This week’s topic—experiences

Surprising, but I do things outside of Colocation America.

Beyond being a “millennial executive” over here, I am an aunt, sister, daughter, kickball player, philanthropists, board chair, golfer, coach, business owner, nerd, friend, and researcher. Stated in no particular order, these are just a few of things that make up the one and only Samantha Walters.

At any given moment, I am not one of these things but all of them. I am a daughter and a nerd. I am a researcher and a kickball player. I am a business owner and a coach.

And yet, when we meet, you will probably never hear me say any of that.

On a sunny day I am a golfer and during a social crisis, I am a philanthropist. At a bar in Santa Monica I am a kickball player and on a football field in Venice, I am an aunt. At an IT conference I am an executive and at an education conference, I am a researcher.

And yet, after we meet, you will realize I am more than that one thing.

I am more than our quick conversation over coffee and the “I hope all is well” in my email. I am more than the statistics that characterize my generation and what my parents do for a living. I am more than my tattoos and my Master’s degree.

And yet, over time, you will discover that I am my experiences.

Experiences, however, cannot be explained through quantifiable time spent learning skills or climbing up the corporate latter, although I have those. They cannot be explained through a photo or a “my sister went to Hawaii and all I got was this shirt” shirt, although I have those.

“The only source of knowledge is experience.” – Albert Einstein

An experience should not be judged by time or tangible objects but rather by consciousness. To truly experience something, you must observe, participate, and learn from that moment.

Experiences are the conscious events that make up an individual life. More importantly, experiences are the conscious moments that have influenced your life and who you are today. They can be bad and they can be good. They can come when you are young and they can come when you are old. They are the moments that take place sober and, well, not so much.

Our experiences are what make us who we are.

Photo Credit: dailymail.co.uk

All too often we rely on our past experiences and fear new ones. We see the world in the lens of what we have lived through rather than what the present moments can teach us. We are stuck in the mindset that our past dictates our future and that our future is already created thanks to our present.

But our present is currently happening – right now you are experiencing a conscious moment, an experience. This moment has never happened before and will never happen again. It is a singular event in a lifetime of moments.

The only difference between this moment and the next is your perception of it. You have the power to control how you view the world and your experiences in it. If you so choose, you can see tragedy as inspiration and hate as a sign of love. You can turn boring into fun and sad into happy.

You can make this world into whatever you want it to be and all it starts with is an experience, an opportunity to observe and participate in the world.

And here is the best part – your world is different than mine. Your experiences are different. You observe and participate differently than I do. At the end, you will perceive what happened differently than I would.

You and I live in different worlds but we can help one another.

In every experience, every moment, we share together you bring your world into mine. You bring your life full of mistakes and learning, growing and falling, and I bring mine. Together, we discover the world for what it is – a mess of people, all with their own experiences, bumping into one another.

Today, I bumped into you and tomorrow it will be another person. Down the line, we may bump into each other again and speak of our shared experiences but I am not worried about that.

For today is the present and exist only as I see it and today, I am living one moment, one experience at a time.

The post How To Discover Yourself Through Life Experiences appeared first on Colocation America.

This week’s topic – holiday shopping!

Every year around this time, there seems to be a little sparkle in everyone’s eyes. Everyone is a bit more jolly and easy going.

If you are anything like me, this time of year means gift shopping and festive lights. You get to go to “fake Christmas” (that pre-Christmas get together with your BFFs) and maybe, finally this year, you will even take that trip down to the ice skating rink in Santa Monica (don’t worry, it’s only 20 minutes away from anywhere you are). It is the time of magical elves and corny, romantic Christmas movies.

In Los Angeles, it is also the time of overcrowded malls and road rage. No, really, ask anyone you know—people are crazy this time of year in LA. Good luck finding a parking spot at the mall or finding your sister’s size at her favorite store. This time of year in LA means headaches and a lot of wind (sorry, I looked out my window and just thought “dang, that is a lot of wind”).

Once again, this year was/is no different. As with every year, I try to solve the age old problem: how do you get your family the best possible gifts without getting annoyed with the process of actually getting your family gifts?

No matter where you call home, here is a list of the top 5 tips when you are too lazy (or busy, yeah, tell everyone you are too busy) to deal with the hassle that is holiday shopping:

Holiday Shopping Trick 1: A Little Thing Called the Web

If I don’t say this one, someone will call me out on it so here it is – go do your shopping online. Better yet, convince your family to do the shopping for you. In other words, your family can create an online wish list at your favorite online retail stores. Once you receive it, all you have to do is press “buy” and bam shopping is over.

But let’s be real, it’s no fun if everyone knows their gift. I know we want to appease everyone but isn’t half the fun seeing someone’s surprised face? To that, I give you two options:

1. Have each member of your family pick out numerous items (at least this way you have last say)
2. Pick the gift out yourself.

Ok, I know option 2 will require a little more from you but it’s fun. Enough said.

Holiday Shopping Trick 2: Do You Want Fries with That?

A trick I have used many, many times before is the old “I will take you out for dinner.” Here is the thing with family—they want to spend more time with you. One of the greatest gifts you can give your family is more time with you so why not give it as an actual gift.

There are three ways you can give this gift:

1. Go to your favorite restaurant and buy a gift card now (but make sure in your card that you tell them it has to be used with you)
2. Create a gift certificate that says “dinner with me at your favorite restaurant” (this way, you do not have to even buy it now—talk about budgeting)
3. Make your own dinner (give them a certificate or buy them all the ingredients needed).

No matter what you give it, it’s a perfect gift for parents and/or grandparents who complain about not seeing you.

Holiday Shopping Trick 3: “Hello, It’s Your Personal IT Support Hotline, How Can I Help You?”

Last year I made a mistake by giving, what I thought was, a joke gift. A little backstory: My Mom used to run a huge nonprofit with its own IT department. When she decided to pursue her own consulting business she lost that IT department. So being the resourceful individual she is, my Mom found a perfect replacement: me. Yep, I became her IT department meant to troubleshoot and fix every problem.

After doing the job for 3 years, I finally had a thought—what if I was to give her 24/7 IT Support as a gift for Christmas? Thinking I was being funny, I created an invoice, priced it out, and then heavily discounted it to the point it was completely free. Of course, the “company” invoicing was me and I was going to be the one to carry out all the tasks.

Fast forward to the last gift of the season, my Mom opens an envelope to discover her “gift” and, boy, was she happy. Actually, she continues to be happy because she is not afraid to call her personal IT Support Hotline with every issue.

To sum it up, this is a great gift to give to that pestering family member who calls nonstop about technical issues (most of the problems will be Googled, trust) and all you have to do is:

1. Create an invoice with “24/7 support,” pricing, and discounts
2. Be prepared for them to really use it.

For those of you who own tech support companies or run a tech department, this gift is perfect as long as you can convince your team to do it. Just beware, this may take more time then you thought.

Holiday Shopping Trick 4: And the Prize Goes to…

Depending on your industry, this time of year also means a lot of conferences. For some reason, it appears that people think it’s a good idea to have a conference at the end of the year when there is, of course, nothing else going on, right? Anyways, if you are like me, you have a few conferences around the holiday season.

Think about the last conference you were at, were they giving away any prizes for attending or going to a specific booth? If so, you may have noticed how amazing some of these gifts are. I mean, there are tablets, phones, and droids, among other cool gifts. Now what if you were to win the cool prize? Here is a thought—give it to someone as a gift! You will be the coolest aunt on the playground for giving your nephew the newest, greatest tablet (and you didn’t even have to pay for it!). Just be careful and don’t get to too excited, call up your family and tell them you won something, and then give them that same gift. It is one thing to be cheap and it’s another to get caught being cheap, if you feel me.

Holiday Shopping Trick 5: A Personal Shopper? Yes, Please!

Ok, ok, ok, yes I am from LA and we do things differently out here. For one thing, we will order anything if it can be delivered. Secondly, we will pay anything to free up our time. So this holiday season employ your very own personal shopper! And by personal shopper, I mean a helpful family member (preferable a sibling) who will buy gifts for you or on your behalf.

Hey, before you judge me, hear me out – family members make great sound boards for gift buying. Considering they come from the same family (or at least half of yours), they make the perfect person to consult with when it comes to gifts.

I am sure you have experienced the midday phone call from some family member asking if so and so would like the latest gold star sticker. Next time you get one of those calls and it’s a gift you actually think someone would like, just ask the person to pick you one up too. Or, better yet, offer to split the cost with person if they put your name on the gift. This way, it’s good for your budget and your time. Worst, comes to worst, you still got a great idea for a gift.

And that is all she wrote… enjoy the holidays and next year, think ahead for gifts or just use this list and get the gifts your family wants without the pain of actually shopping.

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In the News:

“U.S. Department of Education Releases 2016 National Education Technology Plan” – The US Government

Facts: The US Department of Education released the 2016 National Education Technology Plan which includes new commitments to support personalized professional learning for district leaders to improve teaching and student achievement through the use of technology.

Opinions: The main concern is around the funding – can education leaders budget for the funds to purse the vision? Thanks to many open licensed educational resources, leaders should have plenty of options. Then again, without an effective implementation plan, the strategy will be dead before it even begins.

Takeaways: In case you missed it, technology is the future of the education system. No longer do people question should we use technology but how we should use it. If you are in the SaaS industry, this may be your time to get into the education vertical.

“Cisco Joins Race to Cloud-Based Calls, Video” – The Wall Street Journal

Facts: Cisco announced a brand-new offer to deliver three types of communication tools—messaging, meeting, and calling—from the cloud. The new offers, called Cisco Spark, are part of a complete user experience.

Opinions: Days after Microsoft announced it will be adding voice calling and conferencing features to its Office 365 cloud software, out comes Cisco with their version. The real question is: can Cisco compete with other cloud-based UC services like RingCentral and Switch Communications? Everyone knows Cisco’s hardware is excellent but it is uncertain if their cloud offerings will have the same impact.

Takeaways: Who will win the cloud-based UC battle? Microsoft or Cisco? Or will it be the smaller companies that raise above? We will have to wait years for this answer. In the meantime, we can assume the shift towards cloud UC is an approach many tech companies should look into.

“French prime minister says he’s not in favor of banning public Wi-Fi or Tor” – The Verge

Facts: France’s Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he is not in favor of banning public Wi-Fi or Tor. Valls goes on to say, “Internet is a freedom…”

Opinions: Despite requests, Valls is sticking to his guns by not limiting Internet access even if it can be used by terrorists. This is another step forward for countries who are looking at the increasing threat of terrorist using the Internet to carry out their plans. At this time, both EU and US have no plans to introduce legislation requiring “backdoors” on encryption but it does not mean it is not using other means of tracking.

Takeaways: An overwhelming number of governments are fighting for the Internet to remain “a freedom” their citizens can enjoy. At the same time, there are those who restrict access at every turn (or should I say URL). For my friends in France, your internet access seems safe for the time being.

“A Learning Advance in Artificial Intelligence Rivals Human Abilities” – The New York Times

Photo Credit: Brenden Lake (via nytimes.com, linked above)

Facts: Computer researchers reported artificial-intelligence advances that surpassed human capabilities for a narrow set of vision-related tasks. The computer vision program outperformed a group of humans in identifying handwritten characters based on a single example.

Opinions: Just another example of Silicon Valley’s (and everywhere else’s) focus on artificial intelligence. This is just one example of the leap scientist are making in the AI department. As of today, nearly all tech giants (and even car companies) are making a play towards AI.

Takeaways: Besides this being super cool and, depending on your opinion of AI, super scary, AI is technology everyone is pushing towards. Today, we use different degrees of AI without even realizing it. Next time your friends make a comment on your intelligence level, just say “well a computer is smarter than all of us,” and that should end it.

Yahoo: “Yahoo could become Internet History” and “CEO Marissa Mayer gives birth” – cNET

Facts: Yahoo’s board voted unanimously for the reverse spin-off of its Web business into Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. During the same week, CEO Marissa Mayer gave birth to identical twin daughters.

Opinions: Thought leaders blame Yahoo’s lack of exploration into new and innovative areas, as Google and Amazon have, for there downfall. As for Mayer’s maternity leave, it appears so far that she is still very much involved in Yahoo having, hours before giving birth, commented on the new spin-off plan. With so much talk in Silicon Valley this year about partner leave, it will be interesting to see how Mayer handles it within Yahoo.

Takeaways: Goodbye Yahoo Mail, hello babies! This week was all about Yahoo and the tech giant’s tough road ahead especially as their leader takes a couple months off (if that long). It will be interesting to see how the media handles Mayer’s maternity leave as Yahoo looks into 2016.

The post Colocation America News Round Up: December 7 – December 11 appeared first on Colocation America.

“Mark Zuckerberg Vows to Donate 99% of His Facebook Shares for Charity” – The New York Times

Facts: In an open letter to their newborn daughter, Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan said they would give 99% of their Facebook shares “during their lives” to charitable purposes. They will be forming a new limited liability corporation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, to manage the money.

Opinions: Apparently, people are upset that they are creating a LLC rather than a nonprofit. Here’s the thing, it is super hard to get 501(c) status. Plus, there a lot of limitations to what a nonprofit can and cannot do.

Takeaways: Does it matter how they are spending their billions dollars? Further, why are we upset they are using their money for a “charitable purpose.” At the end of the day, just know that, no matter how hard they try (or don’t try), they will be pushing forward initiatives and causes that benefit Facebook as a whole.

“Adele says hello to tech that’s tough on ticket resellers” – cNET

Facts: Adele used a software by Songkick sell tickets to “known and suspected resellers” at a markup price to prevent them from buying tickets in bulk.

Opinions: It seems like Adele is another artist to disagree with ticket reselling. Through software like Songkick, artists will continue to fight for “fans first, resellers never” ticket sells.

Takeaways: Goodbye ticket resellers and hello crazed-obsessed fans. Let’s be real – when was the last time you went online at a certain time to buy a concert ticket before they ran out? Today, concert tickets can go in seconds thanks in large part to resellers. Those resellers enable many of us “last minute” or “lazy” people to go see concerts. Sure, I’m paying more but at least I get to go, right?!

“Could Hello Barbie become the plaything of hackers? Turns out toys are vulnerable, too” – cNET

Facts: Mattel created a talking Barbie, Hello Barbie, which is a $75 toy that “talks to you like Siri from an iPhone.”

Opinions: Hello Barbie is creepy. Besides that, people are scared that the toy can be hacked enabling hackers to steal personal information and listen in on kids.

Takeaways: Duh. Yep, I would leave it like that. Of course the toy can be “hacked.” Pretty much everything can be hacked nowadays but that does not mean hackers care to listen to your children play. I am sure it will be a future Law and Order: SVU episode but for right now, just be smart and use the same security protocols you do for everything else. If you have none, maybe that is your problem.

Google: Biggest Renewable Energy Purchase, Helping the Visually Impaired, and Over-eager Peering – Everywhere

Facts: Google made their biggest renewable energy purchase when they agreed to purchase 842 MW of wind and solar power globally to offset energy consumption of its 14 data centers. In other news – Google Compute Engine lost the ability to connect to several Internet destinations. Also, in other news – Google gives startup Wayfindr $1 million to help the visually impaired get around.

Opinions: Once again, Google is everywhere! So, yay for renewable energy and giving back. As for the cloud trouble, rumor has it Google got a little over-eager with their peering. The new peering agreement was set up wrong and it left part of the Middle East and Eastern Europe in the dark.

Takeaways: When in doubt, talk Google. For those of us in the networking business, that mistake can happen but when your Google, it makes headlines. Besides that over-peering, Google faired pretty well with green energy and tech for good.

“NSA limits its surveillance program in the US” – Datacenter Dynamics

Facts: The US National Security Agency (NSA) has reduced the extent of its surveillance programs on US soil.  The agency will no longer collect mobile communication metadata “indiscriminately and in bulk.”

Opinions: Looks like the outcry from citizens, privacy activists, and digital businesses did something right. Then again, the change only applies to mobile device metadata while NSA’s online surveillance tools remain intact.

Takeaways: NSA is still watching and especially outside of the US. Did you catch that? They said they limited their surveillance in the US and not anywhere else. Now Orwell just came to mind – what are they truly watching now that they have more free time?!

The post Colocation America News Round Up: Zuckerberg’s Money appeared first on Colocation America.

This week’s topic is on your work spouse. 

Recently, I had the pleasure of going out to lunch with a co-worker, his pregnant wife, and their adorable one-year-old daughter. As we walked down the road to the local Denny’s, my coworker made an off-handed comment, “it’s a lovely day to be walking down the street with my real wife and my work wife.” At hearing this I nearly tripped over myself – work wife, say what? I did a quick nervous laugh, changed topics, and we had a pleasant lunch.

As my work day came to a close, I called up my Dad and explained to him what happened (hey, you are never too old to be a Daddy’s girl). I noted that this was not the first time he had said it but it definitely was the first time in front of his actual wife. My Dad immediately said that it’s a compliment to be someone’s “work wife” and goes on to give an example of his own coworkers who are “work husbands.”

Still, I was skeptical – what does it mean to be someone’s work wife? Are we really that committed to each other? What do we do that is spouse-like? As per my usual, I Googled it.

But, before you read on, here is a disclaimer:

Flat out, I am a commitment-phobe (actually, I am more afraid of falling in love, but that is a longer story). As the joke goes, if I can continue going on dates or even talk with someone for more than 2 months, I will marry them. Also, while we are discussing my personal issues, I have a problem with labels and get unnecessarily uncomfortable when people refer to me by them. Trust me, as my nearly 2 month summer fling would tell you, it’s a real deal breaker.

Now that you know too much about with me (goodbye all potential dates and readers who think I am crazy, it was fun while it lasted), let’s get to it: turns out being a work spouse is a good thing.

According to Urban Dictionary, the most popular definition of a work wife is a “person at work (same or opposite sex) that takes the place of your “at home” spouse while you are at work (no sexual relationship is part of this being!) You talk with, connect to, and relate to this person as good as or better than your “at home” spouse with regards to all things work related.”

Ok, I can stand by this definition. Yes, my work spouse and myself do talk, connect, and relate on all things work related and that is it. Period. When you run a business with someone, you tend to get very close and spend many days in and out of meetings. Because of this business-critical need, we do have a good relationship or else we would be in trouble.

Turns out, I Am Not the Only One

Valut’s 2014 Office Romance survey showed that 32% of respondents said they have an office spouse and it’s a good thing. Many studies have found that employees are more productive and more loyal if they have close relationships with their colleagues. Writer, Sophie Kleeman at Mic, defines a work spouse as a “coworker with whom you share a special, personal bond. In the office, they’re “your person” – the one who just gets you.”

Researchers go on to explain that the best parts of a work spouse is that it is characterized by trust, reciprocity, and support. Considering professional satisfaction and success are at stake, work spouses are built entirely on trust. This individual understand the pressures, personalities, interactions, and underlying narratives that compose 90,000 hours of our lives.

One researcher, Olivia O’Neill, a professor from George Mason University, notes that a work spouse between two people can lead into a “family.” O’Neill states that, “a work spouse relationship can create a “subculture” of companionate love that eventually can spread through the organization.” If people start including others, it can create a “little family” built on a work relationship.

However, ever so often the relationship goes from platonic to romantic. According to a survey conducted by Chad McBride, a professor who studies work spouses and work relationships, only 2 people out of 276 respondents have had a sexual relationship with their work spouse. Further, 80% of the respondents noted not being sexually attracted to their work spouse.

Although these numbers show it’s not an ongoing problem, people fear it. Apparently committed people fear it so much that even Dr. Phil has an article on “how to keep boundaries with a “work-spouse,” which explores the “thin line” from friendship to adultery. He then goes on to give you some, in his opinion, much-needed rules, to your work spouse relationship. For example, don’t drink with your work spouse (apparently, boundaries get blurred), avoid constantly talking about your office spouse at home, and, for no reason should you ever be alone with them.

Now is there anyone that actual hasn’t broken one of Dr. Phil’s 9 rules?! I mean, come on, how many of you haven’t had a drink with your close coworker? Are you telling me that every one-on-one meeting you two have requires a babysitter to see if you’re getting close to “the line”? Ok, so some of his points are outlandish but they are grounded in some truth – this is not a personal relationship but a professional one and it needs to stay that way.

Can Society Accept That Men and Women Can Just Be Friends?

Depending on which history lesson you listened to, “office wife” is not a modern term but one rooted in the 1930s when women and men started working together (some even credit the term to expressing the relationship between a Minister and his secretary*). Despite the early-dated first use, it has only been within the last 40 years or so that “work spouse” has taken root in man organizations. With more women in the workforce, there is a new camaraderie among men/women coworkers. The high stress and long hours have created this new relationship between men and women.

But not everyone is ready to use the term.

McBride found that women are more likely to report having a work spouse. He notes that men are wary of using the term as it may be seen as improper and lead to sexual harassment and/or improper conduct accusations. McBride also notes that the term itself might be the problem. He surveyed nearly 300 individuals that are involved in work spouse relationships and found that 40% didn’t like the label and don’t use it themselves.

So Do You Have a Work Spouse (or Whatever You Want to Label It)?

According to CNN, here are the seven tall-tale signs that you might have a work spouse:

1. You depend on a particular co-worker for office supplies, snacks and aspirin.

2. There are inside jokes that you and a specific co-worker share.

3. You can be bluntly honest with this person about his or her appearance, hygiene or hair (and vice versa). You’re comfortable enough to point out that the other’s hair is sticking up — or that someone’s fly is down.

4. When something eventful happens at work, this co-worker is the first person you seek out for a de-briefing.

5. At breakfast, lunch and coffee breaks, your closest co-worker knows what to order for you and how you like your coffee (and vice versa).

6. You and your co-worker can finish each other’s sentences.

7. Someone in your office knows almost as much about your personal life as your best friend or real-life spouse does.

I know, personally, I have all seven of these but I’m no longer concerned about it, apparently it’s a good thing!

*Wilson, P.W. “The Career Secretary: In America There Is No Counterpart of the Englishman Who Serves Great Men and Often Succeeds Them.”The New York Times, January 8, 1933.

The post What Is a Work Spouse and Do You Have One? appeared first on Colocation America.

This week’s topic – leadership.

Last June I had the pleasure of speaking on a panel about entrepreneurial spirit at The Channel Company’s Women of the Channel West Conference. On that day, like many others before it, I was asked how I got to where I am now. Thanks to prior conversations with the moderator, Laurie Benson, I had my answer – I am an accidental entrepreneurial. Essentially, life happened and one thing led to another and BAM I am here. Ok, fine, sure, there is more to the story than that but I won’t bore you with the details. To the point, I got here based on a bit of luck, right timing, and, above it all, an ability to lead others.

So here we go, Samantha’s Tricks to Leadership.

Trick #1: Don’t Worry, Be Happy – Positivity Goes a Long Way

Positivity is easy, right? Come on, all you need to do is think of a happy thought, make that negative into a positive and there you go. Then again, if it was that easy everyone would be doing it. Unfortunately, the world is full of negativity. From reality TV shows which focus completely on fighting to news which only shows the woes of the world, negative thought is everywhere. In a work setting, negativity can come in the form of an email, progress report, and/or even time at the water cooler.

According to Health Ambition, it saves our lives. Think of any time you have been scared, that negative emotion has told you to act a certain way. In some situations, that act will save your life. In other times, it just narrows your mind and focus – you shut off the outside world and focus on the negative moment.
Without a doubt, every day you deal with negativity but how do you turn it into positive?

As a leader, it is your job to keep a positive outlook on every situation. Ok, your numbers for the quarter are down, look at it as a learning period, how can you improve? The trick is to not ignore the negative or hardship but embrace it and find the positive – the silver lining – in the situation. When negativity finds its way to your desk, discuss the situation at hand and reassure your team that there is some positive thing that came out of it.

Trick #2: All I Wanna Do – Laughter is Key

Hey, “all I wanna do is have some fun, I got a feeling I am not the only one.” Oh the wise words of one, Sheryl Crow. Let’s leave this trick short and sweet: people like people who are having fun. Think about it, do you ever want to hang out with that friend of yours that is always complaining? Probably not but, if you’re anything like me, alcohol helps.

Back to the point, there are different kinds of leaders. There are those who lead by fear and those who lead by, in my opinion, laughter. The leaders I aspire to be love to laugh and so do I. Admittedly, I may laugh a little too much – I have a nervous laugh, a tired laugh, a happy laugh, a milk-shot-out-of-my-nose laugh – the list goes on and on. When I am leading my team, I encourage laughter and off-topic moments of “fun.” Inside jokes and moments “you just wouldn’t get” are the things that build a strong team. We laugh together, we laugh at ourselves, and we just plain have fun.

If your years of living hasn’t shown you the power of laughter, let me get you some experts on the subject: Steve Wilson, a psychologist and laugh therapist says laughter makes you happier, Maciej Buchowski, a researcher from Vanderbilt University, proved that you even burn calories laughing, and Robert R. Provine, professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Maryland, says laughter has the ability to dull pain.
To sum it up, laugh with your team. Use it as a way to elevate stress, as a segue to discuss a tough subject, or just as a moment to show your team that you’re human too.

Trick #3: My Sorry for 2004 – Admit Your Mistakes

To me, this goes hand-in-hand with laughing – admit that you may have done something wrong. So often people think of a strong leader as a leader who does not show weakness. However, what people do not realize is that admitting fault or mistake is a lot harder than pretending you are perfect. Let’s just be honest, no one likes doing something wrong but we all do it. To me the most powerful thing you can do is take ownership of your mistakes and, perhaps, laugh it off.

Now, I do not mean take fault for someone else’s mistake nor should you be admitting all the little things you do like when you perform a California Stop (for those who do not know what this is, it’s a person who comes up to a stop sign but instead of completely stopping, they kind of slow down and roll through it). What I mean is when you do something incorrectly, own up to it! When you admit the things you do wrong, your team will see you as the human you are and, really, trust you more.

Beyond just admitting fault, it’s asking for help to correct it. I am not perfect and I do not know everything, although I would never admit this on a first date. On the occasions I make a mistake, I rely heavily on my network of mentors to guide me in the right direction. Sometimes, it is not even my mentors, it is my own team that helps me. At the end of the day, my team trusts that if there is a mistake, we will correct it – together.

Trick #4: Started from the Bottom – Let Your Team Help Make the Decisions

When I think of leadership there are a couple of things that come to mind. For one thing, you cannot be a leader without having people to lead. I know, that is a crazy thought but all too often people are leading, well, no one. Yelling out demands and telling people “how it is” is not leadership it is dictatorship. Yes, at times you tell your team what to do and maybe even how to do it but, if you are leading them, they have some say in it.

Flat out, people do not like being told what to do. So how do you lead without telling?

It’s simple, get them involved in the decision making process. Instead of formulating the greatest strategy known to mankind behind closed doors, get your team involved. Call a meeting, tell your team the idea, and see what they have to say. I would bet that your team has some insights you may have overlooked or may even a better way of doing it. Of course you do not have to take their advice or thoughts into your final decision but at least the team knows you value their opinion enough to ask and, once you put the strategy in motion, the team will be more willing to do it.

They call this lovely thing “ownership mentality.” When you get your team involved in the process, they take ownership of the decision made. Especially when big changes are on the way, you better turn to your team and hear their thoughts. If you force a major change on your team chances are you will have no one to lead. So don’t tell your team the decision, lead them in creating the decision.

Trick #5: All Star – Go Play

Ok, tricks 1 – 4 were good but, for some of you, may be old news. So here is my completely unique leadership trick: make a killer playlist. Yes, I mean a music playlist. No matter what setting I am in, my music playlists gets me respect and is usually the start of people looking at me as a leader. I have found that music is pretty universal, everyone likes it. I use music as a means of making friends, starting conversations, and pumping up the people. I even put musical songs as the titles of each trick – see, this is All Star (I just love the song and I know you do too, long live Smash Mouth).

Sure, you may not always have music around and it may not be appropriate to bust out a little Jay-Z on day one but there are other things you can do. Say you cook, you can bring in some treats for the whole team. Maybe you like playing sports, invite people to join a team or play a pickup game.

See what I am trying to get at is, do something! Make a move, lead the way, and be happy. No matter if you are the head of your company or the help desk guy, you can do something that puts you in a leadership role and it can be as simple as doing something you love and finding others that love it too.

Leadership can look different on everyone but you must be willing to put yourself out there to see what your style is and where it will lead you.

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This week’s topic – work life balance.

Inspiration comes from many places and this week’s column on work-life balance comes directly from my kickball team (yes, you read that right, kickball). To make a long story short, I joined Urban Sports LA’s fall kickball league and yesterday concluded week 2 of play. As per the usual, after the game we headed to a local bar to hang out and get to know each other. Naturally, the conversation led to the classic “what do you do?” question. Upon hearing my elevator speech, my teammate immediately responded, “that’s great – I hear that tech companies have a great work life balance.”

I was dumbfounded – is that what tech companies mean to others? Do people that work in tech companies exemplify what it means to have a good work life balance? Without a means to answer these questions, I sought out words from the wise aka I Googled it. Here is what I found:

On August 20th, Dustin Moskovitz, the co-founder of Facebook and now the head of the software firm Asana, wrote about work life balance. To sum up his post, Moskovitz thinks, “companies are both destroying the personal lives of their employees and getting nothing in return.” Essentially, tech companies are setting up their employees to work longer hours with less leisure time – the opposite of a good work-life balance.

Photo Credit: lostgarden.com

So the question now remains – how do we promote a good work life balance within our own company?

Idea 1: Less Work Hours Means More Work Done

Almost 100 years ago Henry Ford was trying to figure out a better way of getting more out of his employees. Ford noticed that when he decreased the amount of time working, productivity increased. Today research continues to show that Ford was right; overworking does not result in more productivity. Understanding this, it is important to encourage your employees to create a work cycle that fits their needs.

Thanks to technical advances, the workplace is not what it was when Ford cut our work week into 5 days. Today, employees can work nearly anywhere and in whatever fashion they need to accomplish the job at hand. Many times, we think of working as sitting at a computer from 9AM to 5PM, Monday through Friday. This need not be the case anymore. I constantly encourage my team to get up, take breaks, and leave the office. Yes, leave the office – there is a big world beyond these 4 walls and I want my team to experience it. By telling my team to take more breaks, they know I care about their well being which helps with company morale and, once they take the break, we get more hours of actual productivity.

For those who have an option to not work a traditional 9 to 5, I encourage you to discover the “ideal schedule.” For example, some of my team works Monday through Thursday and take a 3-day weekend. For those team members, the longer break gives them time to reboot (yep, I did mean to put a computer reference). For others on my team, they work in the mornings and are done by 2PM and ready to carry out the rest of their day work-free. As long as they make our team meetings and brainstorming sessions, they can make whatever schedule works best for them.

Beyond the “make your own schedule” approach, we encourage our team to take “&*$@ my brain is dead” moments. When a team member feels that their brain is just not working at that moment, we encourage them to leave the office and take the rest of the day/afternoon off. When a team member is forced to stay, they get nothing done. Once their brain is back online, whatever time that may happen, they are welcome to continue working.

Idea 2: Doing Good is Good for Your Employees and Company

Creating a good work-life balance is more than just fixing the “work” problem for employees, companies need to think of ways of making the “life” part better. One of the ways to do this is by encouraging participation of activities outside of work hours. For example, in my kickball league there are many people that have joined with their coworkers. This creates team bonding and forces that workaholic to step away from the computer on the weekend and meet some people.

Another way to create a happier employee is by encouraging volunteer work. From a business standpoint, volunteering increases brand

Photo Credit: United Health Group

awareness, client attraction, local buy-in, and happier, longer-lasting employees. In 2013, UnitedHealth Group conducted a study and discovered that

volunteering improves people’s mood and makes them feel healthier. Volunteering has also been linked to less stress and a deeper connection with others and the community. Either as a company or individually, encourage your team to find a cause to support and go out and help! We give our team time off to get involved with a nonprofit and it’s a great “happy booster.” To sum it up, volunteering is just another way to improve an employee’s overall life.

Idea 3: Lead by Example

One of the things I had the hardest time learning (and continue to try and improve) is work-life balance. I often listen to women and men with far more wisdom than myself speak about how they balance it all and I am just amazed – so you have a family, friends, you volunteer, and run a company? How is that possible? Many times they credit the inevitable burnout that comes with overworking as to how they figured it out.

My story is the same (more about my story later – way later). At some point you stand back and realize that no matter how many hours you put in, there is still more to do tomorrow. So I stopped putting in 12 hour work days and moved towards less hours a day and more “brain” breaks. My team knows that if I head out early, I will, probably, work later (and, of course, they can always reach me via phone). At the end of the day, I am happier which makes my team happier and makes the overall company culture happier. Thanks to changes within my own work-life balance I am now known as the “company cheerleader” – a role I am happy to have.

So I encourage my fellow corporate leaders to have a better work life balance for themselves. It will not just help your own wellbeing but that of the overall company. Sometimes all you need to do is show what is possible.

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Nevertheless, I published the article expecting it to get little traction. Next thing I know, men and women around the world spread the list and the article went viral inspiring others to take action against this gender gap.

This year, I did it again. The women listed below, discovered by spanning the Internet and my network, are making a difference around the globe through their involvement in technology and, in particular, the broader data center industry. With this year’s installment, the list is now up to 20 different women from different companies, backgrounds and cultures, who are making a difference every day.

Today, I am pleased to announce this year’s installment of the Top 5 Women in the Data Center Industry to celebrate International Women’s Day 2015.

Top 5 Women in the Data Center Industry

Ursula Burns, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Xerox (@Xerox)

In 1980, Burns joined Xerox as a mechanical engineering summer intern. At the time, Xerox was the leader in the global photocopying market. By 2000, Burns was named Senior Vice Price, Corporate Strategic Services, heading up the manufacturing and supply chain operations, where she helped restructure the company to emerge as a leader in color technology and document services. In 2009, Burns was named Chief Executive Officer and led the company through their largest acquisition which extended their business process and IT outsourcing services. Today the services side of Xerox represents over 50% of the company’s total revenue. She was recently named as one of the most powerful women in the world by Forbes. Education wise, Burns earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Polytechnic Institute of NYU and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University.

Renee James (@ReneeJJames), President for Intel (@Intel)

During her 25 plus years at Intel, James has spearheaded the company’s strategic expansion into such areas as open source software, services for applications, and cloud-based computing. In her most recent role as executive vice president and general manager of the Software and Services Group, James helped create strategic relationships with the world’s leading device and enterprise operating systems companies. She is on Forbes’ most powerful women in the world list and is on President Obama’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee. She holds a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from the University of Oregon.

Nancy Phillips (@NancyPhillipsVW), President and Chief Executive Officer for ViaWest (@viawest_inc)

A charismatic and influential leader, Phillips co-founded ViaWest and assumed the Chief Executive Officer role in 2012. She began her career in Telecommunications as Vice President of Sales with Teleconferencing Systems of Canada where she built up the business services sector. Today, her track record speaks for herself as she has led numerous startups to becoming top players in the industry. Beyond her work, Phillips servers on the Board of Directors of several professional associates to promote women and diversity in the technology community. She received an Honors Bachelor of Economics Degree from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Renee Bergeron (@ReneeIMCloud), VP, Cloud Computing for Ingram Micro (@IngramMicroInc)

As vice president of cloud computing, she leads the global cloud go-to-market organization and is responsible for the division’s organizational management, as well as its strategic direction. Before joining Ingram Micro, Bergeron lead Fujitsu America’s IT Services Solutions business where she oversaw the development of the company’s managed security, data center virtualization and cloud computing offerings. Today she continues to use her 25 years of business leadership to drive new opportunities in cloud computing for Ingram Micro. Bergeron holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Sherbrooke University in Sherbrooke, Canada, and a master’s degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

Safra A Catz, Chief Executive Officer for Oracle (@Oracle)

In 1999, Catz’s joined Oracle and has not looked back. Over the last 15 plus years, Catz has held numerous high positions within Oracle including President and Chief Financial Officer. Her exceptional deal-making skills has led to several acquisitions for Oracles and billions in revenue. In 2014, she was promoted to co-CEO where she will focus on manufacturing, finance, and legal decisions for Oracle. She was recently named on Forbe’s most powerful women in the world list. Catz earned a bachelor’s degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1983 and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1986.

<— Top 5 Women in Tech 2014

Top 5 Women in Tech 2016 —>

Editor’s Note: When trying to identify key players, many aspects were considered. To dwindle down the list I considered the company the women work for, their positions within the company and, of course my own opinion. Because of space and time allotted, corporate lawyers (general counsel), chief financial officers, marketing directors, and human resource directors were not included though their work is vital to the success of the company. The women included above are considered to have influence in the decision making process and the direction in which the company goes. It is important to note that the list was formed by acquiring readily available data via the internet and thus may be missing some key players who do not have their position listed on their company’s website.

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1. #TBT (Throwback Thursday) – if your shirt and/or full outfit is something you wore (or could have worn) back in the days, this is the perfect costume for you

2. “The person that got bit by a Zombie and isn’t telling anyone” – you know, there are always those people in Zombie movies that get bit and refuse to show or tell anyone? Well that’s you today! (thanks Chris)

3. A ________ (sport) Player going _____ (location) – do you have a jersey on? If so, tell people you are a professional athlete and you’re going someplace (thanks Q)

4. Ghost – come on people, ghosts are not all white and wearing sheets. They are people just like you and I, people dressed up in regular clothes that just happen to be dead

5. A ______ (name your profession) – after all you are at work. Tell everyone that you dressed up as whatever it is you do. For example, “tech executive” costume just requires jeans and a shirt

Have fun!!!

For more information contact Samantha Walt

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Using the latest business methods to improve the lives and social well-being of others is the name of the game. Social Enterprises must therefore maximize the reach of their message to reach an end goal. Colocation services offers the Social Enterprise the physical infrastructure they need to connect themselves – and their message– with others worldwide.

Why Colocation for the Social Enterprise?

Social enterprises rely on servers and connectivity to help relay important messages about a social cause to a worldwide audience. Hosting a server inside a colocation facility greatly offsets the risk a service interruption will delay “business as usual.”

Unless the social enterprise has a redundant power and cooling supply on-site – a server is best housed within a colocation facility that has the hardware, and more importantly, the ability to provide backup power for 12-14 hours uninterrupted. Server resiliency is therefore dependent on a colocation facility to provide the fail-safe environment needed to effectively bolster online communications. Successful social enterprises also choose colocation services for disaster recovery services.

What is Disaster Recovery?

Disaster recovery is a data backup procedure that takes place inside a colocation facility. In case a natural disaster knocks out power, or internet access in a local area, business can still access the data they need to keep online communications up and running. This is because colocation providers arrange to have data sent to a remote facility – away from a potential disaster area thus adding more resiliencies for the enterprise, which is why server location matters with disaster recovery. If a server is offline for anything more than a few minutes it can have devastating effects on an organization’s day-to-day operations. More specifically, monetary losses will ensue if proper precautions aren’t taken to back up data to a remote facility.

Reason to Co-locate

Social enterprises consist of stakeholders, clients, and employees who use server resources each and every day to communicate their messages online. Housing a server in the home or office is a risky approach to network resiliency and the overall health of online communications. This is because very few on-site locations offer redundant back-up power, proper ventilation (servers run hot), and a physical level of security needed to protect the server hardware. At a glance, the reasons to co-locate your server are as follows:

•Network Resilience – Colocation providers are setup to provide superior network resilience in various forms:  connectivity, disaster recovery, power redundancy.

•Physical Security¬ – Colocation facilities feature an array of on-site security systems to help prevent data breach, such as: closed circuit surveillance cams, biometric ID scanners, enterprise-class firewall protection, on-call staff.

•Value and Offset Costs – Colocation facilities buy utility power at wholesale prices. This allows them to pass the savings onto the clients who end up paying less to lease colocation space than they would to the utility company had they hosted the server on-site. Remember, servers are power-hungry machines that need other power hungry machines to keep cool. Utility power adds up. Colocation offsets the cost of server ownership and adds value to the organization by effectively rendering online communication “disaster-proof.”

Colocation and Business Sensibility

Social enterprises must be savvy with their capital spending investing only in resources that are a must for online communications. Without colocation the social enterprise puts their communication platform at risk of being knocked offline. Even a momentary service interruption can hurt revenue and hinder the line of communication from the social enterprise to an active online audience.

Furthermore, Colocation pricing structures are flexible and can be tailored to suit the budget of even the smallest social enterprise. Once a social enterprise outgrows its server, or allocated space within a colocation facility, services can be scaled up according to need. Now, that’s business sensibility.

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