collaboration

My daughter Alison is an “equestrienne professional.” That’s her picture below (says the proud Father). Ali has been in love with horses ever since she was 8 years old and had to clean stalls to earn riding time. You may wonder, “What is an “equestrienne professional?” Ali teaches riders, trains, cares for, helps buy and sell horses. My wife and I feel blessed that our daughter has found her calling so early in life – something she loves to do, does exceptionally well, and others value highly.

I have recently redesigned my web site. Stay tuned for the actual unveiling. (Btw, does anyone know why getting a web site revised or up and running takes longer than the gestation period of an elephant? For those who haven’t studied the baby making habits of these 5-ton creatures, it’s 22 months. That’s the longest of any land animal. Check the link out if you’re a doubting Thomas type.

Change doesn’t come easily. The new web site is part of a whole new way of working for me. Despite (or is it because of?) my extended labor of love with the site, I’m excited by the prospects of “Jake 2.0.” The web site is going to be a pretty lively place. There will be a steady stream of new articles, video-casts, webinar links, delicious tags, Twitter tweets (that’s code for sending Twitter messages), Facebook, LinkedIn updates, snapshots from client events, and lots of other useful, interesting stuff.

Barack Obama’s becoming the 44th President of the United States has generated a huge buzz in the papers, on blogs, and on the TV in the past week. There’s the historic significance of his being the first African-American to hold the highest office in the land. There are big questions about whether his foreign and domestic policy agendas will stack up against the daunting challenges of a global recession, multiple war theatres, health care shortcomings and a whole host of other problems.

A few years ago I had the privilege and pleasure of co-authoring You Don’t have to Do It Alone: How to Involve Others to Get Things with Dick and Emily Axelrod and Julie Beedon. At the beginning of the book we make the case for why NOT to involve others. It takes more time. It costs more money. In almost every case it increases the “hassle factor.”

My virtual assistant Taryn Merrick suggested I meet with a previous client of hers, Edith Bodnar. She thought we’d find some innovative ways to match Real Time Strategic Change with her company’s work. Since we both work in the LA area, it was easy to set up a “get to know you” lunch.