We spent the past week in Tzfat (Safed) – situated in the northern part of Israel and with a 900meter elevation, the weather is cool and dry and a welcome relief from the humidity and heat of Tel Aviv.
We met a couple at dinner one evening – the husband is a retired aerospace software engineer that had done cutting edge work in his career, including the embedded software for one of the first unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). He took early retirement 15 years ago and today is hustling real estate and odd jobs. At age 62, he’s overweight, after a triple bypass, technology-obsolete and convinced he will never get back into the tech game.
For sure – this recession is helping us understand the importance of family and friends and the difference between needing something (really) and wanting something. This is a natural inward-looking reaction. However, in order to really take something of value out of the recession you need to look outward and challenge a lot of your base assumptions – it doesn’t really matter if you are (or soon will be) a self-employed consultant or a salaried (or soon to be ) sales professional. I submit that there are several important takeways that most people miss:
1) Invest in knowledge – spend 1 hour a day in constant learning, if you’re a tech person then work on keeping your edge and learning some new tools and technologies. If you are a sales professional – remember that sales skills are like basketball – practice your shooting 1 hour/day and your stats will go up.
2) Remember that what counts in your business is free cash flow – adding value and having some cash left at the end of the transaction. It’s not definitely not about leveraging credit cards, mortgages and derivatives.
3) Invest in your health – spend 4-5 hours a week in physical activity. There is no point reaching 60 with a heart condition and proficiency in a programming language that was obsolete in the 70s.
September 20th, 2009
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It has been a while since I blogged about music – but someone asked me today what do I listen to when I need that extra boost and cheering up, and the answer was Pat Matheney – “The first circle”
There is something about Pat Matheney that appeals to people of all different backgrounds and music tastes. Something universal.
And there is a thought for the first day of the New Year!
Shana Tova!
Songlines Magazine,which specializes in world music reviewed the latest album from BandOrient- led by Yair Dalal and Eli Benacot (Eli is the musical director of the JP Big Band – where I play tenor and clarinet and serve as the contractor). The group are amazing musicians – Yair is one of the world’s best oud players and Eli is a master on tenor and EWI not to mention a consummate musician.
The reviewer, Bill Bradley loved the album a lot but is not a big fan of Weather Report….. Read more…
Is a little fear in the workplace a good thing?
Management Rewired, is a new book by the consultant Charles Jacobs. Instead of standardized procedures, dictated targets and harsh but true feedback, Jacobs suggests we’ll get better results “if, rather than trying to thwart their natural inclinations, we just accept how people behave and make the most of it.”
From an individual perspective – the insight is of course, correct. Read more…
Personally I prefer a good guitarist who can read and improvise.
If you have some spare cash and you’re into swing – this item will interest you:
Announcing the offer for sale of the personal library and archives of Artie Shaw (1910-2004), the great American bandleader, author, iconoclast and raconteur.
The library consists of approx. 6,000 books, many with his personal notations. The archive, in over 33 boxes, contains his personal papers, correspondence from numerous wives and contemporary celebrities, scripts relating to his motion picture production company, musical lead sheets, etc. (Note: his musical arrangements only, were given to the University of Arizona during his lifetime.)
Also included are the literary drafts of his published works as well as his monumental 1,200+ page autobiographical novel that he was still working on at the time of his death. A catalog has been prepared listing the highlights of the books and archive. Any interested party should please contact Kenneth Karmiole
karmbooks@aol.com or phone 310-451-4342.
Wanted – 2 strong trumpet players and 1 lead for the JP Big Band
You don’t have to be Kenny Wheeler but you should be a good reader, have decent chops and be willing to get into a serious big band for a long term gig. call me at 054 447 1114
Most Israeli high-tech workers (and most have not been fired) have enough disposable income, a reasonably interesting job and a fairly clueless boss that is even more interested than them in personal job security.
Salaries and costs (with all the perks) of an engineer in Israel are as high as in the US. Creativity not costs are our chief selling point. Unfortunately – reports I’m hearing from colleagues at Comverse and NDS are telling a story of software mediocrity not software excellence.
Think India and China next time you visit Ramat Hachayal or Herzliya Pituach lunch time.
Andy Grove once wrote – “a little fear in the work place is not necessarily a bad thing”. Maybe the time has come to reduce salaries and place the emphasis on risk-taking, creativity and software excellence before the Chinese eat our business for lunch.
We spent the past week in Tzfat (Safed) – situated in the northern part of Israel and with a 900meter elevation, the weather is cool and dry and a welcome relief from the humidity and heat of Tel Aviv.
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