted to the Service Desk among them the following:
Monday February 22
7 Tips for Creating and Managing a World-Class ITIL Service Desk from 11:55AM-1:10PM being delivered by none other than myself!
Tuesday February 23
Dr. Jim’s Q & A Forum (that’s me again!) where we will have an open discussion about Service Desk, Incident Management, Problem Management and Change Management. This is a Breakfast Club from 7:15-8:20AM
Wednesday February 24
Dr. Jim’s Q & A Forum is repeating the same as Tuesday from 7:15-8:20AM
Using Process Baselines to Kick-Start Successful Service Desk Implementations delivered by Alexander Keller, Senior Technical Staff Member and Ivor MacFarlane, IT Service Management Consultant and Trainer IBM. This is also a Breakfast Club from 7:15-8:20AM. This is conflicting with my Breakfast Club, but here is a great solution. Go to my Breakfast Club on Tuesday and Alexander’s and Ivor’s on Wednesday.
Focus Group: The Role of the Service Desk Manager from 10:20-11:35AM
I’m also doing a workshop Wednesday on The Biggest Mistakes IT Organizations Make Implementing Problem Management & How to Avoid Them from 10:20-11:35AM which is a repeat from last year that was well received. And finally, I am conducting a ½ day Problem Management Process Clinic Workshop Wednesday from 12:15-4:15PM.
These are but a few of the more than 150 workshops going on throughout the conference. Also, don’t miss the many exhibitors in the exhibition hall to learn about many of the great products and services that might help you.
Hope to see you at one of more of these. And don’t forget to look me up to say “Howdy!” I’ll be all over the place!
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Let’s Make Some Endorphins!
Well, I hope I have piqued your interest by now. First, what are endorphins? Endorphins are neurotransmitters produced in the brain that reduce pain,” says Alan Hirsch, MD, neurological director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. “They have also been known to induce euphoria.” They also have pain relieving properties similar to morphine. Endorphins were first identified during research in 1975.
Ever hear of “runner’s high?” That’s the euphoric feeling often experienced by runners while running. That feeling, many researchers say, is delivered by endorphins. I was a regular runner for quite a while. I had a route I followed religiously near my home that was about three miles round trip. It got to the point that I watched the clock while at work because I was looking forward to my daily three mile run when I got home. While running and right after running I always felt really good which in turn reinforced the idea that I should run every day. I rarely missed a day running simply because it felt so good. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it was probably the endorphins that made me feel so good from the running. Other strenuous aerobic workouts have shown the same kinds of phenomenon.
Researchers have identified other ways we can produce endorphins to benefit from that “euphoric” feeling. Author and Doctor Joel Fuhrman MD said the power of positive thinking can release endorphins. How about chewing on a hot chili pepper? Yes to that! Dr. Fuhrman also said that acupuncture (the type with needles being inserted) can trigger endorphin release. Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have found that ultraviolet (UV) light can trigger endorphin production. So spending a little time in the sun can benefit your “feelings.”
Now for a few of my favorites: “The food closest to a drug is chocolate,” says Dr. Hirsch. “It actually has an impact on your brain that triggers an endorphin release.” Some say dark chocolate is the best. But I always try to get a small dose of chocolate every day-for health reasons! “I personally think that having an orgasm is a great way to get a rush of endorphins,” says Dr. Fuhrman. “You may have to run for an hour to get a runner’s high, depending on your body. Sex is less effort.” No further comment is necessary!
Researchers may say that there are other ways to get the euphoria from release of endorphins. But so far none have confirmed my theory. My theory is that providing good service also releases these same endorphins to produce a “service-giver’s high.” Hear me out. There is no official scientific evidence that I know of but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that convinces me that my theory is correct. Often when I encounter good service (very seldom, unfortunately), I will ask the service-giver about their job and how well they are providing service. I also ask how that makes them feel. Invariably, I get the same kind of responses. “It feels good. I like what I do. I enjoy my job. I like coming to work. This isn’t work, its fun.” I also distinctly remember having the same thoughts and feelings many times in my career whenever I was directly providing customer service. So to me, even though it is anecdotal, the evidence is compelling that providing good service releases endorphins which in turn produces feelings of euphoria.
So it seems to me that if you work at a service desk (or any IT position) if you want to enjoy work more and want more satisfaction out of what you do, you should try to release some of your own endorphins by improving your customer service skills and trying to create raving fans. Because “what’s in it for you” is a lot more euphoria than you are currently experiencing!
Know of any scientific studies that will bear this out? Have any stories of your own that are similar to mine regarding good customer service? Let me hear from you…
Monday, November 30, 2009
Raving Fans and Endorphins, oh my!
As you have surmised, I am not a happy camper when it comes to evaluating the service experience. Now I can’t really influence all the service givers of the world that I personally encounter, but maybe I can influence you to take some new approaches back to where you work.
Because I am so deeply involved in providing “service” I go through life constantly evaluating all the service that I receive as a consumer. It is almost a curse really. Because I can’t help but to rate the service I am getting and thinking of ways it could have been better. I am almost consumed by these thoughts. I wish I could get these thoughts out of my head, but I can’t. Part of the problem is the fact that most service stinks! OK, maybe it doesn’t actually smell bad, but most service is VERY mediocre. And the sad thing is that it is really easy to make it better. But why would a service giver want to make their service giving better? The old “What’s In It For Me (WIIFM) question. I’ll answer that question a little later.
I have really been in the “service” business for most of my career. When I was in sales and a sales manager I was always trying to convince potential customers that they should be buying what I was selling. And after they bought from me I was trying to convince them to remain a customer and buy more. So I had to be sure they were satisfied with my product and with me. So I saw early-on that when I provided “good service” I made more sales. When I made more sales I made more money and my boss was happier with me. So I easily saw the value of having satisfied customers.
Even when I left the world of sales and went into the technology world, I was still using sales techniques to make sure my customers were again satisfied. So nothing has changed here. But some years ago I read an interesting book called “Raving Fans” by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles. They introduced a brilliant yet simple concept about customers. They said you don’t just want “satisfied” customers. You want to go beyond satisfied so your customers become raving fans.
So how do you get from satisfied customers to raving fans?? Blanchard and Bowles said to give them what they expect plus 1%. In others words exceed their expectations just slightly. Not enough to overwhelm them, just enough to get their attention. If you continually do this they will evolve from satisfied customers to raving fans.
If you read the ITIL books you will notice that the goals and objectives of many of the processes state we should try to “meet and exceed the agreed (Service Level Agreements) targets of the business.” Seems like it would therefore be logical for us to try to create raving fans. So now that creating raving fans is an unofficial goal for us at the Service Desk (and the rest of IT for that matter) it stills begs the question WIIFM?
Well, I have a theory about that. There is no scientific evidence to back up my theory, and believe me I have tried to find it. I even tried to get a well-known university to conduct a study to prove my theory. But since I am not famous enough (yet!) they declined to respond to my query.
The theory is all about endorphins. Once you have an understanding of the role of endorphins you will have the answer to the WIIFM question. I will leave you with that thought to ruminate upon and will discuss my theory about endorphins in my next blog entry. Oh cool, I love cliffhangers!!!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
More on restaurant encounter
A while back I did a blog regarding an exceptional service encounter I had at a restaurant while on a business trip. You want some service with that? The story seemed to resonate with a number of you since I have had blog comments and verbal comments from many people. Interestingly, some of the comments indicated that what I described was unusual (but not at Max’s restaurants). One comment stated that “some service is not good, we can’t blame anyone for this.” Interesting comment. My interpretation is that there is so much mediocre service out there in the world that we as consumers have accepted mediocrity and have become complacent about service. Maybe we can therefore “blame” ourselves!
But let’s dissect my story a little. When you get right down to it, what happened to me wasn’t really “exceptional.” But the outcome of the story could have been very different. Many possibilities existed including having to deal with the police to explain my inability to pay my dinner bill. Glad that wasn’t the outcome! What the waiter did actually was very simple and very easy. He just put the bill in his pocket and left it up to me to do everything else. This took a HUGE amount of trust in me by the waiter, but I did all the work (getting back to my hotel for my wallet and quickly returning to the restaurant). I guess I was so happy that the outcome ended up being very pleasant (compared to the police alternative) that I described the event as exceptional service.
So, back to my earlier point: We are surrounded in our lives by mediocre (and worse) service at every turn. But how is it at work for you? When you are the consumer how are you treated by your colleagues? Is anyone going out of their way to make sure you are happy with the encounter? Think about when you contact Payroll for information about your paycheck. How about HR when you have a question about benefits? Does your boss have your back? When you are out of the office does anyone make any attempt to do your work, or organize your desk when things pile up? Does anyone spontaneously do you any favors without being asked?
What about YOU! Do you do anything extra when you are the service giver?? Well, that is some food for thought. Think about it because I will have more on this subject soon.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
System Management vs. Service Management
A short while ago I related a personal story about an excellent service encounter I had recently at a restaurant (see blog I posted on July 29th). At that time I asked, “Does this personal story translate to IT services??” The more I contemplate this concept the more I say…“absolutely!!” Folks, if those of you in IT support don’t readily agree, then all may be lost for us.
There is a simple way to describe what a typical IT organization does for a living. It’s been called “system management.” I think we all understand that IT manages a lot of technology that is strung together into “systems.” Part of our job is to manage those systems so they operate optimally. That means monitoring, performing regular preventive maintenance and repairing them when they malfunction. But there is more to what we do than system management.
If you ask your business peers (outside of IT) they may describe us as doing “service management.” Here’s what I mean. If you ask a non-IT business manager to describe email it might sound something like this:
“When I come to work in the morning after I boot up my PC then I click on my email icon. When -mail opens I am then able to send and receive messages to anyone I want. This is a service provided to me by IT.” So the business perceives what we do as providing services to them-not systems or technology. Interestingly, when you ask IT staff to describe e-mail, you may get very different descriptions:
The Desktop Support Manager would say that email is a software disc that we load onto everyone’s PC or laptop. A Network Administrator would call email data that travels back and forth on their network from servers to users. A Server Administrator would say email was an application that is loaded onto a group of servers.
So we in IT see the email through the eyes of however our job is related to email. In other words, through the technology or “system” that we are managing. But the business sees email as a service. This is a bit of a disconnect that we need to reconcile. If we are following goals in IT Service Management as described in ITIL, we should be striving to be integrated with the business, which is a step beyond just being aligned with the business. If we are to be integrated, we should begin to think and act more like the business than we have in the past. So let’s look beyond “systems management” and see ourselves as managing services.
Let’s take this concept a step further. If you look at the key objectives for ITIL processes, you’ll see a recurring theme. Among those objectives you will often see…”to meet or exceed the agreed upon goals of the business.”
I’ll be looking at some of the ways we may want to address “meeting or exceeding the agreed upon goals of the business” in my next blog entry. Meanwhile I welcome your comments and perspectives.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Pink’s Regional Education Symposiums
Well, I just got late Friday night around midnight from a week at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort in Scottsdale, AZ. Nice place for a vacation but I was working. Honest!! Pink Elephant held a rather cool public event there this past week. For the first time “in the history of the world” (we think) all nine ITIL V3 Intermediate level certification courses were delivered at the same time in the same place! Woo Woo! We had a nice solid group of customers who all seemed to enjoy the experience.
Not only did all the customers attend the certification course of their choice, but there were many networking opportunities with the other attendees. Each morning we had a “books at breakfast” feature for 45 minutes prior to start of each class every morning. Our crack consultants/faculty took turns talking about their favorite IT books, personal development books or ITIL books and of course attendees sharing their favorites too.
Then after each days classes we did a town hall meeting for an hour to discuss topics of interest. This was followed by attendees joining two of our consultants for dinner with a different pair of consultants each night. The evening I hosted dinner I heard clients say they were happy to get two hours with consultants over a meal to get some free consulting advice. We also had some lively discussions among all since it was a chance for everyone to share their experiences. Good food, excellent discourse-what’s not to like!?!?!
All in all, all the feedback I gathered from attendees was extremely positive. Keep an eye on our website for details of upcoming Regional Education Symposiums and sign up yourself and/or your team for an exciting and fun educational experience. Check out: http://www.pinkelephant.com for details, but here is a look at the ones scheduled so far:
All 9 intermediate courses:
Chicago September 21-25
Las Vegas February 17-21 (adjacent to Pink’s annual conference)
Nashville May 10-14
All 4 “practitioner” courses:
San Francisco October 19-23
Washington, DC November 9-13
Toronto January 25-29
Chicago March 22-26
San Francisco April 19-23
Washington, DC June 14-18
Lot’s of details are available on our website including hotel venue information as we book the host sites (although we know the Las Vegas venue will be at the Bellagio Hotel as will be our conference!!).
Don’t miss these great symposiums!!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
You want some service with that meal?
Recently, I had an interesting and pleasant experience I would like to share. I want to share it because it is rare when something this positive happens in the world of “service.” I travel for a living going from city to city client to client delivering consulting and training. So I am usually spending my evenings in a hotel and taking my meals in a restaurant. So I sort of consider myself an expert on “service.” An expert in that I see “service” all the time. Mostly service from restaurants, hotels, taxis, rental car companies, airlines and airports, anything to do with travel.
I would say that for the most part, I would characterize the service I see as a professional traveler as MEDIOCRE. Nothing to write home about service, dull, ordinary and unmemorable.
Airlines? Don’t get me started. They mostly seem to be in a funk these days. Is it the economy, finances, low pay, poor treatment of employees? I don’t know, maybe all of the above. But as a customer I shouldn’t have to suffer. The people that work at the airlines are plodding away looking forward to the end of their shift, often not caring what I say or think about the level of service I am getting or not getting.
In the not too distant past, I had an extremely unpleasant experience on a flight (airline to remain nameless). So when I arrived at my destination, I took the time to stand in line at that airline’s customer service counter to share my frustration and to give “tips on how to better deliver service” (remember, I consider myself an expert). After waiting in the line for about 45 minutes I finally got to the front of the line. Since I had plenty of time to gather my thoughts, I concisely and articulately shared my brief story, being sure to make suggestions for improving the situation in the future rather than just venting in anger. To my surprise, the agent several times interrupted to suggest that I write a letter to the airline instead. Incredulously, I replied that “you are Customer Service. I’m telling you because I assume that is your job.” The agent replied, “it doesn’t do any good telling me anything. If I pass this along to management they will just ignore me. They always do.” “Harrumph,” I said, although under my breath I said something much more colorful! It seems at this airline, poor service and pretending to have a customer service counter is the standard.
Aside from airlines, most of my service experiences are in hotels and restaurants. I will spare hotels since they seem to get it better than most. They understand that there is a lot of competition for the business traveler and act accordingly.
But restaurants-still not so much. I have noticed many restaurants are seeing fewer people eating out than before due to the economy. They are lowering their prices in many cases to lure people back. But restaurants are more than “food businesses.” They are also “people businesses.” That piece often eludes them. Now I am not a food snob just because I have an expense account to help pay for meals. So I still frequent fast food restaurants regularly. The focus there is “get them in-get them out” like an assembly line with little time or effort spent on making the experience pleasant.
I also visit “sit-down” restaurants too. Here is where my expectations are higher and often not met. The staff seems to be more focused on themselves than the customers.
But I recently had the pleasure of dining at Max’s in San Ramon, CA one evening after visiting a nearby client. I had been on my feet all day working with the client and I was tired and hungry. I had eaten at other Max’s in the past and remembered they had a very diverse menu, so I figured I could find something that I liked. But I had never been to this Max’s. But I will be going back.
I left the client and went back to my hotel so I could change into more comfortable clothes. I then drove the short distance to the restaurant. After quickly being seated I encountered my waitperson and immediately noticed how pleasant and helpful he was in helping me decide what to order. I was served and began to enjoy the meal. He came back to my table a number of times to see how I was doing or if I needed anything. I also noticed that he frequently glanced over to my table presumably to see if I need my drink refreshed, etc. A very attentive server indeed. He checked at the end of the meal if I would like some dessert, then after I declined he brought my bill. As I reached into my pocked to pull out my wallet for the credit card, my heart nearly dropped out of my chest. MY POCKET WAS EMPTY!!! Panic began setting in as I racked my brain to figure out what happened. Did I encounter a pickpocket in the parking lot? Did I drop it in the car or elsewhere? Then I began to mentally retrace my steps back to the last moment I remember having the wallet. That moment was back at the hotel when I was changing my clothes. I don’t remember transferring my wallet into the pants I had changed into.
But that didn’t change the fact that I had just finished a meal for which I could not pay. I motioned for the server and said I think I need to talk to the manager. He asked if he could help me with anything first. I explained my dilemma, hoping I would not end up arrested or worse, doing dishes in the kitchen for the rest of the night.
The young man said the manager didn’t need to know. He put me at ease by saying I could just leave and return with the wallet at my convenience. He said he would hang onto my bill until I returned. He didn’t ask my name or my car license number or anything else. He just put me at ease and trusted me with no questions asked. I was almost speechless but excused myself promising to return in 30 minutes or less. He smiled and said, “no worries, take your time.”
I drove back to the hotel, picked up the wallet and quickly returned to the restaurant. I walked in and caught his eye. He smiled and walked toward me as I extended the credit card. The transaction was complete in seconds. Now this could have been ugly and could have turned out badly for me. But throughout the meal and the tribulations afterward, this young man continually proved how well he was able to deliver world-class service. I gave him perhaps the largest tip I have ever left in a restaurant. When he glanced at the credit card slip he said I didn’t have to do that and asked if I was sure about the amount. But I did have to do that and I told him he had made what could have been a very unpleasant experience into one of the most memorable meals I had ever had. Yes, I did have to leave a big tip. That’s the kind of behavior I want to encourage. I wish I had more stories like that, but I don’t. It’s a shame really.
Service-it’s ugly out there, usually, but not this time!
Does this personal story translate to IT services?? Let me know what you think.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Super Hero event
This week I had the pleasure of attending The HDI Justice League-Be Your Own Super Hero one day event at the Natoma Inn Hotel in beautiful downtown Folsom, CA-which also happens to be my hometown where I live. This event is the brainchild of the Sacramento chapter of HDI-formerly known as the Help Desk Institute. They like to go by the acronym now since they are much broader than Help Desks nowadays. They are open to all of IT support. Sacramento HDI tries to have a big all day event every year.
I was invited to present a workshop on Problem Management. But this was not just another speaking engagement. It was a homecoming for me in a way. I used to be very active in this HDI chapter in years past. I was President of the chapter and also held several other officer positions for them. So I not only got a chance to meet many new friends, but was able to catch up with some of the old friends I haven’t seen for a while.
There was a vendor room for vendors to display their wares, about a half dozen hour long workshops, a great and filling lunch, and many raffle prizes were distributed at the end of the day. I’m glad I got a chance to attend and present. I had a great time.
I don’t get a chance to be involved in the chapter any more due to my usually hectic travel schedule that keeps me away from home most weekdays. But it was great reconnecting with some old pals.
It turned out to be a very successful event. I’m not very good at estimating crowds, so I’m not sure of the attendance figures. I do know that the room for my workshop accommodated 30 people and every seat was taken. There were about 6 other workshops including a session presented by another old friend, Kirk Weisler. Kirk is always fun to listen to and we were also able to catch up on personal news. Turns out that Kirk was recently in Brazil at another HDI event along with our very own George Spalding.
I last saw Kirk and his son in Las Vegas this past February at the most recent Pink Elephant conference at the Bellagio Hotel. By the way, Pink has already announced that the Bellagio will be the venue for the 2010 conference. So take advantage of some great bargains during early bird specials. Right now you can get free hotel accommodations at the Bellagio for signing up for the conference. Hurry; don’t delay to benefit from this great chance to stay free at the Bellagio!
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
The Economy Blues
Have you noticed the economy is kinda tanked right now? Wall Street is in a tither, banks are closing and merging, companies are laying off workers and trying to cut costs, etc. So how does IT Service Management come into the present economic picture?
With fewer people to do the work, IT organizations are under even more pressure than before to find ways to be more effective, efficient and cost efficient. Without some guidance, however, this is really difficult to accomplish.
When companies are flush with money during good times they often seek out training or other ways to improve how they operate. Not a bad idea really. But when things are not going well money-wise, organizations want to cut back on these expenses to “save money.” But at the same time they urge everyone, including IT to get better at what they do with less money. So with no training budget that puts us in a big quandary. How can we improve how we operate without the means to make our operations more efficient?
I used to work for an east coast transportation company years ago that was struggling financially. They desperately needed more sales so revenue could find its way to the bottom line. So what was their strategy? To save money from salaries they began laying off a number of experienced sales people. Yikes! What a great move. Yes, they saved money from those salaries, then wondered why they couldn’t increase sales. I think they would have eventually filed for bankruptcy, but the heavens opened up and their largest competitor beat them to it by going out of business. So many new customers came their way from the company that went out of business. Success through “dumb luck!”
Now I wouldn’t want to gamble that my company would be successful through ‘dumb luck,’ so I would be looking for more logical ways to get better so I could do more with less. With the economy at a standstill, now is the best time to scrape some budget together to find a Service Management framework to use to become more efficient, effective and cost effective.
Why, maybe that framework could be ITIL!! So get your hands on the books from the ITIL library and engage a firm, like Pink Elephant for example, to help guide you through the adoption of IT Service Management. We have lots of good advice to help you in your journey. In fact, keep checking this blog for more stuff about the Service Desk and how it can be a strategic asset for the IT organization.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Wednesday Feb. 25, 2009
Well, today is the last day of our conference. After our usual Breakfast Clubs, we had our morning keynote. David Ratcliffe and George began wrapping up the details of the conference and told us that next year, we are all back at the Bellagio in Vegas again!
I also liked George’s story of the Really, Really, Old Testament. The moral of his story was we (IT) have to make things happen.
To wrap up the day there were a series of two hour workshops. It was hard to choose, but I ended up going to, “There Is No Finish Line,” a joint presentation by my two colleagues Gary Case and Pierre Bernard. It was all about making sure after your processes and services are designed and deployed that you continually improve them.
They started by sharing the Continual Service Improvement Model which includes asking the important questions:
Where are we now?
Where do we want to be?
How do we get there?
Did we get there (did we improve)
This model is a way to view your improvement initiative. This was followed by a discussion of the 7 Step Improvement Process, then the Deming Cycle. Lot’s of great discussions that were very enlightening.
We are at the end of the conference now. It was great run! I interviewed lots of attendees and spoke to vendors. Everyone seemed to have a great time and took away a lot of valuable information that they plan to take back to the office. One of the most gratifying conversations I had was when attendees came up to me in the hall to than k me for my workshop because they learned something they plan to use.
I am already looking forward to next February to come back to Bellagio again to have a bigger and better event than this year’s successful endeavor. Thanks for being a part of it!!!.
Tuesday Feb 24, 2009
Hope you have had a chance to see one of the many Breakfast Club meetings this year. I realize it’s early for Vegas (7:15AM), but you can bring your breakfast since most of the rooms have tables. That way, having you coffee and sweet roll while learning some great content is possible. I’ve been fortunate enough to catch a couple of those myself.
Tuesday’s morning keynote had Nick Carr about “cloud computing” and disruptive technology. Thinking of using the cloud for any and all corporate applications is amazing and a bit scary. There are some obstacles, according to Mr. Carr such as security of data, reliability, connectivity, data portability standards, and my personal favorite-fear of change-mommy!!
There were lots of great presentations throughout the day, and there was mine! I did a session on the biggest mistakes IT orgs make implementing problem management and how to avoid them. Seemed successful since no fruit was thrown my direction.
At the end of the afternoon, we had our second visit by Wayne Cotter who as usual, was hilarious. Then the big ITIL birthday bash complete with cake, champagne, bubbles, pointy hats and many prizes. What a day.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday Feb. 23, 2009
We start out early here at our conference. The first sessions are called ‘Breakfast Club’ and begin at 7:15AM. After those was our morning Keynote which starred Craig Ferguson and the Early Pink Show. Craig’s first guest was David Ratcliffe, president of Pink Elephant. Craig gushed on about how exciting it was last year when David came out on stage riding a full-size elephant draped in a gorgeous gown (the elephant-not David). So what does David do for an encore? He rides onto the stage riding (?) on a small inflatable elephant replica. David mumbled something about the more austere opening due to the down economy. Craig suggested he should have come out as something out of Cirque Du Soleil. So David, how about next year you try a trapeze and tights maybe???
Next came George Spalding our event host, trying to not answer Craig’s questions to prevent putting foot in mouth. Nice try but no cigar. We then got a short preview of Professor Moshe Rubinstein as Craig’s next guest. The Professor will be keynote late this afternoon.
Paul Saltzman was Craig’s next guest. He talked a little about his encounter with the Beatles back in 1968 at an ashram in India. He also talked about a film project he has produced and directed called “Prom Night in Mississippi,” about the first racially integrated senior prom ever in a small town in Mississippi which occurred in 2007. He made the film with the help of Morgan Freeman, who paid for the prom and happens to be from that town.
Next, and I’m real sorry I was slow grabbing my pen and pad so I didn’t get her name, was a casino executive from the Bellagio who talked about how they track the high rollers here and what kinds of perks are given to these high rollers. There is no hope for me, however, because I could never gamble (and lose) enough to be a high roller.
Wrapping up was a visit by Wayne Cotter the geek/comedian, who dropped by the show to say hello. He was also seen at lunch today with camera and microphone interviewing attendees for his keynote address tomorrow afternoon. Needless to say, Ferguson’s show was funny and entertaining as usual, and he already started campaigning to be invited back. The negotiation continues…
Cash Cab!
It looks like some of you are interested in Change Management since about 120 attendees showed up for my workshop today on “Who’s Driving the CAB?” Lot of good questions came from the crowd making it an interesting and success experience. I tried to add a little Las Vegas touch to the subject by playing my version of the Cash Cab game show with all questions coming from the Change Management process. Four ‘volunteers’ who played the game walked away with a token of Pink’s appreciation, each with their very own casino gambling chip worth real cash money!! Thanks all for coming and participating. It was fun for me too.
Afternoon Keynote
“All my stories are true. I just embellish them a little bit.” This was first quote by Moshe Rubinstein during his afternoon keynote. Words to live by. I hope he doesn’t mind me stealing the quote but more importantly, stealing the philosophy.
Moshe told an interesting and compelling story about a bridge damaged in San Francisco Bay that disrupted traffic between Oakland and San Francisco. The story related the ability of the bridge construction company to repair the bridge safely and quickly-often goals that are incompatible-by bringing the future to the present and avoiding uncertainty. Inspirational results!
Great keynote!! More to come…
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Sunday Feb. 22, 2009 Part 2
I just finished schmoozing at the Welcome Reception and Exhibition Showcase. Lot’s of whiz-bang technology and services being displayed. Hope you have time to visit all the great vendors.
I tried to talk to a few of the people that were attending the reception to get their first impression of the overall event. Here are some of the quotes I managed to remember:
Randy Durig and Kitt Leonard from Tucson Medical Center both tried Terry Sherman’s process maturity workshop and both were “very excited” about Terry’s presentation. Several other folks including Christina Marckini from Gordon Food Service liked Terry’s presentation. Way to go Terry!
Jack Probst did a Primer session on the Oz principle. Randy and Kitt liked that one too as did Jeff Homan. Steve Zerbe from Serco-MA said “Jack is a great speaker and gave good tips and several ‘aha’ moments.”
George Spalding has some fans in Steve Zerbe and Kim and Tish (no last names in Vegas please). They said George is always fun to listen to whenever he speaks.This time it was on optimizing the conference His buddy David Ratcliffe talked on “What the CEO Wants You to Know.” Jeff Homan liked that one too. Our mystery guests Kim and Tish concurred.
Liz Brewster was impressed by the overwhelming friendliness and enthusiasm of the Pink Elephant staff. Tacy Kieckser thought the registration for the conference was “quick and easy.” Yay! Keep it up Pink staff!!
Gretchen Selinski-Johnston from ICF International Liked the ability to download recordings of the workshops she would miss. Christine Soldahl and Kathy Pappas-Kassaras enjoyed Gary Case’s workshop on Leading Change and got good tips on Kotter’s framework and the CMDB.
I also reconnected with an old friend, Kirk Weisler, and we talked about our many pleasant encounters over the years. Kirk has always been one of the most upbeat people I have met. It is always a pleasure to meet up again. He also introduced me to his young son Jake who looks like he might follow in Dad’s footsteps with his enjoyment of reading books. Rumor has it that Jake might make a contribution to one of Kirk’s presentations later this week. Look forward to it!!
Well, there is some distant murmur coming from the “other” part of the hotel. Something is calling me. I must depart this blog for now. I will be roaming again tomorrow. Look for me.
Sunday Feb. 22, 2009 part 1
Early today (Sunday) as attendees began arriving and registering for the conference, I’ve had a number of people that have been in certification courses I have taught have come up to me to say hello. That’s really cool for me that they are still talking to me after having endured my teaching style. It’s a testament to the perseverance of those that are interested in ITIL I guess. But thanks for saying hello, I appreciate it. It’s great to see old friends (clients) in a networking event like this.
Later this evening there will be an official networking opportunity as we open the Exhibition Showcase in the Grand Ballroom. This also is a Welcome Reception that gives you a chance to really network with others at the conference. Each attendee’s badge will have a region and a vertical listed so you can seek out others in your part of the world or the same kind of business. But hey, be adventurous and network with people outside these parameters. It’s crazy, I know, but have some fun with it.
If you stick with a small clique of people that you came here with you are missing the point. Talk to people, find out what others are doing with ITIL, give advice, ask for advice. You get the picture.
Make sure you are visiting all the vendors in the Exhibition Showcase to get your passport filled out. It’s the only way to be eligible for some wonderful prizes that have been generously donated by many of our vendors.
I’ll try to post another blog later this evening after the Welcome Reception.
Vegas conference Saturday Feb. 21, 2009
Well, I made it. Flew down to Vegas today and am already set up in my room at the Bellagio for the big conference that starts tomorrow. Boy is this a nice hotel?!?! I was here last year and have been at this hotel maybe 6 times in the last 8 years, but each time I come I marvel at this opulent palace of a hotel. Glad I brought sunglasses too because at night the neon and LED jungle of lights outside is hard to bear without some shading. I’m sure aliens could spot the Vegas strip from outer space. And I’ll bet if they see Vegas from out there they are probably saying “I think we oughta skip that planet.”
The Bellagio has about 9 great restaurants (bring your pink slip and your checkbook), a beautiful spa, art gallery, bars and clubs galore, a shopping mall with some of the most prestigious names in retail (Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Prada, Tiffany’s, Hermes, Chanel..enough with the name dropping already).
Whatever you are looking for I’m sure you’ll find it here. Oh and there is that cool conference that starts Sunday. I already hooked up with a bunch of my Pink Elephant colleagues and have been reminiscing with them since we only see each other once or twice a year. I’m excited and you should be too if you are attending the event.
I plan to start roaming the grounds of the conference center and hotel. I’ll be the tall guy in the Pink Elephant shirt wearing the reporter’s hat with the ‘Pink Press’ label. If you see me say hello. I might ask you to comment on the conference and you could see your name in lights. OK not so much in lights but you might be quoted in this very blog.
See you around!