What Memorial Day Really Means to You

Today we remember our veterans and thank them for keeping our country safe.

Just the other day I was talking with my mentor about the reality of human nature. Essentially we are still the same people as we were thousands of years ago- still full of pride, envy, greed, joy, love and hope.

Today civilization may seem more 'evolved' and looking at Maslow's Hierarchy of needs it's easy to see why. The men and women of our military ensure the security that allows us all to pursue higher goals than simply our survival.

So thank the people who have given their lives to build the foundation of security for this country. It really is critical to what makes this country great.

Successful Business Thoughts with DZ

Today for lunch, I had the privilege of meeting with founder and owner of development zone, Yaniv. They have been in business for over a dozen years and I was interested to learn just how it was they were successful. Yaniv's response reminded me of the sobering and somber attitude of all successful business leaders I've come across, he said it's about the customer. He said I make sure that they never feel like they are left hanging, always answer your phone, always under promise and over deliver, and be true to your word. In the world of development, and business in general it's hard to find a man who walks the walk and talks the talk. Yaniv stressed this was a critical ingredient in retaining big clients like DHL, UPS, and Comcast.

It's not easy to find a good developer these days, it's not just about being good at programming or being good at designing it's about being a good businessman and ethical person and a hard worker.

The Technology Lever

Here's a big challenge in the modern workforce made up of a mix of generations. What are your thoughts?

The conversation revolved around how we were going to distribute education and training both internally and to our customers. The HR manager wanted an LMS that would integrate with anything, provide reports on everything and give the users a world-class experience. The CEO wanted to take our existing training, place it in protected folders online and manage the attendees through an excel spreadsheet.

It's not unusual for managers to worry about the risks of taking on extra task. If you're a savvy manager, you understand that there is a lot more that need to go into the system. How will we collect payments? Who is going to distribute the certificates of completion? Who will be available to answer questions that the students have? Plus, you know the CEO is going to want reports.

It's also not unusual for executives to underestimate the work of a project. If you're a CEO, starting off basic seems like a classic business principle. Why invest tons of time and money coming up with a complex solution to a basic program? Gauge the audience first and then see how well it's received, then invest the time and energy into getting fancy.

So who was right?