Pushing Forward Change

Since we are all creatures of habit, guess what, we don't like change.  We don't like it when our normal latte stand is closed and have to try a new one a block away and we don't like it when the road to work is under construction and have to get there a different way.  For the most part, many like to hunker down and just do things they way they have been done..put the blinders up and just "be"..it's just easier.  As we all know this isn't how it works, things change, people change, technology changes, etc. and we have to adjust and adapt.  Along the road we come into contact with people, or companies, that seem to always push the envelope.  They embrace change, and rather than take the approach that "we hope it doesn't impact me," they force the issue, and get people moving forward.  They 'Make It Happen.'  In my opinion, Facebook, with the F8 event and the changes they are making to their platform, have done that. 

Even with the wild growth of their platform (400m users and growing), Facebook realized that a major change is needed to really move forward, and fully embrace the new/future web.  They announced a number of features, which I wont go into a lot of detail on in this post (look here for a great recap and commentary), that created quite a stir.  Why? Because it is change, and it is pushing the envelope on where the web and social goes.  Some call it "Transformational" while other feel that there are significant privacy issues (as noted in this great post by Robert Scoble.) Have they made people uncomfortable?  Yep. Have have they lost some users?  Probably.  I'm not even quite sure what it all means yet, but what I do know is that Facebook has a vision and in order to realize that vision, they understand that change is needed.  We have to accept openness, and embrace ways to tie our digital world together.  Could they have just stayed the course, added some cool features, and grown their user base at some percentage year after year? Sure.  Instead they decided to shake things up, ignite some ambitious change and move forward.  Are they trying to rule the web?  Hard to say, but I admire how they didn't just settle, they pushed forward with some big changes and made it happen.  In doing so, know we can engage in further conversations to determine where we go from here and I look forward to that.  

What do you think?

Read More!

Making an Impact

Day in and day out we settle into a routine...Get up, have breakfast, go to work, go home, do "stuff", go to bed...repeat.  As we get older, maybe get married, maybe have kids, we pack more and more in.  Then at some point we stop and say to ourselves, am I having an impact?  Is what I am doing contributing to the greater good?  Are my talents being put to the best use?  The typical next step is to think about getting more involved, volunteering here or there, and finding that thing that makes a difference.  The challenge is that we typically do a lot of "thinking" and not a lot of doing.  Well with this post on Make It Happen, I'm featuring my Uncle, who after retiring a little bit ago, asked him self the same question...but he is doing something about it.

Per his very first blog post my uncle gives a little background on his desire to answer the question "what have I done that is truly fulfilling and rewarding" If you think about that one for a bit, how would you answer it?  Have you done something that is really rewarding and made a difference?  If you have, awesome!  For many, like my uncle, I bet you struggle to find that something that truly has had an impact.  At a point in our life I think everyone desires to feel like they have left a mark and had a positive impact, in some way shape or form.  For my uncle he realized that nothing he came up with really satisfied him...there wasn't that "thing" he could point to and say, "I did that!" So, he did what I think many of us don't do enough of, he took the initiative to find something the might just answer that question...something that he can feel a sense of accomplishment about.  He Made It Happen by signing up for a month long volunteer opportunity in Morocco to help kids with their English and other comprehension skills.  Will it answer his question?  Time will tell if that will satisfy him.  Although I'm pretty sure it will, one thing is for certain, he can say that he tried to Make It Happen.

I encourage you to follow his blog at http://dechew.blogspot.com/ and see how he is having an impact.




Read More!

Community

Since my transition to a new role that is all about Community, I have used the phrase "Make It Happen" in a lot of what I do, mainly because I think that encompasses what community is all about...It's about going above and beyond to help, share, and give to support a need with the knowledge that you might not get anything back right away.  Rather it is just the right thing to do.  So, when all the buzz around Seattle late last week was how there was no money for Seattle's annual July 4th Fireworks show, I was one of the first to make the statement that this was going to be a case study for community...how people come together around a need to do what they can to Make It Happen.

I guess the initial kudos needs to go to Tom Douglas and Dave Ross for stepping up on their radio show to make some of the first pledges and to get things kicked off.  With the need identified, a goal in sight, and some initial support behind it, I don't think it was a big surprise to see businesses, big and small, as well as individuals make contributions to make the show go on.  Donations started to come in quickly.  $1000 here, $5000 there, until finally the big corporations in the area Microsoft and Starbucks said they would contribute $125k each in matching funds.  Before you knew it, the core $250k was there, combined with the $250k in matching funds, and the goal was met.

There were a number of comments out there about why this was so important...seriously, they are just fireworks, right?  Well, I guess not.  In a world where things are always changing, and things come and go, this community event was one that people said, not this time.  It showed how we have depended so much, and maybe taken for granted, what the big businesses do for us (i.e. WaMu/Chase being previous sponsors).  But in the end, I think it also showed that if we care enough about something we can make anything happen. 

So, what is your next fireworks show?  Something that you simply cant just let pass by and go away...something that you are willing to get behind because it means a lot to not just you, but to all generations, and to the entire community. Read More!