GoHuman Blog

How important do you suppose it is to personally invest in ourselves through continued self development? Whether it be for business or personal reasons, many people just don’t take the time or rather, feel worthy enough to spend the time on themselves, to further develop their skills. I say this with certainty because I used to be one of those people who never took the time to further educate myself, for many reasons.

Before starting my business coaching practice, I spent most of my adult career (20 years) in the RV-MH distribution industry. During that period, I was fortunate enough to continuously advance in my positions from administration to head of operations, which I attribute to a lot of hard work, motivation and a strong passion for the work I did and the people I served.  As shameful as this may sound, it never occurred to me how much additional value I could add to my employees, co-workers, customers, and myself by reading leadership books to learn more about effectively leading others or listen to audios about goal setting & achieving, team building exercises or how to deal with work place conflict. With having said all that, nothing could have prepared me for the complete transformation I’ve made over the past year and half.

Once I made the decision that it was time for a change and realized in doing so, not only would I be stepping way out of my comfort zone, but rather setting myself up for the biggest challenge of my life. By the time I reached that awareness, I was far too invested (financially and emotionally) to ever think about turning back and returning to the “land of safety.”

One of the first lessons I learned about starting a business was any/all results that were to occur, would be completely dependent upon me and the commitment I was willing to make to myself, in order to achieve the results I wanted. Part of that commitment meant learning a lot more about a trade that was, although very unfamiliar to me, a great deal similar to much of the work I had done, over the past twenty years.

For starters, I sought out a good training/certification program that would help me lay the foundation for my practice. Next, I hired my own business coach, someone who I knew had a great reputation in the industry and more importantly, one that was effective at getting the results her clients wanted, which in turn, produced the results she wanted. I spent months reading motivational, coaching, sales and success books. I listened to problem solving, financially fearless, owner/victim distinction audios while in my car, every opportunity I had. Then, it was practice, practice, practice the art of coaching, to learn everything that didn’t work for me or others, in order to find what would work.

I’ve encountered more roadblocks than downtown Chicago and at times, often wondered if I made the right decision. However, as soon as I feel myself falling into the victim mode trap of “poor me,” it’s at that same time when I recall how I’ve overcome every one of those obstacles and turned them into opportunities for growth. As a result, I’m a much more independent, wiser and stronger individual & coach, today.

I recently blogged about how the top 20 Global Companies dramatically highlight the unbelievably unsustainable nature of the current global economy.  I’m following up with an online article about #43 on the list.

End of the world predictions are usually the domain of fanatics and fringers, but this global powerhouse is advising its clients how to prepare for global collapse.

Be afraid.  Be very afraid.

#2 of 19 random reasons Why GoHuman.com? is that a strong, connected, local community is an essential insurance policy if the worst of doomsday predictions were to come true. And investing in a local economy is by its nature more sustainable, not to mention the marketplace we are creating.

We hope you’ll catch the vision and spread the word. We can make a difference. We can change the way the world works.

Reason #1;

Reason #3; Reason #4; Reason #5; Reason #6; Reason #7; Reason #8; Reason #9; Reason #10; Reason #11; Reason #12

Since I wrote about Goldman Sachs’ apology, investors are calling for a bigger share of profits. Don’t owners have a right to demand this?

Corporations are created to limit investor risk while making money. Sincepowerful corporations can cause enormous damage, layers of governance are added. A balance of forces and laws grow a company as big as Goldman Sachs. Then individuals personally profit from investing in, or working for, these enormously fattened pigs. Some gorge themselves on very large pieces of pork.

Governments become enmeshed and corrupted by capitalism. Bailouts become billion dollar opportunities for greedy individuals to exploit. With the balance of power and control being challenged, Investors, Executives and employees all scream for bigger slices of bacon. The Beatles nailed it in “Piggies”.

GoHuman.com promotes a sustainable model of equitable rewards and a new transactional model at the local community level. We celebrate the power of trust, built on transparent reputation. We look beyond the fallacy of so-called “Free Markets” to open markets of equal opportunity.

I’ll be blogging about these topics in the coming weeks. Thanks for the trust you display in working with us to change the way the world works.

Say cheese! or pork?

Susan Nieman, in a recent EnlightNext article titled “Idealism for Grown-Ups”, explains a basic tenet of philosopher Immanuel Kant: “Claims of reality and the claims of the ideal should be given equal weight”.

It’s a sophisticated philosophical underpinning of a truism I heard as a teenager. Every week Casey Kasum told American Top 40 listeners to “keep our feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars”.

Fans of GoHuman.com intuitively embrace this principle and see no disconnect with our “Change the Way Your World Works” tag-line. Others, put off by our grandiose vision, view our approach as naive and doomed to failure. We respect their perspective, and welcome their criticism, especially if they include constructive feedback.

Even Flamers help keep us honest. We “drink our own Kool-aid” about quality and local relevance, with the humility to “Make it Right”; another valuable component of GoHuman.com.

It’s in our nature to be idealistic. I’ll reach back much further than Kant for an admonition I learned as an undergraduate Theology student. The Hebrew prophet Zechariah, speaking to ancient scoffers, gives very modern advice: “Do not despise the day of small things”.

So grow older and wiser without losing idealism. Work at ground level and stretch for the stars. Align with the forces of nature. People who say GoHuman.com can’t don’t know the meaning of Kant.

You Can! Just click Share This to change the way your world works!

As Web development evolves with an increased number of technologies and skilled people, new companies such as Mashery.com are coming online to help companies tap into the teams of independent developers out there that have ideas about how to leverage their products. Most companies simply don’t have the resources or vision to recognize or capitalize on all the opportunities that exist within their networks, products, and technology. Companies that are willing to open themselves up to outside partnerships with shared revenue potential are paving the way for new ways to do business online.

According to Mashery.com, “By publishing your API, you give potential and existing partners the ability to create applications that use your data and engage customers in new ways.”

The trend is clear. Consider the benefits of developing an open platform to which many people can contribute or keep your secrets and watch the Web pass you by. Security and secrecy are, of course, important for any company with proprietary interests, and boundaries must be set. But businesses that have successfully employed open models such as eBay and Apple are reaping the rewards and even seeing a majority of their business created through alternative channels.

We’ve just enabled Canadian postal codes so our neighbors to the North can get in on all the GoHuman.com fun. Welcome!

If you haven’t seen this yet, check out Annie Leonard’s Story of Stuff. An insightful animation tells the story of the global supply chain.