783_ Communication rules in a bumpy economy 2/1/2010
In an article that appeared in cobiz.com Sherry Law, founder of Evergreen Communication wrote about, "The counterintuitive communicator: How to make the Great Recession a mere blip in your company history." The article really caught Larry's attention so he pursued an interview with her. Larry asked, "What does communication have to do with managing through the recession?" Sherry explains in detail and there are three primary benefits, "Productivity, retention and ultimately performance." She went onto explain, "If your best employees are satisfied and loyal, and not just marking time, you’ll be way ahead of your competition during the recession and long after. Communication will help generate the high levels of employee engagement and performance you need to recover from the mess we’re in. Employees need clear, transparent, frequent communication about what your company is doing in these extraordinary times, and how and why. Following are three tips that may be counter to your intuition, but help ensure your company’s continued success. Counterintuitive Tip #1: Express your feelings along with the facts; you’ll show strength. Conventional wisdom dictates that when CEOs and other leaders reveal their personal feelings it’s a sign of weakness. Don’t believe it. Counterintuitive Tip #2: Don’t hype or spin the message. Tell it straight. In an effort to “protect” employees or to keep from de-motivating them, well-intentioned leaders put a positive “spin” on news. This results in exactly the opposite of what is intended. Counterintuitive Tip#3: Communicate even if you don’t have all the information yet. Certainty doesn’t exist. Remember a time when you’ve sat on a plane waiting, and waiting, for it to take off. No word from the pilot, and the flight attendants have no information about the delay. How productive were you while you waited for information? Not very. Listen for more...
Related Links: Evergreen Communication || Colorado Biz Article || ACG Denver || M&A Channel || Rocky Mountain Corporate Growth Conference || Keywords: Sherry Law, Evergreen Communication, Communication, CObiz, Economy, Productivity, Retention, Performance, ACG Denver, Counterintuitive Communicator > Channel: ACG/Entrepreneurs 8543547 bytes - 2/1/10 LISTEN to Sherry Law, Evergreen Communications

781_ Broadband and the future of communications 2/1/2010
The Statewide Internet Portal Authority (SIPA) serves as the oversight body of the Colorado.gov portal. The Colorado.gov portal is the gateway to Colorado government, and it is intended to be Colorado's single most comprehensive delivery channel for eGovernment services. John Conley, executive director of SIPA was interviewed by Larry to specifically address the issue of broadband in Colorado. John said, "The federal government and specifically the FCC and the NTIA have started to play a large role in wanting the nation to deploy more broadband throughout the rural and even into the metropolitan areas. In February of 2009, about a year ago, they released through what is commonly referred to as the Recovery Act, $7.2 Billion available through competitive grants, to be released to the private sector and the public sector, to deploy broadband technology. Before 2009, broadband was viewed very much as a utility, a commodity, but also as a cusp priority, for a lot of states it was viewed as something if there was time left over to do, state governments would get involved. Colorado had a different approach early on, but as time went on we forgot we had to keep deploying more and more broadband and upgrading our technologies. The federal government has put a spotlight back on it and that's good for Colorado." Larry asked, "What will the impacts of increased broadband be in Colorado?" John replied, "Economic development, is sometimes over hyped, but it will allow small businesses to expand their store front hours. People can continue to purchase and do transactions during off hours - that's a good thing for our lifestyle in Colorado. Also the nation is moving toward telemedicine, transportation, education, we're going to need high speed connectivity throughout all parts of the nation for our citizens to be able to interact and benefit from those initiatives." John is the keynote speaker at at the Broadband Now - the Future of Communications program on February 3, 2010 hosted by the Communications Technology Professionals....there's more...
Related Links: SIPA || Future of Communications || Communications Technology Professionals || CTP Channel and Archives || Change || Keywords: John Conley, Statewide Internet Portal Authority, SIPA, Broadband, FCC, NTIA, Communications Technology Professionals, CTP, Future of Communications Channel: CTP 7953802 bytes - 2/1/10 LISTEN to John D. Conley, Executive Director, Sipa

777_ Raising money and building a team; Crash Course
This CU New Venture Challenge Crash Course addresses core elements of building a business: including a discussion of how to build a team, how to identify and use mentors, and selecting and refining an idea. Brad Bernthal, Associate Clinical Professor of Law, CU Law School, and Entrepreneurship Initiative Director, Silicon Flatirons Center introduced Jason Mendelson a co-founder and Managing Director with the Foundry Group, a Boulder-based venture capital fund with over $225 million under management. In this Crash Course, Jason went onto emphasize, "Build a great team. Great teams succeed, poor teams always fail. Find mentors and advisors,Boulder is a great town, it's mentor town USA. Engage these mentors, if you have an interesting idea and you're cool to work with we'll keep engaged and most of us aren't looking for anything in return, it's just the right thing to do. But that goes to another point, don't get taken advantage of. Being confident is important but being self-aware and being trainable is one of the most sexy things for a mentor to see. If you know all the answers, know everything, are super confident, you're always right and don't listen, you'll quickly burn out your mentor very, very quickly. Learn to keep people engaged and you can do that in a number of ways... maybe a weekly email that isn't too long. It's closing the loop every time you get feedback from them. You don't always have to agree with them but at least show that you are listening - keep them engaged." Jason then talked about raising money. You'll be surprised what he had to say. Listen, there's more...
Related Links: Foundry Group || Mendelson's Musings || Ask the VC || Silicon Flatirons || Pogoplug || Mastering Change || Keywords: Jason Mendelson, Foundry Group, CU New Venture Challenge, Crash Course, Entrepreneurs, Brad Bernthal, Silicon Flatirons, Teams, Venture Capital > Channel: Entrepreneurs bytes: 35173425 1/25/10 LISTEN to Jason Mendelson, Foundry Group

779_ The fall of the record industry in the digital age.
How would you like to have a crystal ball that may predict success in your industry? Even better what if you had a way of knowing when you were heading in the wrong direction? Chris Carosella, principle of Carosella & Company and the programming chair for TiE Rockies speaks with TiE Rockies guest speaker, Steve Knopper, author of 'An Appetite for Self-Destruction: The spectacular crash of the record industry in the digital age.' Steve is a contributing editor for Rolling Stone Magazine, he writes the stories at the beginning of the magazine, about the music business, ticket scalpers, concert promoters, basically how people make money in the industry, he tends to write the behind the scenes stories. The shortened version of how Steve came to write this book begins with a piece he did for Wired Magazine about how to kill your computer with viruses. A literary agent from New York called Steve and said he liked the story, did he have any book ideas? Originally it was going to be about the entire history of the music business going back to Thomas Edison, but he narrowed the scope to digital music beginning with the adoption of the CD and that led to a prolonged boom in the music industry where everyone got filthy rich for a long time. Then there was this technological disruption, the Internet, Napster, mp3s, basically people pirating music files illegally, by people in their own homes, and the music industry responded to that in all the wrong ways. Steve is speaking at a special TiE Rockies event at the Liberty Media, Starz building in the Meridian Office Park on the NE corner of C-470 and I-225, January 28 beginning at 5:30pm - 8:00. Listen for more...
Related Links: Steve Knopper Home || Special Event || TiE Rockies Home || Mastering Change || Event Photos || Keywords: Steve Knopper, Appetite for Self-Destruction: The spectacular crash of the record industry in the digital age, Chris Carosella, TiE Rockies, Change > Channel: Entrepreneurs 10948546 bytes - 1/25/10 LISTEN to Steve Knopper, author Appetite for Self-Destruction

784_ Future of the broadband stimulus program 2/1/2010
The future of rural broadband, opinions on broadband stimulus program, including the new “satellite project” fund, and satellite services industry in Colorado was the focus of an interview with Lisa Scalpone Vice President and General Counsel for WildBlue Communications, now a ViaSat company. Larry went onto explore what’s new and different in next 18 months for satellite broadband. Lisa oversees the legal and government affairs for WildBlue, a Colorado-based satellite broadband provider. Prior to her position as General Counsel, she held other functional positions within the company, including VP of Business Development. She was responsible for handling the company’s stimulus applications under the Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Larry also asked, "What changes do you expect as a result of WildBlue’s merger with ViaSat? What is the roadmap for satellite broadband? How does it keep up with wireline? What are the biggest challenges in serving rural America? Listen to this interview and you'll have a better understanding of what issues face us in getting broadband to rural US and what economic impact satellite broadband has on both local and national economies. Did you know that Colorado continues to lead the nation in communications innovation, especially in Broadband? Lisa is on a high-profile panel at the Broadband Now - the Future of Communications program on February 3, 2010 hosted by the Communications Technology Professionals. The future of communications is dependent on the evolution and availability of broadband. You'll hear what industry experts are saying about latest trends in broadband, see exciting applications only made possible through broadband proliferation, and weigh in on where the broadband evolution will lead the communications industry.
Related Links: WildBlue Communications || Future of Communications || Communications Technology Professionals || ViaSat || CTP Channel and Archives || Keywords: Lisa Scalpone, WildBlue Communications, Satellite Broadband, Stimulus Program, ViaSat, Communications Technology Professionals, > Channel: CTP 6839633 bytes - 2/1/10 LISTEN to Lisa Scalpone, WildBlue Communications

782_ Benchmarking: Are women leading alongside men? 2/1/2010
In 1998, Marie Wilson founded The White House Project in recognition of the need to build a truly representative democracy – one where women lead alongside men in all spheres. Since its inception, The White House Project has been a leading advocate and voice on women’s leadership. An advocate of women’s issues for more than 30 years, Marie Wilson is founder and President of The White House Project, co-creator of Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work ® Day and author of Closing the Leadership Gap: Why Women Can and Must Help Run the World (Viking 2004). The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) hosted the White House Project Benchmarking study. Marie led the eye-opening program. Lucy Sanders, the CEO for the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) along with Larry Nelson from w3w3.com interviewed Marie after the program. The White House Project, a national, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization, 501(c)(3), aims to advance women’s leadership in all communities and sectors, up to the U.S. presidency. By filling the leadership pipeline with a richly diverse, critical mass of women, we make American institutions, businesses and government truly representative. Through multi-platform programs, The White House Project creates a culture where America’s most valuable untapped resource—women—can succeed in all realms. To advance this mission, The White House Project strives to support women and the issues that allow women to lead in their own lives and in the world. When women leaders bring their voices, vision and leadership to the table alongside men, the debate is more robust and the policy is more inclusive and sustainable. Listen, there's much more...
Related Links: The White House Project || NCWIT Home || NCWIT Channel || NCWIT Share || Event Photos || Mastering Change || Keywords: Marie Wilson, The White House Project, Lucy Sanders, National Center for Women and Information Technology, NCWIT, > Channel: NCWIT 11286025 bytes - 2/1/10 LISTEN to Marie Wilson, President, The White House Project

Help for Haiti or HELP Haiti Now 2/1/2010
The nonprofit humanitarian relief group Project C.U.R.E. http://www.projectcure.org/ is accepting donations of first aid and hygiene supplies to help Haiti in the aftermath of its devastating earthquake. Donations can be sent to or dropped off at Project C.U.R.E. distribution centers in four cities nationwide: Denver, Phoenix, Nashville and Houston. To assist with transportation costs for medical relief supplies, Project C.U.R.E. seeks the support of individuals, groups, and organizations who are interested in contributing to relief efforts in Haiti. Donations can be made online http://www.projectcure.org/ or by cash, check or credit card. thank You! 2/1/10

780_ Questions and answers about ARRA and HIPPA
The 'Dear Ned' series has gotten a number of questions recently about the 'American Reinvestment and Recovery Act' or ARRA, and how it impacts IT.
Applied Trust cofounders Trent Hein and Ned McClain continue with the Dear Ned Series providing invaluable answers to your most pressing IT questions. Trent started out with, "What can Ned tell us about ARRA and how it will affect your IT department and especially healthcare? Ned was quick to reply, "Good timing on this question because on September 23rd, 2009, these new ARRA regulations came into effect. As Trent mentioned this definitely affects healthcare, and certainly if you are a hospital or healthcare provider of any kind, or insurance company of almost any kind, you are obviously covered by these healthcare requirements. But what's particularly interesting is that most companies handle some health information. A recent survey showed that 57% of companies believed they were HIPPA covered, that they had to follow these federal regulations for healthcare, so this is particularly important to most of us. If you are administering a benefits plan where we get to see health information of any kind, if we're transmitting health information electronically, in any fashion, you likely are covered by these regulations. They have become significantly more stringent with the ARRA Act. Before they covered security and privacy but now there is a lot more to think about. There are three new things to think about in addition to the HIPPA requirements of a year ago. 1.) Particularly, there are new requirements for having a business associate agreement or some kind of contract with each company that you share health information with. So if you're a service provider dealing with mail lists, for example, you may have clients asking you to sign a business agreement contract for HIPPA, and you need to be prepared to do that." Listen for more and ask your questions.
Related Links: Ask Your Own Questions || Dear Ned Channel || Women in IT Channel || Applied Trust Engineering || ATE is Hiring || Find It || Keywords: Ned McClain, Trent Hein, Dear Ned, Applied Trust Engineering, IT Department, American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, ARRA, HIPPA > Channel: Dear Ned 6507194 bytes 1/25/10 LISTEN to Trent Hein & Ned McClain, Applied Trust Engineering

778_ Entrepreurial impact on the gaming industry
The medical field, the gaming industry and the pet accessories market have seemingly little in common, but Beth Marcus has built a name in all three. Lucy Sanders, the CEO for the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) along with Larry Nelson from w3w3.com interviewed Beth Marcus for the NCWIT Heroes series. Beth has been Founder and CEO of several successful startups, most notably EXOS, Inc., which was launched in 1988, venture capital backed and sold to Microsoft in 1996. Since then she has been involved in 20 start-ups in a variety of fields as a founder, investor, or advisor. She has raised equity numerous times and has also done angel investments herself. Several of these ventures have been acquired by public companies. Beth has worked as a consultant providing patent strategy, litigation support and other strategic technology related consulting services. Beth is an acknowledged expert in the hand-device interface space and has been an expert for several of the major players in the industry in support of prior patents litigations. Recently Beth became founding CEO of Playsmrt, Playsmrt allows parents to create a safe, interactive environment in which children 1 to 8 years old can play media, communicate with family members, and learn. Parents set limits, kids explore! Beth shares some great entrepreneurial advice. There's much more...
Related Links: NCWIT Home || NCWIT Channel || Playsmrt || Engineering Pathway || Keywords: Beth Marcus, Lucy Sanders, National Center for Women and Information Technology, NCWIT, EXOS, Microsoft, Zeemote, Digital Gaming, Playsmrt, Entrepreneurs > Channel: NCWIT bytes:22899343, 1/25/10 LISTEN to Beth Marcus

January Event Photo Albums - Check 'em out...
ACG Denver: Alan Beaulieu Institute for TrendResearch
Rockies Venture Club: A Conversation with Colorado's Inc. 500
CU New Venture Challenge: Crash Course with Jason Mendelson
CU 8th Annual Tech Transfer Awards
NCWIT: The White House Project
TiE Rockies: An Appetite for Self-Destruction

Change Is Not an Event, It Is an Ongoing Process
as it is with Chaos - Check out the Mastering Change Blog