IT Professional is always on the look for solutions of new challenges.

You probably recall many brain storm sessions, where only few people

would dominate, and after a while you got used to a “fact” that some

people are better at brining ideas to the table.

Let me tell you that I found out you could get much more of those sessions.

Here is a system I have learned about which could quadruple the amount

of ideas and participation in your meetings:

1. Start the meeting by explaining the issue at hand and the desired results.

2. Ask everyone to take a piece of paper and write down their ideas.

3. Put some quiet instrumental music in the background so that no one has

to deal with the silence. Researches consistently show that people are much

more creative, when there instrumental music is being played in the background.

There are also reports showing much better results while writing ideas on paper,

rather than writing them on the computer keyboard.

See more info about it in the Audio Book I mention here.

4. Give it at least 10 minutes.

5. Collect all the papers.

6. Start reading the papers one by one and write the ideas on a writing board, so that

any one can see it.

7. Have every one select their pick for the best 3 top solutions out of the whole list and

review the top ideas, to go in details as possible solutions.

This system will get the less dominant people in your team contributing a ton,

before the group hears from the more dominant members and get influenced by them.

Get this Audio Book for about $7 (if you haven’t used this service yet)    

Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School

and use a ton of additional advises on how to make the most

of your team’s brain power.

I read it and it has amazing ideas for any IT Professional career

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IT Professional career Career Time Sensative Announcement

(Your Year 2009 Goals and the 100 days challenge)

Hey there!

Sorry for the short notice.

But since this starts on 23 Sep (2 days from now),
and I don’t want you to miss this,

I decided to send this now anyway.

It is about your 2009 goals and finishing the year in away
you cannot even imagine right now.

It is about creating the same level of breakthrough Jeff Bezos
from Amazon,or Google’s creators had gone through.

It is true you may not get to create a new “Amazon” soon, but
you certainly can get your career and workplace leap frog.

But first let me tell you a story…from my high school days

There was one computers teacher, Mr. Angel whom I admired.
He knew a lot, always had answers. He was very demanding
on one side and yet he would sit with students who had difficulties
and help them until they got the point.
He had bright blue eyes which could look at you with either
pride or disappointment if you did not do your best.

Did you have such a teacher?

Anyway, after teaching us all the sequential methods
to sort a group of numbers using a computer program,
he challenged us.

He asked us to try and find a way to sort the numbers in a new way
that would slash the sort time to say 10% of the best one we had.

All of us were stunned…make it 10 times faster…and then we
had it brewing in our minds for the whole week.
And then myself and few others found a solution. It was not perfect,
but it worked. It required a shift in perception. It was not suited
to solve any situation, but it did refer to what we were asked.

And it did work in 1/10 of the time and even less than the best
method we learned.

But we could not have reached it, if Mr. Angel did not challenge us.

Here is one of the basic success tips in the 100 day challenge:

We are accustomed to believe that results are possible due to
incremental growth. It is even more prominent within people
like you and me – IT professionals, accustomed to
step-by-step procedures.

Thing is major breakthroughs require a massive shift in perception
and then in action. It is about setting a much higher goals
and yet aligning them with a noble cause.

And there are more new perceptions as well.
You can learn more about it in the special free
report and additional videos here: IT Professional career

http://budurl.com/100DaysChallenge

I have reviewed the materials there and I am sure you will be
like it and use the ideas and the 100 day action plan to bring
your career and company to a new level of success.

Here is the link:

http://budurl.com/100DaysChallenge

P.S.

My “friends” mailing list got an early note about this.
Be sure to sign-up to the friends list on my blog so you don’t
miss such goodies next time here: IT Professional Blog

P.P.S.

We have uploaded new free reports to the blog -
be sure to review and download…

Until next week, pick up your new work plan for the remaining 100
days of 2009 – http://budurl.com/100DaysChallenge

Yours,

Jack.

IT Professional career

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Information Technology Career…many times it is about how much information

you can absorb, process, and then spit out a great wisdom in the right moment.

That is why you probably read several magazines, skim through several newsletters,

README docs, listen to web casts, watch the latest Video Course and so on and on.

Do you also feel sometimes like your head is going to explode?

Let me tell you, I am one of those unbelievable guys who listen to Audio

tech stuff on the iPod, as they make salad, wait on traffic jams.

I even convert selected texts (long mails, books, docs) to Audio

just to I can learn faster, and extract Audio from Video so I can

listen without getting hooked to the tube.

If you are an  information technology specialist, you have to master lots of realms.

Even if you “Just” run Linux, you need to learn LDAP, MySQL, Security stuff and so on.

How do you learn so much and still have time to live and focus on the main tasks

at work?

Here are 2 tools I have been using in the past years and can recommend:

1. The Accelerated Learning Techniques By Brian Tracy and Colin Rose

As I used this recording (CDs or MP3 immediate download) I started learning

twice or 3 times faster any new stuff that comes along. I can focus

on the most important items I should learn very quickly, and I can remember

much more – this has actually finally solved my “Can’t remember names” problem.

Let me tell you one of the secrets on remembering names, so you have

an immediate take out: As someone tells you their name, repeat the name

in your mind for at least 6-7 times. As you do that, look at their face

and try to attach to their name, something unique about them

(they always smile, have blue eyes, short haircut, (no hairs in my case )

You will be amazed how quickly you get many more friends as you

finally remember their names!

2. The excellent Text To Audio Program – TextAloud –

(This is the download link). It saves tons of  time

converting too-long-mails to Audio as well as eBooks, memos, web pages.

That way I can listen to it while doing something else, instead of

getting my eyes stuck to the screen, trying furiously to skim mountains of text.

That’s all for today…let me know your best time savers for boosting our

Information Technology Career.

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Tell me something…how much time did it take for you to get your recent

customer’s (or friend’s) computer remote desktop connection set?

I bet it took much more than few minutes… and you are a great

Information Technology Specialist and have a robust IT Infrastructure.

I guess that at the end of the process you were both pulling out your hairs

(and I don’t have too much of those as you can see on my picture )

It is not the technology, its the process which is making us run like crazy!

You now have so many options in the new remote support offerings

that are supposed to handle user/access issues, firewall issues, networking

issues, configuration and Network Infrastructure misses and so much more.

The initial need was to simply allow computer A

access computer B’s to provide remote support …

Companies may still need comprehensive solution for internal use,

but it would probably become a burden where one needs a remote support

option for customers outside of the organization.

Looking at thin yet secure solutions such as

techinline’s remote support solution, one should ask

himself what else he needs…

1) File and Clipboard Transfer (of course)

2) Easy to use – connection is done in 3 simple steps via the web

(looks like it would take no more than 30 seconds or so)

4) Firewall/Proxy access issues are not relevant

5) Integrated Text Chat, so you can both use the remote desktop and chat

6) Connection over HTTPS – 128 Bit SSL Encryption

7) No need for installations anywhere (except for the ActiveX control)

What do you think? Any other similar solution you know for remote support ?

I’d like to see such options as well:

- compression over the wire

- screenshots and video recording

- benchmark for remote support solutions

Anything else?

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