Adobe’s award winning Presenter Video Creator has been enhanced with new tools designed to put interaction right into educational videos. Trainers and Educators alike are rapidly adopting Adobe Presenter thanks to it’s amazingly simple, show-and-tell video tool. Innovations in the video tool have been delighting users for more than a year now. Given the immediate […]

When I travel on business there are a few hotel conditions I live by: Don’t pick a hotel that was once a brothel Stay away from hotels that charge "by the hour" Ensure there are windows Hotels that offer ‘Happy Hour’ (but from 6pm - 2am) are generally to be avoided I was in Dallas, Texas recently and as I was speaking at the ASTD International Convention and Exhibition Conference I chose to stay at the Omni Hotels & Resorts Dallas hotel - located adjacent to the Dallas Convention Center. It’s a splendid hotel devoid of any of the bullets above. (it’s also devoid of bullets) My flight back to Vancouver was slated for 7am. Naturally, being the time management nutbar that I am, I was in bed at 10pm with a wake-up call set for 5:15am so I could shower and head off to the airport to catch the flight. At 2am the orchestral movement in the dark of high-pitched hyena-like laughing began from the room next door. My semi-catatonic // semi-conscious state presumed it was a dream but it ensued for the next 10 minutes. That’s when I took action. Yup, I began hitting the hotel wall presuming my thuds would be an inclination of displeasure. It wasn’t. I’m pretty sure they were snorting cocaine. So, after another 10 minutes of Canadian patience I called down to the front-desk and explained the situation. I don’t recall the woman’s name I spoke with but she said not to worry and that it would be handled. I found some earplugs from my bag, put them in to soften the hyena yelping down to a lower pitch, and I tried to go back to sleep. When the phone rang at 5:15am, I got up, had my shower and with my trusty bag already packed, proceeded to exit the room on to a waiting taxi for the ride to the airport. But what did I see under the hotel room door? The graphic below explains things rather nicely: To Kyle - the night manager of Omni Hotels and Resorts in Dallas - you (and your team) should be recognized for the reassuring way in which you handled the situation (I presume you didn’t shoot the hyenas next door) as well as your Customers First approach to make me feel better about the inconvenience. It wasn’t your fault, but you took responsibility which is certainly above and beyond the call of duty. Thank you for an exemplary case study of customer service leadership. 2,090 total views, 5 views today Dan's Related Posts:Friday Fun: The Difference b/t Apple & Microsoft Is …Air Canada Isn’t Collaborating With Its EmployeesWhy Don’t We Tip Flight Attendants?Review: SharePoint Conference 2011Flexible Working Works

Danish studio Gjøde & Povlsgaard Arkitekter designed the bridge as part of Denmark’s annual Sculpture by the Sea exhibition. The post This Bridge Goes Nowhere, and That’s Just Fine by Us appeared first on WIRED.

A free update to Adobe Captivate 7, (Adobe Captivate 7.0.1) is now available for download and installation through the Adobe Update Manager. Users of Adobe Captivate 7 who are not using Mavericks may update from the help menu in Captivate. (Help: Update) Mavericks users may do so via the Adobe Update Manager or download the […]

Safe + Sound uses bone conduction to play tunes through wearers' cheekbones, instead of directly into their eardrums, so they can still detect ambient noise. The post Concept Headphones That Won’t Get You Killed While Biking appeared first on WIRED.

The Leadership Tonic Scale identifies and defines five types of leadership styles found in today’s organization. This is the first of those five types. Come back and visit each day during the week of June 3, 2013 to find out the next leadership type as depicted in the Leadership Tonic Scale. [divider] The Moronic Leader The ‘Moronic Leader’ is the bottom feeder of the Leadership Tonic Scale. He believes ruthless command and control tactics are the basis in which to lead. He insists on perfection and micro-manages the actions and deliverables of his team at all times with equal parts vigor and insanity. When errors occur, team members are reprimanded whether privately or publicly in front of colleagues. Actual lashings may be utilized. When efforts from the team exceed expectations or targets, the moronic leader takes credit for the result and forges a letter from a customer outlining how fabulous his actions were. He of course delivers the letter to the CEO. The Moronic Leader believes the only way to get results is to bully. "Cracking the Whip" doesn’t seem to be a simile; it’s the real deal. Workplace stress is encouraged, exacerbated by daily demands far exceeding the definition of humanity. The verbal and mental abuse a Moronic Leader invokes on what he refers to as "my subordinate minions" is the very definition of workplace hell. ‘Emotional Intelligence‘ is incomprehensible to the moronic leader. In fact, he thinks it’s the title of a Hollywood blockbuster movie starring Matt Damon or Tom Cruise. Knowing the likes, dislikes or hobbies of his team is as likely as him recognizing employees for a job well done. Recognition usually involves a mirror with the Moronic Leader being the only human (is he really human?) in the mirror itself. Being collaborative and using social tools to open up and/or connect with employees only occurs when North and South Korea military personnel agree to moonlight dancing in the DMZ. What More to Know: Run away Tap into your network and seek out a new job or role Pray someone in HR has figured out this goofball needs to be terminated and replaced with Watson, R2-D2 or iRobot The Moronic Leader is as set in his ways as is United Airlines’ quest to break guitars or whoever is in charge of your local Taylorism fan-club. It is irreversible. You need to find yourself a new career home. Instill some gumption into your DNA and take flight immediately. If you recognize a colleague or friend in this situation, do the right thing and help him or her get out of the role ASAP. [divider] NB: the Leadership Tonic Scale does get better from here. What’s the next stage? Although I didn’t include the Leadership Tonic Scale in my book Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization, you may be interested in Chapters 4-6 (The Connected Leader) and Chapter 7 (The Participative Leader Framework) in particular as they help to depict what I believe are the key ingredients to 21st century leadership. The entire Leadership Tonic Scale will be released on June 10th as a free downloadable paper. UPDATE: The Leadership Tonic Scale downloadable PDF is now available. 2,924 total views, 6 views today Dan's Related Posts:The Iconic Leader: Stage 4 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Ironic Leader: Stage 2 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Platonic Leader: Stage 3 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Harmonic Leader: Stage 5 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Leadership Tonic Scale - Free PDF Download

Reddit's chief engineer confirmed late Monday night that she would be leaving Reddit after just two months in the job. The post Reddit Still Can’t Stem the Bleed appeared first on WIRED.

The Leadership Tonic Scale identifies and defines five types of leadership styles found in today’s organization. This is the second of those five types. Come back and visit each day during the week of June 3, 2013 to find out the next leadership type as depicted in the Leadership Tonic Scale. [divider] The Ironic Leader The ‘Ironic Leader’ lives a leadership life of irony. Of course many people confuse coincidence with irony, but this is no coincidence. Ironical, isn’t it? Irony stems from the Greek word ‘eironeia’ which was defined as simulated ignorance. That about sums up the definition of the Ironic Leader; it’s someone who simultaneously ignores her team whilst conveying the exact opposite of what she is purporting. It’s like a dog owner is saying ‘sit’ to her dog yet the dog is deaf and the owner actually wants the dog to go for a walk. The Ironic Leader is an ATNA — all talk no action — where she talks up a good game to the team but never actually accomplishes anything or remembers what she said in the first place. You’ve heard of ‘paralysis by analysis’? This is the epitome of our Ironic Leader. She analyzes everything until everyone’s eyes start bleeding only to succumb to a time bomb going off that destroys the project. It reminds me of certain leaders at XEROX during the heyday of the PARC lab who sat on a goldmine with the invention of the mouse and the graphical user interface (GUI) only to see others (like Apple) swoop in and buy/steal the original idea. Ironic Leaders say one thing and do another. It’s a bit like Jay Leno. (ask Conan O’Brien) Imagine being told in 2004 that you would host The Tonight Show (as Conan was told) in 2009. Both Jeff Zucker (the NBC executive orchestrating the career development paths of Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien) and Jay Leno agreed to such a plan. Once Conan assumed the mantle of The Tonight Show, his tenure was about as long as the reign of King Edward VIII although only one of the two actually abdicated his role. (guess which one?) Both Zucker and Leno acted like Ironic Leaders; they both said one thing and when things didn’t go their way, immaturity, a coward DNA and gutlessness set in and O’Brien got the shaft. What More to Know: Their words are translucent; gain assurance from them on your deliverables, deadlines, etc. Set the tone, the agenda and the playbook. Be proactive and take charge. Dithering leaders need a carefully orchestrated punt in the backside; figure out how to deliver it without getting fired. Ironic Leaders are a step up from the Moronic Leader but they can be equally if not more frustrating. They mean well (unlike a Moronic Leader) but can’t figure out how to run to first base after cracking their bat. They may even get tossed from the batter’s box because they took too long to get ready. Wait, didn’t they say they hated baseball? How ironic! [divider] NB: the Leadership Tonic Scale does get better from here. What’s the next stage? Although I didn’t include the Leadership Tonic Scale in my book Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization, you may be interested in Chapters 4-6 (The Connected Leader) and Chapter 7 (The Participative Leader Framework) in particular as they help to depict what I believe are the key ingredients to 21st century leadership. The entire Leadership Tonic Scale will be released on June 10th as a free downloadable paper. UPDATE: The Leadership Tonic Scale downloadable PDF is now available. 1,790 total views, 3 views today Dan's Related Posts:The Iconic Leader: Stage 4 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Moronic Leader: Stage 1 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Platonic Leader: Stage 3 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Leadership Tonic Scale - Free PDF DownloadThe Harmonic Leader: Stage 5 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic Scale

What’s New Whenever software is updated I know I’m always eager to learn what is new and what is improved. I imagine that is the case for many people, so in that spirit I’ve compiled a list of the new and improved items included in the Adobe Captivate 7.0.1 update and I’ve added some context […]

The Leadership Tonic Scale identifies and defines five types of leadership styles found in today’s organization. This is the third of those five types. Come back and visit each day during the week of June 3, 2013 to find out the next leadership type as depicted in the Leadership Tonic Scale. [divider] The Platonic Leader I know, your first thought is, "wait … shouldn’t all leaders behave in platonic ways otherwise HR gets overburdened with harassment complaints and Finance has to start cutting an inordinate number of severance cheques?" Well ya, but my definition of a Platonic Leader is not about sex in the office. It’s about those leaders who are in fact pretty successful in their role but they shy away from — you might say shun — any trait whatsoever that demonstrates friendliness, compassion and/or caring for their team members. The Platonic Leader gets the job done but does so not necessarily caring about the feelings of those he has bull-dozed to accomplish the goal, be it his own employees or those from other parts of the organization. It’s a bit like Russia’s Vladimir Putin in his eternal quest to remain in power. Or better yet, (blasphemous as it may be) perhaps it’s like Steve Jobs who would publicly berate team members if products were not to his liking and who was alleged to have micro-managed a project to achieve his vision without a care for the hearts and minds he bowled over in his perfection journey. The Platonic Leader is a cardboard cut-out. Many senior leaders will look for the Platonic Leader to lead particular posts in an organization as they are often viewed to get the job done no matter the cost. They live by words such as, "we can do more with less" or "we’re eating our own dog food" or "it’s like putting lipstick on a pig" or "it’s not rocket science stupid." In other words, they’re a bit robotic but effective. What More to Know: They are good people, sadly they are a tad clueless when it comes to emotional intelligence Reach out to them and help them see what might transpire if they balanced a results driven personality with a sprinkling of compassion and employee engagement (suggest a coach) Begin some of your conversations asking about their weekend, current events or even bring up your own personal situation and see if you steer the leaders towards a lighter side Don’t have sex with the leader. (Do you remember Lewinsky?) That’s going a tad too far. Platonic leaders simply need a whack on the head to help them understand business intelligence is nothing unless there is personnel intelligence as well. They have to become less of a cardboard cut-out and more like the combination of Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow - a well-rounded openly communicative and collaborative human being. [divider] NB: the Leadership Tonic Scale does get better from here. What’s the next stage? Although I didn’t include the Leadership Tonic Scale in my book Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization, you may be interested in Chapters 4-6 (The Connected Leader) and Chapter 7 (The Participative Leader Framework) in particular as they help to depict what I believe are the key ingredients to 21st century leadership. The entire Leadership Tonic Scale will be released on June 10th as a free downloadable paper. UPDATE: The Leadership Tonic Scale downloadable PDF is now available. 2,016 total views, 8 views today Dan's Related Posts:The Iconic Leader: Stage 4 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Moronic Leader: Stage 1 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Ironic Leader: Stage 2 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Harmonic Leader: Stage 5 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Leadership Tonic Scale - Free PDF Download